Chapter 1: The Rent is Too Damn Cheap!
Rent in Tokyo is like selling your soul.
At least, that's what I thought until this morning.
"Are you kidding me…? Fifty thousand yen a month for a one-bedroom near Shibuya?!"
I stared at the listing on my cracked phone screen, half-convinced the universe was trolling me. The ad had everything: furnished, free Wi-Fi, and even a washing machine. In Tokyo, that price should've bought me a cardboard box under a bridge.
I blinked, scrolled again. No hidden fees. No deposit. Just one condition:
"Tenant must tolerate occasional late-night noise."
Late-night noise? Please. I've lived next to train tracks before. Compared to that, anything else was paradise.
"Do you accept?" the landlord asked over the phone. Her voice was cheerful, almost… desperate.
"Y-Yes! I mean, yes, please!" I practically shouted, clutching my phone like a lifeline.
"Great! You can move in tonight. Your roommate will be expecting you."
Wait. Roommate? The ad didn't mention—
Click.
The call ended.
Roommate, huh? Well, as long as he's not an axe murderer, I can live with it.
Later that evening…
I dragged my overstuffed suitcase up three flights of stairs and stopped in front of a perfectly ordinary apartment door: 3-B.
"This is it…" I muttered, key in hand.
My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten since morning, but who cares? I was about to start a new life—cheap rent, good location, maybe even peace and quiet.
I unlocked the door.
And walked straight into a music video.
The living room lights glowed soft pink. Spotlights—yes, actual spotlights—flashed in the corners. And in the center, with his back to me, stood a tall figure holding a microphone, belting out a note so perfect it made my spine tingle.
"Kimi no tame ni, boku wa—"
He spun dramatically, black leather jacket glittering under the lights, silver hair swaying like silk. His eyes—deep crimson—locked onto mine.
I froze.
He froze.
Silence.
"Uh… hi?" I managed, my voice cracking like a cheap glowstick.
The man blinked, lowered the mic, and smiled. Not a normal smile—a smile that could melt icebergs, topple nations, and sell a million photo books overnight.
"Oh," he said casually, like we hadn't just shared the most awkward meet-cute in history. "You must be Haruto."
My brain short-circuited.
"…How do you know my name?"
"You're my new roommate, right?" he said, tossing the mic onto the couch like it was nothing.
Wait. Wait wait wait. Something about his face… that jawline. Those crimson eyes. That smirk I've seen a thousand times on billboards and in every convenience store magazine rack.
"N-No way… you're… you're Kurosawa Riku?! The Kurosawa Riku?! Japan's number one idol?!"
He winked. "In the flesh."
My knees nearly gave out.What the hell?! Why is Japan's biggest star living in a crappy apartment with me?! Shouldn't he be in a mansion with gold toilets and robot butlers?!
Riku casually collapsed onto the couch, grabbed a juice box from the table, and sipped through the straw like this was perfectly normal.
"Surprised? Don't be. Fame's exhausting, you know? Sometimes a guy just wants to live somewhere normal."
"Normal?! There's spotlights in your living room!"
He shrugged. "Force of habit."
I stared at him, my heart pounding. The biggest idol in Japan… is my roommate. My rent is basically free. This is a dream come true, right?
Right?
That's when I noticed it.
The juice box he was drinking from… wasn't labeled like normal. No cute fruit illustrations. Just a plain white pack with the word "Blood" in red cursive.
And then I saw them.
His fangs.
Not little pointy teeth like in bad movies. Real fangs, sharp enough to tear through flesh like butter.
I froze. My brain tried to process everything at once. Crimson eyes. Pale skin. Night owl. Drinks blood.
Holy crap.
My roommate isn't just Japan's number one idol.
He's a vampire.
"Something wrong?" Riku asked, tilting his head. His eyes glowed faintly, like embers in the dark.
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.
He smiled slowly, fangs glinting under the pink lights.
"You saw, didn't you?" he whispered. His voice dripped like honey… and danger.
I stumbled back. "L-Look, I don't care what you are! I'm not gonna tell anyone, so—"
He stood. One step, and he was in front of me, moving faster than my eyes could follow. His hand pressed lightly on my shoulder, pinning me in place without effort.
"Good," he murmured, leaning close enough for me to feel his cool breath on my ear. "Because if you tell… I'll erase every memory you have."
I gulped.What. The. Hell.
What kind of rom-com did I just walk into?!
TO BE CONTINUED…