The morning after the night felt unnervingly quiet. The academy's marble corridors, usually alive with chatter, carried only the echo of distant footsteps. Airi clutched her bag tighter, glancing between the tall stained-glass windows, her reflection flickering faintly in each pane.
Something felt… different. Not wrong exactly, but as though the air itself had grown heavy around her.
Celene was already waiting by the classroom door, leaning casually against the frame. Her silver hair caught the light like a blade, her crimson eyes narrowing in appraisal the moment Airi came into view.
"You're late," Celene said smoothly, though her voice lacked its usual bite. Her gaze lingered a little too long on Airi's face, as though trying to memorize every detail.
Before Airi could respond, Lys arrived with her usual confident swagger, her violet cape swishing behind her. "She's not late, you're just impatient," she said with a grin. But then Lys's expression shifted — her eyes locked on Airi, softening, the corners of her lips curling in a way that almost made Airi's knees weak.
It was the same with Tsukiko and Rena. When Tsukiko entered, the fox-girl's usual aloof expression faltered for a heartbeat, her ears twitching faintly before she turned away, muttering, "...You look different today."
Rena, the ever-stoic knight, stopped mid-step as she met Airi's gaze. A faint flush crept across her cheeks before she quickly bowed her head.
Airi blinked, bewildered. What's gotten into them?
Classes that day were a blur. Airi felt as though every time she looked up, someone's eyes were on her — Celene tapping her pen against her lips, Lys leaning back with a smirk, Tsukiko pretending to read while her tail twitched, Rena's knuckles tightening around her sword hilt.
By lunch, the tension was unbearable.
It started when Celene sat beside Airi without invitation, casually sliding Airi's tray closer to hers.
"You're eating too little," Celene murmured, picking a grape from her own plate and pressing it against Airi's lips.
Airi froze. "C-Celene—"
Before she could finish, Lys slammed her hands on the table. "Back off. If anyone's feeding her, it's me." She snatched the grape from Celene's fingers and popped it in her own mouth, grinning smugly.
Tsukiko's ears flicked in irritation. "You're both acting like children." She leaned over, her voice dropping to a whisper in Airi's ear. "If you need protection, you know I'm more reliable than these two."
Rena, usually quiet, suddenly spoke up. "Miss Airi's safety is my sworn duty. I will not allow any of you to compromise it."
The air grew thick with unspoken rivalry. Airi could only stare between them, feeling her face heat up. Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?
It wasn't until later that evening that the truth began to reveal itself.
In the library, Airi sat at a secluded table, desperately trying to study. But when she reached for her pen, her fingers brushed against another hand — Celene's.
"You don't feel it?" Celene asked quietly, her crimson eyes searching Airi's. "Something in you has… awakened."
Airi tilted her head. "Awakened?"
Lys's voice came from the next shelf over, low and serious. "It's charm, Airi. Raw, supernatural allure. It's rare even among vampires. You've been unconsciously drawing people toward you all day."
Tsukiko stepped out from the shadows of the stacks, her amber eyes glinting. "And that means you'll attract more than just admirers… you'll attract predators."
Rena, standing guard at the doorway, added, "Which is why we're not leaving your side."
Airi's heartbeat quickened. Her mind spun — she wasn't sure whether to be relieved, flattered, or terrified. All she knew was that from this moment forward, her life at the academy was about to change forever.