Minato slowly walked down his apartment staircase with his wallet tight in his right hand. His mind was racing, thinking about whether Amelia would disobey him and go outside.
In reality, there was no guarantee; he just had to trust her in the moment.
Minato then walked for a few minutes before arriving at the bus stop and calling a taxi.
"Where to, Mr.?" the driver questioned Minato without looking back at him.
"Shibuya Super Mart," Minato replied.
The driver nodded once and stepped on the car's throttle. The taxi drove into the flow of traffic.
Minato then leaned back against the taxi seat, his eyes fixated outside the car's window as the city moved in a blur past his vision. His grip on the wallet only tightened.
He couldn't shake the thoughts... Would Amelia really stay put? Or would she decide to follow him?
There was really no way to know. No system alert would warn him if she stepped outside. He just had to trust her, even though the word 'trust' felt flimsy with someone he had barely known for two days.
After about twenty minutes of shallow thoughts, the taxi slowed down and came to a stop in front of a wide glass building. The big sign above read Shibuya Super Mart in bold red and blue letters.
"That'll be 1,200 yen," the driver explained with normality.
Minato slowly pulled the money from his wallet and handed it over to the taxi driver. "Keep the change, sir."
He then stepped out of the taxi. The automatic doors of the supermarket were sliding open and closed ahead as people went in and out with baskets and shopping bags.
Minato adjusted his shirt, briefly took a deep breath, and walked toward the supermarket entrance.
The supermarket's automatic doors opened up widely as Minato stepped inside, looking from one direction to another. Fluorescent bulbs filled the large hallways, and the sound of rolling carts and people's voices came from every direction.
He then picked up a red shopping basket from the stack near the entrance area and went straight to the aisles. Discounted rice, instant noodles, bread, eggs... he placed them one by one into his basket.
At the meat section, he stopped and checked the price tags before taking a pack of beef.
An elderly woman beside him was comparing chicken cuts, and a worker was stacking fresh trays on the shelves.
Minato moved along quickly, grabbing the necessary food items he needed: vegetables, milk, and some canned food. He checked the "buy one, get one free" tags and added two bottles of cooking oil to his shopping basket.
Then he heard a familiar voice that made him freeze in his tracks.
"Minato? Is that really you?"
He slowly turned. Standing just a few feet away, examining a display of pre-packaged onigiri, was Yuta Aoki, his classmate and the boyfriend of his crush. Yuta was wearing a wide, friendly grin and holding a matching red basket.
"Oh, sup, Yuta," Minato exclaimed, forcing a casual and friendly wave.
He hoped that Yuta didn't notice the faint red claw marks on his neck he got from his first encounter with Amelia, despite his efforts to hide them with his collar.
"Man, I thought you went to the specialty bookstore already. Did you get the Destiny and Loss limited edition novel?" Yuta asked; his excitement was palpable.
Minato forced a fake and faltered smile. He remembered the closed bookstore, how he found the other bookstore that gave him that summoning book, and the frustration that had led him to summon the Demon Lord's daughter, and a Grand Vampire at that.
"Uh, no. I missed it," Minato lied easily, shrugging. "My part-time job ran late yesterday night, and they closed today in the early morning. Ended up just getting some groceries this morning instead."
Yuta tapped Minato on the shoulder, a gesture that made Minato flinch internally, remembering Amelia's fierce grip on his neck. "Tough luck, bro. I managed to snag one, though! Himari and I are going to unbox it on my stream later. You should check it out."
"Yeah, sure. I'll try to," Minato mumbled, trying to steer the conversation away from the book topic.
The contrast between his ordinary life and the secret one he had now was far too different.
On one side, he was just Minato... the guy too nervous to ask out his crush, quietly stewing in jealousy when he saw her with her boyfriend. On the other side, he was now something completely different... the master of a Grand Vampire.
"Hey, is Himari here?" Minato asked, not knowing when he questioned Yuta.
"Oh, she's around here somewhere. She insisted on getting these weird imported berries for her morning shake; she said they help with her 'skin.' I told her she's perfect already, but you know Himari." Yuta sighed dramatically, though he was clearly smitten.
Minato nodded. Great. Himari is here, too. Fuck.
"Anyway, I gotta go find her and those berries," Yuta responded, giving Minato a quick wave. "Later, man. Don't forget the stream!"
"Later," Minato replied, letting out a heavy sigh as Yuta walked off toward the fresh fruit and produce section.
Minato quickly moved to the vegetable aisle, keeping his head down and his basket low.
He needed to finish this shopping trip fast and get back to Amelia, who was currently home alone.
He grabbed a few onions and potatoes... safe, cheap choices...
And then, it was everywhere. A sudden, strong smell hit him.
It wasn't a bad smell, but it was rich, metallic, and warm. It smelled distinctly like… blood.
He froze; his new Vampire senses immediately went into high alert. The scent was incredibly close, mixing with the AC of the supermarket.
He looked up and saw a portal opening in front of him.
But before he could react, a large hand grabbed him by the head and slammed him to the floor multiple times.
His Blood started gushing out of his mouth, dripping down from his chin and staining the supermarket tiles beneath him. His grocery bags scattered on impact; his eggs, cans, and vegetables rolled across the supermarket floor.
Minato tried to push himself back up, but the grip on his skull was so strong and crushing, his eyes were covered by his own blood.
[DING]
[HOST'S LIFE IN DANGER. WARNING: BLOOD LOSS DETECTED. INTERNAL INJURIES CRITICAL. MOBILITY REDUCED.]
[HP IS CURRENTLY BELOW 20%. VITAL SIGNS UNSTABLE. VISUAL DISTORTION AND BREATHING IRREGULAR.]
[CALL ON FAMILIAR: AMELIA ALEXANDER EARHART.... IMMEDIATE SUMMON RECOMMENDED]