South Island, Aiba Residence
Kojou had been sitting in the living room for nearly half an hour, waiting for Asagi.
Though the air conditioner was running, filling the room with a cool and refreshing breeze, Kojou was sweating endlessly from sheer nervousness. No matter how much he reassured himself that everything was fine, he couldn't stop imagining Asagi's gaze—filled with disappointment and fear—once she learned the truth about him.
After his long wait, Asagi finally came down from the second floor and took Kojou to her room, as he always did whenever he visited her house.
"Why are you making such a serious face?" Asagi asked, staring at Kojou's tense expression. She tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "This isn't like you. You always have that stupid look on your face."
Kojou was now in Asagi's room. She had quickly tidied up, sprayed some perfume in the air, and pulled him inside—the most private place in the house. It was clear Kojou wanted to talk about something extremely important.
"It's true… I'm a huge idiot…" Kojou smiled self-deprecatingly as he spoke. "So let me be serious this one time before I go back to being my usual dumb self."
"What's really going on with you?" Asagi asked gravely, her heart aching at the sight of the man she loved looking so vulnerable. "Weakness isn't like you. You're always strong, facing every problem with that stupid grin of yours."
"Asagi…" Kojou murmured, then suddenly hugged her without hesitation, trembling. He could only seek warmth from someone right now—and fortunately, Asagi was here.
(⊙ｏ⊙) —Though Asagi was startled by the abrupt embrace, she didn't push him away when she saw how he was shaking like a frightened child who'd just watched a horror movie.
"..." After a moment of hesitation, Asagi hugged him back, gently patting his head to calm him down. She couldn't help but feel a storm of emotions inside—happy that Kojou was holding her, yet sad and angry to see him like this. This was the first time she'd ever seen Kojou so broken. Despite his usual foolish demeanor, he was a person of near-invincible willpower—something Asagi knew well. That's why she was utterly confused: What could have shattered someone so strong to this extent?
…
…
…
"Have you calmed down now?" Asagi asked as Kojou finally pulled away from the hug after nearly half an hour.
"Mmm…" Kojou nodded, his face much more relaxed. The warmth of Asagi's embrace had soothed him greatly.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Asagi asked, worry shimmering in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Actually…" Kojou hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Asagi everything. He had resolved to place his trust in the girl before him—the one who'd always stood by his side no matter what over the past few years. "I've become a Vampire…"
"..." Asagi's eyebrow twitched in surprise, but she didn't interrupt. It was clear this was only the beginning—Kojou still had much more to say, judging by the look on his face.
"But I didn't just become any Vampire… I'm the Fourth Primogenitor," Kojou said, then began telling Asagi everything that had happened to him up until now—or at least what he could remember, as large chunks of his memory were missing ever since he became the Fourth Primogenitor.
"..." Though Asagi didn't speak, her expressions shifted with every word Kojou said. Fortunately, her sharp mind allowed her to process his words without breaking. Had it been anyone else, their brain might've short-circuited from the sheer onslaught of revelations.
As for Kojou, he couldn't bring himself to look at Asagi's face. His gaze remained fixed on the floor, guilt burning in his eyes. He didn't have the courage to see how she was looking at him—certain he wouldn't be able to bear it if she saw him as a monster or with disgust.
And so, time passed. Kojou spoke without pause, and Asagi listened in complete silence, never interrupting. This was the first time Kojou had ever confided everything about himself to her. Despite his usual carefree, foolish demeanor, he had never been one to talk much about his own struggles.
Kojou continued, confessing every troubling thing that had happened to him so far. He hid nothing from Asagi—even admitting that he had noticed her feelings for him but pretended not to understand. He explained that he wanted to build a new relationship with her, one not founded on lies and deception.
Though Kojou had said something that should've made Asagi furious, her expression didn't change when he revealed he'd feigned ignorance of her feelings. It seemed she had already known.
Meanwhile, Kojou still couldn't look at her face, staring at the ground with guilt in his eyes. He interpreted Asagi's lack of response as disappointment—so profound that she couldn't even scream at him or scold him for his despicable actions.
Another Title: Beneath the Fool's Mask
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