«I think it's time we had a little chat...» Hakuto hisses, his voice dead serious. The white flames no longer surround his body, but the diamond-bladed sword is still in his hand—firm, steady—and aimed straight at Yuzu and Rika, who are still crouched on the floor in shock. «...So, you two are demons...»
«H-Half-demons, to be exact...» Rika clarifies, trying to sound confident but clearly scared. «...Our mom, Kagura, is a demon—a succubus, to be precise—and our dad is—or was—a vampire, before he was killed fourteen years ago...»
«A vampire and a succubus...» Hakuto repeats. «Didn't think that was even possible—that they could have kids.»
«It's not,» Rika says. «That's why we had to escape from N'raeth—our world. And it's the same reason that vampire tried to capture us. Yuzu and I... we're anomalies. We shouldn't exist. We've got both vampire power and succubus power inside us. To them, we're just lab rats to study—and weapons to use. Nothing more.»
~One of the key traits of vampires is that they absorb energy from blood. Succubi, on the other hand, release a special energy from their bodies that enchants everyone around them...~
That weird cherry juice... the obsessive way people react to Rika...
Yeah—it all makes sense now.
Hakuto lets out a sigh—he lowers the sword, then makes it vanish into thin air, just like when he summoned it.
Rika stands up, her legs still trembling. She takes a few steps back, putting distance between herself and Hakuto, then points at him with an accusing finger.
«Y-You, though... that power—the Visaflame, the release of dormant magic in humans. If you can use it, then you're... a Monster Reaper from HESPARC?!»
As soon as she says it, Rika leaps back—and Yuzu follows. From their backs, a pair of huge black wings burst out, bat-like and wide. Their irises glow bright red. A faint aura of energy surrounds their bodies—Yuzu's is blood-colored, like Itzu's, while Rika's is a deeper red, more like burgundy, and her skin even takes on a faint purple tint.
They both drop into fighting stances—they look like they're ready to strike.
«My dad and I are out of that business. No need to freak out,» Hakuto says, raising his hands in surrender. «If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have saved you from Itzu—don't you think? Honestly, if that's the best you've got, I could still wipe you both out in a second without breaking a sweat. My power's currently just a bit higher than that vampire I just scared off—and he's clearly stronger than you two.»
«Y-Yeah... I guess you're right...» Rika murmurs, shifting back into her human form. Yuzu follows right after.
«W-Wait a sec... you and... your dad?! Shin's a Monster Reaper too?! And he's out there—alone—somewhere with my mom?!» Yuzu shouts, clearly panicking.
«Like I said, we're not with HESPARC anymore. I mean, technically I never was. My dad got forced to quit when I was barely more than a baby—but he never told me what the hell he did to get kicked out, even though back then he was considered the strongest Monster Reaper in the world. Now we're just two regular Japanese citizens who, until last week, were living in a trapdoor apartment on the edge of Tokyo,» Hakuto explains, not even sounding convinced himself.
He finds it hard to believe all of this is just a coincidence—and that Shin knows nothing.
No, by now he's almost sure his dad's behind it all, and that the marriage with Kagura is anything but a love story. If those two are even actually married. At this point, he's doubting that too.
A suspicion that someone like Rika picks up on at the exact same time.
«I'm sure our mom had her reasons for keeping us in the dark. It's probably tied to why they got married so suddenly without telling us anything... Honestly, I'm almost relieved this marriage is just a cover for something else—I could never wrap my head around the idea that she actually chose to marry someone like that... or at least, that's what I hope. It'd be insane if all this really was just a coincidence...»
«Charming and refined as always...» Hakuto mutters.
~She can't even say one nice thing—right after I saved her damn life...~
«So now what...? Should we call Mom and Shin and ask for answers...?» Yuzu asks, flopping down on the couch—only now starting to recover from the shock.
«No,» Hakuto says flatly. «My idiot dad wanted to keep me in the dark about everything—even with how serious all this is. Tonight we were in real danger, and we got lucky only one guy showed up! I'll return the favor for his little "surprise"—in full.»