«Ugh... is the delivery guy riding a turtle or what?! I'm starving to death here!» Yuzu complains, throwing her arms up like she's in some over-the-top drama. After Hakuto's cooking fiasco left them with no dinner, takeout was the only option.
«Yuzu, it's only 7:30, and the food's supposed to be here by 8. Complaining won't make it come faster!» Rika snaps, her voice clearly irritated.
—DING DONG!
Rika doesn't even get to finish her sentence before the sound of the intercom echoes through the living room.
To stop delivery guys from wasting five minutes walking through the giant garden, the villa has a second entrance on the west side—the only one facing the road. The two intercoms make different sounds, so it's easy to tell whether someone's buzzing from the north side—like Hakuto and Shin did on their first day—or from the delivery entrance.
But that DING DONG doesn't come from the west side—it comes from the north, and more precisely, from the main front door of the house, not the big gate outside. Whoever it is must've climbed over the gate and crossed the garden to ring the bell—and all three of them realize it instantly.
A moment of complete silence follows. Hakuto, Rika, and Yuzu exchange confused looks.
«Who could it be at this hour? Maybe Kagura and Shin came back early from their honeymoon to surprise us?» Yuzu mouths silently, her lips forming the words without a sound.
Hakuto shakes his head.
~It's not them. If it were, they wouldn't need to ring the bell—they've got keys. So who the hell could it be...? One of those creeps obsessed with Rika, maybe? After what happened at the boutique, I wouldn't be surprised if someone followed her home. I need to stay sharp...~
Then the intercom rings again.
Without saying a word, Hakuto gestures to his two stepsisters to hide. Something about this feels wrong.
He walks slowly toward the door, each step careful. He gulps, fists clenched, ready to fight if he has to. He leans in and peeks through the peephole, and...
«Itzu...?!» Hakuto exclaims, yanking the front door open without thinking.
«Yo, Hakotto... bet you didn't see this kind of surprise coming!»
Itzu's grin is way too friendly and playful—so much that it comes off as creepy. It's the kind of smile that feels completely wrong for the situation... like a clown showing up at a funeral.
«I've already told you a million times my name is—» Hakuto stops himself. «Forget it. What are you doing here? And how did you even get in?» His voice is clearly annoyed.
«Yeah, I'd like to know that too! You do realize this is trespassing, right?» Rika snaps, furious. She and Yuzu have come out of hiding after hearing the voices—Rika recognizes Itzu's voice too, since they're classmates.
«You better have a damn good excuse, or I'm calling the police!» Yuzu adds, already holding her phone. It's rare to see her this nervous and pissed off, but honestly, who wouldn't be? No one likes intruders.
Itzu raises both hands in the air, like he's surrendering, wearing a fake, dramatic frown.
«Didn't expect such a cold welcome. Is this that famous Japanese hospitality?» he mutters with an exaggerated sigh.
As he makes that gesture, thin streams of blood start dripping from Itzu's right arm. With his hands raised, Hakuto finally notices the deep cut in his classmate's palm—still bleeding nonstop.
«Itzu, what the—»
Hakuto stops cold as soon as his eyes meet Itzu's again—they're no longer the dark brown he's used to, but a glowing, unnatural scarlet red.
Hakuto takes a step back, stunned.
Rika and Yuzu look even more terrified than he is—they drop to their knees, clinging to each other like the world just turned upside down.
Itzu moves his lips—like he's mouthing something—then, all of a sudden, the blood dripping from his hand begins to float. It no longer looks like normal liquid, but like glowing particles of blood-colored energy, swirling above his palm... until they form a long, sharp rapier. He grabs it without hesitation.
Itzu's smile twists into something dark and sadistic. He points the blade straight at Hakuto's throat.
«I'm here for the Narkhalis sisters. Play nice, and maybe I'll let you live!»
Hakuto stands frozen in front of the terrifying scene—Itzu's glowing crimson eyes pierce through the darkness, holding that rapier, apparently forged from a strange blood-colored metal.
«Last chance, Hakotto! I seriously like you—no joke—and I don't want to hurt you. So let's keep it simple: I take the two half-demons behind you, erase your memories, and boom—happily ever after.»
The two half-demons behind me... Yuzu and Rika... they're actually demons?!
«Come on, we're talking about the daughters of one of the richest and most powerful women in Japan—kidnappings like this happen all the time. You and your dad will inherit the Narkhalis fortune. Sounds like a win-win, right?» adds Itzu, still pointing the blade at Hakuto's neck.
«Hakuto, run!» Rika cries, her voice shaking with tears and panic as she clings tightly to Yuzu—who stays completely still, her empty eyes staring forward as if her soul's already gone.
«That thing... he's a vampire! Your decent martial arts skills won't help against someone like him!»
Hakuto's steady, determined eyes lock with Itzu's—the two stare each other down like cowboys before a final showdown.
«I don't care if they're demons or anything else. Rika and Yuzu are my sisters, and that's all that matters! I promised myself—that I'd protect them from anything… and Itzu, even if it costs me my life, I won't let you lay a finger on them!»
«H-Hakuto, you idiot...!» Rika shouts again—her face drenched in tears, heart pounding not just from fear, but from Hakuto's words, which hit her deeper than she wants to admit.
~Ever since we started living together, you've always been this immature, clumsy kid... sometimes even a perv, looking for excuses to stare at my butt... So why wait until we're about to die—about to never see each other again—to finally act like a man...? It's not fair... You should've kept this brave, grown-up version of you hidden... then maybe I could've died without feeling guilty for always treating you like garbage...~
Rika thinks, forcing a small, shaky smile.
Itzu lifts his rapier toward the sky, ready to bring it down. «So, you've chosen death. Too bad for you!»
The scarlet blade comes swinging down toward Hakuto—aimed straight at his chest, when... –CLANG!
A sharp metallic sound cuts through the silence of the night.
«What the...?!» Itzu mutters, his eyes wide in total disbelief.
The rapier stops mid-air—blocked by the blade of a sword. But not just any sword. It's huge, with a golden hilt and a slightly curved blade, forged from a crystal-like material that looks like diamond, wrapped in glowing white flames.
That sword—now in Hakuto's right hand—appeared out of nowhere just seconds ago. Even his arm is covered in the same crystal-like material, forming armor from wrist to shoulder. And his right eye—hazel just a moment ago—is now pure white and glowing, like those white flames are burning inside it too.
Itzu can't believe his eyes—and the shocked looks on Rika and Yuzu, who suddenly snap out of their daze, are just as intense.
Itzu jumps back, a nervous grin spreading across his face.
«Didn't expect to see the Visflamma in this world too. I thought I'd be the one catching you off guard—but you flipped the whole situation. And those crystals… I've never seen anything like them in my life!»
But Hakuto doesn't say a word—his face is more serious than ever, eyes locked on Itzu. White flames explode from his body, trailing behind him like a comet as he charges at the vampire with inhuman speed. In response, Itzu unleashes a surge of crimson energy.
The fight explodes into the vast garden. They move so fast it's almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, their blades clashing again and again in the dark. Every strike sends out bursts of white and red light, ripping entire trees from the ground. The noise would definitely draw attention—if the garden weren't so huge that no one outside the gate could hear a thing.
«Unlike your stepsisters, you did a great job hiding that awesome power of yours—seriously! I didn't suspect for a second that you were this strong! Still, I'm glad... it's been forever since I've had this much fun!» Itzu says, launching rapid thrusts with his rapier as he keeps attacking.
But once again, Hakuto doesn't say a word—silent, surrounded by glowing white flames. He dodges and parries every one of Itzu's attacks with insane agility, not showing even a hint of fatigue, despite the heavy, diamond-like armor on his sword arm.
The battle keeps going, looking like a pretty even match—but no matter how fast or sharp Itzu's strikes are, Hakuto's are always just a little bit faster.
Then, with a sudden move, Hakuto catches a slip in the vampire's stance and delivers a powerful diagonal slash—rising from the bottom up—cutting deep from Itzu's right thigh to his left shoulder.
«D-Damn it...» Itzu mutters through gritted teeth, clutching his side as blood pours out. The red sword in his hand dissolves into a cloud of crimson smoke—just like the aura that used to surround his body.
Hakuto gets ready to end it. He dashes toward the vampire at lightning speed—sword raised high, ready to land the final blow, when... –FLASH!
...a blinding red burst of energy.
When the light fades, all that's left of Itzu are a few drops of blood on the ground where he stood just moments ago. He's vanished—completely gone.