Mystic: [The Familiar rams against the door, it makes a loud thud around the hallways when it slams open. I roll off its back, falling on my back on the floor. My body was halfway inside the door’s frame.]
“Agh…”
Mystic: [Just seconds later, I hear the hurried steps of someone running down the hallway in my direction. Kazuha arrives at my side and kneels down.]
Kazuha: “Mystic! What the hell happened!?”
Mystic: [Others hurry over, this time the footsteps belong to my uncles and parents.]
DJ: “Mystic!”
Mystic: [Kazuha lays my head on her lap and that calms me down for some reason. I’m breathing agitatedly. I can’t even feel the pain. It’s as if my body had become numbed from the loss of blood.]
“I’m fine… just bleeding a bit.”
[Smack!]
Mystic: “Ow——”
[Kazuha hands hover over my wound; a violet glow shines through her palms. I can feel the pain again for a few seconds, before disappearing little by little.]
Kazuha: “Damn it, what were you thinking? Do you happen to have forgotten about your condition?”
“If you lose a certain amount of blood, you become as weak as a human!”
Mystic: “I wouldn’t be able to forget something like that even if I wanted to.”
Kazuha: “Then it might be that you’re just a fucking idiot!”
Elle: “Aight, kids. Shut it, both of ya.”
Mystic: [Aunt Elle turns to look at me.]
Elle: “What happened, child?”
Mystic: “. . .”
Kazuha: “ . . . You met that man again, didn’t you?”
Shin: “Man?”
Mystic: “Haah… welp, it’s out now.”
[Smack!]
Mystic: “——Ow! Oi!”
Kazuha: “You haven’t even told your parents?”
Shin: “Tell us what?”
DJ: “Before anything else, we need to treat Mystic’s wound.”
Mystic: [Mom kneels beside me and helps me stand up.]
DJ: “Losing so much blood could be fatal.”
Shin: “He’ll be fine, DJ.”
“He’s a Founder.”
Mystic: [Mom pauses and looks at my father.]
(Oh, no…)
DJ: “I will not have this discussion with you again, Shin.”
“Your son is in this condition, but it seems as though it doesn’t matter to you.”
“Mystic might be a Founder, but you must understand that he is not the same as either you or Carla.”
Shin: “. . .”
Mystic: [Mom puts my arm around her shoulders and turns around to leave.]
[Location: Mystic’s Bedroom — Banmaden]
Mystic: “Don’t you think I’m a bit too old now for you to take care of me like this?”
DJ: “Does it bother you?”
Mystic: “It’s not that. It’s just that…”
“You and dad only start fighting because of me and… I don’t like it.”
DJ: “Don’t worry about that. We’ve made it as a family with Master Carla, Elle and Kazuha.”
“I’m sure something like that won’t be a problem.”
Mystic: “But——”
DJ: “Shush now. I don’t want to hear more, young master.”
“Haah… Kazuha closed your wound a moment ago, right?”
Mystic: [I nod.]
DJ: “Very well. You just need to rest. As long as you aren’t bleeding, your body will heal on its own.”
Mystic: “I know…”
[Someone knocks on the door.]
DJ: “Yes?”
Mystic: [The door opens; Uncle Carla and Kazuha walk in.]
Kazuha: “Now that the little boy got bandaged up and his get-better kiss, why don’t you tell us about what happened?”
Carla: “Kazuha.”
Kazuha: “. . .”
Carla: “Mystic, tell us what happened.”
[Mystic’s Monologue]
I sit up on bed and tell the events.
How I met Kino, about the ghouls, and the corpse.
I relate what happened today and how I was wounded.
Uncle Carla and Kazuha, as well as my mom, pay absolute attention to everything I say.
Hahaha… what a familiar feeling.
It’s me who always gets in trouble, after all.
Mystic: “——That’s it.”
Kazuha: “KarlHeinz’s son? I thought he only had six blood children.”
Mystic: “That’s what I thought, too, but let’s say this guy didn’t give me much time to ask.”
Kazuha: “Or is it that you hadn’t even thought about it until now that I mentioned it?”
Mystic: “. . .”
Carla: “Haah…”
Kazuha: “Nevertheless, what is the supposed “vampire prince” doing around ghouls? Isn’t that strange?”
Mystic: [The moment of silence in between us is interrupted by someone knocking on the door. All of us turn to the door.]
“Come in.”
[The door opens with a quiet creak.]
Yui: “I’m sorry to bother, but… I heard from Shin that Mystic had been injured.”
Mystic: [Kazuha looks at Yui, then turns to me with a mocking smirk. I roll my eyes and turn back to Yui with a smile.]
“I’m just fine, it wasn’t anything serious. Thank you for your concern.”
Yui: “Is that so? What a relief. And I’m sorry for interrupting, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Good night.”
Mystic: “G’night.”
[Yui smiles at me for the last time before closing the door behind her. I don’t realize I’ve been smiling to myself this whole time until I finally turn to look at the rest of the group in the room.]
Kazuha: “Geez, be more obvious, Mystic.”
Mystic: “Why does everyone think that? Yui is just very nice to me, that’s all.”
[Flash.]
Mystic: “Ah——”
(No. No, no, no, no, no. Control yourself, Mystic Tsukinami! Did you also hit your head somewhere!?)
Mystic: [I shrink and bury my face into the bedsheets.]
DJ: “Are you hurting again?”
Mystic: “Ah, no… it’s just——”
(——I want to jump outta the window.)
“——I’m still a little shaken from what happened today, I think.”
DJ: “I see.”
“Then, we’ll be leaving so you can have some rest.”
Mystic: “Thanks.”
“You too, Kaz.”
Kazuha: “. . .”
“Wha—whatever. If you died, it’d be a terrible situation for our race…”
