declaration
[A/N: I know this chapter is short, only around 2k words, but I promise next one will be longer and updated as soon as possible as my schedule is almost stabilized now]
Chapter seven
“I’d rather not know.”
“so this is where you guys are. such a drag.”
Yui has never been happier in her life until now to see Shu. what a right timing!
“Shu-san!” yes she was very happy.
“drop it, you guys left me alone to deal with all that troublesome nonsense, I had to use my precious stored energy to wave them off. how are you gonna compensate for it?” Shu glared at them, but too lazy. He really had to go around the circles to dodge those noisy girls.
“well the girls targeted you, so as you said, just remove the root of the problem, we ran away.” Shin hmphed as he was feeling tired, maybe because he felt relaxed after a really long time.
“Let's go home Yui, I'm tired. We can buy the dress another day” Shu said as he had enough. It was a long day for him.
“hmm what is that?” Shin ignored Shu and asked Yui, as he pointed at a ice cream van having a poster of ‘new nuts & crunch scoop’
the word nuts always attracted him.
“oh… looks like a new flavour of ice cream containing nuts. it looks delicious” Yui answered.
“of course it will, after all it's nuts. I’ll go get it” Shin ran to the van before his favourite flavour got sold out.
Yui watched how his strawberry hair bounced as he happily ran away like a child.
‘Does a wolf eat cereal? That also nut flavoured?’ She peeked at the animal as her eyes softened when she noticed it’s fur color. At first it was dark so she didn’t notice but it’s pink at a near glance. Baby pink? No strawberry pink? No, it's ginger pink, just like Shin. What’s weird is that the wolf also has an eye-patch like him.
…
Over and over again she has been ignoring the signs.
Why are founders suddenly quiet? It's been a little while since their last attack.
‘I'd rather not know’
“Let’s go Shu-san” without waiting, she left.
– Yui's room, Sakamaki mansion:
This is so unfair… just when she was finally happy… or maybe she is just overthinking it. Maybe the founders are planning something big that’s why they suddenly went quiet.
Yui tremblingly hugged her wolf plushie resembling Shin to ward off all the negative thoughts and fall asleep in this mess.
She thought she’ll at least be at peace in her dreams, but no, she suddenly found herself in school infirmary with the same ringing noise like in those other dreams. But this time there was someone standing in front of her.
“No need- bother- it’ll be unnec-sary- to return ‘home’ -anymore”
“now- my pro-rty
“Don’t compa- to them- i’m a founde- **i* **u****mi”
the ringing noise was starting to become louder and the cut off sentences were beginning to disappear. Even the unknown man faded into thin air.
She was now totally surrounded by darkness, alone, with the ringing noise…. and an inaudible echo.
“Eve.. are y**- rem****ring?”
– Dungeon, Tsukinami mansion:
Waking up in the dungeon after a long time was not in Shin’s to-do-list after having a good time with Yui.
It was hazy and all he remembers is coming home to his angry brother and ending up in the dungeon.
“You are finally awake, Shin?”
Speak of the devil. The word Shin was highlighted coldly and he knew what it meant. Taking a deep breath, he slowly looked up.
“....”
Carla narrowed his eyes and put a hand over his forehead, sweeping the bangs, while looking at his younger brother.
“Over and over again you had enough opportunities to capture her and bring her here, yet you decided not to. Are you waiting for the eclipse to get over?”
Low angry voice. Shin isn't surprised.
“Nii-san I… I was trying to win her trust so that she won’t be a nuisance initially-”
“It's not needed. Her trust is not needed, she’ll be a nuisance anyways. We bring her here, cleanse her blood and continue our lineage.”
“5 days. I’m giving you 5 days to bring her here before I myself decide to interfere in this troublesome matter.”
Without giving Shin a chance to speak, Carla left the dungeon to let his brother continue his punishment.
5 days… the prom is also in 5 days, what a coincidence or not. His brother is smart enough to know that the prom party will be the perfect time to take her away. The vampires won’t be able to notice immediately among a bunch of students as their senses are weak.
It’s frustrating. Maybe he should have caught her on day one.
“Thank you Shin-kun for protecting me”
Shin still remembers how she thanked him for protecting her in the dispute with the abusive boy at the rooftop on day one. During the whole tour she was down and numb. Her words were void of emotions when explaining the school layout. It felt off, even though he shouldn’t have cared, it still bothered him. What hell has she been living in with those vampires?
How ironic… that’s what he and his brother were gonna do to her, they were going to put her through the same hell and just like he said previously he shouldn’t have cared about her well being. Their only goal was their lineage.
Empathy doesn’t exist in demons.
but…
“cause… I wanted to be alone with you.”
The way she blushed from those simple words. Her ears and cheeks red, just like a tomato. It was cute. Every single time they met and were alone, he started to see improvement in her complexion. At first he viewed that as a good point as it’ll be easy to conceive with that healthy body of hers but soon he forgot his own purpose. He just wanted to be with her. It has been so long since he felt genuinely alive.
But it was all going to end soon.
–Rooftop, Ryoutei Academy:
Unknowingly, the rooftop has become a safe spot for Yui. the cool breeze calmed her as she sat on the floor, hugging her knees and looking at the full red moon. Everybody has their own secret spot and for Yui, it’s the school rooftop. It might not be a secret like other’s spot but it’s her comfort.
This place holds her memories with Shin.
And right now she is too deep down in the hole she has dug herself. It was from day one. She had a chance, a chance to take Shu’s hand while she fell in the shallow pit, but instead she took the shovel called Shin and kept digging more like an idiot thinking another path will open which will be safer, unknowingly caging herself the deeper she went as the light slowly disappeared above her. And now, the reliable shovel is broken too.
There was… a cracking noise within her.
There’s gotta be a fix. Every problem always has a fix. Right?
“What are you doin’ here?”
Her ears perked up from the voice beside her and she saw Shin sitting beside her in the same way she is.
“J-just enjoying the view”
Silence befell between them. Unlike previously she didn’t strike up random conversation to waive the awkward air around them.
Shin glanced at her complexion from side eye and it looked paler.
“Why are you here?” without even looking at him, she asked. She was too exhausted.
He hesitated for a moment, his throat feeling dry, like he was scared.
“I came to ask if you want to… bunk the school to go out with me?”
“What?!” His words brought her back to her senses as she looked at him bewildered while he gave his signature smirk.