By the time Akira found the gift he wanted to give Erika and returned back to Earth, it was already early morning.
He floated in through the balcony and landed softly in his room, letting out a quiet sigh. He had managed to return before the sun rose, but with the sky already lightening, it was clear that he hadn't slept at all last night.
Akira was someone who could go without sleep for days if he wanted to. Still, sleeping was always better.
"Sister, I'm back," he said.
What replied to him was a sleepy voice.
"…Oh. Welcome back, brother."
Akira blinked.
"What is it, sister? You sound sleepy. I thought you never sleep."
"I don't," Selena replied, her voice sluggish. "But using that projection technique drains my strength, so I'm sleepy."
"Oh… sorry about that," Akira said. "Is it that bad?"
"I could maintain it near you for a few minutes," Selena explained, "but you went to the moon. That drained me more than usual."
"I see… take care, sister," Akira said gently. Then he hesitated. "So… what should I do now? Should I give her the gift now?"
"She's still sleeping," Selena replied. "Go wake her up first. She needs to get to school."
"…School?" Akira asked. "I thought this was spring break. Why does she still need to go?"
"She has Student Council work," Selena said. "So, she has to work during spring break, too. Go wake her up, if you don't, she'll really be late."
Akira said, "…Fine. I will."
As a half-vampire, Erika was not a morning person.
Back in the Demon Slayer world, Akira had long since accepted the role of her personal alarm clock. If he didn't wake her, she simply wouldn't wake up at all. She will sleep through earthquakes, battles, and probably even through a collapsing building.
Normally, in this world, she relied on alarms.
Multiple alarms.
But right now, she wasn't in her dorm.
She was staying in Akira's mansion.
Which meant that if Akira didn't wake her up, she would sleep until who-knew-when.
Akira straightened slightly.
"I'll finish this mission perfectly," he thought.
Akira walked out onto his balcony and looked toward the balcony of the room next to his.
Erika's room.
Their rooms were adjacent, but the balconies themselves were not connected.
Akira raised his hand and activated his magic.
The wooden structure responded instantly. The balcony extended outward, the material growing and reshaping itself until it connected seamlessly with the neighboring balcony, forming a single, shared platform.
Without hesitation, Akira stepped across the newly formed balcony and headed toward Erika's room.
"Couldn't you have gone to her room normally?" Selena asked telepathically.
"Yeah," Akira replied. "But this is easier."
He could, of course, have walked down the hallway like a normal person.
But the destined one had never been normal.
Akira opened the door to her room. It wasn't locked.
He stepped inside.
And froze on the spot.
There, on the bed, was Erika.
Asleep.
And dressed very lightly.
She wore nothing but an oversized white shirt, long enough to reach mid-thigh. No pajamas. No blanket properly covering her. Her golden hair spilled across the pillow, her breathing slow and even, completely unguarded.
Akira's brain stopped functioning.
"…Why is she sleeping dressed like that?" he asked in a shaky voice.
Normally, Akira wouldn't have cared much.
But with his awakened emotions.
This was too much for him.
"She's a girl sleeping in her own room," Selena said in an annoyed tone. "Of course, she's wearing something she's comfortable in."
"But she always wore her pyjamas back when we shared a room," Akira protested weakly.
"Are you an idiot?" Selena snapped. "That was when you shared a room… sigh. You know what? Just wake her up."
"…Yes, ma'am," Akira replied immediately.
Akira approached the bed carefully, his posture stiff, his eyes respectfully averted.
"Erika," he called out softly. "It's morning. You'll be late."
No response.
She slept on, completely undisturbed.
He reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
"Erika. Wake up."
Still nothing.
"Oh yeah…" Akira thought. "I forgot her coffee. Maybe I should get it first."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Erika stirred slightly.
"Oh, she's waking up," Akira murmured.
He leaned a little closer.
"Erika, wake…"
Her eyes opened.
They were unfocused, heavy with sleep. She looked at him dazedly, then smiled.
"Akira…" she murmured softly.
"Oh, you're awake…" Akira began.
Before he could finish, arms suddenly wrapped around him.
"Huh…!?"
Before he could react, Erika pulled him down onto the bed with surprising strength.
"Erika…what…" Akira stammered.
She hugged him tightly, arms and legs locking him in place. Her eyes were still half-closed, unfocused. She giggled sleepily.
"Akira… hehe…"
Then she buried her face into his neck.
Then.
Bite.
Sharp warmth.
A familiar sensation.
"Erika…wait…!" Akira cried.
She didn't stop.
Still half-asleep, murmuring something incoherent, she bit deeper and began drinking his blood instinctively, completely unaware of anything except the fact that her personal blood source had appeared.
Akira panicked.
"SISTER, HELP ME!" he cried telepathically.
"You can escape by yourself, you know," Selena replied calmly.
"I know, but…!"
Akira looked down.
Erika was hugging him tightly; her entire body pressed against his. With how lightly she was dressed, some very soft parts were pressed firmly against him, and his mind stopped working completely.
"I can't, sister!" Akira cried. "If I move, I'll touch things I shouldn't touch!"
"Then wait until she wakes up fully," Selena suggested.
"Wait…sister…!"
Then Erika did something worse.
It wasn't just her teeth anymore.
She used her tongue, tasting and drawing out as much blood as possible.
"SISTER, SHE IS DOING SOMETHING UNSPEAKABLE TO MY NECK!" Akira screamed telepathically.
"Sorry, brother," Selena replied tiredly. "I'm still exhausted. You're on your own…"
"SISTER, STAY WITH ME…DON'T LEAVE ME…!"
But Selena abandoned him just like that.
Akira was now completely alone, captured by a beautiful vampire who was greedily drinking his blood.
"Erika…" he whispered weakly.
No response.
He could feel her soft breathing against his neck.
Looking closer, he realized she had fallen asleep again.
But she was still drinking his blood.
If she were awake, she would have stopped after a certain amount, careful not to drain him completely.
But unconscious.
She didn't stop.
Akira hadn't slept all night. He had also strained himself earlier in space, enduring reduced oxygen.
He was already weakened.
With his blood being drained at this rate, it didn't take long.
His vision blurred.
His strength faded.
And soon, Akira passed out as well.
His last thought drifted lazily through his fading mind.
"…It's so soft."
As for what exactly was soft.
Only he knew.
After a long while, Erika began to wake up.
But before she was fully conscious, she tasted something.
Something that tasted… good.
Warm.
Familiar.
She shifted slightly in her sleep, instinctively hugging whatever it was closer. It was soft, solid, and oddly comfortable, much better than a pillow. She nuzzled closer, half-asleep, savoring the lingering taste in her mouth.
Then she noticed something strange.
…It's breathing.
Hug pillows didn't breathe.
Her body stiffened.
Very slowly, Erika opened her eyes.
Snow-white hair.
Closed eyes.
A beautifully handsome yet unmistakably familiar face, sleeping peacefully beneath her.
"…A…"
Her brain short-circuited.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"
She shoved him away with all her strength.
Akira flew off the bed and slammed into the floor with a very unheroic thud.
"GH!?"
He jolted awake instantly, sitting up with messy hair and a dazed expression.
"W–What…!?"
Erika scrambled backward on the bed, clutching the hem of her oversized shirt with both hands, her face burning red as she screamed,
"W-W-W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!? ON MY BED!?"
Akira stared at her.
For an instant, Akira's mind accelerated.
The world slowed, Erika's scream stretching as his thoughts detached from the moment. This wasn't magic, just the same state he entered during life-and-death battles.
Situation: About to die
Location: On her bed.
Opponent: Angry, confused, extremely dangerous.
Condition: Blood loss. No witnesses. Zero credibility… wait, there is a witness, my sister, but I need to buy time to explain the situation first.
Survival probability: critically low.
He ran through options.
Explain? Need time.
Run? Impossible.
Argue? Death.
One solution remained.
Do something so absurd she had to stop being angry and listen to him, but how?
Then an answer came to him.
Simple. Effective.
Cry.
Akira's eyes watered instantly. His face crumpled.
Presumed Result:
Dignity: lost.
Survival: secured... probably.
He burst into tears.
"I WAS TRYING TO WAKE YOU UP FOR SCHOOL!" he cried, his voice cracking like he was the victim in all of this. "BUT YOU JUST…YOU JUST…CAPTURED ME, AND THEN… AND THEN… YOU BIT ME, DRANK MY BLOOD, PULLED ME INTO BED, AND THEN USED ME AS A HUG PILLOW!"
Erika froze.
"…Huh?" she muttered. "I… did what?"
Akira sighed; his plan worked, but it didn't last long.
The next instant, Erika summoned her Device.
Red ribbons burst from her hands, snapping forward and wrapping around Akira before he could react, lifting him slightly off the ground.
"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE THINGS UP!" she shouted, flustered and furious. "WHY WERE YOU EVEN HERE!?"
Akira struggled weakly against the bindings.
"I told you…I was trying to wake you up! Ask my sister!"
"Yeah, Erika-chan," Selena added telepathically. "He really was trying to wake you up."
After that, both Akira and Selena began explaining everything, one verbally, the other telepathically.
As the explanation continued, Erika's anger slowly melted away…
And was replaced by pure, unfiltered embarrassment.
Her face turned red.
Then redder.
"…I really did that," she muttered quietly.
The ribbons loosened and vanished.
Akira dropped back onto the floor with a soft thump.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Akira slowly sat up, rubbing his neck.
"So…"
Erika shot him a sharp glare.
"So what?"
"You should take responsibility," Akira said.
Her eye twitched.
"…Excuse me?"
"You drank my blood without consent," Akira said seriously. "And used me as a hug pillow while I was unconscious. So you have to take responsibility."
Erika gave him a cold smile. Her ribbons twitched threateningly.
"Say that again one more time."
Akira recoiled instantly.
"WAIT, NOT THAT KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY!"
"Then what!?" Erika snapped.
Akira coughed once, then spoke calmly.
"You're the one who drank my blood and knocked me out. The least you can do is show me around the school."
She stared at him.
"…That's it?"
He nodded. "You're Vice President. You know the place. Sure, I own the school, but I've never actually entered it before, so it would be best if you showed me around."
Erika sighed.
Showing him around the school had already been her plan anyway.
"…Fine," she said. "I'll show you around later."
Akira relaxed immediately.
"Deal," he said.
Erika grabbed her phone and checked the time.
The screen lit up.
11:00 AM
"…Oh."
The color drained from her face.
"Oh no."
Akira tilted his head.
"…What happened? What time is it?"
"IT'S ELEVEN!" Erika screamed. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE AT NINE!"
She shot out of bed, scrambling for her uniform.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP PROPERLY!?"
"I TRIED!" Akira shot back. "YOU ATTACKED ME!"
"THAT DOESN'T COUNT!"
A pillow came flying straight at his face.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"
Akira dodged the attack and bolted for the balcony, sprinting across the now connected platform and diving back into his own room.
Once safely inside, he let out a breath.
"…Sorry, sister. Mission failed."
Selena's voice replied calmly.
"Oh, it's fine. This mission failed successfully."