"…You've gotta be kidding me!!"
I, Morikawa Hidori, seventeen, certified loner and professional book hoarder, am currently running after a bus.
While being chased by a bat.
Yes. A bat.
Let me rewind.
I don't like people. Never did.
Not that they were particularly cruel to me. They just… didn't see me. I wasn't a top student, nor a bottom-feeder. I wasn't loud, or quiet enough to be pitied. Just there. The kind of person whose absence would go unnoticed until the end-of-year roll call.
So I read. Books don't talk back. Books don't forget you exist. Books don't leave you behind.
I was going to skip school today. The trip was tomorrow, and I couldn't care less. Until—
"Alright everyone, the School Trip starts tomorrow. Participation is optional—but if you do go, you'll be exempt from the minimum attendance requirement!"
…Wait. What?
I've already skipped so many days I'm probably on a blacklist somewhere. But if I go on this trip… I get to skip more? Without paperwork?
Sign me the hell up.
Big mistake.
When we arrived at the trip location, the teachers said:
"You're free to explore for three hours. Don't go too far!"
So I did what I always do.
Found a shady tree far from everyone. Sat down. Opened a book. Escaped.
…Too well, apparently.
I don't know how long I was reading. But suddenly, I heard something. An engine. A rumble.
The sound of abandonment.
I looked up.
No one. No classmates. No teachers.
Just the bus. Driving away.
"Wait—what? They're leaving!?"
I stood up so fast I tripped. My legs screamed. My heart pounded.
They really forgot me.
I was in a stupid, out-of-the-way spot. They didn't even check. No headcount?
I was invisible. Again.
I ran. The bus was getting smaller. I ran harder.
That's when I heard the flapping.
And then I saw it—
A bat. A real one. Small, fast, twitchy wings. Following me.
"Why the hell is it chasing me!?"
I'm no athlete. I'm not even healthy. I've had anemia for years. My legs gave out before the bus ever did.
I collapsed on the road. Dirt and gravel scraped my palms.
And the bat?
It landed.
It bit me.
Right in the neck.
I remember reading about vampire bats.
They usually don't go for humans.
Usually.
It didn't even hurt that much. I felt… numb. Lightheaded.
Guess that's what blood loss and anemia do to you.
"This is it, huh…?"
Pathetic.
Not even a tragic death. Just forgotten by everyone, left behind, and drained dry by some random flying rodent.
I always hated people. But right now…
I hated being human.
That bat could fly. It could chase. It had teeth. I had nothing.
"Tch… I'm jealous."
…The world blurred. So, this is how it feels to die, huh…
And then, there was only black.
"Va'thiel loraen kai'mira! Naiya ven koraal, al'shara!"
…Huh?
Wait… did I just hear a voice?
The darkness around me starts to fade, replaced by a warm, flickering light. I squint—no, not squint, I'm a baby, I think?
Whatever.
I see two figures leaning over me. A man, maybe in his twenties, with long white hair and crimson eyes. Beside him, a woman—similarly pale, elegant, with unnaturally sharp features.
They both have… fangs. And their ears are pointed.
Hold on. Where am I? Didn't I… die?
The woman coos something.
"Vel'thura kana'el… ya vren shal hirai."
The man laughs.
"Vairan… progenir? Dareth sil vey, nox hal devara."
What the hell are they saying!? I can't understand a single word.
Wait, how am I even guessing what they're talking about?
The woman glances at the man again.
"Hidral… Lucia?"
Lucia?
…Is that my name?
The man nods slowly, smiling like an idiot.
"Lucia… shara'ven."
So it is my name.
…Wait. Hold on. Pointy ears. Glowing red eyes. Fangs. Are they… Vampires?
And if they're vampires…
Don't tell me—am I a Vampire too!?
Did I seriously reincarnate as a Vampire?
What the actual hell is going on.
This isn't some lighthearted fantasy bullshit. These people don't look remotely human. If they realize I used to be human, would they… kill me?
Yeah, nope. Not taking that risk.
Time to fake some crying. Let's go.
"Shira? Ela thuren…?" the woman says, clearly worried.
"Varei… dela soma." the man replies with a nod.
Suddenly, the air shimmered. A glowing circle—clearly a magic circle—appears out of nowhere.
From within it, a bottle materializes.
Full of blood.
Another magic circle ignites above it. Flames flicker into being—controlled, focused—heating the bottle gently.
They're… warming the blood?
And then, they feed it to me.
…
Wait a second.
Why does this taste… sweet?
Isn't blood supposed to taste like rust and regret?
I guess… I really am a Vampire now, huh.
Weird. I don't even feel grossed out.
Actually, I feel… good.
Strong.
Alive.
More importantly…
They just summoned a bottle out of nowhere and heated it with magic.
Magic exists in this world.
Real, actual, spellcasting, glowing-circle, reality-breaking magic.
…
Heh.
Maybe dying wasn't the worst thing after all.
Maybe things aren't so bad after all.