Asuka ran toward Kaido, frantic, her heart pounding like drumbeats.
Kaido brought a hand to his lips, tasting the metallic tang and the bite left by Eliza's teeth. His eyes were distant, almost hollow, and he swayed slightly, as if he were about to collapse.
Asuka leaned closer, holding his face firmly, her hands cupping his cheeks as if she could anchor him in place.
"Look at me!" she demanded, her voice firm yet weighed with worry. "Don't let your head drop, you hear me?!"
Lili, visibly tense, crossed her arms and stepped forward, analyzing Kaido carefully, evaluate the severity of the situation, trying not to show panic.
A heavy silence settled in, broken only by Kaido's uneven breathing. For him, time seemed to stretch, each second dragging as Asuka kept her gaze fixed, refusing to let go.
She clenched her jaw, furiously glancing at Eliza, who remained being pulled by the ear by her mother, as if none of it mattered.
"Eliza, you agreed to stop attacking guests. So why did you do this?" Anne asked, her voice firm and scolding.
Eliza, slowly returning to her sleepy state, scratched her head and mumbled,
"Sorry… Sorry… it was Emilie's fault, she brought such a tempting snack… bâââ…"
Lili nearly choked on the words she heard and widened her eyes.
"…Pardon?"
Eliza blinked slowly, still drowsy, and grumbled,
"Ma belle, don't pretend you don't understand… bâââ…"
Lili advanced with short, angry steps, her eyes flashing.
"Kaido is NOT a snack!" she snapped, outraged.
Then she huffed, crossing her arms. "And couldn't you have done it in a normal way? I don't know… biting his neck or something!
Eliza lifted her face, giving her a smile teasing, almost malicious.
"Oh? You like him that much?"
Lili held back a sigh, lifted her chin, trying to maintain her composure as if that question had not affected her.
"Hmph. Kaido is simply… functional for my plan. Nothing more than—"
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing far too late she was explaining herself way too much. She swallowed the rest of the words and looked away with a slight blush—irritated.
Eliza noticed immediately, and her smile widening further, lazy, but full of malice.
"Oho… Tu as avalé ta langue?"[1]
Before Lili could reply, Asuka abruptly stood up.
"You must be joking!" her voice rose, full of pure rage. "You're standing there talking like two chickens, and he's here… here DYING because of you two! If he ends up hurt… I swear I'm going to—!"
Kaido raised his hand with effort, interrupting her.
"Asuka… it's fine. I've been through worse. I just… need to rest a bit."
Asuka turned to him, wide-eyed, pure disbelief.
"Baka! Nothing… NOTHING… was worse than this! Aho!"
"Eliza, apologize. Now." Anne said, leaning slightly with her arms crossed.
"Ugh… I want to sleep…" she murmured, leaning against her mother like dead weight.
Anne narrowed her eyes, clearly annoyed, calling her more firmly:
"Eliza!"
Eliza sighed dramatically, glanced at Asuka and Kaido, shrugging.
"Fine, fine… I apologize," she muttered, with no remorse and clear disdain in her tone, "Besides… it was only a kiss. It could've been worse…"
Then her eyes glowed a deep, intense red, her voice dragging with provocative malice.
"…if it had been on the neck, I doubt I would've been able to control myself."
A shiver ran through the room. Megumi quickly stepped back, hiding behind a pillar, trembling.
What am I even doing here?
Lili took two firm steps forward, planting herself in front of Eliza, annoyed. Their faces ended up dangerously close—charged with challenge.
Eliza let out a soft laugh, as if amused by every second of the scene.
"Hehe… quite bold today, non?"
She released Anne with a lazily.
"Alright, alright, Emilie… no need to get upset."
With slow, deliberate steps, Eliza advanced toward Kaido, but Asuka stepped firmly in front of him, rising like an unbreakable wall.
Eliza stopped, gave her a slow up-and-down look, cracked a languid and challenging smile.
"Oh my… and you? Do you want to play with me too?"
The hall grew tense once more. Lili kept a serious gaze, body stiff, ready to intervene, while Kaido tried to pull himself together, sitting up and breathing heavily.
Asuka placed her hands on her hips, steady, her eyes fixed on Eliza.
"If you hurt him again… I'll knock you down!"
Eliza raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into intrigued smile. For an instant, her eyes gleamed; then, as if remembering something amusing, she snapped her fingers.
"Ah… now I remember. You're Asuka. My little sister's dear rival."
A low laugh slipped out, melodic and taunting. She turned to Lili, pointing with an elegant, mocking gesture.
"Now I see why you like her so much. She has claws."
Lili blushed lightly, trying to keep her rigid posture, though surprise betrayed her embarrassment.
"Stop being annoying, Eliza," she said quickly, looking away.
Eliza laughed again, turning back to Asuka with a slow, provocative spin. The two stood face to face. Crossing arms like they were mirroring each other, Eliza drawled, dragging her words:
"Let's see if you can keep that determination…"
She lifted her hand slowly, her slender fingers hovering in the air before Asuka's face.
SNAP!
The sound echoed, and immediately her eyes lit up with a hypnotic purple glow.
Asuka's body froze. Her fists, once clenched, slackened, and her fierce, determined gaze vanished, swallowed by that supernatural shine. Her pupils reflected the same purple hue, still and empty, as if she had been pulled into the darkness of Eliza's eyes.
"You, my dear…" Eliza said while walking past Asuka, ignoring her like a minor obstacle. "…you're for later."
Anne rubbed her brow, sighing softly.
"Oh, Asuka… you'll have to forgive me for this crazy girl…"
Eliza strolled across the hall, her steps so light they barely touched the floor, until she stopped in front of Kaido, who was still seated, trying to recover from the first attack. Before he could stand, Eliza was already there. Her face drifted dangerously close, lips curved with wicked intent.
Without hesitation, she leaned in and stole another kiss—deep, hungry, just like the first.
"ELIZA!" Lili's voice cut across the hall, filled with fury and shock.
Her scream filled the room, but the vampire didn't back off. Her smile only widened against Kaido's lips, deliberately provoking her sister.
Eliza pulled away slowly, as if savoring the end of a forbidden treat. The tip of her fingers slid along Kaido's jawline, a caress more seductive than affectionate.
"Voilà, beau gosse."[2]
As if nothing had happened, she raised her arms above her head in a long, like a cat stretch. A soft yawn echoed through the hall, breaking the stress with cruel calm.
She floated toward the stairs, every step suspended in the air, rising with the same sleepy ease—as if she couldn't be bothered to touch the cold floor.
Kaido remained still for a moment, dazed. Then he brought a hand to his mouth. Touching lightly, he realized the wounds on his lips had vanished—the metallic taste gone. In its place, a strange energy coursed through him, warm and vivid, something different.
His half-lidded eyes focused on his fingers, just on the warmth of his own skin, confusion and fascination mixing.
"…what…?" he murmured, unable to find words.
Lili approached Kaido, eyes widening as she realized his lips weren't bleeding anymore—as if he'd never been bitten.
"Hey!" she shouted toward Eliza, indignant. "You never healed me!"
But Eliza kept floating up the stairs, ignoring her completely.
Kaido slowly stood up, still dazed, and turned to Asuka. She was completely unresponsive—motionless, with her back turned to him.
Worried, he quickly approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. Nothing. No reaction—rigid, like a statue.
A chill ran down his spine. Kaido stepped in front of her. Asuka's eyes remained empty, lost in nothing, but a faint purple glow caught his attention.
He leaned in, bringing his face close to hers, trying to understand—until he saw the reflection of his own face in her eyes.
And at that exact moment, high up the stairs, Eliza stopped before entering the corridor.
"Oops… almost forgot," she said without turning.
She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.
SNAP!
Then disappeared into the hallway as she walked away.
At the same time, Asuka blinked, as if waking from a nightmare. The purple glow vanished, and the first thing she saw was Kaido.
Realizing how close he was—so close that their faces nearly touched—heat rose to her cheeks in an instant, her stiff expression melting into scarlet blush.
"K-KAIDO…!" she stammered before shoving him hard.
The boy flew backward, crashing onto the floor.
THUD!
Asuka brought her hands to her burning face, furious with herself.
Why was he so close?!
Oh no… What did I do?!
Baka, baka, baka… aho, Kaido!
- - -
Megumi, stepped forward, finally released the breath she had been holding since the chaos began.
"Thank goodness…" she murmured before sprinting across the hall.
She rushed to Kaido, still on the floor, grabbing his arm with both hands and helped him sit up properly.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a worried tone, leaning in to see his face.
"Yes… thank you," he replied, accepting the help as he steadied himself.
While shaking out his clothes, Lili slid toward him with that theatrical flair only she could pull off without shame.
She knelt beside him as if tending to a fallen hero on a brightly lit stage.
"Oh là là… mon pauvre Kaido…" she leaned slowly, holding his arm with the delicacy of someone holding porcelain. "You really must be more careful, you know?! Certain reactions from our dear Asuka can be… hmm… explosive."
Her gaze turned to Asuka with a teasing smile. Asuka, still trying to decide whether she wanted to die or kill someone.
"Shut up, Rochefort…!" she growled.
Lili simply raised a brow, satisfied with the effect.
"Très sensible, as always…" casting Asuka a playful glance.
Anne lifted her voice a bit—ordering:
"That's enough, girls…" she sighed. "We all went through quite a scare."
She approached Kaido, looking at him with concern.
"Are you feeling better, dear? I'm sorry about Eliza… I don't know what got into her."
Lili joined her mother, crossing her arms and grumbling,
"Jamais! I've never seen such behavior… And I can't believe it: she literally stole the stage!"
Kaido, offered a calm smile.
"It's alright, don't worry." He stood up, stretching his shoulders. "…I even feel a bit more agile."
"Are you sure you're alright, dear? I can ask Edmond to check."
"I appreciate it, Miss Anne." He bowed his head politely. "But it's not necessary. I was just caught off guard by Asuka."
Asuka, still red, glared at him.
"Hey… that's your fault for getting so close… I mean—what were you thinking?! Baka!"
Kaido rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before speaking.
"Well… after Eliza gave me… another kiss… I felt better. But when I tried talking to you, you didn't react. You looked like a statue, and there was something strange in your eyes… so I got closer to see what was wrong."
Asuka didn't even hear the rest. She took a step forward, incredulous.
"Nani?!" Her eyes went wide. "Another kiss…?!"
[1] Swallowed your tongue?
[2] There you go, handsome.