After I was grabbed at random by Moka, without a location in mind she just told me to 'Get us to a quiet place' and of course I obliged. We arrived at a quieter part of the campus, the gardens—not a hotspot for students. I patted a wooden bench for Moka to sit.
"Phew, that was a stressful afternoon. Come, have a seat, Moka-san."
She was still in her full, silver-haired presence, the rosary conspicuously absent from her chest, still in my pocket as if I was some safebox for her possessions or something. So, apart from a piece of meat, I was also a safe-deposit box? Interesting task assignments.
Looking at me, she followed suit and sat with a grace that made me question if she was auditioning for a major role in a aristocratic movie, but then I reminded myself that she was a Vampire Royalty by Supernatural World standards.
But… why go so far from me? Do I stink or something?
She sat not on the spot I indicated beside me, but at the far end of the bench, leaving a clear gap between us.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but just stare at her and then at the distance, which had the effect of triggering a short-lived blush from Moka, but she retained her straight-backed posture, hands folded in her lap, the picture of regal poise. Yet, her crimson gaze was fixed intently on me, waiting.
Both of us stood there awkwardly in silence. I didn't know what Moka was thinking, but her look made me avert her eyes for a couple of times.
Was she waiting for me to break the ice? Well, don't mind me if I do.
"So," I began, breaking the quiet. "How does it feel? Being out, I mean. It's been... like what, a week and half since last time? And you were pretty drowsy then."
Moka considered this, her crimson gaze fixed on a distant point. She didn't fidget, but there was a slight, thoughtful tilt to her head. "The sleepiness is less. The seal's drain is always present, but the transition is... smoother now. Perhaps because the other self is less distressed or guards herself against me." She flexed her fingers slowly, before stretching her arms a bit with a yawn. "I am still weakened. A fraction of what I should be, but being too powerful does this to you. Anyway, it is not the same groggy weight as before."
"I'm glad," I said, and meant it. "You seem more... relaxed, should I say? But there's still work to do."
She turned that piercing gaze on me. "And you? These new changes going on with you, almost as if you are a Yokai. How does it feel?"
I let out a long breath, looking at my hands. "It feels great. For example, I used to think my breathing was fine, but now it feels as if I've been breathing through a straw my whole life and someone just yanked it out."
"As for the overall situation, I feel lighter, shackle-less. Faster. My vision is also sharper."
Then I grinned, a sardonic, self-deprecating twist of my lips. "But let's be real. After hearing Nekonome-sensei's explanation on the Supernatural World, and the various factions of Gods, Devils, Angels and Yokai, makes me, a regular cockroach, just wish to hide somewhere in the dark to avoid being crushed. Even now, after gaining some power, I can only consider myself a Cockroach King in the grand game."
To my surprise, a soft, breathy sound escaped her. A chuckle. It was short, restrained, but utterly genuine—a clear note in the quiet. My head snapped up to look at her.
Her stern expression had melted, just for that second, into something warmer, more open. She saw me staring and immediately schooled her features back to neutrality, but the ghost of it remained in her eyes.
"You should do that more often," I said softly, my own smile turning earnest.
"Do what?" Moka tried to get back to her ice-cube experience, but she couldn't turn off that part of her mind imagining Tsukune in the form of a Cockroach, save for his head.
[Insert Image]
"Smile. Or laugh. That stern, constipated look you wear all the time doesn't suit you at all. Makes you look like you're perpetually tasting something sour."
Her eyes widened, and a faint, furious blush tinged the tops of her pale cheeks. "Baka," she muttered, looking away, but there was no real heat in it.
After a moment, she continued, her voice returning to its analytical tone, though softer now. "But you are correct. You are weak. However..." She glanced back at me from the corner of her eye. "Not as weak as you try to make yourself. Also, there is something you have that other beings of a higher status don't have. A strong willpower."
"It surprised me that you managed to break away from the Succubus's Charm Spell, as a slightly powerful human. Even your craziness in using a demonic scroll and wielding that low-tier demonic sword. Most humans wouldn't be capable of pulling it off."
"Right?" I leaned forward, encouraged. "I also think I'm headstrong. By the way, what was your first thought when you saw my flying sword slash?"
"For the record. That flying slash—I didn't think it would actually work."
"Not half bad, but too flashy. You should try to not be too wasteful with your moves."
"But do you know why it worked?"
"Because of magic and whatever unicorn crap goes on in the supernatural world? Maybe, Demonic energy?"
"Correct. The blade held residual demonic mana from the crafting of the scroll then it also used your own innate mana to boost its powers."
"When you swung the sword read your will's intent and expelled a portion of your mana and it's own demonic mana, but smaller compared to your own mana."
"It was a crude method, but it did its job." She spoke with the focused cadence of a instructor, her earlier awkwardness fading as she moved onto familiar ground, her tomboyish persona adored martial arts.
"Damned sword, it wasn't doing a 50/50 ratio, but was using like what? 80/20 ratio with my mana. I bet it was because it wanted to have reserves for when I ran out of mana and my soul was all fair game."
"Heh, what did you expect when dealing with demonic items? Devils use those toys to draw in the souls of humans."
"Do you mind if you explain to me how they actually work?"
"Sure, I don't mind if you can follow what I say."
I shut up and listened, completely engrossed.
She explained the nature of demonic energy, how it interacted with physical force and intent, how a proper channeling technique could amplify the effect tenfold without wasting most of the power.
It was a crash course in supernatural physics I'd never known existed. As she spoke, her hands moved slightly, sketching invisible diagrams in the air. I found myself unconsciously shifting closer on the bench, drawn in by her knowledge and the rare passion in her voice.
Man, she's smart, like, big brain smart. If I didn't know the lore of DxD or had knowledge from plenty of fantasy novels that dabble in the demonic, I wouldn't be able to comprehend much.
And fuck me, I got so much content to catch on.
She only stopped when she reached a natural conclusion. Turning to gauge my understanding, she froze. Our shoulders were nearly touching. I was much closer than I had been.
Her crimson eyes blinked. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice regaining a hint of its usual frost, but it was undercut by a note of confusion.
"I'm just sitting here, admiring how incredibly smart you are, Moka-san," I said, my tone full of genuine awe. "You make all that incredulous info-dump sound like a story. You might have a talent for writing."
She held my gaze for a second, then pointedly looked at the scant inch between us. "Move. You are too close."
"Ouch," I winced, but didn't pull back. "That's hurtful. Come on, don't you want your prize?" In a move of sheer, shamelessness, I tilted my head, exposing the column of my neck where her fangs had pierced before. I even waved a hand from my neck towards her, as if fanning the scent her way. "Payment for the lesson?"
Her eyes flashed, and for a second I saw the predator in them, but then she leaned back, putting a clear few inches between us again. "No. Not now. I must... prepare. My mind."
I immediately relented, the teasing falling away. "Alright. I get it. No rush." I settled back into my own space, respecting the boundary she'd drawn. "Let's talk about something else, you're comfortable with."
"Do you think I have potential with a sword?"
She seemed to relax at the change of topics. "Decent. Not a genius' level, but decent."
"I see." I took a breath, my tone shifting to something more serious, more vulnerable. "I've had a question since I first saw you fight. You're on a level I can't even comprehend. So, I was wondering… would you be willing to teach me? How to properly fight? It doesn't matter if it's martial arts or swordsmanship. Please. I need to get stronger."
She regarded me silently for a long moment. "Why?" she finally asked, her voice low. "Why this desperate drive?"
"Honestly?"
She gave a slight, serious nod. "Hmmm?"
"I think I have… a problem in my head. I hate not being in control. I have these narcissistic tendencies that clash with a deep sense of inferiority. But the simplest truth is… I hate losing." I met her gaze, letting her see my honesty there. "And I was 'blessed' by a god whose name I don't even know. My future will be filled with dangers. I don't want you—or the bubbly Moka—getting hurt because you tried to protect someone too weak to stand on his own."
It was Moka's turn to keep quiet, and listen as I exposed myself bare with vulnerability.
After a long moment of silence, where the only sound was the rustle of leaves and the frantic, hopeful beat of my own heart, Moka gave a single, curt nod.
"Very well. I will instruct you."
Her reasoning was a whirlwind she would never voice aloud, but she had to hide another smile again while thinking.
'I don't lose out in helping him learn how to fight. This will give me a good reason to interact with him more without coming along awkwardly. I also can't have that weakling have him all for herself and be outdone by her. Tsukune is mine afterall.'
'Then there is his potential as a fighter. I don't know what goes in that head of his, but he's for sure smarter than other humans I've seen in the human world.'
'He'll adapt quickly to the usage of mana.'
'And, it will make for an interesting pet-project. To see how strong I can turn Tsukune, from a human to a powerhouse in Supernatural World. That is something I can always boast about in the future. See my Husband? He was but a weak human back then...'
The moment the confirmation left her lips, my face lit up like a Chrismass tree, all elation that it was disarming. Before her refined sensibilities could process the breach, I had closed the distance between us on the bench.
"Thank you! I'll be the best student, Moka-sensei~!" I promised, my voice filled with gratitude, as my arms encircled her in a sudden, earnest hug.
This was something spontaneous, no strings attached, since I was already close to her, and seeing her agree to my request, I couldn't help myself but hug such a beauty.
Being hugged so suddenly, Moka gasped, and also stiffened. The first layers of her Ojou-sama barrier cracked. His scent was so close, it enveloped her, richer and more tantalizing than previous encounters. It was an ambush to her senses.
Unconsciously, a low thrum of hunger vibrated through her. Her canines ached, sharp points pressing against her lower lip, and her crimson eyes flashed with a predatory light before she could forcibly suppress the reaction, squeezing her eyes shut.
'My control is slipping. I can't held much longer. I fear that if I suddenly bite his neck, he'll get scared of me and hate me.'
'For all the bravado he has shown, he's still a human at heart.'
She was also battling her own anxieties, mainly on how Tsukune would perceive her if she all-of-sudden bit into his 'tender' neck. However, her worry was soothed by his own permission to feast.
"Moka," I murmured, my voice gentle near her ear. "If you can't hold back right now, I don't mind. Go ahead. Have a drink." I tilted my head, offering my neck on the platter. "Consider it a down payment on my tuition and also for the previous favors. The least I can do."
'Why doesn't he resists me?'
'Most humans would be in terror when facing with a vampire trying to feed on them.'
'Is this guy normal? Ahh, no, he did confess that he has a screw loose in his head.'
'Such fragrant scent. Can't compare with the stale smell of the blood contained in blood bags.'
The permission, given so freely and without fear, was the final trigger. The iron control she exerted over her instincts melted away. She stopped suppressing her vampiric thirst, which by comparison was stronger than Outer Moka's because in this Inner form, she held all her powers.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, she brought her face closer to the exposed column of his throat. Her lips, soft and cool, brushed against his skin first—a fleeting, maiden-like kiss that sent a shiver through them both. Then, with a sharp, precise prick, her needle-like fangs breached his skin.
There was a sharp, sudden sting. "Ouch. You did that on purpose," he complained, his voice a low grumble that vibrated against her.
In response, she pressed down slightly, a silent, playful command for quiet. He felt the subtle, terrifying strength in her jaw.
"Okay, okay, I'll not talk," he conceded, the words coming out strained. "The sensation of talking while having fangs in my throat is… a new kind of weird."
Tsukune stiffened for a second. The initial penetration was exactly like a deep medical injection—a sharp, intrusive pain. But as it had before, the sensation transformed within seconds.
A wave of warm, heavy euphoria washed out from the puncture, there was also a sense of euphoric anesthetic flooding his veins, soothing the lingering aches in his body and clouding his mind with a pleasant haze.
A heavy, pleasant lassitude settled into his muscles, yet his mind remained acutely, hyper-consciously aware. Aware of the cool press of her body against his, of the gentle, rhythmic pull as she drank, of the faint sound of swallowing he could feel more than hear.
Almost reflexively, her arms, which had been held stiffly at her sides, rose and wrapped around him in turn, pulling him closer.
One hand settled against the small of his back, the other rose to cradle the back of his head, her fingers threading gently through his dark hair. The act was startlingly tender, a possessive embrace that anchored him as she fed. Tsukune melted into it, a quiet sigh escaping him. He held himself still, focusing on the surreal comfort of the moment, the rhythmic pull at his neck, the feel of her cool body against his.
'This experience. 10/10. I will recommend it again without doubt.'
'Furthermore, my theory is confirmed. As long as Moka-san drinks my blood, she also directly or indirectly injects some of her blood, no, maybe DNA from her Saliva that binds with my own circulatory system.'
---[Status Window]---
[Name: Aono Tsukune]
[Race: Human (Infected - Shinso Vampire)]
---[Supernatural Stats]---
Mana: C (84/100)
Bloodline Purity: 8.84% (Unstable)
Bloodline Control: F (26/100)
Sacred Gear: 'Annihilation Maker' - Dormant
Threat Level: D (Human)
For Moka, it was an overwhelming sensory stimulation. Previously when she drank Tsukune's blood directly, Moka was rather chaste and didn't go overboard for fear it would harm his weak body, but now that she could feel his Essence and Vitality reaching higher levels, she decided to splurge a bit.
She was still subconsciously checking on his body, but with his arms also wrapping around her, she felt at peace, secured, and a flood of emotions she couldn't describe.
"Mhhmm"
Lost in the sensation of growing fuller, of a connection that felt frighteningly deep, a soft, involuntary moan escaped her—a tiny, breathy moan that vibrated against his skin.
The sound startled her back to herself.
'I can't drink any more. It feels so great, that if I don't stop now, I will eat Tsukune.'
She withdrew her fangs with a slow, careful pull, licking the twin wounds closed with a swift pass of her tongue. She didn't pull away from the embrace immediately, her forehead resting against his shoulder as she caught her breath, her voice teasing near his ear.
"You are… sweeter than before, Tsukune. If I continue like this… I may become addicted."
My heart, already doing somersaults, leapt again. I kept my tone light, playful, to give her an out. "Want more?"
She leaned back finally, her arms still looped loosely around me. Her crimson eyes were wide, her usual icy composure replaced by a dazed, vulnerable softness. A blush, delicate as a rose petal, was spreading across her cheeks. She tried to glare, but it lacked all conviction.
"Baka… Know your place, you… utter fool." She looked away, the blush deepening. "Perhaps. Later. Before I go back."
I clutched my chest dramatically. "Oh. Give my poor heart a chance to calm down."
"…Can you stop?" she asked, her voice tight with a flustered embarrassment that was entirely new to her being.
"Stop what?"
"Saying all those… embarrassing things!"
I feigned wide-eyed innocence. "Ehh? What do you mean? Aren't you a pure maiden, my Duchess?"
That broke the last of her composure. With a speed that made me blink, her hands flew up and pinched both my cheeks, pulling gently as she stared me down, her face now a glorious, furious scarlet.
"Suimasen. I will not do it again," I mumbled through the pinch.
She released me with a huff that was more sigh than anger. "Good. You had better not."
"Moka-san…"
"Yes, Tsukune?" she replied, wary but no longer distant as when we first got to the garden.
I leaned in, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, a mischievous glint in my eye. "I've read… that for a vampire, feeding is kind of like, you know… making out. So, by that logic…" I let the implication hang, grinning.
Silence.
The transformation was instant and spectacular.
Her brilliant mind short-circuited. Her eyes went round. The blush that had been a pretty stain on her cheeks now exploded into a full-body conflagration of crimson, painting her from the tips of her ears down to the base of her throat. She looked utterly, magnificently mortified, especially by how her lips forming a silent 'O'.
"W-We… th-this… I c-can e-explain…!" she stammered, a Vampire Heiress reduced to a flustered, stuttering mess. But there was no explanation. The logic was sound, and in fact now that he brought it up, she remembered some of the teachings from her mother when she was younger.
With a soundless squeak of pure embarrassment, she shoved me back lightly and snatched the rosary from my vest. She fumbled with it, one hand half-covering her burning face as she glared at me from between her fingers, her fangs bared in a display of acute social agony that was somehow more endearing than any smile.
"I hate you!" she declared, her voice a high-pitched, breathless whisper that held not a single grain of actual hatred.
"No, you don't," I said, my voice gentle but firm, my smile softening into something sincere. "I think you like me. Just as much as I'm coming to really, really like you." I took a small step forward, not invading her space, but holding her gaze. "Say, do you want to go on a date next time you're out? I found a handful of nice locations in this Dimension Space."
"Or we can go to the Human World and have fun."
The blush on her face reached nuclear levels. She shook her head rapidly, the motion almost frantic. "I-I don't! I don't like you like that! A-and I would never date a weak human! My… my Father would…!" She bit off the sentence, looking away, her chest heaving.
She was lying on the part that she didn't like Tsukune.
Just like Outer Moka, she was a lonely girl who didn't have any interactions with others, and adding that she was a Vampire Heiress, shielded from the outside until she was 10 years old and had to go to the Human World. She never experienced love since she was constantly rejected by others, it was until she met Tsukune that all sorts of strange emotions blossomed in her heart.
On the other hand, the part about her Father, the Vampire Lord of Shuzen House, who ruled over the Vampires of East-Asia Branch was most likely going to kill Tsukune if he found out that she was dating him.
The fight left her. She looked down at the rosary in her hand, her shoulders slumping slightly. The fierce, blushing, vulnerable girl was receding, putting the walls back up, not out of anger, but out of a habit of self-preservation so deep it was instinct.
"It seems I'm in danger," I said, breaking the heavy silence, my tone deliberately light again. I offered her the out she needed. "But before we get found out, can I still count on your guidance, right, Moka-sensei~?"
She looked up, her crimson eyes shimmering with unshed tears of frustration and confusion. "Urghh, you are so infuriating!" she cried, but the heat was gone, replaced by a weary, flustered exhaustion. "Stop teasing me, you big jerk!"
She was giving up. The embarrassment and the weight of her own conflicting feelings had reached their limit. Her thumb stroked the cross of the rosary. It was time to go.
I just smiled, a smile that was soft and full of a fondness so deep it surprised even me. I didn't try to stop her. I just wanted her to know, to carry this feeling back with her into the seal. "See you next time, babe."
"Shut up!" her words carried no sting, only a final, helpless admission of defeat.
And with that, she pressed the rosary to the lock on her chest.
A flash of pink light, warm and bright, enveloped her. For a split second, I saw her silver hair darken to rose-pink, her crimson eyes flash into bewildered emerald. The fierce, blushing, vulnerable expression of the girl who was letting herself feel something new melted into one of sleepy confusion.
The light faded.
Outer Moka stood there, blinking slowly, one hand on her sealed rosary. "Tsukune-san…? What happened? My skin is all hot for some reason. ~Yawn~I feel… really tired all of a sudden."
I stood up, offering her a steadying hand and a smile. "Nothing to worry about," I said, my voice gentle. "Let's get you back to the dorms. It's been a long day."
And it had been. But for the first time, the path ahead didn't seem hopeless.