《Do you like vampires?》 001 ¡®I like vampires.¡¯ I told myself as my fingers typed away, they keys making a clack as my fingertips strike. I¡¯ve always been fascinated by vampires for some reason, ever since I first discovered the concept as a child. There are a number of reasons I like vampires¡ªor rather, perhaps just the idea of them. They¡¯re almost invincible despite not having much muscle on them and sport only a few weaknesses. They show no reflection on a mirror¡¯s surface but are charming regardless of how they look. They¡¯re basically the ideal form of what humans aspire to be. But most importantly, the thing that fascinates me most about them is their immortality. Most people wish to obtain immortality¡ª or rather, the right way to phrase it would probably be: Most people fear the idea of death. The idea of leaving everything behind, leaving not a trace of your existence in a couple of years¡¯ time. It¡¯s natural to have a fear of the unknown, to cling onto anything that would satiate the feeling of an impending end, and to seek it out despite it being nonexistent. Which is why the idea of a creature that¡¯s achieved what humans could only wish to attain fascinates me to an extent. I would definitely love to go into more detail as I have a lot on my mind regarding the subject matter. However, my hands that were stuck onto my laptop¡¯s keyboard, as well as my train of thought had come to a halt. ¡°Do you like vampires?¡± a feminine voice asked from behind, ¡°aren¡¯t you a bit old to be into those, mister? Or are you that, what they call a vampire otaku?¡± It was a Friday, around nine in the evening at a family diner, considerably late. Having finished a plate of cheap Japanese curry, I started working on a new short story. It was then when I felt the presence of someone from behind, looming over me for a considerable amount of time. From the dark part of my screen, I could make their reflation barely. It was a girl. She had short white hair, fair complexion, a rounded face and a somewhat small build. With the looks of it, I¡¯d say she was either still in middle school or a freshman in high school. Me, being someone in his early twenties, I decided to avoid any interaction and remain silent. I refuse to entertain a minor. Of course, not with any malicious intent behind it. Just being seen with a minor this late in a sketchy diner is something I wanted to avoid, especially when I¡¯m so close to getting my name known. Besides, didn¡¯t kids these days have very short attention spans? I¡¯m sure she would leave if I didn¡¯t entertain her presence like how a kid would scroll past a tiktok that wasn¡¯t ADHD inducing. Ten seconds go by. A minute passes. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. A minute and thirty of absolute silence. ¡°What are you still doing here!?¡± I turned around irately after having my patience tested. So my patience¡¯s limit is no longer than an anime opening huh... ¡°Hm? I mean, I asked you a question, didn¡¯t I? So naturally I would wait for a response.¡± ¡°Naturally, a highschooler wouldn¡¯t be talking to a stranger at a diner this late,¡± I turned back to my laptop that had been left hanging with a sigh. The screensaver was already playing with how long we were at a standstill. ¡°What? Do I really look that young?¡± She chuckled in glee as she made her way to the empty seat in front of me. ¡°Sorry to burst your fantasies but I¡¯m actually of legal age, definitely way older than you mister.¡± She said as she sat down with a prideful grin. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t really fantasizing about anything!¡± Fortunately for me, there was hardly anyone left at the diner this late. I might have already been accused of something indecent otherwise. Regardless, now that I can see her directly, I suppose I could see how she definitely was older than what I first thought. Definitely still not older than me though. However, being in the middle of crafting a story, I proceeded to continue ignoring her and resumed typing on my keyboard. The creative process requires silence. Well, it¡¯s that or I¡¯m just not that great at talking with strangers, especially not the outgoing type like her. ¡°Are you writing a novel?¡± She asked as if to break the silence. But as I seemingly didn¡¯t seem interested in conversing still, she continued as if knowing exactly what to say to pique my curiosity. ¡°Are you by any chance competing in the third annual Asuzagawa new comers¡¯ writing competition?¡± My hands instinctively stopped moving as soon as my ears heard that name. ¡°What makes you think so?¡± I asked with genuine curiosity. ¡°Are you by any chance also competing?¡± ¡°Ah so I was right on mark, huh?¡± She conceitedly smiled as she had just won the disturb-an-author-currently-writing Olympics. ¡°I actually know you. I¡¯ve read your submission the previous year, and also the year before that.¡± Wait, what? Might she be a fan? Now that I think about it, the Asuzagawa new comers¡¯ competition entries are free to view for the public after all. No, no, wait, calm down, I doubt any normal person would read a short novel from a nobody out of a whim. If she¡¯s read my previous works then she¡¯s most likely a competition. ¡°And who might you be? I suppose it would only be proper courtesy to introduce yourself as well.¡± I asked with caution, my guard raised. ¡°Hm? I¡¯m a fan of your works!¡± SHE REALLY WAS A FAN! MY GUARD IS DOWN! ¡°I-is that so? Then¡ª¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re the weirdo who kept submitting stories about vampires every year, so you definitely stand out!¡± IS SHE REALLY A FAN!? You¡¯re playing with my heart here! ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I mean it in the most-polite way possible. I¡¯m actually surprised that someone was actually so passionate about vampires as you. That¡¯s all.¡± Hearing her words, my guard was now down and I was willing to listen. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I didn¡¯t have this sudden change of heart because I found out she had read my works. Definitely not that, mhmm. I just thought that maybe she could give me some input about my writing and¡ª no, I¡¯m just kidding, it¡¯s definitely because of that.. ¡°Might you be interested in the occult if that¡¯s the case?¡± I closed my laptop as a sign that I was ready to talk. ¡°Sorry to get your hopes up, but I for one have no interest in occultic things outside of vampires.¡± ¡°No no, not at all. In fact, the only reason I took notice of your works was because I¡ª¡± she raised her left arm with a dramatic pause then dropped it with her thumb pointing in her direction saying ¡°I¡¯m actually a vampire myself!¡± ¡­¡­ I packed my things as quickly as I could that it almost looked comedic then proceeded to make a run for it. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Wait! Hold up!¡± She forcibly held onto my shirt to stop me from my tracks. ¡°What, you¡¯re having cold feet after meeting the real deal? Wouldn¡¯t you want to ask the real thing for your works!¡± She wasn¡¯t really a vampire. Those actually don¡¯t exist. And besides¡ªmy memories play back from just a few moments ago, she had a reflection. In other words, this girl who was clearly way younger than me was either messing with me because of my infatuation with vampires or is trying to extort money from an adult with underhanded tactics. It wasn¡¯t something I had the liberty of entertaining. Her grip on my clothes was considerably strong but I manage to break lose. I continued to exit the diner with haste. But before I could get out, the white-haired girl continued with a barely-audible parting message. ¡°Vampires aren¡¯t really what you think they ar¡ª¡± I left the diner before she could even finish. 002 Several days have passed since my encounter with that girl. Well, the right way to phrase it would be: it¡¯s been several days since that encounter with that girl. May it be at my part time job at the convenience store, ¡°Hey! Mister!¡± At the grocery store shopping for necessities, ¡°Hey mister!¡± Or from across the platform at the train station, ¡°Hey mister! Don¡¯t ignore me, I know you can hear me even with headphones on!¡± That vampire-wannabe had been following me ever since that day everywhere I went. In her defense, she only tries approaching me once a day which is a bit more relieving than being pestered all day. What was this, her daily gacha pull..? I definitely won¡¯t give her the 5-star that is my attention! However, there has been one thing that¡¯s been bugging me all this time. ¡°She said vampires aren¡¯t what I think they were..¡± I murmured to myself as I stared at the clear sky under an oak tree¡¯s shade, sitting idly on a playground¡¯s swing. What did she mean by that. Was she insinuating that my works didn¡¯t win an award because my depiction of vampires were wrong? If that¡¯s the case then did the judges happen to be vampires and I insulted them with my writing? I couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle with the thought. Of course, they weren¡¯t. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it, young man!¡± a familiar voice chimed in-between my train of thought. Having been caught by surprise, I whipped my gaze to the side and saw a familiar looking white-haired vampire-wannabe. ¡°How long have you been there!? Also did you read my mind just now?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Kek kek, that¡¯s exactly what I did.¡± she said with a cheeky laugh as she made a whispering gesture with her hand. ¡°You see, unbeknown to most, vampires actually have telepathic capabilities! Though they can only use it under one condition!¡± The girl proudly proclaimed, trivia that she probably just pulled out of her ass. Though, out of curiosity, I asked, ¡°And what might that condition be?¡± ¡°U-uhm, well..¡± she was taken aback by my question, fidgeting with her index finger with a very long pause before continuing. ¡°O-one of your undergarments have to be the color of blood.¡± My undergarments.. I stood up with haste with a flushed face. ¡°Y-you pervert! You went all the way to my house to spy on me didn¡¯t you!¡± I whipped out my phone then started dialing numbers. ¡°I¡¯ll report you to the authorities for harassment!¡± ¡°Wait! Hold on! It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be underwear, it could also be socks! Anything you wear underneath!¡± She dropped to the ground in an attempt to snatch my phone from me, then began prostrating herself as she failed to do so. ¡°I also didn¡¯t see anything I swear! We can just naturally read minds when the condition is met like how the green light pops up when your friend is online in a game!¡± To check the validity of her claims, I lifted my pants up to my ankles. My white sock had a red stripe by the ankle. I suppose this counts as red? But still¡ª ¡°I¡¯ll report you for harassing me on the daily then.¡± I said as I put my phone to my ear. ¡°No please! Some of us vampires have no record in this country, things will get complicated if they find out!¡± She still has her vampire act on. I let out a deep sigh as I kept my phone. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you could read my mind but could you drop the whole vampire thing already, it¡¯s quite embarrassing if I¡¯m being honest. I would believe you if you told me you were an esper, but a vampire? Definitely far from it.¡± ¡°Hm? Why not?¡± She looked at me as she asked, still in a prostrated position. ¡°Are you dense or something, it¡¯s the middle of the day and you¡¯re still not burning away.¡± I sat back down on the swing, vexed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to play the role then might as well look into it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She murmured in a slightly irate tone. ¡°Like I said, vampires aren¡¯t what you think they are.¡± She stood up as she said that in a somewhat earnest manner that I might have believed her if I wasn¡¯t well-versed in this stuff. ¡°The things you read in books and see in media about vampires are mostly false.¡± Without giving me a chance to rebut, she continued lecturing me about a few things that she knew. ¡°Vampires don¡¯t burn and die from direct sunlight. They¡¯re at most a mild inconvenience for us, but it¡¯s nothing life-threatening. Garlic and crossed don¡¯t do any damage to us either. They¡¯re merely fabricated nothings we passed down through generations to keep our kind safe. We also have reflections.¡± She said as she beckoned me to look at a nearby building window. ¡°Having no reflection would make us standout badly in a crowd and raise a few alarms, so our kind crafted that notion as to blend in naturally with society.¡± She went on rambling for a few more minutes but I eventually got lost in my own thoughts in the middle of it. If what she¡¯s saying is true then I guess that makes sense. In a way, vampires are essentially the ultimate lifeform, even with just their immortality alone. Posing as a threat to humanity, I suppose fabricated ways to deal with them would come in handy. ¡°So basically, you really are a vampire then?¡± I cut her off mid-ramble. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you this whole time!¡± She held onto her face as she dragged her hands down in frustration. ¡°Well, to be fair all you did was call out to me from afar these past few days. I don¡¯t know how that would have helped..¡± ¡°Because you kept ignoring me!!¡± She got more enraged that moment I said that. I swear felt a heatwave pass through me just now. ¡°My bad, my bad.¡± I let out a smile with a tint of remorse. I then stood up, then beckoned her to follow. ¡°Let¡¯s take this somewhere else, shall we?¡± 003 ¡°Kashiwagi Anne.¡± The white-haired vampire stated her name. Sporting a summer attire and a popsicle in hand, in the middle of a hot afternoon, the vampire finally introduced herself. I thought about introducing myself as well but before I could even do so, Kashiwagi looked at me in a way that told me she already knew who I was. I suppose my name was visible in my writing entries so that¡¯s probably why. ¡°Kashiwagi? That¡¯s a weird sounding surname, doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s local to any prefecture.¡± I tried thinking of places where that surname could have originated from, but the closest I could think of was either Kagoshima or Kumamoto. Then again, I haven¡¯t really travelled out of my home town much so.. ¡°Really? I quite like the surname though.¡± ¡°You sound like you just picked it up. Now that you mention it, you did say you weren¡¯t a registered voter, no?¡± ¡°I did.¡± She paused as if trying to dig through her memory¡ªas if it were a memory she didn¡¯t want to reminisce. ¡°I don¡¯t know the surname¡¯s place of origin; all I know is that I got it from the vampire that turned me. I inherited it after he passed on.¡± ¡°I see..¡± A part of me wanted to ask how a vampire could pass away after I was told their weaknesses were made up. But seeing her downcast expression, I decided to hold off and change the topic to something else. ¡°So, what does a 500-year-old vampire want from a vampire-fanatic author?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that old just to let you know!¡± She told me off by pointing and waving her popsicle in my direction. Oy, that¡¯s gonna slip off the stick.. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Really? I was under the impression that you were one of the founding fathers of vampires when you explained your history to me earlier.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a first-hand account, I also just got it from my master.¡± She took a bite from her popsicle before coming to a realization. ¡°Ah, we call the vampire that turns us in as masters since we¡¯re basically their underlings.¡± ¡°Yeah, I mean, I could tell that much.¡± I took a sip from my juice carton before continuing. ¡°How old are you then?¡± ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you know asking a woman¡¯s age is rude! Though if it¡¯s just vampire years I guess I don¡¯t mind sharing. I¡¯ve only been a vampire for 27 years. I won¡¯t share my age before turning though because it¡¯ll ruin the image of this youthful face!¡± She said with a peace sign and her tongue stuck out. 27? I suppose she really was older than me in that case, even with just her years as a vampire. But we¡¯re getting off topic again. ¡°That aside, what did you want with me again?¡± I asked, putting us back in track. ¡°Oh, I just thought of sharing what I knew about vampires to improve your depiction of them.¡± She did one final chomp on her popsicle then threw the stick behind her without looking. It landed cleanly in a trash bin. ¡°Like you thought earlier, one of the judges is actually a vampire. And your poor depiction of their kind isn¡¯t to their liking, that¡¯s why your entries always get shut down.¡± The thought of there being a non-human entity in a judging committee sounds kind of unjust to me. So basically, my entries haven¡¯t gotten awarded because of biased judgement. The thought of it kind of pisses me off. ¡°I mean, you say that but my target audience aren¡¯t vampires. Wouldn¡¯t it seem weird to the average person if I did an original take on vampires?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt adding your own spin on an already worn-out topic don¡¯t you think? And besides, your writing is already top-notch! The only thing keeping you from winning is that stubborn vampire who wants you to perfect your vampire-game!¡± She took a step forward and closed the gap between is, peering into me from below. ¡°With my help, you¡¯ll definitely win this year, what do you say?¡± Her eyes were hypnotizing to a degree, they were extremely seductive. It¡¯s as if she were holding the forbidden fruit right in front of my face, the fruit containing everything I have ever desired¡ªto make my name known as a writer and leave a trace of my existence before leaving this world. I wanted to take it so much, however¡ª ¡°I would have to decline.¡± I back away to widen our gap, and also to metaphorically escape her clutches. ¡°I don¡¯t want to win with magic or any underhanded way. I want to win the competition fair and square, even if I¡¯m also up against an unjust ruling system.¡± Seemingly surprised by my response to her offer, she tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Huh? We aren¡¯t magicians you know. Vampires don¡¯t have magical capabilities. I¡¯ll simply tell you what vampires really are and it¡¯s still up to you and what you write.¡± Now that she mentions it¡­ Now I feel embarrassed for my whole valiant act just now. For an author, I sure don¡¯t know how to listen properly. I should probably work on that part first.. With a flustered face and a shallow sigh, I faced her head on and gave my response, ¡°I¡¯m in your care.¡± 004 Me and Kashiwagi worked on my novel for a good month or two. We met up everyday in the evenings at the diner we first met at. But before we even started during the first day, she told me: ¡°By the way, this is a bit sudden but, I¡¯m helping you out under one condition.¡± ¡°Condition? I would have appreciated it if you told me beforehand..¡± I gave her an earnest look with a vexed expression. ¡°Is it something I can handle?¡± ¡°You seem like you¡¯ve done it before so I don¡¯t see why not?¡± She grinned teasingly as if insinuating something indecent. No, no, get a hold of yourself! What are you thinking! Of course it¡¯s not anything lewd, she¡¯s just teasing you with that look and you¡¯ve fallen into her trap like a buffoon! As I was lost in my definitely decent thoughts, Kashiwagi let out a chuckle from the other side of the table. ¡°You¡¯re red as a beet! You¡¯re lucky you don¡¯t have anything red on you or else I would¡¯ve already heard your every thought!¡± Having been brought back to my senses, I began having troubles looking her straight in the eye. She just smiled my way with a hand resting on her cheek in response. Also, I started doubting whether I had anything red on me. I became more conscious about it. ¡°Well then,¡± breaking the silence from my inability to respond, she said ¡°Let¡¯s get started. First of all¡ª¡± Kashiwagi enumerated some of the things she hasn¡¯t told me about vampires yet, as well as expound on the things that she had. For starters, originally, vampires were normal, mortal people. According to her, in the late 1100¡¯s, an indigenous tribe west of what we now know as the country of Wales, discovered the fabled fountain of youth. Although it¡¯s called fountain, it was actually a very deep well. The water from this well granted anyone who drank it an indescribable feeling of vitality at first drink. Initially, this water was only available to the warriors of the tribe as it seemingly boosted their hunting and fighting capabilities. But as time marched on, the tribespeople noticed that the men who drank from the well didn¡¯t age since partaking in the water. Because of this, the water was made available to every single person in their tribe. And due to their granted immortality and strength, their tribe found decades of prosperity Their population grew bigger and bigger as no one from their tribe passed away for almost a century. With this, they started needing bigger lands to accommodate their ever-growing population. They began conquering neighboring lands in pursuit of a bigger home for their people, and no one could stand against their forces. Not until one day. After a few centuries, during the early 1400¡¯s to be exact. They eventually stumbled upon a civilization east of their land, a society more advanced than their tribe had ever seen. In the modern day, this land is what we now know as England. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Because of their tribe¡¯s immortality and complacency to a never-changing society, the world around them had already advanced further than they could have ever imagined without their knowledge. When they stepped foot into this new land in an attempt to conquer it, they were surprised with how ignorant they were about the world, especially regarding the weapons these people used to fight against them. In order to find a way to counter attack, the tribespeople went back to the fountain of youth and had everyone partake in yet another cup of the water that the well held. They grew even stronger than before but this time, there seemed to be a side-effect. They found themselves to be more sensitive to sunlight. Because of this, they could only strike at night. The tribespeople held a counter-attack on enemy territory, and they were able to take a good chunk of their land in the process. However, a number of their men had been captured by the enemy and held captive, tortured relentlessly day and night. After some time, the king of the land noticed that the tribespeople¡¯s bodies were seemingly indestructible and healed considerably quick despite being tortured continuously. He came to the conclusion that these people were immortal. Upon discovering this, the king sought for answers on how these people gained their immortality. They upped the ante on their methods and adjusted their ways of torturing the immortal tribesmen in ways unimaginable to man; torture devices crafted specifically for these captured prisoners. Eventually the tribesmen gave out and they spilled their secret. When they king found out about this, he ordered his army to march into enemy grounds in an attempt to steal the water which granted immortality. But despite the king¡¯s effort, his men would get reduced a third every time they set foot into enemy territory, while the enemies¡¯ number were only reduced by a fraction of that. But the king was filled with greed. He wanted a taste of immortality no matter how many men and time it would cost. Five months pass by of failed attempts and the king still couldn¡¯t penetrate the tribespeople¡¯s defenses. At this point, the tribespeople had three-quarters more warriors than the king¡¯s army had. Because of this, the brother of the king, second to the throne, proposed an idea to the tribespeople; a treaty to be exact. In exchange for the discontinuation of their attack on their nation in search of new land, the king offered peace to the tribespeople in the form his brother¡¯s blood. He devised a plan wherein he would publicly poison his brother in front of all the people in the land, which in turn, would instill fear to all the witnesses of the water of immortality. The king¡¯s brother, unlike his older sibling, was not interested in eternity as he found beauty in death. So this way, both civilizations would be able to co-exist in harmony. And the tribespeople agreed. And so, the day had arrived where the king¡¯s brother¡¯s men faked an expedition into enemy territory and brought back a bucket of the water the king had sought for. This water was not actually from the fountain of youth, but was a concoction an alchemist had conjured to stage a very brutal demise for the king and his men. The following day, the king had ordered a celebration outside of their castle walls for all common-folk to see; it was in celebration of a successful expedition and a future of immortality. He and the remaining men in his army partook of the water together in front of the commoners; leading their nation into an era of eternity. But not long after, their bodies started to be set ablaze, one soldier after another¡¯s flame-ridden body falling from the castle walls, down to the spectators beneath. One after another, they came tumbling down. The king¡¯s already-burnt corpse was last to fall. ¡°Behold!¡± The king¡¯s brother shouted to his subjects below, ¡°this is the true nature of the water my brother had long sought out for, countless men who died in vain for a cup that led to his own demise. In exchange for immortality, the slightest touch of sunlight had burned my brother and his men to dust!¡± And the rest was history. The tribespeople¡¯s descendants are what we now know as the modern-day vampire. I don¡¯t know where the garlic and crosses came part of the legends came from as Kashiwagi didn¡¯t seem to know either. But considering the cross, it was probably something the catholic church made up in partnership with the king. For some reason, I feel like I¡¯ve heard this story before, I have faint memories of having known this story before. But thinking about it, it probably just resembled the story of a manga I¡¯ve read in the past. Aside from the very long history lesson, the rest of the vampire trivia Kashiwagi gave me were pretty mundane that I¡¯d actually prefer the common notion of vampires over it. But for the sake of winning the writing competition, I went ahead and followed her instructions and used this instead. Kashiwagi and I got to know each other better during this time. Surprisingly, she was a pretty decent person despite my initial impression of her. It almost felt weirdly nostalgic spending time with her even though we had only just met. Spending everyday with someone you¡¯re comfortable with was something I haven¡¯t felt in a long time. But I eventually finished my story. And this relationship was soon about to reach its finale as well. I wish our time spent together were a bit longer. 005 The two of us decided on meeting up at the usual spot to evaluate my manuscript¡ªat the children¡¯s playground with that big oak tree. I had a shift till late in the evening and she had whatever vampires had going on for them all morning, so we decided on meeting up around 9pm. ¡°She still isn¡¯t here.¡± It being already late, the playground was devoid of any signs of people¡ªthe same went for 27-year-old vampires. That being the case, I went to the vending machine just in front of the playground to grab myself a warm can of coffee. The blue lights coming from the vending machine were a bit irritating to the eyes, considering there was a scarcity of street lamps along this road. But I managed to locate the one I wanted. The can made a clang as it dropped in the pick-up box. ¡°Pokka coffee? Seems pretty old fashioned if you ask me.¡± A hooded figure leaning against the vending machine said in a teasing voice. I got startled for a second until I realized it was only Kashiwagi. She was sporting her usual summer attire, rubber shoes and short-shorts. But this time, her top was a sleeveless shirt with a hoodie at the back. If I saw her from afar in this dimly lit street, I¡¯d think for sure she was part of some cult about to perform a ritual. ¡°You have a problem with Pokka? Also, why do you have your hood up, it¡¯s the middle of the night.¡± ¡°Why, you got scared for a bit didn¡¯t ¡®ya?¡± She said with a teasing smile. ¡°Well, I did get startled a bit..¡± ¡°Eh, honest as ever, you¡¯re no fun to tease if you¡¯re always so straight forward." She said with a disappointed sigh as she removed her hood. She then directed her gaze to the canned coffee I had in hand. ¡°My master used to love Pokka.¡± ¡°Your master sure has good taste.¡± I opened the can and took a quick sip. ¡°The coffees you get in vending machines these days are too sweet for my taste, they almost taste completely artificial. You can never go wrong with the one that started it all.¡± ¡°You say that but did you know it wasn¡¯t actually the first canned coffee in Japan?¡± Her face started to light up as she started giving out canned coffee trivia. ¡°The first canned coffee was actually Mira coffee which originated from this prefecture back in 1965. It was short-lived though and was eventually replaced with Pokka in 1973!¡± ¡°Ehh..¡± I stared at in amazement before finally connecting my thoughts. ¡°You got that from your master didn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°You could tell?¡± She said as she made a teehee pose. I swear she seemed poorly drawn just now. ¡°Coffee history aside, here.¡± I took my manuscript out of a Manila envelope and handed it over to her. ¡°Hmm?¡± She seemed confused at first, but after recognizing the front page, she soon realized it was my work. ¡°Oh right we¡¯re here for that. My bad, it totally slipped my mind.¡± ¡°That was the whole point of meeting up here though¡­¡± We relocated back to the playground and sat on the swings that was clearly not intended for two grown adults to sit on. She didn¡¯t utter a word the moment my work was in her hand and she started reading in silence as soon as she was settled down. The novel I wrote was a relatively short read. It was what you¡¯d call a one-shot in manga-terms. So at average, It would take her a good forty-five to sixty minutes to read through all of them. But to my surprise, she seemed to be going through the pages at a much quicker pace than I had imagined. I suppose it¡¯s one of the perks of vampires¡¯ enhanced eyesight. It¡¯s either that or she was just a fast reader. After twenty minutes, she had gotten to the final page. And with a silent ¡°hmm¡± to herself, she flipped the last page over and placed my writing on her lap. She remained silent as she fixed her gaze to the vending machine up front. But on closer inspection, it was as if she wasn¡¯t looking at anything at all. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°A love story between a vampire and a mortal.¡± She eventually uttered after a long moment of silence, eyes still staring into the void. ¡°What made you think of writing romance. You usually write about depressing stuff wherein the story ends on a sour note.¡± This is true, that was the general tone of my usual writing. The concept of immortal beings growing weary of living, seeking something more than what this world had to offer; that was the subject matter I tackled quite often, if not always. However, for some reason, me, a mortal having encountered an immortal being gave me inspiration to approach the concept of vampires in a different light. My mind, as I was writing, continuously kept pouring out the words printed on those sheets, ideas and scenarios that just presented themselves to me with open arms as if they were suppressed in the back of my mind for such a long time. both my hands moving on their own as if it was the story they wanted to tell¡ªas if it was the story I was born to create. But despite having eloquently explained the creative process in my head, my mind couldn¡¯t process those thoughts and feelings into words without it sounding completely abstract. Which is why I ended up only answering, ¡°I suppose something in me just wanted to write something different for once.¡± I responded in a low tone, my voice unsure. Despite me having already answered, Kashiwagi remained silent. I followed suit and did the same. I couldn¡¯t look her in the eye after having my work read and not knowing her thoughts of it yet. The suspense was putting me on edge. Now that I¡¯ve had time to thinking about what I wrote, I was beginning to doubt whether it was actually good or not. Oh god, was it really that cringy that she couldn¡¯t form an opinion..? But after the long and painful sound of absolute stillness, a noise eventually broke the silence. It was the sound of weeping¡ªthe kind that sounded like it was being forcibly held back. I whipped my gaze to the side and saw Kashiwagi, bawling her eyes out. Her shoulders seemed to be shaking uncontrollably, and her tears streamed down her face at a consistent pace. My manuscript that was on her lap had already been soaked, as if they had been exposed to the downpour for a good minute or two. I didn¡¯t know how to respond, nor how to handle the situation. ¡°O-oy, are you alright..?¡± She clearly wasn¡¯t, but that was the best my pathetic mind could conjure up on the spot. She raised her palm in front of my face, gesturing me to stop what I was attempting to do. She tried controlling her weeping first before finally being able to collect her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know why but I just felt like crying..¡± She was still struggling a bit to form her words but tried her best to converse regardless. ¡°Your work is beautiful, it¡¯s the best story I¡¯ve read in a while. It¡¯s short but, but..¡± Struggling to look for the right word to use to describe her emotions, she eventually gave up and simply gave me a heartfelt look and a soft ¡°Thank you.¡± I was left confused at how she responded. What could she be thanking me for, I wondered. At a surface level, I could only deduce that she was thanking me for making her a part of the writing process. But other than that, I was completely clueless. ¡°Thank you as well for reading my work, as well as the emotional feedback.¡± Unsure of how to respond, I simply thanked her as well in return. After finally calming herself down, she wiped her tears and we started conversing normally again. ¡°You included this playground in your story, why is that?¡± ¡°This spot is the only place around this area that had an oak tree.¡± I paused as I took a quick glance at the tree in question. ¡°From what I understood, the two kanjis for your surname is written as both oak (Kashiwa) and tree (ki). So I thought about using this using this place as a setting.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Processing my literary genius, she gave a short pause before continuing. ¡°Now that I thought about it, I never told you how to write my surname. How did you figure it out?¡± Now that she mentioned it, I guess she never did show me how. But I strangely just had a feeling that that¡¯s how it was written. ¡°Just a hunch I guess.¡± I answered with a conceited grin. ¡°Think of it as a thanks. A small easter egg to the vampire who helped me write a story that could make any vampire bawl their eyes out in tears.¡± ¡°Ehh, don¡¯t get too cocky now, it¡¯s probably just me being sensitive to this..¡± She told me off with a pout, but then transitioned into her usual, teasing smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already fallen for me for you to have my surname as an easter egg in your story.¡± ¡°O-of course I haven¡¯t!¡± I rebutted all flustered, ¡°in fact, I stated in the story that a vampire and human can¡¯t be together, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you had the vampire kill themself to reincarnate as a human in his next life huh?¡± ¡°You did say vampires are guaranteed humans in their next life so I just thought about using that element for the story. Please don¡¯t get the wrong idea here.¡± ¡°Ehh, that¡¯s more like it. I like it when boys aren¡¯t being honest with themselves.¡± She stood up from her seat and placed my manuscript on the swing. She then proceeded to walk in front of me and lean in so close that our breathes almost felt connected. ¡°What if I turned you, would you reconsider?¡± She was too close, extremely too close for comfort. It was almost as if it was a tactic to mess with my head and make me not think straight. But regardless, I tried to rationalize the situation to the best of my ability. They say that vampires are born innately charming, which is why I want to rule out any feelings I may have towards this vampire since, if there were any, they¡¯d most likely be ingenuine¡ªsimply a product of her vampiric charm. However, her hypnotic stare that was piercing through my soul was making me want to answer both honestly and mindlessly. ¡°W-what if I say no..?¡± She cradled the back of my head with her left hand and whispered into my ear. ¡°Remember when I said at the start that I was going to help you under one condition?¡± I do remember that part. However, I wouldn¡¯t have imagined her condition to be this. Getting together with a vampire wasn¡¯t¡ª ¡°Almost right, but slightly missed the mark.¡± Having read the inside of my mind, she cut me off before doing the unthinkable. Kashiwagi Anne, the vampire I had met only almost two months ago, buried her fangs at the side of my neck. I was left speechless due to the indescribable sensation. It initially hurt, having my skin punctured by two sharp fangs. But a warm feeling overcame my whole being, as if my brain chemistry was slightly changing as we speak. My mind went blank for a second before coming back to my senses, but this time, all of my sense were enhanced. My hearing, my vision, as well as everything in between. Without any warning, I was turned into the being I was only fascinated about till now. A vampire. Kashiwagi pulled out her fangs that were stuck on my neck and backed away before extending a hand. ¡°Congratulations, from today onward, you¡¯re officially a vampire!¡± 006 It¡¯s been two weeks since that huge turning point in my life, and it has also been two weeks since I last seen Kashiwagi. On the night we parted ways, I seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. ¡°No no no, my condition wasn¡¯t for you to fall in love with me. I simply needed you to turn into a vampire to justify your writing. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird if the vampire judge read your work and you turn out to be a normal human being? You¡¯d get in deep trouble!¡± And I¡¯m glad she cleared it up. I might still be hung up over it to this day otherwise. Looking back, I suppose what she said was completely reasonable. Though, I wish she would¡¯ve mentioned that part a bit sooner so I could have at least reconsidered taking her help in the first place. Either way, I suppose being a vampire wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought. Anyway, I submitted my story the day after that evening and today was the day I get the results. And as we speak, I had the envelop with the results in my hand. To Kashiwagi-sensei It had written on the back of the envelope. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. By the way, I didn¡¯t inherit her surname which was supposedly a tradition since I was registered under my real name under the law. Which is why, I decided to simply inherit the surname Kashiwagi in my pen name instead. I opened the envelop and inside were two letters. One had a wax seal and the other didn¡¯t. I decided to open the latter out of convenience. And it read: To Kashiwagi-sensei, Good day, I am pleased to inform you that your submission has been chosen as one of the three entries to be printed in our fall season anthology. It is also with even greater joy that I¡¯d like to congratulate you for winning second place in the third annual Azusagawa writing competition! (I honestly vouched for your entry to be placed first but my influence can only take me so far it seems, teehee!) Please expect the prize money to be transferred to your bank account in two to three business days, as well as call from one of our agents in regards to the prints. Kind Regards, Senior Judge, Kashiwagi Anne That woman...does this mean she was just toying with me during those two months¡ªno, those two years!? And she even had the nerve to turn me into a vampire! I¡¯ll definitely give her a good piece of my mind once I see her in the publishing house soon! With the first letter slightly crumpled from my grip, I set it aside and opened the fancy-looking letter with the wax seal. Upon opening the letter, I was met with jarringly large blocks of text on two separate sheets of paper. Considerably longer than the first one. Upon inspecting the contents with a quick scan, it seemed to be a personal message from Kashiwagi. To be more precise, it was a parting message. That kind of note. I sat down on the sofa before reading it intently, bracing myself for what my eyes were about to consume. And as I started going through the thick paragraphs at a moderate pace, I started getting overwhelmed with heavy emotions. My eyes started watering at some point without me noticing, and I could feel a big clump of nothing stuck in my throat. My voice began whimpering as I tried to hold back my sobs, but I eventually succumbed and cried my heart out. It was then when the realization came to me. That Kashiwagi Anne, Meant the world to me. 006.5 Kashiwagi Anne¡¯s Letter To Kashiwagi-dono, To my dearest master, or I suppose it¡¯s underling now; how have you been? It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve last seen each other. And by that I really mean a while, about twenty-five years or so. But I guess for you, it¡¯s only been a measly 2 weeks. I really envy you for that. Regardless, I hope you¡¯re doing fine and well. By the time you¡¯re reading this, I¡¯m most likely already gone from this world, the same way you went all those years ago. I had informed my colleagues that I was simply moving to a different country so let¡¯s keep this secret between us two¡ªbetween master and underling and vice versa. The past twenty-five years have been really hard for me. I didn¡¯t understand why you disappeared and left me behind, and no matter how much I thought about it, I still never arrived to an answer. I hated you for that for the longest time. It was as if the two years we spent together had ultimately amounted to nothing for you. And while I¡¯d actually love to hear otherwise from you¡ªan explanation at least on why you left, I doubt you could give me a clear answer with your current state, so this might be just wishful thinking on my part. Anyway, I don¡¯t want this letter to end up being just a list of my grievances through the years. In writing this, I simply wish to bid farewell to the vampire who gave me a second chance in life. Kashiwagi Jun. Also, by reading this, I hope I could somehow jog your memories and make you remember who you were in your past life¡ªa vampire that saved a girl on the lowest point of her life. While it may be true that my life had been hard after you left, and every day I thought to myself that if you had just let me end my suffering back then, I wouldn¡¯t have had to mourn your loss; being left with no choice but to live on, I eventually stumbled upon a new hope after a few years, a new reason to keep living in the form of a child. I call him a child but by the time I first encountered him, he was actually already in university. I won¡¯t give out too much since details since might real age might slip out and ruin my image. This kid was a bright-eyed optimistic ball of sunshine for someone who was already a university student, in contrast to my master who was already jaded and rotten to the core by the time we had met. But just like my master, he had a dream he wanted to achieve. He wanted his name to be remembered¡ªhe wanted to leave a mark on this world before his time would come to pass. The only difference was that, this kid that was about to enter the adult world, still hasn¡¯t given up on his dreams. Which is why I made it my life¡¯s goal to make his dreams come true in my master¡¯s stead. For the following years, I built myself up in a way which would let me support this kid¡¯s dreams. The kid also aspired to be a writer himself. And luckily for me, my master was also a writer who would always make me listen to his stories, which is why I¡¯ve developed an eye for literature. Because of this, with only a couple of months, I landed a job at a publishing house. I started off as an editor, until I became editor-in-chief, until the day came when I got the position I¡¯m currently at today. This kid would send his works to different publishing houses in hopes of landing a print, and joined countless competitions as well. One of the publishing houses that he submitted his works to was the publishing house I worked at. He apparently had a thing for vampires to my surprise. However, his depiction of them seemed to be a bit off, heavily inspired by the common notion of vampires. So I rejected it in hopes of his depiction improving. One competition passed, and then a second, still nothing. It was then when I thought that perhaps it was time I got involved and helped this kid out directly. So I intercepted him at this diner he frequented. He was a total snob shockingly, he reminded me a bit of my master. But I thought it might only be because it was our first time meeting, so I kept approaching him every day in hopes to win over his trust. It was until one day. At a spot that had a special place in my heart, the kid finally opened up to me and entertained my advances. Despite being technically already fifty years old, I couldn¡¯t help but act all childish for my age when interacting with this boy. It was as if my twenty-three-year-old self came back every time I was with him¡ªas if not a day had passed since I first became an immortal being. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I offered him my assistance under one condition. It was a condition he probably wouldn¡¯t agree to so I hid it from him until my assistance had ended. But despite not knowing what this condition was, the boy agreed to it for some reason. And so our teacher-student relationship began. I told him everything my master had told me about vampires, leaving absolutely nothing out. I did so for two reasons. One was to of course, help him achieve his goal. But the other one was a bit too personal so I¡¯ll leave it to your imagination. I spent two months with this kid. Nearly not enough time as I had hoped. But he worked fast and eventually finished his story. We agreed to meet up one night to evaluate his finished product. And by this time, I had already steeled my resolve if ever his story was up to my standards. I wanted to see something from this kid¡¯s work, perhaps the answers to the question that¡¯s been plaguing my head all these years. If I can find what I¡¯m looking for then this was probably goodbye. I spent all day long coming to terms with what I was about to do, which is why I wanted it to happen late at night. Evening came. I took my time walking up to the meeting spot, I didn¡¯t want this moment to end just yet. But my feet eventually dragged me to the location we agreed on despite my mind wanting to remain walking forever to the destination. The kid was picking up a drink at a vending machine. It was the same drink that my master loved to drink. I almost ended up breaking a tear with just the sight of that alone. I read the kid¡¯s manuscript as agreed on. The moment I had flipped the first page, and read the first line, I knew for myself that I didn¡¯t have to take long just to go through these pages. The kid had written a romance story between a vampire and a mortal. It followed the point of view of a male vampire after saving a girl who was attempting to end her life. The more pages I flipped, and the more words my eyes had scanned, it was, for the most part, the same. The events of this book heavily resembled the events that took place twenty-seven years ago. Realizing this, I was about to break into tears. But I managed to hold them back by staring at the illumination the vending machine up front gave out and remained silent, waiting my emotions out to calm themselves down. But the moment my eyes made contact with my master¡¯s favorite canned coffee, the tears started breaking loose, out of my control. The kid eventually noticed, and I motioned him to look away. I didn¡¯t want him to see me like this, in such a pathetic, vulnerable state. I thought that I had already move on from the events of that day, where the pain didn¡¯t hurt as much whenever I remembered. But I suppose I was harshly mistaken. I don¡¯t know if this kid actually remembers everything, or if fate was just toying with me. I asked him a few questions that only my master would know the answer to, but the kid answered vaguely. I suppose he didn¡¯t actually remember. Or perhaps, the events written in this book was simply fiction that some part of him just wanted to tell. And I can accept that. I was satisfied. With our pact now fulfilled, and this comfortable series of weeks coming to a close, it was time that I collected the payment for my services¡ªIn the exact same place where I got turned twenty-seven years ago, it was time to reveal the condition. All my years as a vampire, I¡¯ve been searching for the reason behind my suffering. I simply kept floating lifelessly in the wind and merely followed wherever it took me; until it eventually blew me into you, the recipient of this letter. Sakurai Junta. Despite being completely honest with everything I¡¯ve told you during our very short time together, I might have slipped in a small lie at the end. I didn¡¯t turn you into a vampire to justify the story you wrote as you might have already realized by now if you¡¯ve read the other letter first. I simply wanted to return what you gave me all those years ago. I feel like I¡¯ve been long overdue in this world and it was time I finally parted ways with it. Finally at peace after finding what I was looking for, I can now follow my master and come to terms with my peace. Though, there might be a new question that would arise for you after coming to this point in my letter. You might be asking yourself why it had to be you¡ªwhy out of all the people in the world, all these years, were you the one I chose to turn. Well, the answer¡¯s quite simple. It¡¯s my revenge. Payback for leaving me behind all those years. Only this time, I was kind enough to not leave any unanswered questions behind. You better be grateful. Well, that¡¯s about it. In my next life, similar to you, I probably won¡¯t have any recollection of my life as Kashiwagi Anne. So if by any chance you find me as someone else, and decide to continue where we left off in our previous life, please approach me the same way you did twenty-seven years ago. May your first words to the reincarnated Kashiwagi Anne be the exact same words you gave the original. And if you wish to part ways in this crossroads, I would understand. This is a fitting end to the story of two idiotic vampires regardless. I wish you all the best for the next eternity and beyond. May you find peace and success with the dream I helped you achieved. You may not be exactly where you want to be just yet, but please don¡¯t give up like a certain someone we know. Kind regards, Your previous underling, current master, and ex-lover, Kashiwagi Anne 007 Several years have passed since my first and only encounter with a vampire in this lifetime, twenty-three years to be exact. As the white-haired vampire instructed all those years ago, I continued my pursuit on being a writer. And now, twenty-three years into the future, I was now known as Kashiwagi Junta, the man who reshaped the genre of vampire literature in Japan. After reading Kashiwagi¡¯s parting letter twenty-three years ago, bit by bit, fragmented portions of the memories of my previous life came to me occasionally in the form of dreams. From what I could gather, the vampire Kashiwagi Jun was as aspiring writer who wanted his name to be immortalized, to leave a mark on the world despite being an immortal being. Jun had already been a vampire for a good two centuries at that time. And due to his long-lived life, he seemed to struggle to find fame in the field of writing as the times evolved faster than his writing could ever imagined. But he didn¡¯t give up, he kept on writing and writing, until one day he met a girl named Anne fifty years ago. The young girl was about to throw her life away, standing at the edge of a high-rise building, prepared to meet her end. It was then when Jun swooped in and made her reconsider. He showed her that there was more to life than what her young eyes could see at the moment, that there were endless possibilities that was waiting ahead if she simply didn¡¯t give up on life. He offered her a new start. The girl who had just entered the workforce a couple of years back, who was driven to a corner by her colleagues, was given a chance to escape that life. Jun offered to turn her into the creature that roamed freely in the night, a vampire. But in exchange for creating a minion, he would lose a part of his immortality in the process. Jun didn¡¯t seem to mind and offered to help anyway. From what I understood, vampires were completely immortal until the moment they create a minion. Once they do, a part of their immortality is stripped from them and is passed down to their new-found underling. They were still immortal for the most part, but now with a single weakness. They were now vulnerable to a certain type of sunlight. Anyway, Anne agreed, turned a new leaf and became a vampire. The two of them spent two years together in their new life. During this time, the two developed feelings for each other as if it was the only natural course of action to take place. Jun also continued his pursuit of becoming a writer, and his new-found partner supported him in every way she could in the span of those two years. But by the end of it, Kashiwagi Jun, despite his efforts, continued to fail time after time, one rejection after another. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Jun had been rejected a number of times before, so he thought to himself that it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal. But this time was different. In the past, he knew he had forever to keep working on his craft. That no matter how many times he got rejected, he had no choice but to keep going as there was no other option either way. But this time, he had an escape. That when things got too hard to bear, he could now simply throw it all away and end it all. Which is what he eventually did. Leaving his lover behind without a single parting message, he waited at dawn for the first ray of sunlight to emerge from the horizon; the type of sunlight that could kill a vampire. And as he bathes in the warmth of the morning¡¯s sunrise, Jun met his end. As stated in Kashiwagi¡¯s letter to me twenty-three years ago, the contents of the story I made was apparently heavily inspired from the memories of my past life without me noticing. However, for the sake of writing something different, I may have dramatized the last part¡ªthe part in which Kashiwagi wouldn¡¯t have any recollection of, which was the contents of her master¡¯s mind in his final moments. At the last part of my story, I wrote that the protagonist was thinking of nothing but the heroine in his dying moments, about how he would spend a lifetime with her once he reincarnated as a mortal and become a successful author that she could be proud of. But from what I could recall from the memories of my past life, there wasn¡¯t a single mention of Anne during that time, all that was in my head was nothing but my longing to end my suffering. Talk about selfish. If I could go back in time and visit myself in my previous life, I would give him the beating of his life for not having any balls and leaving Kashiwagi behind¡ªa beating that would could kill an immortal vampire. To this day, I still occasionally think about Kashiwagi and where she could be now. They say that the bond between master and minion for vampires was special; that even after death and rebirth, you¡¯d still be able to find each other eventually. But to this day I feel like I haven¡¯t felt her presence since. It makes me wonder if I¡¯ve already passed her somewhere random before and I just didn¡¯t notice. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the thought. As I was reminiscing about the past, both in my current and previous life, I hadn¡¯t noticed that it was already past eleven in the morning, more than an hour past my scheduled meeting. I say that but I wasn¡¯t the one who¡¯s late, it was my editor. She had resigned from the publishing house I was currently under, and was to assign me to a new editor. We had agreed to meet at the publishing house¡¯s lobby at ten, but almost an hour and a half later, she still wasn¡¯t anywhere to be found. I suppose if you¡¯re only rendering your last thirty working days, you¡¯d stop caring about your job huh¡­I started considering just keeping this bottle of sake to myself. Before long, I spotted two silhouettes through the frosted glass walls of the building. And the moment they passed through automated sliding door, I confirmed it was them. My editor was taking the lead as my supposed new editor was following her from behind. She was way shorter than my current editor from what I could see, so she¡¯s probably new. As they slowly approached, I stood from my seat and brought out my parting gift for my editor. ¡°You¡¯re late, I almost ended up drinking this bottle myself out of my sadness from being stood up.¡± ¡°My bad, my bad, this girl here proved to be a bit too hard to drag along.¡± She jerked her head to the side as to point to the girl behind her, accepting my gift with an apologetic look. ¡°She said she had to mentally prepare first so we made a few unexpected stops on the way, she¡¯s apparently a fan.¡± As if taking that as her signal, the girl finally stepped out of my editor¡¯s shadow and revealed herself, not-so-confident-looking but trying her best to look professional. She had short white hair, fair complexion, a rounded face and a somewhat small build. With the looks of it, I could have easily mistaken her for middle schooler or a high school freshman if it weren¡¯t for the mature-vibe that her office outfit gave out. ¡°My name is Sakuragi Hanako, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± She bowed her head as we were about to exchange our first formal greetings. I know this wasn¡¯t proper etiquette, but as Sakuragi Hanako remained bowing, waiting for me to do so in turn, I ended up breaking into a warm smile and instead uttered the following words: ¡°Do you like vampires?¡±