"I'm back," Kojou said as he entered his apartment, the girl still cradled in his arms. Despite his good relationship with her, he had no idea where her home was—leaving his own apartment as the only place to take her.
"Welcome back, Kojou-kun!" Nagisa rushed to the door, eager to hear about her older brother's test results. But she froze at the sight of him holding a beautiful girl. "Kojou-kun… I never thought the day would come when you'd bring a girl home."
Nagisa wiped imaginary tears of joy, as if her foolish brother had finally escaped eternal bachelorhood.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Kojou sighed, gesturing to the girl in his arms. "She's my senpai from my part-time job. I found her sleeping on the street, so I brought her here."
He omitted the kidnapping incident, lying to Nagisa to hide his identity as a vampire. Silence was better than deception—especially since he couldn't bear to see Nagisa's reaction if she learned the truth. Her demonophobia made it unthinkable.
"I'll let her rest in my room," Kojou said, heading down the hall. "Can you heat up lunch for me?"
"O-okay…" Nagisa stammered, nodding as she watched him leave before hurrying to the kitchen.
"…" Kojou glanced at Nagisa from the corner of his eye, suppressing a sigh at the slight tremble in her body when she spotted the Demon Registration Bracelet on Diana's wrist.
Diana—Veldiana Caruana—was a vampire from the Warlord's Dominion and a participant in the Blazing Banquet three months ago. She was also Kojou's senpai at the family restaurant where he worked part-time.
Though slightly desperate for love and a former drug addict, Diana was a kind, beautiful woman who'd doted on Kojou since he started working with her.
"Seriously, I'm worried sick while you're sleeping so peacefully," Kojou muttered, pinching Diana's cheek lightly to vent his frustration at her carefree nature. "Well, this is better than her chasing revenge when her target's already dead."
"…" After staring at Diana's sleeping face a moment longer, Kojou changed into comfortable clothes and left to eat lunch with Nagisa.
Once Kojou was gone, Diana opened her chocolate-brown eyes, staring at the door he'd exited through.
"As expected of you, Kouhai-kun. You're too kind," she whispered with a faint smile. She'd been awake since they neared the apartment but pretended to sleep. "But I wonder… does he know something about my lost memories?"
Diana puzzled over Kojou's earlier muttering. Their first meeting should've been at the restaurant—neither had known the other before. Yet his words implied otherwise.
'Is he like me? Did he lose his memories from three months ago too?' She considered the possibility. Her own fragmented memories held traces of him, but she couldn't recall details. Kojou, however, seemed to have regained his.
"Well, no point overthinking it," Diana murmured, shifting into a cozier position before closing her eyes. She was the type to brush off minor details and sleep without a care.
_
In the kitchen, Kojou found Nagisa heating his food—her hands trembling slightly. Though she knew Diana was harmless (Kojou had spoken highly of her), her fear of demons wasn't something words could easily erase.
"Sorry…" Kojou patted Nagisa's head gently, calming her shivers. "I know how you feel, but I brought Diana-senpai here without warning you."
"…" Nagisa said nothing, silently hugging him instead. His embrace was her safe haven.
"But Nagisa, you can't go on like this," Kojou said firmly, holding her tighter. "I know you're scared of demons because of what happened four years ago, but you have to move forward. I'm here—I'll protect you, no matter what."
"Mmm… thank you, Kojou-kun." Nagisa nodded but didn't let go. His words soothed her, but her fear wouldn't vanish overnight.
"…" Seeing her agreement, Kojou smiled. If this continued, maybe one day he could reveal he was a vampire without fear of her hatred.
The thought warmed him. Nagisa was the most important person in his life—even more than Asagi. They'd been together since childhood, and though he loved Asagi deeply, Nagisa held a slight edge in his heart.
"By the way, I promised to take you out, right?" Kojou recalled his vow from earlier. "How about tomorrow? We'll go somewhere fun, and… help me buy new clothes. I've got zero fashion sense."
"Of course!" Nagisa agreed instantly, breaking the hug with a bright smile. "But you have to buy me ice cream in return."
"I'll cover all of tomorrow's expenses," Kojou declared, puffing his chest proudly. His current savings—nearly 1 million yen—were more than enough.
"Are you sure? This is money you worked all summer for…" Nagisa hesitated. Unlike her, Kojou rarely received allowances from their parents, and she hated making him spend his hard-earned wages on her.
"Don't worry. I've been saving, and money's useless if you don't spend it," Kojou said dismissively. That was his philosophy: hoarding wealth served no purpose.
Besides, with Giant Toad Quests always available at the guild, he could earn more anytime. No need to pinch pennies.
...
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