The Strix Familia

Harumi woke up the next day to something very soft next to him. As he was slowly waking up, he realized that his cheeks were resting on a smooth and fluffy surface that was far too smooth and fluffy to be a pillow. But the very comfortable warmth that he felt from it melted all of his doubts away. A very enchanting scent entered his nostrils and he felt compelled to sleep longer and just let himself be consumed by it. He was gently reminded of a very happy and innocent time in his life when he would find comfort in his mother’s bosom.

He slowly opened his eyes and was eye-to-eye with a forbidden ruby treasure—his entire face turned red and he was frozen in fear. The clear sound of gentle breaths that were not his only made him even more anxious and terrified of the situation he found himself in. Quicker than a rat running for his life, he jumped out of the bed and scooted as far away as he could from the crime scene. Right in his bed was Anna, naked and sleeping soundly without a care in the world.

‘Even if this is normal where she’s from, she shouldn’t be doing something like this too carelessly with people she doesn’t know!—Actually, no, this isn’t normal anywhere in the world!’ he screamed internally. Anna stirred and slowly rose up with sleep still in her eyes.

“Um, Anna, why are you in my bed?” Harumi asked her politely, doing his best to not make a scene.

Anna gestured with a finger for him to come closer. Harumi was a little confused but obeyed her command. As soon as he was close enough, Anna reached out and grabbed him by the neck and pulled his face into her breasts. “Still sleepy,” she mumbled with a sleepy smile. She let herself fall to the side, bringing Harumi right into bed with her. Harumi, with his face buried right between her precious mounds, turned a scarlet red and was fighting between letting himself enjoy this comfortable taste of heaven or doing the right thing and fight back to preserve both of their honors.

Suddenly, the door opened and Ben marched inside. “You piece-of-trash commoner,” he snarled with a glare of disgust at Harumi, “today will be the day I take the trash out.”

Harumi struggled but eventually managed to push himself away from Anna. “No, you have the wrong idea!” he quickly told the butler.

“Really? Will those be your last words?” asked Ben threateningly.

Anna rose up and yawned. She noticed Ben and nonchalantly covered herself with the blanket.

‘So you’re embarrassed in front of your own servants, but not me? I don’t know how I should feel about that?’ thought Harumi.

“Lady Anna, why did you disappear from your room? You weren’t there at all when Isabelle went in to wake you up,” complained Ben.

“A secret,” Anna simply told him.

“Lady Anna, this is no time for games!” scolded Ben.

“You can leave me now, Ben,” Anna ordered the butler.

Ben hesitated for a moment before letting out a huge reluctant sigh. He lowered his head and courteously said, “As you wish.” With a bow, he left the room.

“Um, Anna, why were you here in my room?” Harumi asked her once the butler was gone.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” Anna asked Harumi.

“I remember fighting the Stragglers as per the mission,” he replied back.

“Takehito brought you back home last night,” she told him. Her eyes changed to reflect anger and worry—it was the first time Harumi had ever seen an extreme an expression as this on her face. “You were unconscious and depleted of energy. I was worried about you.” Her words of concern made Harumi’s heart skip a beat. “I watched you as you slept last night. I was afraid that you’d never wake up again.”

“So you got sleepy and slipped into bed with me,” concluded Harumi with a smile in an attempt to break through this heavy atmosphere.

“It was too comfortable in bed with you that I fell asleep without knowing,” she told him with a lighter expression. Harumi wasn’t sure what she was insinuating by those words but was taken aback by them all the same.

“Then again,” she continued with a smile, “you’re still a newborn, so it made sense that you’re not accustomed to your Curse yet.”

“Curse?” asked Harumi.

“There was one more thing we forgot to tell you yesterday,” Anna told him. “In addition to our superhuman strength, endurance, speed, and stamina, vampires also possess a Curse. A vampire’s Curse is unique to that individual. They manifest as special abilities and are tied to some kind of regret or wish in their past prior to their transformation.”

“A wish…,” echoed Harumi in a low voice.

“But like what their name suggests, in exchange for this great power to satisfy one’s regrets or wishes, the individual is made to pay a very high cost,” continued Anna. “Of course, the cost is unique to the individual Curse. And in your case, Harumi, you are forced to sacrifice your own life force.”

“My life force?” repeated Harumi with a surprised frown.

“The blood that runs through your veins,” Anna told him. “If you were a regular human, you would’ve died then and there. But since you are not, you were able to recover with rest.” She took a finger and bit into the flesh. With a smile, she put out her finger. Harumi gulped and approached Anna. “However, you are still not at 100%. Being a vampire means to recover your strength with blood.”

Harumi leaned forward and took Anna’s finger between his lips. He sucked on her soft fingers like a hungry child, eagerly savoring her sweet and refined blood. His sense of self was completely lost and he was filled with a gluttonous lust for Anna’s blood. Once he felt full, he let go. He immediately returned back to his senses and quickly stepped back.

“You were hungry weren’t you?” said Anna with a teasing smile. She placed the finger in her mouth and took it out with a loud *pop*.

“Lady Anna, it is time for school!” shouted Ben while banging loudly on the door from the other side.

“Well, I guess I had enough fun for now,” sighed Anna. She threw off the blanket and stepped out of the bed. Harumi immediately covered his eyes to protect the sanctity of Anna’s nude body. He could feel his face grow hot and his heart was beating fast, but he still remained strong to do the right thing. “Harumi,” Anna called to him with her back to him.

“Y-Yes!” he quickly yelped in answer.

“After class, please come to the unused clubroom at the end of the third-floor hallway,” she instructed.

“Yes ma’am!” Harumi obliged in a high-pitched voice.

“And Harumi?” came Anna once again.

“Yes?”

She didn’t say anything further. Confused by her silence after calling out his name, Harumi unconsciously lowered his hands. Standing with her hands behind her and a smile on her face while leaning forward in an otherwise cute pose if she was in clothes, Anna bared herself for Harumi one last time. Harumi’s mind exploded and his entire being went out-of-commission. With a giggle, Anna turned around and finally left the room.

Harumi wouldn’t have believed that he’d become a vampire if it wasn’t for the sun zapping him of his strength to remind him of this fact. The possibility of it all being one big dream shattered completely. What he once considered a dear friend was now his worst enemy! Just being under the big ball of gas made him feel nauseous and dizzy and fatigued! There was no way he could ever get accustomed to this!

That morning, he had left the manor separately from Anna. Although Anna had offered to take him in her car, Harumi could feel hostility oozing from the chauffeur (Ben) and gently turned her down. Forced to walk to school, Harumi was suddenly thrust into the dangerous side of living life as a vampire by undergoing the gruesome sunlight trial.

He managed to make it to school with a few drops of energy still left in his otherwise depleted body. Although walking inside the building meant being struck by sunlight through the windows, the glass actually helped to reduce the sun’s negative effect on him by a tiny bit.

“Harumin!” cheerfully greeted Haruto as soon as Harumi entered the classroom. “Gah, are you okay?!” he quickly exclaimed upon noticing Harumi’s fatigued expression.

“You look like you’ve just returned from running a 500m dash nonstop with no water breaks!” pointed out Shinji with a worried raise of his eyebrow.

“I’m fine, just fine,” reassured Harumi with a forced smile.

“Well, if you say so,” said Haruto with a shrug of his shoulders. “Anyway, guess what? My big bro bought a new photobook! He actually let me bring it with me today! And, this time, it’s a real national treasure! It’s called ‘Big Blooming Blossoms’!”

“Eh?…” uttered a disinterested Shinji.

Haruto took out the book—a photobook of topless models—and, with bright eyes, announced, “Uncensored 3-D breasts in the flesh!”

“I’ll be taking that.” A hand snatched the book out of Haruto’s hands. It was Lucius Thomas, the boys’ English and homeroom teacher. Known as a mysterious figure with his clean-cut black hair with a strange white streak to the side and dull grey eyes, Lucius Thomas was both respected and feared by students and staff alike. The small but obvious bags under his eyes, his naturally tall and lanky stature, his naturally soft voice and soft-spoken nature, and the near-deadpan face that was his default look made him look all the more intimidating like a real-life ghost from some kind of Halloween movie! A teacher originally from England, he had taught at the school for more than five years now, which was what he attributed to his native-sounding fluent Japanese; however, rumors abound that he had actually taught at the school for far longer….

“Mr. Thomas, that’s mine!” whined Haruto.

“You can get it back from the staff office at the end of the day,” Lucius told him matter-of-factly. His eyes fell on Harumi and focused on the latter for a good minute. Harumi felt a wave of unease and awkwardness wash over him as he locked eyes with the teacher.

“B-But!” protested Haruto.

“Then I’ll give it back to you if you can answer this question,” offered Lucius, returning his attention back to the situation at hand. “In the sentence ‘Anne gives Harry her apples’, what should you do to turn the sentence past-tense?”

“Past-tense?” repeated Haruto with a confused tilt of his head. “Hmm…. ‘Anne gives Harry apples yeasterday’!” he answered confidently.

“Wrong,” came Lucius quicker than a quickdraw. “Perhaps instead of fantasizing about the female body, you should focus on filling your head with real-life useful skills,” he told Haruto. “With that being said, stop bringing in materials that are not pertinent to school. You can masturbate at home just fine. We don’t need you to make a mess at school, too.” With that last sentence, Lucius left the room.

“My beautiful ‘Big Blooming Blossoms’!” cried Haruto.

“Well, Mr. Thomas is right,” Harumi told his friend.

“Also, your pronunciation of ‘yesterday’ is way-off,” pointed out Shinji.

“Nooooooooo!”

‘But that was weird. Why did Mr. Thomas look at me like that?’ wondered Harumi.

When school ended, Harumi did as Anna had instructed him this morning and promptly made his way to the unused clubroom at the end of the third-floor hallway. He opened the door and walked in. Unexpected of an unused clubroom, the interior was clean and devoid of the expected cobwebs and piles of dust that caked corners and windows. In the center of the room was an intricately designed rug with a glistening mahogany coffee table and a pair of leather couches on top.

“Whoa,” breathed Harumi in awe. He suddenly felt his body being grabbed and something cold being pressed against his neck. ‘W-W-What the hell happening?’ he wondered in terrified surprise.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” threateningly whispered a familiar voice.

“S-Saiga-san?” realized Harumi aloud.

“That voice! Sir Abe!” realized Takehito. The lights were turned on and Anna appeared. Takehito could now plainly see that it was indeed Harumi whom he had threatened and immediately bowed his head with an intense apology.

“This could’ve ended badly in a number of ways if I hadn’t arrived,” said Anna as she walked inside. Three more people followed in after her. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the Strix Familia.”

The first person was Itsuki Rie. She was a maiden of elegant beauty with skin like powdered snow and long, soft, fluffy silver-blue hair that reminded Harumi of a gentle winter. Her striking aquamarine-blue eyes that appeared to carry some kind of mysterious sadness within them were like jewels of the sea. And her slender figure, from her face to her neck to her body and arms and legs, were like that of a lone carnation—a true Yamato Nadeshiko if Harumi had ever seen one! As such, she carried herself with an elegant air that commanded the eyes and hearts of those around her. Her hair was tied in a delicate ponytail with a glossy wisteria-colored ribbon and her nails were painted the same wisteria-color. Despite her slender frame, she was still a woman—her most mature features were just as developed as her elegance.

The second person was Sofia Garin. A petite girl with curly orange hair in braids and twinkling copper eyes that were pulled in a stoic frown, her appearance shifted between that of a mature middle-schooler and a childish high-schooler. Her face was small and cute and her impeccable skin that was supple like fluffy clouds were like those one would expect from someone who lived a pampered life. In fact, her entire aura screamed ‘Princess’! Despite her petite frame, she still possessed the undeniable features of a grown young lady—though they were still rather modest and reserved when compared to Anna or Rie; a pair of gentle blossoms against elegant blooms. Around her wrist was a silver chain bracelet with a small locket attached.

The third person was Thomas Garin. He was a petite boy about the same size as Sofia. With a handsome feminine-like face, there was no doubt that he attracts the eyes of both men and women alike. His hair was a soft chestnut brown and parted to the left, and his eyes were a warm orange like a kind hearth. Though short, he showed clear signs of lean muscle all around his body. But his slender frame didn’t make this fact obvious at first glance; in fact, one would assume that he was simply a weak kid that was easy to push around. But the smile he wore, which straddled the line between childlike kindness and jaded darkness, would make any person smart enough to know better than to take his appearance for granted. A ring adorned his left ring finger: a brilliant silver band with a pendant in the shape of a bear’s head.

“There is one more person, but they are not here today,” finished Anna.

“So you’re the newborn,” spoke Sofia in a blunt voice.

“Newborn?” wondered Harumi. He quickly realized what she meant and said with a bow, “Ah, I’m Abe Harumi. Nice to meet you.”

“Stupid and uncouth,” smoothly spat Sofia with a subtle scowl.

‘She’s pretty hard to please,’ noted Harumi to himself with an awkward smile.

“Nice to meet you,” mumbled Rie. Her eyes were downcast to her left.

“You too!” replied back Harumi politely. Rie said nothing further. This conversation, if it could be called that, somehow made Harumi feel as if he was now pushed farther from her even more than when they didn’t know each other at all! ‘I feel so cold,’ he thought with a shiver and a pained smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” cheerfully greeted Thomas. He held out his hand for a shake.

Harumi immediately took the hand and shook it with a huge smile on his face. “Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you, too! Finally, a warm greeting!” he beamed with tears of joy.

“You can call me Toma,” Thomas told him.

“Call me Harumi!” replied Harumi in kind.

“Disgusting,” spat Sofia. Her voice conveyed the displeasure she was feeling in lieu of her face. Though not to the same degree as Sofia, Rie agreed with her assessment with a nod of her head.

“Sister Sofia(-neesama), please be kinder to your juniors,” pleaded Thomas.

“Shut up, Toma,” quickly replied back Sofia.

“S-Sister?” asked Harumi.

“Sofia is my big sister,” Thomas told him. “We share the same last name after all.”

“Oh, right,” remembered Harumi.

“Now that we are all acquainted, let us get right to business,” announced Anna, bringing everyone’s attention back onto her. “In the recent weeks, there have been an increase of Stragglers in our territory.”

“Even with you offering yourself as bait to attract them, we will not be able to catch them,” said Takehito.

“Vampires can smell your scent from kilometers away,” added Sofia.

“I did what I could to suppress my powers to draw them out,” pointed out Anna.

“But that only works with vampires whose blood are not as pure as yours,” remarked Thomas. “As soon as they catch a whiff, they quickly turn tail and run away.”

“Lady Anna, you should’ve used one of us to do it,” said Rie.

“But using me would be the better bait,” said Anna. The others immediately said nothing back to refute her claim.

“Wait a minute, bait? Do you mean—?” Harumi remembered back to the same day that he had died. That day, when he came upon Anna by herself on the bench….

“I was trying to draw out Stragglers, but a bunch of unruly thugs took the bait instead,” confirmed Anna with a sigh.

“But what do you mean when you said that you would be the better bait?” asked Harumi.

“Do you not know who she is?” asked Sofia in an almost snarling voice.

“Um, Annabelle Strix Nosferatu?” answered Harumi with a tilt of his head.

“Exactly! She is Annabelle Strix Nosferatu, the Indominable Illusion Princess and sixth daughter of the Vampire Lord Vlad Dracula Nosferatu!” revealed Sofia grandly.

“Daughter of Dracula?!” exclaimed Harumi in terrible surprise.

“As one of the Royals, the six original offspring of the Vampire Lord, she is one of the only six pureblood vampires in the world!” Sofia continued. “As such, she commands fear and respect from all vampires below her. That includes uncouth insects like you.” As she spat out that last line, she glared at Harumi with eyes that reflected pure dislike if not outright hatred.

“That’s enough, Sofia,” said Anna.

“Yes, Lady Anna!” quickly obeyed Sofia.

“Anna, if you’re that strong, then wouldn’t other vampires be able to sense your strength?” asked Harumi, referring back to her statement from before about being bait.

“It’s not about strength,” she told him without elucidating further. Her eyes were glazed over and her expression was stiff when she said that last statement. “Anyway, we should discuss our plans for taking care of this problem. If more Stragglers show up, then the civilian human population will soon be in trouble.”

“Are we taking down the Stragglers to protect the human population?” asked Harumi, a little intrigued and confused by the concept.

“Oh? Were you perhaps thinking that we were just doing this for our own benefit?” asked Takehito. “Well, you’re not wrong about that. It’s more like these goals just seem to align together perfectly for us.”

“Just because we’re vampires doesn’t mean that we’re monsters,” said Thomas with a smile. “Ah, I meant that in the figurative sense, since we’re technically literal monsters.”

“There’s no rule that says that vampires can’t save humans,” added Sofia.

“Exactly,” concluded Anna. “Moreover, Japan is our territory.”

“Territory,” repeated Harumi, curious about the concept.

“The world is split into six distinct territories,” Takehito explained. “Each of these territories, of course, are under the administration a Royal. Lady Anna’s territory consist of lands east of the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan. This includes Japan.”

“However, her influence only goes as far as the eastern border of the Philippine Sea,” added Thomas.

“So small!” commented Harumi.

“The extant of each Royal’s territory changes with history,” said Rie. Hearing her suddenly speak clearer than before immediately drew Harumi’s attention. “Before, Lady Anna’s territory had stretched as far as Romania.”

“But even then, our territory was often very thin, making it easy for the other Royals to swallow them up and push us out,” said Takehito with a laugh.

‘Maybe this world is more of a pain-in-the-neck than I thought,’ thought Harumi privately to himself.

“But because this territory is under my control, I want to do everything I can to protect its people,” declared Anna. “It is the duty of the overseer to properly manage the wellbeing of their people, is it not?” As she said all that, she wore the most breathtaking expression Harumi had ever seen; he could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you!” announced Harumi confidently. Anna flashed him a thankful smile, making him blush.

Sofia watched the exchange between Anna and Harumi with spiteful eyes. The negativity they carried manifested in a penetrating feeling that sent a shiver down Harumi’s spine. “Make well on your promise or die. Actually, just die. Die!” she cursed at him loud enough for only him alone to hear.

“Harumi, there is one more thing I must tell you,” Anna told him, bringing his attention back to her.

“Yes?”

Anna’s cheeks grew a little red. “Well, I was thinking that today I should go meet your parents.”

“M-My parents?! Wait, a-a-aren’t we moving a bit too fast? I mean, meeting the parents is something we’d do eventually. But….” He felt a huge force hit against the back of his waist. His body lurched forward and he let out a gasp. When the pain subsided, he saw Sofia marching off while huffing and puffing.

“Well, your parents must be worried since you’re not home, right? We must at least inform them of your new residence,” said Anna.

“How do you expect to do that? I mean, we can’t possibly tell them that I’m a vampire.”

“We don’t have to tell them anything complicated,” she reassured him.

Now that he was standing right in front of his own house, Harumi began to have second-thoughts about this. Anna was standing closely next to him the entire time with a small smile gracing her lips. Her presence, proximity, and expression only made his heart even more unsettled and resistant to going forward with this idea. Anna sensed his unease and interlocked her fingers with his. The move made Harumi’s heart jump in his chest.

“Let’s go,” she told him. She then took the first step forward, pulling Harumi along.

“W-W-Wait, my heart’s not prepared for this yet!” protested Harumi, his body too weak to resist Anna’s pull. Before he knew it, they were already at his front door. Anna rang the doorbell. “A-Anna!” he sputtered in surprise.

The door opened. “Yes?” came Harumi’s mother. She quickly noticed her son and gasped. “Harumi!”

“H-Hi Mom! I’m back!” said Harumi with an awkward smile and a wave.

Having been invited in, Harumi and Anna were now sitting down in the living room while Harumi’s mother, Miyako, brought them tea and snacks. “Harumi, where have you been this entire time? I’ve been really worried about you, you know?” said Miyako. “I’m just happy that you’re okay, at least.”

“Well, the situation is kinda…complicated…,” he told her with a conflicted smile.

“Anyway, who is this fine young woman with you?” Miyako asked her son with a bright smile, her attention now solely focused on Anna.

“I am Annabelle Strix,” introduced Anna gracefully like the refined lady she was.

“A-Annabelle? A foreigner?!” exclaimed Miyako with widened eyes.

“I am originally from Romania,” Anna told her with a polite smile.

“R-Romania? That’s in Italy, right?” asked a flustered Miyako. “U-Um, Ciao!”

“That’s Rome,” corrected Harumi.

“Ah, I didn’t know you could speak Italian, too,” Anna complimented Miyako kindly. “Il cibo italinao è buono, non è vero?”

“A-A-Ah, pizza!” stuttered Miyako in reply. Anna gently giggled at her response in a polite way.

‘That’s Anna for you,’ praised Harumi, who was surprised to see that there exists someone other than him or his dad that was capable of handling his mother! He knew that she can be quite scatterbrained at times, which usually resulted in her inadvertently causing trouble, usually through blurting out things without much careful thought.

“Your mother reminds me of you sometimes,” Anna said to Harumi.

‘Eh? Really? Am I that scatterbrained?’ wondered Harumi, surprised by her comment.

“Hey, Harumi, is this young lady your girlfriend?” whispered Miyako to her son.

“Hah?!” exclaimed Harumi, standing up in surprise. He wasn’t at all expecting that comment from his mother!

“Ah, it’s true then!” happily cried Miyako, taking her son’s over-the-top reaction to her question as affirmation. With tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, she turned to the altar on her right. “Did you hear that, Dear? Harumi finally has a girlfriend! Our son, he has finally found himself a wonderful girl! And she’s a foreign beauty, too! Oh, I know you’re watching over this very happy moment right now with tears of joy. You’ve always been a softie!” As she said the last two lines, she burst into happy tears herself.

“Mom, stop that!” begged Harumi.

“Who else can report this happy news to your father if not me?” asked Miyako.

“I-I’m sorry my mom is annoying,” Harumi apologized to Anna with an embarrassed sigh.

“Your father…,” said Anna with a grim expression.

“Ah, he’s dead,” Harumi told her with a sad smile.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to him?”

“He died while saving a girl from a crazy stalker,” revealed Harumi. “I don’t really know all of the details since it happened while I was in fourth grade, but from what my mother told me, he came across a young girl running away from some crazy guy armed with a knife. Without thinking about himself, he wrestled the guy and got stabbed in the gut. But my dad was stubborn and didn’t go down right away and tackled the guy onto the street. The police were called and my dad was taken to the hospital. But he was dead by then.”

“And the stalker?” asked Anna.

“He was never found. The police that investigated the scene said that they didn’t find any sign of a second body. All they found was ash.”

“Ash? Could it have been a Straggler?” wondered Anna to herself.

“My dad always did have a strong sense of justice. He always stood up for people who couldn’t do it on their own. I’ve always respected that about him,” said Harumi with a soft smile.

“So you got your scatterbrained awkwardness from your mother and your sense of justice from your father,” concluded Anna.

“Hearing that the only thing I share with my mother is our scatterbrain and awkwardness really makes me want to cry,” bemoaned Harumi.

Anna brought a hand under Harumi’s chin and caressed it. She gently turned his face her way and smiled with seductive eyes. “You’ll always be a kind and brave hero to me,” she told him. Harumi felt himself being drawn in more and more to her eyes.

“W-W-We should do what we came here to do!” Harumi quickly told her once he realized the situation he was in.

Anna let go of his chin and turned back to face the front. “You’re right,” she told him with a smile. She cleared her throat. “Miss Abe,” she called Miyako.

“Call me Mom!” Miyako told her with twinkling eyes and a matching smile.

“There is something I would like to discuss with you,” continued Anna, unfazed by the interruption. “Harumi will be living with me from now on.”

“Oh, you’ve both already moved in together? My son is really a young man, now! He’s a boy no more!” cried Miyako with the expression of someone being relieved of a heavy burden.

“Mom, was I really that much of a burden for you?” commented Harumi half-seriously.

Anna reached out for Miyako’s hands and gently clasped her hands over them. “Miss Abe,” she called out sweetly. By instinct, Miyako’s attention fell right on Anna’s eyes. Suddenly, Anna’s eyes glowed a very beautiful red color like rubies twinkling in the sunlight. Miyako’s face became slack and all of the energy she had before was sealed away. “Miss Abe, from this day forward, Harumi will be living far away from you. There can be no further contact between you and him. The only thing you need to know going forward is Harumi is away studying abroad. He is living a fine high school life in Italy. This will be the only memory you will have left of Harumi. Furthermore, you and I have never met after this day concludes. All memories of this day will vanish when you wake up tomorrow.”

“Harumi…Italy…vanish…tomorrow…,” echoed Miyako like a zombified version of herself.

‘Is this…hypnotism?’ wondered Harumi.

Anna’s eyes turned back to their normal luster and she released Miyako’s hands. Almost suddenly, Miyako regained her usual energy and perked back up. “W-W-What happened?”

“Ah, we must be going now, Miss Abe. Thank you for having us,” politely thanked Anna.

Harumi said farewell to his mother and he and Anna went on their way back home. “Was that what you meant by suggestions?” he asked Anna.

“I can teach you someday,” she offered him.

“But it only works on weak-minded individuals, right?” remembered Harumi. “Does that mean that my mother’s mind is weaker than a normal person’s?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that reveal.

“I may’ve said weak-minded, but it works on people with generally low mental fortitude,” clarified Anna. “This includes the average human and people whose minds are afflicted with negative emotions and mental stress. Those with psychological conditions would also fit under this umbrella. Of course, you can also apply this on those whose mental fortitude are lower than your own, which would also include low-level vampires.”

“Then what would you consider a person with a strong mind?” asked Harumi.

“Those whose minds have been trained,” simply answered Anna. “Monks, priests, martial artists, exorcists, detectives, these are just a few examples. However, that does not mean that all monks and priests and detectives are immune to our power. One’s profession does not automatically determine one’s mental fortitude.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” agreed Harumi.

“Also, the Royals,” said Anna. “We are immune to the powers of those lower than us. We can only use these powers against our own. So, if you’re planning to use your powers on me to get me to commit some kind of act for your satisfaction, I’m sorry to say that it will be all in vain.”

“W-W-What are you talking about? I would never do that!” objected Harumi with a flushed face.

“Well, I actually lied. I wouldn’t mind playing along with your desires,” Anna told him with a mischievous smile.

“Anna!” complained Harumi.

They made it back to the manor. Everyone was present for dinner. There was lightly seared steak with blanched vegetables, fresh sashimi over a salad of shredded radish and carrots, French onion soup with portobello mushrooms and toasted croutons, ginger-spiced pork stir-fry with eggplants and tomatoes, stir-fried liver with leeks and tofu, and creamy fettucine Alfredo with ham and parmesan cheese. For drinks, everyone was given a glass of a red liquid that Harumi was unfamiliar with. He initially assumed that it was wine. He took a sip and the thick, viscous liquid that entered his lips and tickled his tongue tasted very familiar to him—it was blood!

“How do you like it?” Anna asked him.

“Delicious,” Harumi answered instinctively without any hesitation at all.

“That’s good,” said Anna with a satisfied smile. “Now, Takehito, what is the status of our plan with the Stragglers?”

“Actually, Lady Anna, there is something that we need to tell you,” replied Takehito grimly. “When we arrived back home, we received this letter.”

Ben brought out the letter and handed it over to Anna. She grabbed the piece of paper and opened it to read the content inside. “The Lutz Familia wants to declare a war on us,” she said with a sigh.

“War?!” exclaimed Harumi, standing up from his seat.

“You’re being a distraction, you useless footstool of a vampire,” snapped Sofia, making Harumi sit quietly back down.

“The Lutz Familia actually wants to come negotiate with us since we took out a bunch of Stragglers that were originally members of their familia,” explained Takehito.

“Although, we know pretty well what it is they’re really after,” said Thomas with an uneasy chuckle.

“What are we going to do then?” Harumi asked the table.

“We wipe them out,” simply answered Sofia.

“That’s not a plan, Sister Sofia!” argued back Thomas in a whiny voice.

“The Lutz Familia belongs to the Draugr Familia, don’t they,” pointed out Rie coldly. Hearing the name of that particular familia made Anna scowl.

“Is there any way to avoid this war?” asked Harumi.

“Are you a coward?” asked Sofia, though it was clear that she meant that rhetorically.

“Well, it’s just, isn’t it better for us to avoid this war altogether?” reasoned Harumi.

“It’s unavoidable,” stated Takehito with a small smile. “Their Stragglers have been terrorizing our territory and we took them all out. If we hadn’t done that, many civilian lives would be lost.”

Harumi grimaced though he knew that Takehito was right with everything he was saying. ‘This is the world you’re a part of now. Remember that,’ Harumi reminded himself. He took a deep breath and calmed himself back down.

“If we decide to go with Lady Sofia’s plan, we would be greatly outnumbered,” said Takehito, returning back to the subject at hand.

“Then how about a duel?” suggested Thomas.

“Ah, a duel might actually work! Good thinking, Sir Thomas!” agreed Takehito.

“Tch, I still say we should just blow them all away right where they stand,” said a disgruntled Sofia.

“It would be better to lessen damages to both sides,” said Rie, agreeing with Thomas’ plan. “I don’t want to have to worry about our entire familia getting hurt,” she added with a relieved smile. The smile warmed Harumi and he was amazed at how it made her look even more beautiful like a flower blooming for the first time under the bright and warm sun.

“Then it’s decided,” said Anna.

Everyone finished their dinner and promptly left for their rooms. Although it was nighttime, all activities were put on hold to prepare for tomorrow’s duel. As such, although he was now a vampire, Harumi went to sleep. Tomorrow’s duel…what would it be like?