Ebina Hina, Too, is Rotten

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Kiss-Shot's solution to my predicament was simple: bring the girl with me. She confirmed my deduction that the kid, who called herself Gretel, had never killed a single human, so killing her would be unfair. She was as reluctant as I was to take in the girl, but we had no choice. The girl was a liability. We couldn't risk her going around killing people just to attract someone to kill her.

"Do you want to be my thrall?" I asked, causing the girl to blink her eyes in confusion.

"What is that?"

"Your father didn't tell you much about your heritage, did he?"

The girl shook her head faintly. "My mother was a human. He told me I am not a true Vampire. I don't even have the desire to drink blood." She hummed in contemplation. "Though, I might like it if I try."

As a solemn thought crossed my mind, I asked, "Did your father kill your mom?"

"No. She died giving birth to me." Looking at me curiously, she said, "So, what is a thrall? Is it 'daughter' in the Vampire language?"

"Let's settle with that," I affirmed awkwardly.

"Then, make me your daughter!"

I am still young, you know. I still want to explore the world and find myself. I would have said that out loud if it wasn't for the bright look in the girl's eyes. It left a bad taste in my mouth seeing how much she wanted to give meaning to her existence. I wondered how that shrimp had taken care of his daughter but quickly concluded that I wouldn't like the answer.

Shaking my head, I warned the girl about an ant's bite that she would have to endure. She said that she had endured worse, causing me to grimace; though, I hid it well. Stabbing her neck with my nail, I injected some of my blood into her veins. She widened her eyes, but I couldn't tell whether it was because she felt pain or the funny sensation that she felt coursing through her body.

When I retracted my finger, I felt a familiar bond with Gretel. I knew very little of her but felt like I already knew her all my life. Gretel also seemed to feel the same as she immediately hugged me and called me Father. Okay, that was weird. I am still young, you know! Patting her back, I told her to call me by my name. She complied, calling me Father in her confirmation.

"All right. I have been away for some time, so go hide in my shadow."

Thralls could hide in their Master's shadow. I was one of the weird thralls that couldn't do it. Weirdly enough, Kiss-Shot could hide in my shadow. The insinuation of the phenomenon caused her to whine about how weird I was. I found her whine cute, at first, but quickly felt bad when she seemed genuinely frustrated. However, she denied she was frustrated.

"Okay, Father."

"I have told you to… never mind."

Shaking my head in defeat, I watched as Gretel jumped into my shadow. Vampires learn most things instinctively. Gretel might not be well-versed in Vampire Arts, but she was a Vampire, no matter how impure she was. As such, she could do what full-blooded Vampires could do without a problem.

Heading out of the forest, I went back to my car. Yukino and Shizuka-chan immediately stepped out of the car upon seeing me. They stopped themselves from rushing at me when I motioned for them to remain on their spot. When I was right in front of them, I told them I was fine. They didn't seem to believe me as they eyed me up and down.

"What the heck did that?" Shizuka-chan asked, pointing to my broken windshield.

Clicking my tongue as my irritation returned, I answered with a grimace, "Well, a monkey did that. Fortunately, it got away, so it escaped from Hell."

"I normally don't condone violence, but I can't fault you for getting violent. It could have gone worse, after all," Yukino remarked solemnly. "Still, it doesn't mean that I will praise you for almost doing what you were thinking."

"Relax. I am not that petty." I waved my hand nonchalantly.

"Anyway, Hikigaya…" Shizuka-chan trailed off, causing me to look at her.

Smack!

"Don't run after a possible danger, idiot!"

You don't have to hit me, you know. I wisely kept my thoughts to myself and muttered an apology. When everyone had calmed down, we entered the car. I grimaced once again upon looking at the windshield. Reminding myself that it was replaceable, I stepped on the pedal. I was slightly thankful that none of them questioned how there could be a monkey in the forest. The forest, after all, was in the middle of the city, so there was nothing there other than trees.

A few hundred meters from the hotel, I noticed a car repair shop. I wasn't sure if it sold the windshield of my Koenigsegg Gemera, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Stopping before the shop, I got out of the car and went inside. A middle-aged man, who was likely to be the owner, walked up to me. With a cigarette in his hand and his gait, he might pass as a Yakuza.

"Whatcha' lookin' for, punk?"

Oy, is this guy, not a Yakuza? Concealing my thought, I asked, "I am looking for a replacement for my windshield. It's a 2022 Koenigsegg Gemera. Do you think you have it?"

The man deeply inhaled the smoke of his cancer stick and then puffed the smoke out. He was considerate enough to not send the smoke my way, but it still made him look like a Yakuza.

"It's a European car, so it would take a while to get your windshield fixed since I will have to wait for the item to be delivered from the factory first," he explained, causing me to sigh lightly. "When do you need the car?"

"Tomorrow by noon."

The man hummed. "I can fix it by that time, but the price will be quite hefty."

"You said that you needed to wait for the item to be delivered from its factory," I reminded.

Taking another puff, he said, "I got my ways, kid. Just trust me."

I knew this guy was a Yakuza. "How much do you need?"

"600,000 Yen."

The price caused me to grimace, but it was not something I couldn't afford. I should have over 10 million yen in my bank account, so it would only give a slight dent to my balance. Still, it was expensive. Most cars would only need 40 to 70 thousand yen to replace. Although to be fair, they were not sports cars.

"Do you accept payment by card?"

"Follow me."

Following the man, I went to the counter. Gesturing at the card reader on the counter, he told me to swipe my card myself. I made the payment, took the receipt, and showed it to the man. He nodded at me and then held out his hand.

"Pleasure to work with you."

"Why do I feel like we just did a shady deal?" I said while grasping his hand.

"We did, brat," he said with a smirk.

When he let go of my hand, he told me to leave my car there. I walked out of the shop, followed by him. I told Shizuka-chan and Yukino that the car would remain there before telling them I would grab us a taxi. They refused to ride a taxi to the hotel, saying that the hotel was already nearby. Agreeing with them, I bade the eccentric owner farewell and walked to the hotel with the girls. I noticed the smirk on the owner's face, but I ignored it.

Halfway to the hotel, Shizuka-chan told us to go back by ourselves since she needed to buy something. I firmly told her no since I didn't want her to get caught up in something dangerous, and she meekly complied. I was quite surprised but came to terms with it quickly. A lot had happened tonight; Shizuka-chan's meekness was not weird compared to them.

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, Shizuka-chan bade us goodbye. She shyly told me goodnight and then scrambled to her room. If Yukino noticed Shizuka-chan was being weird, she didn't mention it. I wanted to meet Kiss-Shot before sleeping, so I walked alongside Yukino to the floor where the girls stayed. She kept eyeing me from time to time as if she had something to ask.

"Shoot it, Yukino. You don't have to look at me like that," I said with a quirked eyebrow as I turned to her.

Blushing in embarrassment, she coughed to regain her bearing. "W- Well, I am just curious how you are fine after catching the rock thrown at us at that velocity. You even crushed the rock with your hand," Yukino said, frowning by the end of her sentence.

"The windshield lessened the impact and I was just lucky. But to simplify it, I am strong," I lied slickly.

"But…that doesn't make sense."

Stopping abruptly, I slammed my hand to the wall, trapping Yukino between me and the wall. Yukino's eyes widened in shock. I felt slightly bad for her, but it needed to be done. I didn't want to have another one of my acquaintances knowing my identity. At least, not yet.

"Do you think I am weak?"

"N- No."

"Do you need me to prove how strong I am?"

"N- No."

"Do you think I am strong?"

Yukino gazed at my forearm before squeaking out, "Yes…"

"Good girl," I praised, running my finger down her cheek.

Taking my hand off the wall, I watched as Yukino put her hand over her chest and sighed. She hid her face from me, but I knew she was blushing heavily. I didn't blame her this time. I would be embarrassed too if my friend suddenly ­kabe-don'd me. Also, I think I need to apologize for caressing her like that. I swear I am not a pervert!

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzr

Venerable Immortal JayJonnaJamison

Venerable Immortal Kkmoney

Venerable Immortal Solaz