Kyuuketsuki 02

During this year's spring break, I had low expectations for myself and my activity. I would spend most of the time at home, or at the bookstore. I would contain myself to my room, the restroom, and the kitchen. My routine was shaping up to be the typical hikikomori lifestyle. I'll be honest and say that the thought of being a social recluse slightly disgusted me, but what choice did I have considering my friend count at the time was a whopping zero. It's not like making friends was an option either- all the people with friends would be preoccupied hanging with said friends, leaving no time to make more friends with friendless people like me. It wasn't happening. I'd be just fine by myself in my room with a sufficient amount of light novels and manga, no need for social interaction.

bzzt bzzt. I swiftly picked up the phone when it rang. The person on the line- Shuzen Yuriko. That lady is not much older than me, but she was still picked by my parents to be my caretaker from am early age. When I was eight, she was watching over me at age thirteen. She was overseeing me even before then. Despite having minimal interaction with her other than the normal duties a caretaker or (I say this shamefully) a babysitter she performed, I still see her as just someone who's what been around more than a big sister figure or a guardian or something like that. Despite this, my friend count is still zero, as she seems to think we have some sort of special relationship where we're more than friends, but not lovers.   If I had to define it, I'd say it's more like we're more than acquaintances, but less than friends. Don't stress if you can't follow her logic, because our confusing, undefined relationship is her fault, and definitely not mine. Now that I'm the ripe age of seventeen, Yuriko just swings around the house every so often to check on things, otherwise I'm on my own. But she does call every once in a while. And that's where we're at.

"Yo, how're things around the house?" She asked with low sound quality.

"They're the same as usual. I clean when I need to clean, and I cook when I need to cook. I take good care of the place. Nothing's broken down, I just waxed the floors the other day, I recently vacuumed the whole place, and the house is in peak condition if I do say so myself. I also caught up on all my studies before spring break started."

"Look at you being proactive. Good for you. You used to be really lazy, so I'm glad you're finally coming around. It took a bit too long before I stopped having to do everything for you."

"Shut up. You say that like you didn't volunteer for it. Remember that you're the one who came up to my parents at the park and told them that you wanted to take care of me. To be fair though, I didn't expect them to accept such an offer from a young girl."

"Putting aside whether or not I chose this position-"

"You did. It was all your idea. I had no part in it."

"It all worked out in the end. Anyway, aren't you glad you had me with you?"

"I guess in the long run, yes, I'm glad you were there. But using a short term perspective, no. Absolutely not. There are many unfortunate things that took place that wouldn't have happened had you been absent from the scenario."

"Okay, but were those really my fault? Especially the time with the paper towels-"

"Be quiet. We don't talk about that. Is there any real reason why you called?"

"I did tell your parents I'd check in on you every month or two. So I'm doing this for them. While I enjoy talking with you too, I guess there really is no reason for me to be calling. I'm just fulfilling my obligation. Though, now that I think about it, there's something I heard that I  can tell you about, and we'll use that as my reason for calling you."

Reluctant to hear what this carefree onee-san had to say, I asked.

"So, what is it?"

"Have you heard the rumor of the vampire?"

Stories.

Tales.

Street gossip.

Rumors.

And now, one involving a vampire.

Creatures of the night that harvest the blood of humans for sustenance. Possessing extreme speed, strength, and reflexes. Weak against holy water, crosses, and garlic. They don't appear in mirrors, they burn in the sun, and they can't enter a house unless they're invited.

That's how it goes, anyway.

"Seriously? A vampire?"

"Yeah. It's really popular in this town, I'm surprised you hadn't heard it." She said, neglecting that I have zero friends and have minimal human contact.

"People see her when they're out at night. They say she lures you close to her then sucks your blood."

As do all the vampires in every vampire story, movie, and piece of media ever. You can do the math on her age, but this is a woman old enough to know better than spread rumors about vampires. But rumors are created to be told, lie or not, so maybe she was just participating in natural order.

"Hm. So, have you seen this vampire?"

"No, I don't leave the house after seven o'clock."

She was telling me that a young woman of her age wasn't going out late at night to drink, party, or anything like that. I didn't believe it. Yuriko definitely got up to some debauchery after hours. I thought this until I later found out that she really didn't leave the house after seven. She was more upstanding than I thought. Not that I thought she was an adult delinquent or anything.

"Ah, okay. You haven't seen the vampire because you don't go out in the evenings. So, have your sources told you what the vampire looks like?"

"Yeah, and with a shocking amount of detail. Here's what I heard."

The vampire is a tall woman with long, silky, flowing, silver-white hair and gold eyes. She's beautiful, with the most pretty face and figure anyone who encountered her ever saw. She wears an ornate black dress, with subtle, opaque grey stripes along the stitches. There are somewhat small, black roses attached to the more prominent parts of the dress. She wears black gloves, and speaks elegantly with the sweetest and most serene voice ever heard. She uses her natural charm to lure in her victims, then takes their blood. Around her neck, is a rosary with a cross attached.

"That's a lot of detail for a rumor."

Also, a vampire wearing a cross. That's an immediate contradiction from how vampires are normally described.

"Well, if you see her, you can confirm it from a distance."

"Rest assured, I won't, I plan to stay indoors for most of my break. I know you care about my safety, so don't worry, I won't run into any vampires."

Is what I said. Unknowingly, I lied.