And So, My Life as A Vampire Begins

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"Yes, I have enough clothes to last me a week. How did I get them? I haven't got them, but I'll buy them soon. Don't worry; I bring enough money with me to afford them. Yes, I will be careful. No, I am not going to the Aokigahara forest—just how low is your confidence in your son?"

As I talked with Mom on the phone, I glanced in Chuuni-chan's direction. I was trying to make sure that she would help me buy some clothes for me and she understood my gesture. She also gave me a reassuring nod which relieved me. I didn't want to waste my money on clothes. I was a pragmatic and economical man, so I preferred wearing the same clothes for a week. Of course, I would wash them when they were dirty.

Now that I think about it, it was quite stupid of me to think about that. I would be left naked while my clothes were being washed and it would hamper my activity greatly. Then again, even if I didn't have to do much, being naked in someone's house for quite a long time didn't sound so appealing. Especially, given the fact that I had just an awkward incident with that someone.

"I'll be fine, I promise. Please, tell Komachi that I will buy her a bucket of vanilla ice cream when I return. I know she is mad at me, but I know she won't refuse that ice cream. All right, have a good rest. I'll see you in a few days."

From the way Mom sighed, I got the impression that she didn't fully believe me. Heck, I wouldn't believe it either if my son who had disappeared since the afternoon suddenly called me in the middle of the night to tell me that he was going camping.

"Look, I am going to send you some pictures if that is going to assure you."

"Great! I want to see Hacchan's friend."

Mom suddenly got bright. Wait a minute. Was she worried about the legitimacy of my friend instead of the camping? Just how low is your confidence in me, Mom!? To be fair, I also thought it was suspicious, so I couldn't blame Mom. Hikigaya Hachiman didn't throw around the term friend easily. He wouldn't call a stranger he just met a friend.

Too deep in my thoughts about the criteria of the people I could call friends, I registered the fact that Mom had ended the call late. Putting my phone into my pocket, I looked at Chuuni-chan inquisitively. She had told me that she was going to teach me Vampire things, so I was quite intrigued about what we were going to do.

"We are going to get you used to your physical strength first. You are as strong as a Vampire toddler right now, but you are going to get stronger over time. Now is the right time to get you used to your strength. You don't want to accidentally slap a human to death, do you?"

"Why would I slap someone in the very first place?"

"Trust me; it'll be useful in bed."

"What…?"

Chuuni-chan merely shrugged and turned to the door before motioning me to follow her. I followed her outside her bedroom and idly noticed how big her apartment was. The living room alone was bigger than the first floor of my house. Chuuni-chan must be rich. I was not surprised though. Vampires lived for a long time. You had to be very incompetent to end up poor even after a hundred years of living.

"By the way, Chuuni-chan, how old are you?"

"I have told you that my name is Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade."

"Right. So, how old are you, Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade?"

"That's more like it." Kiss-Shot smiled in satisfaction. "As for the answer, I won't tell you. Didn't your mother teach you to never ask a lady her age?"

"Do you happen to know a woman named Hiratsuka Shizuka?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Who is that?"

"Nah, forget it."

Kiss-Shot looked at me weirdly as we got out of her apartment but didn't comment. She locked her door and then we silently walked through the hallway to the lift. We waited for a couple of seconds for the lift's door to open and we soon arrived at the rooftop. As curiosity got over me, I looked down the rail and found out that I was not familiar with the area.

Kiss-Shot looked at me questioningly before asking, "Are you curious about where we are?" I nodded. "Well, we are in the center of Edogawa."

We were not that far from my house. The knowledge that I was still in Chiba relieved me slightly. I was not homesick—well, maybe a little—but just loved Chiba too much. Nodding my head in acknowledgment, I waited until Kiss-Shot stood before me. She then told me to turn around and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Let's jump."

"Hell, no!" I refused vehemently. "I would have gone to Aokigahara if I wanted to attempt suicide."

"What are you talking about?" Kiss-Shot looked at me weirdly. "We are only going to jump to the next building. Why would I want you to die anyway?"

Oh, we are going parkour. "Kuhum! Well, I was just worried because I am not athletic. I know what we are going to do."

If Kiss-Shot knew I was bullshitting, she didn't show it. "Well, I got your back, so don't worry. Just jump as far as you can and I'll catch you if you fall."

Right after saying that, Kiss-Shot walked to the left before eventually picking up her pace and jumping over the rail. Much to my fascination, she landed on the next building easily. She motioned me to follow suit and it wakened me up from my daze. Jumping a couple of times in my place, I took a deep breath. Then, I dashed in the building's direction with everything I got. When I was close to the rail, I kicked the ground, causing me to fly into the air.

As the night wind crashed into my face, I couldn't stop smiling in excitement. The adrenaline rush made my heart beat faster, making me feel more alive. I felt weightless when I hit the peak height of my leap. It lasted less than a second but I felt free and serene. When gravity took over, though, I became slightly panicked. I quickly looked down and found out that the building I was supposed to jump onto was several meters below me.

I was glad that I was not off the mark, but that fact didn't assure me at all. I was quite high up in the air after all. Betting on the sturdiness of my body, I braced for the impact which was essentially a preparation for a superhero landing. Realizing it was quite stupid, I was about to change into a more practical position when the ground was a few centimeters below.

Thud!

My body hit the ground heavily, still assuming the superhero landing pose. I felt quite sore, but it wasn't painful at all. Glad with the result, I let a smug grin adorn my face as I stood up. My grin immediately disappeared when I met Kiss-Shot's amused look, though. Then, to prevent her from teasing me, I glared at her accusingly.

"I thought you said I was as strong as a toddler."

"A Vampire toddler," Kiss-Shot corrected. "Also, I thought I had made myself clear when I mentioned strong."

"How am I supposed to know that Vampire toddlers are this strong?"

"Well…to be fair, you are as weak as a prepubescent Vampire. So, yeah, I miscalculated," Kiss-Shot said sheepishly.

She called a Vampire toddler strong and a prepubescent Vampire weak? I wonder which one is faulty—the power scale or her brain. I ended my train of thought when Kiss-Shot glared at me menacingly. She seemed to sense that I was trash-talking her in my mind. Being the wise man I was, of course, I didn't say anything that would only confirm her suspicion.

Huffing in mild irritation, Kiss-Shot turned in the direction of another building. She motioned at me to follow her lead with her chin before dashing off. I followed after while carefully measuring the amount of strength I should utilize. We jumped onto taller and shorter buildings. Getting used to the act took quite some time but I managed eventually.

When she noticed that I had gotten comfortable, she picked up her pace. With the increase in speed, I found myself trying to adjust once again. Fortunately, it didn't take me long to do it. I even went as bold as catching up to her and hopping around beside her. She shot me a challenging look and I couldn't help but smile in return.

Before long, we landed in a quiet alley. I almost crashed into the wall, but the landing was okay as far as I was concerned. Kiss-Shot was looking out of the alley, precisely, at the group of people leaning against the wall at the end of the alley. The atmosphere suddenly turned heavy and I found myself gulping drily.

"Now, it's time to feast."

Hoping my heart to sink to the bottom of my stomach, I was appalled when it beat faster.