Yukinoshita Haruno Boldly Strikes Back

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"N-No! Don't do this—Aaah!"

I flinched at Kawagoe-san's helpless scream. I was curious about what Hachiman did to him but didn't want to open a whole new can of worms, so I left it as that. Not long after, Hachiman walked to me. He looked as unruffled as when he came to the gala. No one would think he had just beaten up a guy a moment ago. He looked at me silently and then ran his hand through his hair. His hand found its way over his mouth a moment later.

He seemed to debate what he should do to me. I didn't blame him. I would also do the same if I was in his position. Thankfully, he was a good person, so he didn't immediately kill me. I wondered if I would be able to kill him if our position was reversed. My answer would depend on Yukino-chan's reaction. If I surmised that she would get sad because of his death, I wouldn't kill him. With that said, what Hikigaya Hachiman would do?

"How much have you seen?"

"I know that you can swallow a sword."

"I see…." Hachiman sighed. "Do you know what I am?"

"Mutant…?" I asked unsurely.

"Vampire."

"Oh… so, you suck blood?"

"Indeed. A virgin's blood tastes the best…" My face reddened and he noticed it. "I was about to assure you that you won't taste good. Didn't know you were a virgin. Ah, there goes my joke."

Despite all his changes, his dark sense of humor hadn't changed. Thanks to that, my nervousness was toned down slightly.

"Haruno, can you look into my eyes?" I nodded silently. "Listen to me carefully." His eyes shone captivatingly. "Show me your boobs."

"Eh!?"

"Tsk! It doesn't work."

"Why did you think it would!?"

My outburst caused him to smirk. I eased up slightly but then his somber look made me tense again. With a sigh, he explained that he could erase people's memories. He wanted to erase my memory of our encounter but couldn't because of what Kawagoe-san (that bastard) did. He casually revealed that Kawagoe-san's blood was mixed into our food, rendering his ability useless. I blanched and gagged lightly at the thought.

He honestly told me he wanted to keep everything under wraps. The Vampire's existence had been forgotten by people and there was no need to make them remember it again. Vampires didn't have a good history with humans. If a war broke out between the two, the world would be thrown into chaos regardless of the result. In short, he wanted me to keep quiet.

"I have two choices for you: be a Vampire or die."

"Eh, I don't want to die but I don't want to be a Vampire either."

"I knew you were going to say that—"

"Be my boyfriend and I will bring this secret to my grave."

"What…?"

His smile faltered as he looked at me like I had grown another head. I wouldn't dare to disclose anything about what happened tonight even if he let me be. There were a lot of things to consider and it was more beneficial for the world to keep everything under wraps. However, he gave me a choice, so I wouldn't mind negotiating.

"The idea is to make you join our world which will force you to keep your mouth shut. Why are you blackmailing me now?"

"That's a negotiation, Hachiman."

"What if I refuse?"

"Well, you can forcefully turn me into a Vampire hunter or whatever." I shrugged, fully meaning my words. "Even if I told anyone about your being a Vampire, they would think I am crazy. After what happened, I am just left traumatized."

Hachiman contemplated my words for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I can't be your boyfriend, Haruno. I already have Shinobu and I am not a scum who will cheat on his partner."

"Geez. You are taking it too seriously." I laughed but felt slightly hurt inside. "Don't worry. Onee-san will keep your secret safe with her."

"Appreciate that."

He offered his hand, prompting me to take it. Pulling me toward him, he helped me get up to my feet. I entwined my arm with his and walked downstairs with him. We acted like nothing happened. I was trying my best to put on my façade but failing miserably. What I had seen affected me more than I was willing to admit. My mind kept showing me the bloodied figure of Kawagoe-san and his despair-filled scream. Now that I thought about it carefully, I should be afraid of him.

It was at this moment that I was enveloped in a hug. My body tensed before realizing it was him. I leaned into his body, buried my face deep in his chest, and held him tightly as if he was my last lifeline. Even if his body was cold, Hachiman felt warm. I felt safe in his embrace. I realized why I wasn't afraid of him.

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[Hikigaya Hachiman's POV]

"Was that why she was quieter around you?"

"Probably. I mean, I would also be afraid of myself if I were her."

"Hachiman…"

On our way home, Shinobu massaged her forehead while sighing tiredly from time to time. She didn't blame me on Haruno walking in on me dealing with Aseru but the way I dealt with her. She said that I should have forced her to become a Vampire hunter. There were also hunters with a few screws loose in their heads who would come at civilians who had encountered or knew a Vampire. These people might come after Haruno one day.

She informed me that Vampire hunters were mostly oblivious about who was a Vampire and who was not. They would only investigate when something odd occurred and that was when they would know if the suspected person was a Vampire. Those lunatic hunters went out of their way to find Vampires and kill them even though they didn't do anything wrong. They were willing to torture civilians who were suspected of knowing a Vampire to get something out of them.

The true reason why Shinobu made Saki a Vampire hunter was that these lunatics didn't dare to touch another hunter. A Vampire hunter was allowed to hide the identity of a Vampire and forcing them to spill it out would be punishable by the association. These lunatics were afraid of the association, so they would never touch their fellow hunters. In a way, making Saki a Vampire hunter was a way to protect her from the crazies of the two sides.

"Haruno will be fine. She will figure out the way out when she finds herself in that situation."

"You are too confident in her."

"I think the association should better control its hunters. They kill Vampires to protect civilians, God damn it."

"The association allows its hunters to kill humans who consciously hide the identity of a notorious Vampire and when the death of a Vampire is more beneficial to the world. They call it looking at a bigger picture—a necessary sacrifice."

"Not so sane, aren't they?"

"They are pragmatic."

I scoffed, ending the conversation. Shinobu's words made me worry about my decision. It made me imagine what if one of the lunatics killed Haruno after extracting information from her. I didn't want to imagine attending her funeral and Yukino's sad look. Those two might not look close to each other but adored each other greatly.

I immediately decided to do something about it. When we arrived at Shinobu's apartment, I had already come up with the solution. Entering her flat, we immediately headed to the balcony. Still in our party dress; we watched Aseru's fear-stricken look as I pulled him out of my subspace. He kept mumbling about the lord, making me wonder if he was Christian. He flinched when he noticed my gaze and then profusely apologized for the things he had done.

"I am very sorry. I was barking at the wrong tree. These eyes were too blind to see Mount Tai. Please, don't kill me and make me your slave forever!"

"Well, I guess that is why you shouldn't put a living creature inside your subspace," Shinobu remarked. "He has completely lost it. But aren't you lucky to have such a loyal thrall?"

"Every thrall is loyal. I need a competent one," I retorted.

"I am competent, Milord! I will do everything you command me to do and execute it successfully without fail. Please, give me a chance to serve you!"

How Aseru turned out made me wonder what he had seen in the subspace. He was extremely desperate and I was having fun because of it. He cried when I told him I should just kill him, smiled when I told him he might be useful, and looked at me hopefully when I was contemplating. Shinobu had an amused smile the entire time she was watching me.

In the end, after some careful deliberation, I decided to let Aseru serve me. He cried tears of joy and then kissed my shoes reverently. I would have kicked the guy if he didn't look so pitiful.

"Here is your first task, Aseru. I want you to watch over Yukinoshita Haruno. Don't hesitate to eliminate anything that threatens her life."

"Yes, Milord!"

"If someone hits on her, don't do anything that may harm that person. Just let her handle it by herself and only step in once she can no longer help herself."

"Yes, Milord!"

"Good. You may scram."

"As you wish, Milord!"

I had never thought that I would say this, but I preferred the psychopathic Aseru. Again, I doubted the decision that I made tonight.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Funéral

Venerable Immortal Keksimus Rex