EX- 2

It seems almost inevitable that the human world, after rapidly developing from steampunk into cyberpunk, would continue on this trajectory. Molly found it strange how quickly humans advanced. In just two thousand years, they had created a cyberpunk world, while vampires had spent nearly ten thousand years stuck in the medieval era, which explained their eventual downfall.

The milk tea that Molly and her maids had concocted two thousand years ago was still a hit, remaining a staple in people's daily lives even in this advanced age.

It's worth noting that vampires had become so rare that they were practically an endangered species. Molly had once secretly peeked at one of Adele's books, which suggested that, after a few thousand years, vampires might go extinct due to their extremely low fertility. Now, that prediction no longer seemed far-fetched.

Molly genuinely loved drinking milk tea, especially now that the flavors had diversified over the centuries, becoming as varied as the ones she had known before her time-traveling days. But due to the existence of other races, strange flavors like "Blood Explosion" and "Human Pinky Toe" had emerged.

Molly found these flavors intolerable and preferred her favorite—Jasmine Green Tea with a Milk Cap.

Unlike Molly, Adele wasn't too fond of this era, particularly because Molly's blood had become overwhelmingly sweet. With the vampire population dwindling, the availability of artificial blood had also decreased, forcing Adele to rely on Gordon, who delivered it to her at regular intervals. Thankfully, in two thousand years, Gordon had become a successful businesswoman; otherwise, Adele would have struggled to find a supply of artificial blood.

In the meantime, she had to make do with drinking a few sips of Molly's blood to survive.

Molly's blood was delicious, but it had become so sweet due to her milk tea consumption that Adele feared she might get cavities. She wanted to complain but had no one to talk to. Adele was a creature of the night, never stepping out during the day.

The good news was that there were now plenty of humans who also lived nocturnal lives.

However, Adele didn't want to chat with the types who reeked of smoke and alcohol. While Molly was out buying milk tea, Adele packed a small bag and bought a train ticket, sneaking off to visit Gordon in her city. The city was full of neon signs, which were overwhelming to someone who was two thousand years old.

Everything had changed so much that Adele no longer recognized the places she once knew. Fortunately, Gordon's scent was still distinct, and as a two-thousand-year-old vampire, Adele had become incredibly powerful. Finding Gordon was a simple task.

Gordon, now a super-rich businesswoman, spent her days managing a bar. When Adele arrived, Gordon was at the bar, watching the bartender mix drinks while puffing on a cigarette. She looked around for Molly, but when she saw that Adele was alone, she stubbed out her cigarette and asked, "Did you and Molly have a fight?"

Adele shook her head. "No, I left home on my own."

Gordon was about to ask why but noticed that Adele's expression practically begged her to ask, so she held back. She offered Adele a cigarette. "Want one?"

Adele politely declined, and Gordon shrugged. "That's too bad. These are special—they're laced with blood."

"You know I only drink Molly's blood," Adele replied.

The bar was noisy, filled with people and loud music, making Adele's ears hurt. But Gordon was used to it. With her lifespan being so long, she needed something to keep her occupied, especially now that most of her kin had died, leaving her with little company.

Gordon was curious. "What exactly is Molly? She's lived way too long to be just human."

"She's human."

"Then the gods must have blessed her," Gordon said, using a phrase that was trendy at the time. She waved to the bartender, who then brought Adele a cup of red tea with a cube of artificial blood.

Adele downed the tea in one gulp and then, much to Gordon's shock, began to whine. Gordon was baffled; she had given Adele tea, not alcohol. Yet here Adele was, slumped over the bar, complaining loudly, "Molly's so mean, drinking all that sweetened milk tea. She's going to get high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure!"

No, with her physical condition, she probably wouldn't suffer from any of those.

"Ugh… Her blood is so sweet now, it's not as good as it used to be…" Adele continued.

Gordon suddenly realized that Adele had come all this way just to complain about Molly.

In the present day, with vampires nearly extinct, Gordon could no longer freely drink blood. She had returned to the ancient vampire tradition of using her beauty to attract men and women alike, who willingly offered her their blood.

However, the people who frequented bars like hers were generally unhealthy, with poor habits, and their blood was far from pleasant. Molly, on the other hand, was just drinking milk tea, so her blood had to be tasty. Gordon asked, "So, does her blood taste bad now?"

Adele blushed.

Gordon wanted to roll her eyes at this but refrained, listening as Adele grumbled, "Of course not, Molly's blood is still the best."

—Hah, typical woman.

Gordon resisted the urge to scoff. Adele's whining was merely an attempt to get Molly to stop drinking milk tea, especially her beloved Jasmine Green Tea with Milk Cap. She was starting to suspect that Molly loved the milk tea more than her. Gordon, growing tired of Adele's whining, signaled the bartender. A moment later, he returned with a box, which Gordon handed to Adele. "Here, take this and go."

Adele pretended to be drunk, "No! I won't go! She doesn't love me anymore! She only loves Jasmine Green Tea with Milk Cap!"

Gordon was genuinely irritated but spotted Molly in the crowd and signaled for her to come over quickly.

Molly, dressed in her maid outfit, stood out in the bar, where people assumed she was cosplaying. In a bar, that wasn't all that strange. Molly walked over, lifted Adele, who was dressed in a Lolita-style outfit, and cradled her in her arms. Adele, still pretending to be drunk, buried her face in Molly's chest, acting as if she was oblivious.

Molly didn't say a word, just picked up the box and carried Adele out of the bar. Outside, the neon lights continued to flash. Adele peeked out from Molly's embrace and cautiously asked, "Did you hear everything?"

"Yeah," Molly replied. Adele wasn't satisfied, her stubbornness resurfacing as she kicked her legs in Molly's arms. "So what if you heard? I wasn't wrong! It's all your fault! Your blood is so sweet now that it'll rot my teeth!"

Molly held Adele securely, steady enough that no amount of squirming could make her fall. With no one around, she leaped onto the rooftops and began leaping from building to building. Molly was much faster now than she had been two thousand years ago, and since Adele had grown stronger as well, she could handle the speed. Although Molly wasn't quite at supersonic speed, she was still faster than the trains.

As Adele fussed, she cast a protective spell over Molly, ensuring that surveillance cameras wouldn't catch them. Over the past two thousand years, cameras had become ubiquitous, and human-made AI now monitored entire cities through them.

Molly had previously complained to Adele that humans were headed towards a robotic uprising.

Adele didn't fully understand what a robotic uprising was, so Molly had to explain it to her. Adele thought it sounded cool but noted that many people and other species would likely suffer.

Before dawn, Molly carried Adele back home. Once there, she tossed Adele onto the bed, and before Adele could react, Molly was on top of her.

She kissed Adele, who instinctively extended her fangs. With Molly's consent, she bit into Molly's tongue and began to drink her blood. After a while, Adele became woozy, just like she did every time she drank Molly's blood.

—This woman always claimed that Molly's blood wasn't as good as it used to be, but she still got drunk on it.

Only Molly had seen Adele in this state, so she knew that Adele had been faking it at the bar. Molly gently pinched Adele's chin, and the usually haughty woman looked up at her with teary eyes.

"You won't get cavities, and my blood isn't hard to drink."

At this point, Adele would agree with anything Molly said. She nodded like a bobblehead, remembering how she had once seen Miss White sipping from a bag of blood she had bought on the black market… Hmph, Adele would never become like that!

What started with kisses quickly turned into playful antics. Even after two thousand years, with their bodies as familiar as the back of their hands—Adele could even count every strand of Molly's hair—they still hadn't lost their passion for each other. Adele's little escapade was like a playful joke after two millennia; they remained each other's most important and only love.

Adele knew that at two thousand years old, she was nearing the end of a vampire's lifespan, but she figured she still had five or six hundred years left, maybe even eight or nine hundred if she was lucky. With Molly by her side, those years would fly by. When she thought about it, her life had been pretty exciting.

And Molly truly loved her.

Except…

"Molly, I want more blood."

"No."

"What?! You're so stingy!"

[The End]