Chapter 9: The Reason Behind a Warm Welcome
Chapter 9: The Reason Behind a Warm Welcome
AZUSA honestly had her doubts. She couldn’t deny this method of travel was easy on her, fast, and lessened the possibility of getting attacked. Her view was incredible and it mitigated the chance of getting lost. Or rather, there was no road to get lost on in the first place. But traveling like this was unbearably embarrassing and terrifying.
“Say, Kouya, can you put me down?”
“You don’t have any shoes, right?”
“I can make do with the sandals you let me borrow.”
“Can you fly on your own?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot fly.”
Azusa was currently flying through the sky—held in Kouya’s arms like a princess. A black mist had hardened into wings on Kouya’s back. They had formed on his back without ripping his clothes. According to him, he had created the wings from the vampire vestiges he had collected over the years, but she didn’t understand what that meant in the slightest. Apparently, he was capable of changing the makeup of his body to grow wings, but he wasn’t fond of the way that option ripped his clothes.
“We can land and walk there, but this is the fastest way to get where you want to go.”
“…Please take me there this way then.”
Azusa’s best option was to rely on him—some discomfort was necessary to achieve her goal. Obviously, it would be better to make it in time for the court of inquiry rather than miss it altogether. She didn’t have a watch, but the sky was dark. It was already nighttime.
“Where are they holding court anyway?”
“At the Patriarch’s manor. They hold other meetings there at the same time.”
“Dad will be there too?”
“It’s just a court of inquiry in name—the person being judged won’t be present. His punishment will be determined based on circumstances and evidence.”
“He can’t even defend himself then!” Azusa shouted.
“Well, I’d expect they questioned him beforehand.”
The situation is worse than I thought. I don’t know what punishment they have in mind for him, but the word kill has come up more than once. The probability of that happening is high considering the difference in common sense between humans and vampires. Azusa stiffened at the conclusion she came to.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make it in time,” Kouya comforted.
She instinctively looked up at the sound of his voice and made eye contact with his ruby-red eyes set in a virile face. He quickly averted his eyes.
“Have your eyes always been this color, Kouya?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah, they have,” he answered curtly, his tone stiffer than earlier. Azusa didn’t notice the change.
“I knew it! I thought they might be because your eyes stayed red. When Subaru showed me his red eyes after drinking, they returned to their prior green minutes later.”
“I see.”
“Your eyes are so pretty. They stand out somewhat, but are like rubies,” she complimented.
“……” Kouya blinked several times and turned his face toward Azusa. He had a baffled expression on his face.
“You think so?”
“I do!”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
They both fell silent after that. Kouya returned his gaze to the sky in front of him, the expression fading from his face. Azusa was starting to get uncomfortable and restless from the silence.
“Is something wrong with your sensibilities?” Kouya broke the silence.
“What? Mine?”
He was the first person to question her sensibilities. Not many people would ask that as a normal question without any contempt or mockery like he had.
“No, no one has ever said that to me before. Why do you ask?”
“…Never mind. Don’t worry about it.”
“Why?” Azusa tilted her head in confusion just as her body started to float. She instinctively tightened her arms around Kouya’s neck. He had begun descending toward land.
“We’re here,” Kouya announced and landed in the entryway to a large Japanese-style manor set on a vast plot of land surrounded by Japanese rock and moss gardens. The doorplate read, ‘Doumeki’. Azusa looked at Kouya.
“Can I ask what your last name is again, Kouya?”
“Doumeki,” he stated matter-of-factly, without a change in expression. Azusa’s facial muscles, on the other hand, were twitching.
“Kouya, is this possibly your—”
“My dad’s house.”
“In other words, your father is—”
“The current Patriarch of the Red Coven,” he affirmed. Not an ounce of regret or guilt colored his expressionless face.
Azusa couldn’t stop from screaming, “You gotta be freakin’ kidding me!”
***
TIME passed quickly after their unexpected arrival. Two maids appeared several seconds after Azusa’s shout and invited them inside the manor. They led her to a separate room and abruptly helped her change clothes. Unable to keep up with the sudden development, she let them do whatever they wanted to her and by the time she realized it—
“Is this a kimono? It looks like a pricey one,” she commented.
“Yes, it is! You look splendid in it!” complimented one of the maids who had helped her change into a peach-colored kimono.
The golden phoenix design started at her ankles and looked as if it were about to soar off the clothes, giving every impression she was wearing a very expensive kimono.
Azusa was disheartened. In her imagined scenario, she was supposed to barge in on the secretly held court of inquiry, lay out her terms, and rescue her father.
But reality had her warmly welcomed at the front door and changed into a gorgeous and expensive kimono. She would understand if Kouya was warmly welcomed by the household servants, since he was none other than the son of their master. But she couldn’t fathom why they would welcome some girl they didn’t know.
“However, I must say it is a dream come true to learn Master Kouya is finally establishing a contract with someone! I have had the honor of caring for him since he was a wee little thing and this is a first for him! What happened to his dear mother and older brother is unfortunate, but I am overjoyed to see he has decided to live despite it. This humble maid Kuki is Master Kouya’s ally no matter what others may say about him!” exclaimed the fifty-something year old woman who had helped Azusa change.
Her hair was beautifully done up with a traditional Japanese cloth. Her characteristically dignified beauty must have made her quite popular in her youth, but her personality seemed flawed. She placed both hands on her cheeks and leaned back with a jovial look on her face. Azusa couldn’t help being curious about why the woman named Kuki was so happy. She got the sense some sort of grave misunderstanding was going on.
“Excuse me, Ms. Kuki? Where is Kouya?”
“Oh, how horrible of me! Of course you want to show off to him right away, I see! I shall go call for him now!” Kuki exclaimed and slipped out of the room.
Kouya came into the room several minutes later.
“What do you think, Master Kouya? Isn’t Miss Azusa most beautiful?”
“…Yeah, she is.” Kouya winced a little from Kuki’s overwhelming excitement. She snatched up Kouya’s hand and forcefully pulled him to stand beside Azusa.
“You look adorable together!”
“……”
“Kouya! What is the meaning of this? Why am I being welcomed with open arms?” Azusa asked in such a quiet whisper, she wondered if he heard her. He titled his head in contemplation too. Apparently, he hadn’t caught onto what was going on yet either.
“I was stunned when Master Kouya suddenly declared, ‘I’m going to introduce her to Dad,’ but seeing as you came to introduce your partner before establishing a contract, the gap between you and Master Akashi must be gradually closing! Your humble maid Kuki is deeply moved!”
Kouya frowned in confusion. Azusa didn’t know what Kuki meant by contract and asked him about it in a whisper, but he ignored her entirely.
“…Contract?”
“Oh dear, I thought that was the case because Master Kouya brought a woman to the manor. Was I mistaken?”
“……”
“Master Kouya?”
“…You’re right.”
Hey! You just agreed because it’s too much of a pain to tell the truth! You thought it was too annoying to turn down so you’re going with the flow! Get a grip on the situation, Kouya! Azusa watched their exchange while panicking internally.
However, Kuki gave Azusa such a warm reception because she misunderstood her to be Kouya’s contract partner. If Azusa was honest with herself, being misunderstood was better than being chased out of the manor.
“That is how it should be! I knew it was true! In that case, Master Kouya, Miss Azusa, please wait here while I prepare Master Akashi for your arrival.” Kuki left the room in high spirits, thoroughly satisfied by Kouya’s response.
Once Kuki left the room, Azusa grabbed Kouya by the collar. “Kouya! What is a contract?! Why am I being welcomed with open arms?! And why did you keep quiet about being the Patriarch’s son?! Please give me an explanation I can accept!”
“Calm down.”
“If there is someone who can be calm in this situation, I’d like to meet them!”
“Pipe down. Others can hear you.”
“…Geh.” Azusa grudgingly let go of his shirt collar. It must have hurt a little, because Kouya pulled his shirt away from his throat and cleared it.
“Contract refers to the contract we make when we agree to drink each other’s blood as equals. It’s an arrangement established so vampires won’t carelessly attack people. Those in a contract are forbidden from drinking anyone other than their partner’s blood. It’s fundamentally a contract exchanged between two vampires. Although there are exceptions.”
“Does that mean Ms. Kuki thought you came to report your contract with me to your father…Mr. Akashi?”
“Yeah.”
“Is contracting with someone a serious thing you formally report to your parents? Is there a problem with both parties just agreeing to drink each other’s blood and casually mentioning it?”
“……” Kouya stayed silent with an awkward look on his face, as if he were contemplating whether he should explain or not. And then he dropped a bombshell, “A vampire contract has the same connotations as marriage. Well, the ability to contract with several people at once makes it different from marriage.”
“Huh? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” Azusa’s shocked scream echoed through the manor.