Sakurai Saki remained composed.
Expected. Known quantities. The Five Sisters' bottom line is familiar territory.
Shijo Maki, however, was not composed.
Her pampered young lady's temper radiated from every pore, impossible to contain.
For a genius, studying is simple. Natural. She assumes others experience it the same way.
They don't.
Intelligence varies. Same effort, different results.
I catch up to Shirogane's ten-hour study days with two hours—that's absurd, yet true.
The Five Sisters struggle. Reminding them of that helps nothing—only destroys confidence.
"Dummies!" Maki slammed the table. "All of YOU are dummies!" Her finger swung toward Saki. "You're a BIG dummy!"
Saki's expression didn't shift.
"Yes, yes~ I'm a big dummy."
Dead pig. Unafraid of boiling water.
Maki deflated slightly.
I agreed too quickly.
Implementation is... difficult.
But I can't retreat now.
"Yotsuba-san." She held up practice sheets. "Why do you make mistakes on such SIMPLE problems?"
"Yes, Shijo-sensei!" Yotsuba rubbed her temples dramatically. "Why DID I make mistakes? How strange!"
"Because you're an idiot." Nino's delivery was merciless.
"Nino's grades aren't THAT great either~"
"Hmph hmph~" Nino preened. "I passed ALL my monthly exams. Much better than YOU."
All that review paid off.
If only Sakurai-kun had ASKED about my scores...
A small frustration.
"Why categorize idiots into grades?" Maki's voice carried existential exhaustion. "Dummies and idiots—same category!"
Saki Intervenes
"Class dismissed."
He was satisfied. No complaints from their father—his teaching methods had apparently earned temporary approval.
"Food?" Itsuki's stomach made decisions.
"Didn't you eat a meat bun before coming?" Nino's eyebrow arched.
"Meat buns enter a separate stomach." Itsuki's expression was deadly serious.
Nino glanced at her sister's thighs. Said nothing.
"Matcha cake." Miku's voice gained animation. "The coffee shop near the station has new items." She adjusted her headphones and rose.
"Saki-kun? Join?"
"Pass." Saki gathered his belongings. "Bicycle. Inconvenient."
Also, I dislike sweets.
"DONUTS!" Shinobu's telepathic voice pierced his consciousness. "Limited golden chocolate donuts! I saw them YESTERDAY!"
"You ate yesterday." Saki's expression remained blank externally. "You're a vampire, not a donut alien."
"That girl said it! Girls have a separate stomach!"
She said MEAT BUNS, not donuts.
"Why donuts?"
"Are you stupid? I just LIKE them~"
Saki glanced down.
[96]
…
Say no more.
I'll buy them.
With affection like that, saying things like that—I'll misunderstand.
The Invitation
Saki noticed Maki's expression.
Eager. Hopeful. Too proud to ask.
The look of a small dog left behind, hoping its owner will turn back.
"Shijo-san. Going with them?"
Nakano Ichika's smile widened.
"Assistant-chan~" Her voice was warm, inviting. "Dessert with us?"
"…Since you've invited this young lady so sincerely." Maki's nod was dignified. Regal. Completely undermined by her twin ponytails, which swayed with barely contained happiness.
They filed out together.
Saki followed, watching the group depart.
Good.
Everyone's moving.
Sakurai Saki pedaled toward the dessert shop, arriving to find a line of catastrophic proportions.
Ridiculous. Absurd. Who queues this long for—
Wait.
A new batch. Limited editions. Just released.
He joined the line, acquired the last few golden chocolate donuts, and added some toast for practical measure.
Exiting, he passed a coffee shop.
Through the window: the Five Sisters and their new assistant, Shijo Maki, happily consuming cake.
Good. They're bonding.
He mounted his bicycle and departed without interruption.
The Telepathic Report
"My Lord." Shinobu's voice echoed in his mind. "That girl radiates a strange aura."
"Which girl?"
"The star hair accessory."
Itsuki.
"Dangerous?"
"Very weak." He could almost see her proud little expression. "Extremely weak to ME."
Weak anomaly. Nothing to worry about.
Noted, filed, dismissed.
Home — Safe Environment
Saki drew the curtains. Confirmed absolute darkness. No sunlight could penetrate.
"Shinobu. Emerge."
She surfaced from his shadow—blonde, white-dressed, and utterly fixated on the bag in his hand.
Power diminished. Sunlight dangerous. Recovery requires blood.
Routine feeding. Every three days.
The next second, she launched herself at him.
Not affection. Not intimacy.
Donuts.
"Ah~" She snatched the bag. "How can such wonderful food EXIST?!"
Two golden donuts emerged. She bit the left. Bit the right. Both now marked.
Like a puppy. Marking territory.
Several hundred yen each. Monthly expenditure: significant.
Necessary sacrifice.
She detects anomalies faster than I can. Mystery attracts mystery. Strange incidents will come.
An extra helper is valuable.
Shinobu finished. Wiped hands. Curled into his lap—her entire small form fitting easily in one arm.
"Looking forward to this?" Her tone carried deliberate ambiguity.
She means feeding. Eating. Not—
"Would prey feel happy?" Grumpy deflection.
Rhetorical nonsense.
She leaned toward his neck. Her tongue extended—small, warm, moist—and traced his skin.
Ticklish. Unsettling. Also—
His skin seemed to crave the contact.
"I'm going to eat~"
Fangs extended. Blood-red lips pressed against his throat.
And then—
Pleasure.
Direct to the brain.
Spiders inject venom to paralyze prey.
Vampires inject pleasure.
Ten Seconds Later
"Enough." Saki patted her back.
She stopped. Pulled back. Rubbed her lower abdomen.
"Mm~"
Satisfied.
For now.
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