Rejet owns the Diabolik Lovers (abbr. DiaLovs) franchise.

[You have leveled up! Please distribute your points. Points available: 5.]

I should probably think it over, but I didn't.

Perception and Luck both rose to 10, and I was out of points. Hopefully, nothing like that rooftop incident ever happens again. My heart can't take it.

In the next moment, my vision sharpened, an unpleasant musk went up my nostrils, and whispers buzzed in the background. There was a headache brewing behind my eyes, and I very, very nearly regretted my carelessness.

"Should've done it in the hotel," I said behind gritted teeth.

There was a bitter taste in my mouth. Licking slightly, I realized that one of my fangs pierced my lip. Hints of steel clung to my taste-buds like gold leaves or paper foil. It made my tongue feel thick and clunky within my mouth and was similar to the effects of numbing gel used at the dentists.

Ding-dong-Bing-bong.

I winced at the sound. It wouldn't be long until the tardy bell rang, but I couldn't bring myself to join the crowd of voices that scratched at my ears. Even the softest murmur felt like someone stuffed my ears with itchy cotton. It was a discomforting sensation.

I waited until the coast was clearer before stumbling out of the stairwell. My vision shook and tilted sideways. Still, instincts were instincts, and I caught myself on the railing.

"Shit," I closed my eyes, "there's no way I can go to class like this."

Stupidly, as I felt drowsiness creep up on me, I only felt anxious about missing my next class...

"-Miss. Miss, are you alright?"

I opened my eyes and blinked blearily at the speaker. Their voice was masculine for sure, but I could hardly see. Sunlight flooded in, and I winced, shirking back from the bright glare. It wasn't long before my vision adjusted, and I regained visual acuity.

A fairly tall, blonde-haired man knelt down before me. He wore a long, white coat that suited a more clerical setting. I glanced around. It was still the stairwell.

"...Miss, do you need me to call someone?" Oh, he was asking me a question!

"...No. Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked.

The blonde-haired man blinked, as if surprised by my question. It was rather normal to ask for the other person's identity, no? I am at school, after all.

"Oh. I'm the new substitute nurse, Reinhart. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, introducing himself with a small tilt of his head.

"Cecilia Young, transfer student," I offered.

I stood up quickly before this 'Reinhart' character decided to do the Japanese-thing of helping me up. The boost of height also lessened the oppressive feeling I got from him.

The dizziness from before was gone, and it appeared that my body had adjusted to its new perceptual sensitivity. Now, questions.

"My, how did you fall asleep here of all places? Don't you know it's dangerous for a young lady, such as yourself, to be left so vulnerable?"

His concerned was warranted, though misplaced, so I didn't mind his lecturing tone too much. It was stupid of me to nap here anyway. There was a literal Vampire Hunter around. It was no time to be relaxed.

"It was just a dizzy spell. I'll visit the hospital right after, so there's no need to worry," I said with a smile.

The quickest way to deal with people was to be polite and do the perceived 'right thing'. Since Reinhart was a nurse, the only obvious reassurance I could offer was a promise to seek medical attention. Did I lay it on too thick? Yes, but I wanted to get away from this odd fellow as soon as humanely possible. I hardly think he'd appreciate me disappearing before his eyes.

"..."

When he stayed silent, I fought back the instinct to clench my fists. Wherever his gold-eyed gaze landed on me, that area tingled and a sense of discomfort crawled down my spine. We stood in front of an open window. Sunlight fell through, and Reinhart's tall silhouette shadowed me.

In that moment, I felt like a trembling mouse hiding from a cat. A very vicious cat. One that played mind games and tricks, occasionally swatting its prey, but never clamping down with the maw of sharp teeth.

'Is this guy really a human? His scent is a little-'

"I see some of you youngsters are still sensible. But, for now, please head to the infirmary with me."

My gut sank. That wasn't a request.

The walk down to the infirmary was silent and stifling. It felt like my heart would be torn out if I even breathed wrong.

'It's fine. If anything happens, I can just teleport away.' I wouldn't give away the game just yet. But the longer I walked beside him, the more uneasy I felt.

"Ah~!" A quiet gasp escaped my lips as the most delicious, saccharine scent coated my tongue. If gin and sweet vermouth had a love child, this must be martini. It was sweet and somewhat salty, almost cloyingly so, and I could feel my fangs itching. The smell came from behind a closed classroom door.

"Sorry, Mister Reinhart," I apologized, breathlessly, "but I remembered an urgent matter I had to attend. Pardon me," I bowed and jogged down the hall. After the next corner, I closed my eyes and savored that attractive scent.

I was a woman possessed. That scent, that damning scent, it simultaneously empowered me with a sense of possessiveness that wrecked my wariness into a pile of rubble and turned my mind numb. I stood there, waiting for the waves that crashed and tingled through my body to pass. When they finally abated, my heel knocked into the wall, and I slumped against it.

There was something wet and clumpy on my back.

'Sweat? Vampires can sweat in this universe?'

When the shakes disappeared, my body was left aching and cold. I didn't like it.

[Perception check, pass.]

I couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. When I peeked around the corner, Reinhart was gone as well. This was my chance!

I pushed open the classroom door, but there was no one inside. That scent was less concentrated, but still present and strong enough to mask any other trail.

Bang!

Frustrated, I kicked over a chair.

'Chair?'

A smile stretched across my face. It was a bit tedious, but I felt each seat and finally found one that was still warm.

'Komori, Yui...'

Of course it would be her.

'Then, was that scent some sort of Vampire bait?' The very thought alarmed me. Paranoia made me glance around the room. There was no one in sight. Just in case, I checked every possible hiding spot. The ceiling wasn't the removable kind, so I let it be.

'What about hidden cameras or wiretaps?' I hadn't said anything. But my face might've been caught on a spy-cam.

There was no way to decide what was and wasn't true.

In the end, I walked out of the school, hailed a taxi, and had the driver drop me off somewhere in Kabuki-cho.

I was a little parched.

Hm...speculations, schmeculations. What do you think happened? And who is this Reinhart character?

Some of these chapters are based on what happened in the games, so you might be able to guess it, if you've played DiaLovs: HDB before.