Rejet owns the Diabolik Lovers (abbr. DiaLovs) franchise.
"I treasured not what was most dearest to me and threw it to the flames for a split-second of warmth."
The simple teru-teru-bozu (rain-repelling doll) was slowly devoured in the firepit. Red-orange flames languidly licked their chops, content with slowly savoring the sacrifice. As the last spot of white turned black, a pool of amber liquid slowly filled the firepit. A small shriek echoed from the flames as they were doused.
It was only for a moment. Then, the flames leapt to life, gasping and giggling.
Notes of spicy caramel tingled my nose, and a heady sensation clouded my head. I was careful to never open my mouth and expelled the scents gently out my nose. The Tome of Beginners Summoning was quite clear about not letting the 'bad smells' linger in the body.
He was here: the Penniless Puppeteer.
Sat behind the flickering firepit and across from my cross-legged self, the Penniless Puppeteer took a swig from his wine jug. Resting on his lap, a bewitching female puppet smiled at me. Her small, delicate hands were adorned with long, talon-like decorative nails. The tips darkened from the heat of the flames.
"Wha'dya wan'?" The Penniless Puppeteer asked in a whiny voice.
Having died of sorrow, he was cursed to speak in a hoarse and tearful manner.
'Or so says the internet,' I thought.
"I'll cut to the chase," I said. "There is a manor close by, the Sakamaki Residence, and I'd like you to find a purple-haired boy and his teddy bear..."
Sometime later...
I stood in the woods, a whole and hale teru-teru-bozu in my hands.
"And when the flames died, I returned to my former destitute self," I said, unceremoniously. The teru-teru-bozu crumbled to a pile of ash that slipped between my fingers.
At the end of a hallway, "Yui. Wake up, Yui."
I knelt by Yui's prone form and lightly shook her shoulder.
"Guess not, huh?"
Yui exhaled softly. Each warm puff of air pushed away stray strands of fair hair. I watched her awkwardly for awhile longer.
"Up you go. Fu-" Yui was unexpectedly heavy. Or maybe that was the Strength: 2 making itself known. I didn't stick around for long and teleported to the infirmary. Not directly inside, mind, but right outside the door. I lightly kicked the infirmary doors, but no one answered.
Nudging the doors open, I dumped Yui on one of the many unoccupied beds.
She still didn't wake up.
'Blood-loss will do that to ya.' It came as a surprise when the Penniless Puppeteer warned me of the Sakamaki brothers' lineages. They were Vampires. And for some reason, Yui lived with them and was treated much like a free vending-machine.
The Penniless Puppeteer sat across from me, mouth flapping open and closed.
"What do you want to say?" I finally asked.
He appeared relieved and warned me. "Be very careful around them. They are far more powerful than you'd imagine."
As I knew he was referring to the Sakamaki brothers, of which I've recently investigated (unintentionally through the school's rumor mill), I felt conflicted. On one hand, I knew that sticking my nose in somewhere it shouldn't belong just spelled trouble, I also knew that it was probably the only way to advance anywhere with a Gamer System like mine.
"Gambler's Fallacy or is it merely greed?" I wondered aloud.
I could probably live without the Gamer System, is what I'd like to say. But then, I realize that I wouldn't be here; I wouldn't be a Vampire; and I certainly wouldn't be rolling in the dough (so to speak), had I not the great fortune of the System. Was this sense of debt misguided?
"What are you wondering so hard about? You're gonna develop wrinkles at this point~." Laito appeared out of the blue. He lounged lazily on one of the beds and smiled with half-lidded, sultry, green eyes over Yui's rising and falling chest.
"Green is sus," I asserted.
Laito didn't play along. "Ah, this again? Should I say you're stupid or-"
In the blink of an eye, he stood before me, face pressed so close that I could smell the floral notes that lingered in his hair.
"-Maybe you're pretending, so as to catch my attention? Nfu~."
"You don't get personal space, do you?" I wrinkled my nose and ducked under his arm. He didn't move to stop me. Ah- spoke too soon. For a split-second, I strained against the grasp around my wrist.
[Strength check, fail.]
I sighed and turned around. "What is it?"
Laito pouted.
Next thing I knew, I was spun around and landed stiffly in his embrace. Errant hands wandered across my body. When they reached below my skirt, I thanked myself for wearing tights.
"Mou, don't be so stiff around me all the time," he said. "I might feel offended~." The last part was whispered darkly.
"You can feel things?" I asked without a second thought.
Laito laughed as if I said something funny. I heard a groan behind me. My gut sank.
'Yui. Oh, Yui. Why did you have to wake up now of all times?' Groaning internally, I prepared myself for the inevitable onslaught of 'W-What? Where am I?'
According to my expectations, Yui started with a confused fit. She really did have that innocent-appeal going for her.
'Never thought I'd see the day when someone could be this gullible,' I thought to myself. Laito had taken to tormenting the blonde, now that she's awake.
"Little Bitch~," Laito cooed. "Since you're awake now, why don't us three have some fun? Nfu~."
'What the actual f-' Pardon me for being surprised, but it's not everyday you hear such 'BS' in real life.
"W-What?" Oh, come on, Yui! Her docile and doe-like reaction hurt me at a soul-deep level.
"Air, I need air," I announced, completely ignoring the logical fallacy in that statement. Either way, I quickly exited the infirmary, leaving Yui behind to Laito's tender mercies.
'Fate, you cruel bitch.'
"Who the hell are you?" Ayato growled. "Aah, it doesn't matter. Just get outta my way."
I hurriedly stepped aside before he could push me and do it himself. He sucked his teeth and stomped into the infirmary. The beginnings of an argument brewed behind the door. Having no intention to linger, I teleported to the rooftop.
Above me, stars twinkled faintly beyond the gauze of grey clouds. Below the rooftop-fence, a symmetrical garden was laid out with a grand water-fountain at the center. Coins in the fountain reflected the glare of many tiny-spotlights. Even from this high up, I could distinguish the faint figures etched onto the coins.
The beautiful scenery ended when I sensed another presence nearby.
Turning around, I caught a pair of glowing, green eyes disappear under the brim of a fedora.
"Now that we're alone, how about we have a little chat, 'kay?"
That playful smile was the final nail in my coffin.
Trying to write Laito is like trying to explain Moriarty to a spoiler-hungry friend.
I cannot see any romance happening, but a toxic relationship is definitely possible. Praise the Genies-that-be that I can pull something off.
Anyhoo, my mind just said F the weekly schedule, we're updating whenever now, yay...