Hi, everyone! I present to everyone a new chapter! Chapter 8! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Let's start!
- Kai's POV-
The very next morning, Aichi and I started preparing for the day. I got up first to take a quick shower and get changed before moving to wake Aichi up. He had decided to sleep in for a little while longer but I just whispered to his ear about what day it was and he immediately perked up. He quickly got ready for the day while I helped Sendou-san with setting the table for breakfast.
" When the two of you move out of this place, please take care of Aichi. He's a little clumsy and reckless, I worry for him sometimes." She suddenly said
" Don't worry, Sendou-san. I'll make sure to take care of him and keep him safe." I assured
" I see. That's good to hear."
The sound of footsteps and his sister's mild chiding was heard and we turned to see the two siblings making their way to the dining room.
" Now, you two have a long day ahead today so start eating and energize yourselves." Sendou-san said
" Okay!"
We quickly had our breakfast and got ourselves ready to head out after cleaning the table and our plates.
" We'll be back after dinner!" Aichi exclaimed
" Okay, be careful outside!" Sendou-san exclaimed back to him
" Okay!"
He opened the door and we headed out after saying our goodbyes. We walked our way towards my apartment and I made sure he stayed by my side at all times to be on the safe side.
" Hey, Kai-kun. Has Shirota-kun not said anything after our encounter in the mall?" He ask
" I did hand him my number after deliberation. And I did tell him that if we do get attacked by Tsubaki and his group, we'll join with them to stop him. I just want to get this over with so that we can lead our lives normally." I said
" Me too... But then again, putting that Tsubaki-san aside, we still have our own enemy to worry about." He reminded
" Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here. Your power might not be suited to fight it, so I'll be there to protect you." I said
" Yeah..."
" Let's not think about them for now. We have a long and fun day ahead. Let's hurry." I said
He smiled and nodded excitedly as we hastened our pacing in order to arrive at my apartment quickly. Once we'd arrived, we prepared the space where the things that are moving into the apartment would be at. The bed will be cleared by the workers before they replace it with the new bed, and we'll mark the spots where the other furnitures that we bought would be at.
" Now all that's left is waiting for them." Aichi said
" Yeah."
A few minutes later, the workers had arrived and got to work. Making sure that they wouldn't damage the apartment, they'd put up boards all over the place where they wouldn't be touching before beginning their work on moving the unwanted furnitures and replacing them with the new ones we bought. In a few hours, they'd managed to finish up their work and we thanked them before shutting the door.
" That was so quick! Your new apartment looks nicer now!" Aichi exclaimed
I nodded, surveying the apartment. My old single size bed had been replaced by a queen size bed coupled with a brown colored wooden bedframe, our choice of color for our bedsheets were orange with a small mix of yellow. The new dining table is stationed a few distance beside the television and we had our new utensils, bowls, plates and cup inside the kitchen cupboards. There was also thankfully enough space for our new cupboard where we can keep out clothes and bags, the wooden cupboard was a light brownish color and the interior of it had plenty of space for the both of us.
" I guess we should've considered a study table... Your old one had to be taken out since it wasn't holding up anymore." Aichi said
I smirked at his comment as I had a sneaky surprise for him and I had it arranged at a timing I predicted would be after the initial moving. We'd replaced my study table to a small bedside table with a small drawer. It was a space where I planned to put pictures of us, but it wouldn't have as big of a space as a study table like Aichi's, where he had a board pinned with our past pictures as Team Q4.
" We could use the bedside table to put a picture frame or a lamp. It would be plain to leave it like this." I suggested
" That sounds good! Let's go shopping again when we have the time!" He exclaimed
I nodded again when there was a sudden knock on the door. Aichi was looking at me in confusion when I opened the door to let a few workers move in a certain furniture I'd purchased in a sly when Aichi wasn't looking. As soon as they left after they'd put the furniture where I'd instructed them to, which was conveniently placed a little distance away from the bed, I turned back to Aichi and I can see that he was still shocked and surprised.
" Like it?" I ask
" W-When did you...?" He exclaimed
" I thought about it and it seemed pretty terrible to just be playing Vanguard or doing homework on the same dining table we're using to eat our breakfast, lunch or dinner on. So I decided to buy a kotatsu on a sly when you weren't looking. I noticed how much time you spent on the one in your house so it is a good addition here too." I explained
" B-But this... You didn't have to..." He exclaimed
" Come on now, you don't have to be so shy about it. This apartment technically belongs to the both of us now and I need to make sure you're absolutely comfortable living in it." I said
I moved over to the kotatsu and sat around it, patting a spot next to me.
" Come on, I know you want to try it." I teased, smirking the whole way
He fiddled a little before finally moving over to me and sat down beside me, feeling the comfortable warmth from the kotatau.
" It feels good..." He muttered
" I knew you'll love it. I'll go prepare our lunch then. Do whatever you like while I'm at it." I said
" Oh, let me help." Aichi said
" It's okay. I can handle it." I assured
" Um... That... Thank you..." He muttered while a blush colored his cheeks
" Anything for you." I said, giving him a peck on his forehead before moving to the kitchen
I thought up on the menu for lunch before concentrating on my cooking. I could hear some shuffling near the kotatsu but I can't take my eyes off the stove in case I accidentally burn the croquette I was frying. I also prepared some rice and fried ebi. These dishes will surely fill his stomach and fit his palate well.
" It's almost ready, Aichi. Sorry to bother you, but could you set the table for me while I finish plating these?" I ask, not glancing up
A few moments had passed but no response came from him and my eyebrows furrowed while plating the dishes.
" Aichi?"
After another few moments of silence, I finally glance up from the kitchen counter to see the kotatsu empty. I went over to it and finally saw a dash of blue hair coming into view on the floor. I was about to question him again before being greeted by the cutest sight I've ever seen. Aichi was napping with half of his body curled up inside the kotatsu blanket, his arms resting beside him as he laid on the right side of his body. With that face of his, he looks almost like a sleeping baby. He must have been tired from all the excitement today. I brought out my phone and snapped a quick picture before setting up the table for our lunch.
" Time to wake up, Aichi." I whispered out after I walked back to the kotatsu, " Aichi. Come on."
He let out a short hum but drifted back to sleep again. I can't help but sigh at how deeply he can sleep.
" It's time to eat our lunch, Aichi." I whispered
" Five more minutes..." He groaned out
" No can do. You need to wake up now. Come on, Aichi." I whispered
He let out another groan and finally opened his eyes, looking around the apartment.
" Oh... I fell asleep?" He ask
" Sure did. You fell asleep pretty deeply too." I replied
He yawned before his eyes fully opened. I blinked in confusion when his cheeks became redder while his wide eyes stared at me.
" Your face is red. Something wrong?" I ask
" ... N-No, it's nothing!" He squeaked out, jolting up into a sitting position, " W-What's for lunch?!"
" I fried some croquette and ebi. Hope you'll like it." I said as I stood up
I put out my hand towards him as he took it and I guided him towards the dining table. He broke out into a bright smile and I sat him down before I took my own seat. We began eating and he had mostly commented on how delicious my cooking was.
" By the way, it's almost time for the VF High School Championship. Is your club ready for it?" I ask
" Although I am a little worried about Naoki-kun, I think he'll still be able to do fine. We should be registering for the Championship soon since the club had just formed, it would take the form awhile to be given to us." He replied
" Makes sense. I wonder if we can fight each other in front of a crowd. I haven't got the chance to fight you in any official tournaments." I said
" That depends on our luck." He said
" Yeah, I guess so. We have a pretty free day right now, what do you want to do?" I ask
" Hm... We could always play Vanguard to pass the time, but we could also stay in bed all day. I love cuddling against you." He suggested
I felt my cheeks heat up and looked away.
" ... Or we could always go on an impromptu date again..." I muttered
" Sounds good to me. Where do we go?" He ask
" I never thought about that... Where do you want to go?" I ask
He hummed while thinking before smiling.
" I know a good place." He said
" Great. Then we'll head there after lunch." I said
" Sure!"
While we continued eating, I noticed Aichi looking at me as I looked up at him.
" Something wrong?" I ask
" ... I think I should probably mention this sooner or later. You are a Servamp now since I became your Eve. Will you accept that title and nickname that Tsubaki-san gave you?" He ask
" I mean... He isn't that off the mark." I said
" I don't like it. Servamp of Sorrow and 'Full of Tears' are going to be staying as your aliases for the rest of your vampire life. That's not the way to start it. Let's see... Maybe we could change it. Yeah... You didn't officially accept it, so we can change it." He said
" I can't think of them just like that. The man that turned me into this is gone too. He never left me with a title and nickname, so I just continued living as Toshiki Kai." I shrugged
" Please think about this seriously! It's about how the other Servamps will treat you too!" He exclaimed
" Alright, alright... We can think of something, but I don't think we'll have much luck anyway. The older Servamps were named after the Seven Deadly Sins. Tsubaki was named after melancholy. There isn't much left. Though he probably named me as Sorrow since it's almost the same as melancholy. What a joker..." I sighed
" Still... I guess you're right. When the time is right, your true Servamp title will come to you. Until then, we'll keep brainstorming." He suggested
" Okay."
Once we had eaten our lunch and cleaned our dishes, we set off for our date. In the meantime, this apartment will continue to be empty until we move back in. I'll have to discuss that with Aichi and move in together with him when he's more comfortable. For now, I wonder where he's bringing me to...
After a short train ride, we arrived in the city and he led me around it.
" We're almost there." He informed
I nodded and after a few more minutes of walking, we arrived in front of a store.
" This is..." I exclaimed, reading the sign
" A cat cafe! I noticed how much you like to play with Assistacat, so I thought this place would be perfect!" He said
He pulled me into the cafe and we were sat down at a table. The menus were handed to us while Aichi read the leaflet with the names and pictures of the cats inside the cafe.
" Emi came here with mother once and they've never stopped talking about it when they returned home. I thought about coming here too, but we had tournaments as Q4 during that time, so I didn't have the time to drop by." He explained while I nod and continued listening to him, " Seeing animals like this keeps me calm and this is soothing for me too."
" You did pet Kuro the entire time we were shopping... Makes sense." I said
We ordered desserts and drinks from the menu while the owner showed us where the cat toys were and left some treats for us to give to the cats when they approach us or when we want to approach them.
" There's so many cats in this leaflet. I wonder which one will like us." Aichi smiled
I smiled after seeing his bright smile again and looked through the leaflet with him.
" There are so many cats in this leaflet. I wonder which one will like us." Aichi smiled
I smiled after seeing his bright smile again and looked through the leaflet with him.
" They're all so cute! I can't decide on just one!" He exclaimed
" We can attract one towards us and see whether they like us." I suggested
" That's true."
" Meow~"
We looked down at our legs when we heard the call and it was an adult munchkin cat. I looked through the leaflet for its name and found a similar picture of an adult munchkin cat with light grey fur like this one.
" This must be Rio. Look, the mark between his eyes is the same." I pointed out
" You're right!" Aichi exclaimed while he turned back to the cat, " Hello, Rio! It's nice to meet you!"
The cat thrilled and climbed into Aichi's lap while he giggled and started petting him.
" You're such a good boy."
" The cats here must be really friendly to strangers." I said
" Yeah!"
The cat, Rio, purred against Aichi's strokes as he took one of the treats that the owner gave us and offered it to the cat.
" Here. Have some treats." He said
While the cat started eating the treats from Aichi, the owner returned with the desserts and drinks that we ordered.
" Oh my. It's rare for Rio to approach a customer so willingly." The owner said
" It's rare?" I ask
" Yes, he doesn't open up to strangers so easily so it's pretty rare that he does this with other customers." The owner said
" I see..."
" Well then, please enjoy your food and drinks! We hope you two enjoy your time here!" The owner said before going off
I turned back to Aichi still smiling as he fed Rio and just continued watching him. I was definitely amused by this situation. He seems to attract the cold ones around him quite often, including me. I can't complain though, this is a nice sight to see. I took a scoop of ice cream from Aichi's dessert and placed the spoon near his lips.
" Y-You don't have to..." Aichi blushed
" Your hands are busy. Just open your mouth." I said
He continued blushing before finally taking a bite from the spoon.
" How is it?" I ask
" It's delicious..." He swallowed
" Good."
I also took a bite of my sundae dessert while also giving Aichi his every few scoops. I tried to give him his drink too, but he firmly refused and explained that there was a straw so I wouldn't need to help him with it. Rio, on the other hand, was now enjoying himself and just laid on Aichi's lap the entire time, his tail swishing about slowly while Aichi continued to stroke his fur. I am admittedly slightly jealous of the feline... I want to rest my head on Aichi's lap too...
" ... Kai-kun."
I jumped and looked up towards Aichi's eyes, full of suspicion.
" Don't tell me you're jealous of a cat." He stated
" No way... Not to a cat..." I retorted, trying not to stutter
He continued to stare at me while humming under his breath and slowly leaned towards me. I held in a flinch as I felt his body closing onto mine.
" ... You're jealous! That's cute." He said
" I-I'm not cute..." I muttered
" You sure are." He giggled
I bit my cheek to hold in a pout before taking Aichi's spoon and jamming it into his mouth without giving him a warning. Once I removed the spoon, he pouted.
" That hurt!" He exclaimed
" Revenge for the teasing." I said, slightly sticking out my tongue
" How mean!"
We stayed in the cafe for another hour and soon, we had to go off. Aichi lightly tried to get Rio off his lap, it took him a few minutes before we stood up to leave.
" Thank you for coming! Please visit us again!" The owner said
" Yeah! We will!" Aichi said and squatted down to Rio's level, " We'll come and visit next time, okay? Take care."
Rio continued to meow and rubbed himself on Aichi's pants, not letting him take a step forward towards the door.
" Sorry... I really have to go..."
" He really likes you. I guess he doesn't feel like he has played enough yet." The owner said
" He napped the entire time..." I muttered
" Hm... You can take him back for a few days. Rio barely becomes this active around other customers and I think he'll be happier around you." The owner suggested
" Huh?! B-But my house can't have a pet... It doesn't have much space for a cat..." Aichi explained
" We can't have him in the apartment either, it's too small for a cat." I added
" I'm really sorry... I don't want him to be sad either, but we don't have a choice..." Aichi bowed
He sighed. I know he doesn't like anything or anyone to be sad because of him. If only there was a solution to this...
" Young one! You must bring me with you! Bad karma is seeking to harm you!" A voice exclaimed
My eyes widened at the voice and I looked around.
" Kai-kun?"
" ... I just heard a voice." I whispered
" Huh?"
" Young one! Please understand me!" The voice continued
I finally looked down at Rio and found that his meows were consistent with the voice's words.
" ... I have a solution. Let's bring him with us for the rest of our date. We'll return him to the cafe before dinner. I'm sure he'll be happier by then." I suggested
" ... That's a good idea! Okay then. Rio's in your good hands for the rest of today." The owner said
" I-Is that really okay?" Aichi ask
" Yes, yes! It's really no problem! Go on ahead, Rio. We'll see you later." The owner said
Rio meows again and leaped into Aichi's arms when he lowered himself to catch him.
" T-Thank you..." Aichi said
" No problem. Enjoy the rest of your date." The owner said
Aichi blushed before nodding and we left the cafe after thanking the employee again. I hurried my footsteps after we were a few distances away from the cafe. We arrived at the park and I asked Aichi to sit on a bench with me. I looked at Rio, who was pawing at Aichi's shirt.
" You can talk to me, Rio." I said
" Huh?"
Rio looked at me with a curious gaze and blinked.
" You can understand me, other young one?" Rio ask
" Yeah, I can. It's weird, I know. I can't hear Assistacat's voice but I can hear yours clearly. I'm not sure how this works, but anyway... Back to the important topic, what were you talking about? A bad karma that seeks to hurt Aichi?" I ask
" K-Kai-kun?"
" I'll explain everything later, just keep a lookout for me." I said
" O-Okay..."
" ... Yes, that's what I said. I don't understand what, but there was something following him. I can't tell what it is, but it was cloaked with a weird black smoke." Rio explained
" What?!"
Void's still trying to go after Aichi? This is bad. At this rate, we'll have both Tsubaki and Void to deal with. If we could just find out what Void is really after...
" Young one." Rio called and I looked at him, " Who or what exactly are you? You don't smell like a normal human, but I can tell that this young one is a special human to you."
" ... I'm a vampire. A Servamp. I almost died in an accident a few years ago but I was saved and turned into a vampire with this immortal body. Aichi is my chosen Eve and I am supposed to serve him. We're connected by a contract." I explained
" I'm sure it's more than that." Rio said, swishing his tail
I blushed a little, " ... If you already can guess, then don't ask... Anyway, with me here, there shouldn't be any problem. I'll protect him."
" Then I'll trust you. But you still don't know the reason as to why this bad karma keeps lurking around him?" Rio ask
" No... I have no idea..." I replied before I was finally hit with an idea
What if Aichi was...? I quickly took out my notebook filled with the things that the man had written for me about this world. I flipped the pages and read through them.
" Kai-kun? What is it?" Aichi ask
" ... I have to ask you this, Aichi. Have your parents ever talked about, uh... magic?" I carefully asked
" Magic? What do you mean?" He ask
" L-Like... being able to use powers like mine." I explained
" Huh? ... What are you saying?" Aichi ask
" I have a feeling that what Void is after isn't as simple as just you having Psyqualia and have the ability to heal and unbelievable strength. I have a feeling that there's something about your lineage that it might have discovered something." I explained
" My lineage?" Aichi repeated
I nodded and he slowly started to go deep into his thoughts. After a few moments of pondering and thinking, his eyes finally widened and he looked up at me.
" I-I'm not sure if this is what you might want to know, but... a few years ago before my grandmother passed away, she talked about the essence of life and meanings that I don't understand. T-Then she started telling me stories about a young girl with the power of light. Her powers could repel any evil beings and purify things. She wondered whether her descendants would have the same results b-but her son never showed signs of the same powers. She cut herself off when she mentioned something about finally seeing that the powers were being passed on but to someone further down the future." He explained
" Did she ever mention who it was?" I ask
" N-No... She passed away a few weeks later and she never told me the rest of the story. It was too blurry for me to remember since it was a story she told me when I was four years old." He replied
" I see..."
" ... Young one. This story doesn't seem as farfetched as it sounds. There seems to be a need for research." Rio said
I nodded. I placed a hand on Aichi's shoulder to assure him. We stayed in the park for a few more hours before dinner and returned Rio back to the cafe, thanking the owner again before we went off for dinner. After we return to the Sendou household, I'll have some questions for Sendou-san. About his father and his grandmother...
And that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'll see everyone in the next chapter!