Ryoutei Academy remained closed for the remainder of the semester until January. No official statements have been said by the local police about the murders or missing two students. All has been quiet. Too quiet. Snow would soon fall upon the city, the weather would drop to colder temperatures, and the holidays were highly anticipated for the upcoming weeks. Mifuyu on the other hand still did not give up her research.

But to no avail, nothing new has been brought up...and the girl's memory was fading quickly from that event. She had written down on many pieces of paper what she could remember.

Cane left after the attack - Yuma has it.

Two girls went missing - Reiji and other articles confirmed.

Ryouichi was certainly there and talked to me. About what?

Memory starts going blank after a couple of days...why?

A traumatic response could be the answer to this but the ravenette could not comprehend that. With each time she looks at the old articles made about the investigation, her head pounds like a war hammer. This was not like this before was it? Clues were drying up and the trail seemed to be running cold. Who else could she inquire about that night? These incidents?

"Mifuyu-san?" Mr. Fukumoto's voice softly knocks within her eardrums, making her head perk up. "You can take your time answering."

"What I'm doing for Christmas this year, right?" She scoffs, turning her head to the side. "Probably the usual. Just have dinner with family and spend time with one another."

"Usually you are more enthused about this time of year," Her therapist says. "Are you sure there is nothing bothering you at home or...about your school?"

Christmas was something that Mifuyu started to enjoy when she was taken in by her father. It was the warm, loving embrace of her newfound family. They always cooked dinner and baked goods right after, sang some carols, and of course opened up presents. Her family was not religious but the amount of time and effort they put into this holiday in particular rivals anyone who enjoys Halloween.

She softly smiles at the thought of her dad grinning widely at the gift she gave him before coming back to reality. "I'm alright, really. We...we actually were talking about going on this trip outside of the city for the holiday. Not sure where to go, but I'm excited!" Mifuyu grins softly at the blatant lie she told her therapist. She didn't want to do so. He was only doing his job.

Mr. Fukumoto nods with a relieved smile. "That is wonderful to hear! I am happy to see that you seem to be doing well."

The rest of the meeting goes through the usual motions and soon he says, "Just remember what I said before. If you ever need me, I am a phone call away. I still want you to attend your meetings and socialize with others when you are given the chance to, alright? How is that Yui girl doing? Any new developments?"

Mifuyu was packing her paperwork inside her smaller backpack when she looked up at him. Yui still hasn't said anything to Mifuyu for a long time now but she shoves the worry down for now and instead talks about something else relating to the conversation of friends.

"We talk from time to time, but I have made another...friend I guess? Not really sure what to call us."

"Oho?" His smile grows even more. "What's his name?"

Mifuyu's face immediately turns red. "Y-You assume it's a guy just from that..!? What if it was another girl?"

Mr. Fukumoto laughs while putting a hand over his mouth. "It was just a guess~ What's his name and what is he like, Satomi-san?" He hands her one last piece of paper to put in her folder and she puts it in her backpack, zipping it up quickly.

"His name..." Her eyes glance away from him but look back. (Why act like this? Why be embarrassed? Just say his name, damn!)

"Yuma Mukami. He's a third-year in my class that transferred to school not too long ago. I'd say we're...friends of some kind."

"That is so wonderful to hear you are making more friends, Satomi-san. I'm so happy for you." Mr. Fukumoto then leaves his desk to give her a big hug which she is surprised by. But she does give back, wrapping her arms around his back.

"I am going to miss you during the holidays but you do not know how happy I am to hear that you are doing well. Remember that you can call me for anything you would like. I always have my volume up on my phone." He reiterates and withdraws the hug.

"So you don't lose it every single time?" Mifuyu jests, smirking.

"So I don't lose it every single time." He confirms with a laugh.

They soon bid their farewells and Mifuyu makes her way out of the building to the nearest bus stop. The city once again was buzzing with activity more so than usual. Scrambling for gift ideas or cards, reservations for restaurants, or potentially trying to find a tree. Mifuyu pulls out her cellphone and to her surprise, once it lights up, a message from Yuma and Yui was waiting for her.

Her heart skips for a moment before quickly checking the messages sent.

From: Yui

I hope everything is going well for you, Satomi-san. I wish you a merry Christmas and I can't wait to see you again at school.

The message at first did seem a bit stiff but it was then followed by a smiling emoji. She chuckles and texts back.

You sound so formal, Yui-chan.

Lol

I hope you have a good Christmas too. I also can't wait to see you again.

Mifuyu was about to press the send button before rereading her text message back again before going to edit once again to say:

Let's hang out sometime, yeah?

Without hesitation, she hits send and quickly checks Yuma's text. Her face was heating up once again. She can feel the piercing cold gust smack against her face to let her know the bus had arrived. Once getting on and settling herself in her seat, she opens up her phone again.

From: Yuma

I wanted to see if you were doin' okay. you hadn't said anything for a while so...

text back when you can, dummy

Mifuyu also smiles at the text message and quickly responds.

I could be doing better but thanks for checking up on me, dummy

We should probably meet up at some point. How about when we go back to school? I have family plans for the holidays.

Once she hits send, Mifuyu pulls the yellow lever hanging from the top of the bus asking for it to stop at this location. It wasn't a very long ride from her therapist's office to a stop nearby her home but Mifuyu did not feel like walking in this chilling cold. She gives her thanks to the bus driver and walks along the sidewalk, the lights of the city slowly fading away as she sees her apartment complex not too far away. Street lights and passing cars illuminate her way.

A supposed snowstorm was coming next week and the thought of it just made the girl shiver. Despite winter being her favorite season, the only thing she could nitpick was how the temperature dropped dramatically for the months to follow. It wasn't pleasant. The thought that would keep her warm, however, was the dinner that her aunts were going to hold next week. Apparently, her uncle was going to drop by to celebrate with them.

"Oh, I'm so happy he's going to come for dinner! He almost never comes." Hina had said to both Akari and Mifuyu, dancing around enthusiastically.

"He is always busy with work," Akari sighs, pushing up her glasses. "So it's nice he will take those days off to spend it with us."

"Ohh I really hope you and Hiroshi get along this year, Fuyu." Hina whines, now putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders.

"Will you?"

"...Yeah. I think I can do that this year, auntie."

"Don't think, do!" Hina gently scolds. "I know you two haven't spoken in awhile but, everything that's been happening, I want the family to be together without any issues. So please-"

"Hina," Akari warns. "Don't ask too much of her, alright? It isn't like she is going to flip a table out of rebellion." Mifuyu laughed at the exaggeration, "Aha, that's a good one." She puts her hands on Hina's and smiles warmly. "We'll be fine. I promise."

The promise stung a bit when she remembered that conversation. She personally didn't want Hiroshi to join but Hina was right. So much tragedy and the amount of stress that Mifuyu had burdened herself with was about too much. If she can set aside her differences, then she was certain that everything would be alright. Her phone suddenly rings. Mifuyu takes it out of her pocket and her eyes widen. Hiroshi was calling. Mifuyu hesitates to answer with her shaking thumb but after the third ring, she pushes on it and brings it to her ear.

(Deep breaths...you got this.)

"Mi...fuyu...can...ou...he...me?!" The ravenette's eyebrows crinkle slightly. Did he have bad reception where he was? On his end, it sounded windy. "Uncle..? Yeah, I can hear you. What's wrong?" She speaks up, picking up her walking speed. Her heart was starting to pound a bit faster than expected.

"...Ou...hear...me?! Please...Fuyu...!"

Mifuyu grits her teeth, "What..!? Uncle, what is it?!"

"H..elp..ee...Help me!"

Roars were heard on the other side and simultaneously, coming from the left side of her, that same roar was heard from the forest she always took jogs in. Mifuyu freezes in her steps and stares deeply into the trees, swallowing a lump in her throat."H-Hiroshi!?"

The call ends abruptly.

Mifuyu's hands begin to shake, her body facing towards the trail. Putting the phone in her coat pocket she bolts across the street in a haste, leaving her backpack behind at the front of the trail. It was totally dark save for the moon barely lighting her way through as it was covered with intermittent clouds. A perfect third quarter would be seen regardless.

"Uncle!? Uncle?!" Mifuyu yells out uselessly into the night, her shoes smacking crushing against the dirt path, and dead leaves that lie in her wake.

It was stupid of her to give away her position if she didn't know where her uncle was.

It was stupid of her to not call authorities first to let them handle this.

It was stupid of her to be by herself.

But to her, it didn't matter. It was just like before when she heard Ayato shout from the third floor that one night at school. She ran to the scent of danger or if someone needed help. It was fight or flight. Mifuyu Satomi always chose to fight.

"Uncle Hiroshi?! Where-?!" Mifuyu soon goes off the dirt path and almost trips herself from running too fast, doing her best to avoid the trees that were in front of her.

"Mifuyu!" Her pace only quickens and never pauses for a moment. The moment she heard her name she was running towards it.

"Uncle!? Is that you?! I'm coming!"

"Mifuyu, help me!" She would soon see an opening up ahead without trees and makes a break for it, losing her breath. "I'm coming! I'm coming, Uncle!" She calls out to him, beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead. Hair wildly fighting against the wind and covering some of her eyes. He had to be there. He had to be. No matter what state, no matter what has happened, Mifuyu had to...she couldn't lose another person in her life.

And then she saw him lying face down in the snow. Blood splurts covered the pure whiteness clumps of snow. A pool of scarlet blood was seeping out of her uncle. Mifuyu's body begins to shake violently and she bolts to him, crashing to her knees by his side.

This was the same place. The same place that she was taught how to...

"Uncle...?! Uncle...! Hiroshi, wake up!" Mifuyu shakes him, screaming loudly into the night. She then shakes him and tries to lift him with her weak limbs. She fails and yells in frustration. "Please, uncle! Uncle, wake up!" Mifuyu cries out and looks around her surroundings. "Someone please! Help us!"

A howl is heard from inside the trees and suddenly four wolves jump from their hiding places, surrounding the body and girl. Growling and barking.

Mifuyu swallows slowly and holds her uncle's body close to her. Blood seeps into her clothing. She takes out her phone to find some amount of signal but her phone was coming on at all, even though it was fully charged just a few moments ago. The wolves inch closer and closer to her. Holding him for dear life, Mifuyu glares at one of the wolves.

"Come on then..." She mutters. Without a moment to spare, the wolf she was staring at makes his move into the attack and jumps into the air.

"Stop!" A voice shouts out and the wolf is shot down immediately with a loud boom. The wolf howls in pain and is sent to the snowy ground. The once snarling pack of wolves immediately back off as they hear another pair of footsteps approaching the party.

"Do not lay your finger on her or so help me, I'll make sure you and none of your family feast in the upcoming new world." A man's voice growls at the wolves and they obey, slowly going back within the trees to silently watch. Mifuyu looks up to see Ryouichi, glowing golden eyes now shining like the moon now showing itself to the two. His mouth was covered in blood, drips of it falling off his chin. It was as if he was stripped away from a meal he couldn't finish.

"R-Ryouichi..!? What–?"

"Get him to the emergency room. He is losing blood." Startled and confused, Mifuyu lifts her uncle's hair from his neck to see two punctured holes within his neck. He was bleeding profusely from the seams. Shaking from what had just transpired, she then looks back up at Ryouichi who bore no expression whatsoever.

"Y-You did this...?"

He only responds by turning his head away from her.

She then stands quickly and pulls out her phone to find there was reception again. She immediately calls the emergency hotline and describes the details of where she was, what had happened, and how it did to the operator. After she had done so, Mifuyu mutes herself on the phone and soon hears sirens in the distance.

A cold fist collides with his face and it sends Ryouichi in a heap onto the ground. The wolves from the background growl in protest but stay where they are.

"You..! I don't even know who you are anymore, Ryouichi! Who are you?! Why did you do this?! What–!" Mifuyu then stands over him and brings him up by his collar, tears filling her eyes. Face twisting in anger and despair.

"What happened to you, Ryouichi!?" The sirens come closer and she lets go of him after a few moments backing away from him. Mifuyu then rips off her coat sleeve and soon pushes it against her uncle's wounds, hoping to keep some of the blood where it is.

"I am going to save you," Ryouichi says suddenly in front of her. Her head bops up to see glistening sharp fangs resonating with the moon's radiating glow. "I am going to save you with what I have become now that you're involved."

"Save me from what?!"

"From Her reign."

The wind suddenly blows, making Mifuyu's eyes shut from the cold. She then hears loud car door slams and several stomping footsteps. She opens her eyes to find that her once best friend had disappeared and if she turns her head over her shoulder, the wolves have disappeared too. The paramedics soon come and take away Hiroshi and the police escort Mifuyu to the station, soon calling her aunts to tell them of what events transpired. She sits in the back of a police car, covered in blood with a blanket wrapped around her.

Fangs.

Two punctured holes.

And the blood that dyed his lips.

All of the memories that once seemed to have been hazy or lost had suddenly clicked. Her head no longer hurts when the corpses of the basement fill her head, the two female students that attacked her the night of the festival were soon killed by...Ryouichi.

Vampires are real.