Sumire entered the apartment building with Ren following closely behind her.
He resisted the urge to smile as they moved past the revolving doors.
With a little persistance, he just might be able to kill two birds with one stone. Not to mention the rush he'd feel while accomplishing it.
'What does virgin blood taste like?' The vampire wondered. Perhaps it wasn't any different than that of the other women that he slept with?
No...
For some reason(perhaps an inkling?) that idea didn't settle with him. Or more specifically...
His fangs.
Since the moment he had found out that this girl was indeed a virgin, Ren's entire body burned at the very thought of sinking them into that tender flesh of hers.
And if the rest of Sumire's skin was as silken as her untainted hand, then he was going to take extra gratification from burying himself deeply inside of her...
His thoughts were cut short when an unfamiliar voice spoke up.
"Oh! If it isn't Tasogarē-chan! You're getting back awfully late from work today. Did something hap-?!"
A few mere feet away revealed an older woman sitting at the front desk. She appeared to be in her early to middle 30's, with a pretty average looking appearance.
Having shoulder length medium brown hair and dark brown eyes, she looked a bit exhausted, probably from working for a large portion of the day. But other then that nothing about her really stuck out. She was pretty flat chested(like most of the other women he came across) and she wasn't as curvy as Sumire.
But in a certain light she may have had the privilege to be labeled as "Pretty."
Even so, Ren didn't like the fact that this unknown woman interrupted them and his pursuit.
"Koneko! I didn't think you would still be working this late. I'm sorry if I worried you, but I guess you can tell that I got a little sidetracked." Sumire replied cheerfully.
The woman just continued to stare at the tall man standing behind her. She couldn't believe the sight that she was seeing. Her beloved Sumire; whom she loved like her own daughter, was actually inviting a man over to her place!
Unfortunately she was also unsure as to how she felt about the whole situation. On one hand; she felt excited for her young friend. She was happy that she may have finally found someone who she could be happy with.
But...
On the other hand... This man appeared to be a bit...
Hedonistic.
Almost as if he had a lustful look inside of his eyes that spelled out "Animal."
So as a friend AND as a mother figure, Koneko did NOT approve.
"Hey Koneko, are you all right?" Sumire asked snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes I'm fine, haha! But you seem to be better than fine yourself! Mind introducing me to your new friend?" She laughed nervously.
Ren's nose scrunched up in slight irritation.
He knew that this girl was suspicious of him. It was difficult for him NOT to hear the sudden increase in her heartbeat. But in the end he couldn't blame her.
If he were in her shoes, he'd be suspicious too.
After all, her thoughts about him were probably right on the mark.
In fact by the look on her face he knew that he was correct.
Nothing a little charm couldn't fix... If that meant getting the(incessant) woman's approval.
"Actually if you wouldn't mind Sumire...I'd appreciate it if I could introduce myself. If that's alright with you?" He smiled gracefully.
'This man already refers to her by her first name?' Koneko thought.
Oh yeah, she would definitely need to keep her guard up around this one.
But out of support for her long time friend and unofficial family member she put on the best polite smile she could muster.
"Hm? Well if you really want to Maaka."
Ignoring Sumire's informality, Ren casually walked over to the counter and held out his hand.
Hesitating for a moment, the brunette eventually accepted the greeting and shook it; albeit warily.
"You must be a close friend of Sumire. My name is Ren Maaka. I accidentally bumped into her today and made a mess of her work. But don't worry I helped her pick everything up. In the end she invited me here... It's a pleasure to meet someone as lovely as you."
Koneko's eyes widened.
He was certainly...blunt.
Even so, she threw a quick gaze to her friend to see if he was telling the truth.
With a reassuring nod, the older woman cast her glance back to the silver haired man. It was then she noticed that...
On closer inspection, he was really quite handsome.
His chiseled features almost seemed in-human. Not to mention a bit...
Unatural.
Not once in her entire lifetime had she ever witnessed a man with bright golden eyes.
If she hadn't known better then she would've said that they almost mirrored that of a wolf's. One who's stare would be able to send anyone they encountered into a state of complete and utter obedience.
The silver hair that he donned looked soft and silky to the touch, and someone might say that it possessed a slight blue-ish hue.
His skin was also a bit pale. More so compared to the average person.
Frankly he looked exactly like...
'A vampire.' Koneko squinted her eyes at the bizarre thought.
Now she was being a little TOO over imaginative.
There were no such things as vampires. Everyone knew that.
"Something wrong Miss?"
"Hm?" She responded impulsively.
"You're still holding my hand." Ren added almost deadpan while looking down at their hands. The vampire was growing more impatient with the woman as the seconds ticked by. Just how much longer did he have to "impress" her?
"WAH! I apologize!" She stammered releasing her grip.
How embarrassing.
"Haha, you're still a bit air headed aren't you Koneko?" Sumire giggled.
With a semi-playful glare, the brunette furiously tried to defend herself with excuses for her strange behavior. But in the end she came up short, and eventually ended the whole dispute with a deep sigh.
"Moving on... It's very nice to meet you as well Maaka. I'm not sure if you can tell but Sumire really hasn't had the chance to talk to men, unless at work. And what's worse is that she's never had a boyfriend before...even though she's so cute! I just don't understand it!" She shot a finger at the younger girl in question.
"Huh?! Hey Koneko, you shouldn't say things like that." Sumire scolded.
With a heavy slam on the desk, the receptionist continued her argument.
"Don't play coy with me! You've had plenty of chances to get a boyfriend! You practically had a confession every week in high school!" She yelled.
Ren blinked in surprise. An confession at least once a week?
Even HE hadn't received that many confessions in his high school days.
And he certainly didn't turn any of them down.
After all, food was food. Short, sweet, and to the point.
But still...
She never accepted any of them?
How odd... If she really was telling him the truth about being straight, then why was she so resistant to any of the other men that she had received confessions from?
This girl really was one big mystery.
'Just what is she hiding?' He pondered.
The more Ren learned about this girl, the more he wanted to figure out what she was all about.
But why did this interest him so much? Why would he care about the secrets she kept? She was only human. The one creature that he truly despised. So... Why?
"I didn't have the time. You already know that I wanted to focus on school." Sumire replied calmly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Koneko huffed in defeat. "Yeah, yeah. I know all right? Jeez. But now that you're done with school, you'll actually develop a social life right?" She smiled teasingly.
"Haa?... You're so mean... Yui..."
Suddenly the receptionist's entire face turned red.
"YOU KNOW I HATE BEING CALLED THAT!" Koneko cried practically jumping out of her seat.
Ren's ears recoiled slightly at the deafening scream.
When would this woman just shut the hell up already?!
"Ah! Yui-chan is going to blow!" Sumire cried.
Without warning the hazel eyed girl hastily gripped the golden eyed man's hand and took off at top speed towards the stairs. It didn't take Ren 5 seconds to figure out another one of Sumire's odd physical traits...
This girl was pretty damn fast for someone so small in comparison.
Maybe she could've been a track star in her glory days too?
Shit. There he went again.
Just why was he so freaking interested in her insignificant past?!
He was cut short when a large yell behind them reached both of their ears.
"TASOGARĒ YOU BRAAAAT!" Koneko yelled furiously. The sound of objects flying through the air soared and crashed as the runners picked up the pace.
Man. What a violent chick...she was going to have a difficult time finding a boyfried in the future.
Then suddenly...
He heard the sound of laughter ahead of him.
It was then that he realized Sumire was still pulling him up the stairs.
And what was even weirder was that his heart was actually racing.
It had been a very long time for Ren; A vampire, to have had to run so rapidly. In fact, he hadn't run THIS fast since...
'Since I last encountered the old hag.' Frowning at the thought, his eyes flickered back to the girl in front of him...and then to their hands.
They weren't exactly the normal fashion he usually held women's hands.
Unlike the rest of them, he never intertwined his fingers into theirs... He always just held them the way a family member would, or maybe even an old childhood friend. This helped to avoid any misunderstandings with the girls that he "dated" so that they would at least know that he wasn't ready to get serious with any of them. That was how he went about hand holding.
But never did he hold them the way he was holding Sumire's right now.
It was amazing how small her hand felt in his.
Their palms rested against each other in a comfortable manner, with her small and soft fingers pressed between his large and slightly calloused ones. The difference was almost uncanny.
It felt a little...bizarre.
And he didn't like it.
Feeling comfortable with...with a human. Just what was he thinking?
Suddenly he grew angry and disgusted with himself.
What on earth was he doing exactly?
He had to put a halt on the reigns before matters spiraled out of control.
The vampire had come for one thing only... To drink her blood.
And if possible to steal her virginity.
No more hesitation and no more curiosity.
The prey had once again become the prey...
His hand pulled back; stopping both of them in their tracks. And with a bewildered stare, the violet haired girl turned around to meet the taller man's eyes; question evident in her gaze.
"Maaka? What's the matter?... Did I run too slow?" She asked worriedly.
He didn't respond. He only looked down at their hands with an eyebrow raised.
"Don't you think this is moving a little fast?" He asked with his best straight face.
The second she followed his gaze and noticed how tightly she was holding onto him she let go immediately. Not far behind, a small blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I'm sorry about that. I shouldn't have made Koneko angry. In the end I kind of ruined your introduction." She sighed.
Stupid human.
How could a girl who seemed so intelligent be so naive?
At least Ren knew that he once again had the upper hand in his little game.
"It's fine. I don't think she liked me very much anyways." He shrugged.
Sumire looked up at him and shook her head. "She doesn't really like anyone who talks to me. So don't take it personally... Haha, if I didn't know better I'd say that she secretly has a crush on you."
'Doubt it.' He brushed her little comment off. There was no way that hell spawned woman had a crush on him. Not even he would go after a woman more than 10 years older than himself.
He had at least some self-respect.
"Even if she did have a crush on me... There's already someone else I like." He replied smiling sweetly.
Sumire's cheeks reddened a bit.
"Y-you do?" She asked uncertainly.
This only made the young vampire's smile grow more.
"Are you...jealous?" He asked leaning a little closer to her face.
With a small flinch of recoil the girl took a step back and avoided his eyes.
"M-my apartment is on the top floor. And since we missed the bottom floor elevator we'll have to walk to the other side of the building and get on that one... Ah Maaka, unless you want to finish taking the stairs? That may be a bit faster."
Again with the informalities.
Why did she keep insisting on calling him by his incessant last name?
She was stubborn.
And it was starting to piss him off.
He deserved to be called by his first name. Especially by a mortal. A creature worth a title below that of vampire's by an impossibly large margin. Someone whom he could crush with very little effort.
And the fact that this one singular woman refused to call him as such...
"You're doing it again." He frowned.
"Hm. Doing what?" She asked innocently while Ren had to fight back the urge to scowl. Instead he gave her a small pout and a pair of puppy dog eyes.
"Calling me by my last name." He replied almost whimpering.
What exactly was he doing? For the love of...he was actually pouting in front of this girl! Of course it was all just an act, but never once did the man have to do something so... Pathetic.
He couldn't help but notice Sumire as she averted her eyes away from him.
For a moment she didn't say a single word, seemingly trying to think of the correct words to help explain herself.
Growing impatient, Ren began to wonder if all of this effort was worth it in the long run.
She was just another girl that he found on the street. So now that he actually thought about it, why WAS he trying so hard?
It would be easier to leave and go back to his previous plans with...what was her name again?... Ah right; Suzuki. She wouldn't be as difficult to crack as this girl was. And not nearly this talkative. Unfortunately his thoughts were once again interrupted.
"Wah?!" In an instant the apartment door that Sumire stood in front of swung open and heavily slammed into her back causing her to stumble forward and once again scatter papers.
They fell all over around both the poor girl and slightly shocked man.
But he wasn't concerned with that.
The impact was a bit too much for the violet haired woman to handle. After tripping over her own feet and losing balance, she slammed directly into Ren's torso; causing him to be ensnared in the accident.
With a large thud the couple fell to the ground. The slight sound of crunching paper rung through the air as the person who had caused the whole scene stood over them with a puzzled look on his face.
"I'm dreadfully sorry! I didn't mean to-?!" The mysterious man bit his tongue as he witnessed the new problem that he inevitably triggered.
Ah...?
Now it was all coming back to him... The reason he was after this girl.
Sumire slowly stirred and pushed herself up. "Ouch. That kind of hurt... Maaka are you-?!" She halted at the position they seemed to be frozen in.
Ren wasn't complaining in the slightest at the whole situation however...
The impact from the fall revealed more of her reserved skin. And although it wasn't much; the newly reassured vampire enjoyed what little of it showed.
The pleated skirt she donned hiked up to the mid section of her thighs, revealing equally(if not softer) looking skin.
And her boobs...? He had to hesitate in order to describe the feeling of them as they pressed harshly against his own chest.
To hell with it.
They simply felt AMAZING.
His gaze hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Maaka... You're staring at... 'Them.'" Sumire whispered in a bashful tone before trying to shift her entire body so that she would be able to stand up.
Big mistake.
Her knees slipped on the freshly polished tiles which in turn only pushed her body further onto Ren's.
A small curse from the girl's lips escaped as she now found her thighs wrapped around the amused vampire's waist, only hiking her skirt up even more.
Her palms held onto his shoulders in a desperate attempt to stop another easily misunderstood situation, only to fail miserably.
"This... Isn't going well. M-maaka?"
He only stared down at her, without uttering a single sound.
"Er um, excuse me?" Sumire perked up at the sound of another voice and cast the person her attention. While Ren simply looked up with a newly irritated expression at the culprit for interrupting the moment.
The man who had witnessed the whole predicament stared breathlessly at the somewhat erotic scene before him.
He was a fairly older gentleman. Appearing to be in his mid 60's with short gray hair and golden brown eyes, he also wore a dark brown fedora and a matching trench coat that covered the majority of his clothes, minus his dark blue slacks and black shoes. His chin possessed small stubble as if he had forgotten to shave the previous morning, and small bags underneath his eyes indicated that he was a little off his sleep track.
'Damn this bastard. He's getting in the way... This building is cursed with non-stop pests I swear!' Ren scowled.
But Sumire wasn't nearly as iratible. In fact her entire face went pale. His golden eyes flickered as he caught sight of her disdain.
'What the hell's wrong with her?' He mentally questioned as his brows furrowed.
"Maaka-kun. Please stand up." She whispered without breaking eye contact with the mystery man.
'So she's calling me "kun" again? But she still refuses to call me by first name? Not to mention she's telling me what to do! Just who does this damn girl think she is?!'
The girl squeezed his shoulders lightly snapping him back to reality.
Taking a closer look revealed the tense aura emanating in her eyes. She was serious.
Letting out a soft sigh, Ren decided it best that he play along.
The sooner he listened, the sooner he could get her in bed... He just had to keep telling himself that.
She didn't even flinch when his hands gripped the sides of her waist.
Was she really that worried about this? What was the big deal anyway? It's not like this guy was some sort of gigantic thug. And even if he was, Ren could easily over power a human weakling without breaking a sweat.
Whatever the reason, he didn't give it much more thought.
Lifting Sumire up was a breeze, especially with her light figure. And he managed to steady her enough so that she could stand up and fix her skirt.
But she surprised him when she turned around and held out her own hand for him.
And although he obviously didn't require her assistance he took it anyway to avoid looking like an asshole who didn't accept help from a woman... Or in his case a mortal.
She pulled him up, once again shocking him with a bit of hidden strength. But in her own defense she didn't look completely helpless to begin with. Especially with the stern expression in her eyes.
As she turned her attention back towards the unknown man she bowed in apology.
"Mr. Tanaka. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble."
Ren's eyebrows perked up at the sudden gesture.
Just what was she saying sorry for? It was the guy's fault in the first place, so why apologize?
The hallway went silent for what seemed to be an endless amount of time, but in actuality had been just a few seconds.
Blinking a few times, the older man's facial features softened.
"Well if it isn't Tasogarē! I thought you looked familiar! My dear you have nothing to be sorry about! If anything, I should be apologizing to you... It seems that I've made quite a bit of a mess..." He sighed playfully punching his own head.
"No sir. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been standing outside of your room." She retorted.
"Sir?" Ren couldn't resist the urge to ask.
"Ah that's right. Mr. Tanaka this man here is a new friend of mine. His name is Ren Maaka... And Maaka-kun, this is Mr. Tanaka...he's my boss. He also owns this entire building." She explained smiling again knowing that she had been forgiven.
Ren blinked hard. So THIS was her boss? Pretty pathetic looking. But who was he to criticize. All humans were the same to him. So he just smiled and nodded.
"Nice to meet you young man. I hope you two aren't that affectionate in public?" He asked humming playfully.
Sumire blushed. "We aren't a couple sir. He's really just a friend. I guess you could call him an acquaintance." She argued, although the embarrassment never left.
Taking notice to her reaction, Ren smirked deviously.
Without warning he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her torso close to his.
"Maaka? What are you-?"
"She's a little shy about our relationship. We're normally always lovey dovey regardless of where we are, or if others are able to see us. She also never refers to me by my last name unless it's in front of significant figures such as yourself, close friends, and her family members. But if I'm not already over stepping my boundries... The sex is pretty hot and carnal... So she may look completely innocent now, but she's a wildcat in the bedroom." He babbled with an accomplished grin.
In a way, this was payback for all of the annoying detours that happened non-stop ever since he entered this hell hole.
And boy was it funny as fuck to see her priceless reaction.
She didn't freak out like he originally figured. But it didn't take him long to find out that she handled pressure well and managed to control her emotions with some apparent expertise.
So in the end she shot him a slightly wide eyed glare and then shook her head a bit frantically when she returned her attention back at her boss. Who; in his defense, was indeed shocked at the vulgar story.
"He's lying! I would never do that. I haven't even known him for more than a few hours." She admitted as calmly as she could...but some uneasiness fought through.
Now that he had gotten his revenge, Ren was set back into a good mood.
He had to admit. This girl was more...exciting to be around compared to the others.
And if he finally got past this part with all of the constant talking and interruptions, then he would be able to suck out her stress, steal her virginity and be on his merry way to the next stressed out woman he would encounter.
"My... Young people today sure are... Progressive aren't they?" Mr. Tanaka stated with a teasing smile.
Sumire took a deep breath and tried to rid her cheeks of the faint blush that covered them before repeating herself. "It's not true. I only met him today."
And that was all it took for the kind hearted boss to believe her claim.
"Ah, so it was only a prank then? Haha. Very well played Mr. Maaka!" He laughed heartily.
With a small smirk Ren nodded. "Yes. A joke... Don't worry..." He took a pause as he set his left hand on the top of her head. "... I'll take good care of her." He finished; patting her strangely colored hair.
The feeling of it though...had him reeling for a moment.
It felt just like freshly spun silk. And as he honed his enhanced pupils in on her roots, he found out that her hair color was admittedly natural.
'Weird.' He thought.
There were only a select few people that had strange hair colors like hers. It was frankly phenomenal. Especially for someone like her.
"Hey, hey Maaka? Will you please stop petting my head?" She asked with a small smile.
He lifted his hand up immediately and returned it to his jacket pocket.
"Better?" He grinned in satisfaction.
"Y-yes. Thank you." She stuttered.
"Hm. Maybe I should take my leave after all." Tanaka chimed in; reclaiming both of the individuals attention.
"But I should help you with picking up your work first Ms. Tasogarē. After all I am the one who started this entire mess." He added tipping his hat in brief shame.
'Yeah. No kidding.'
"That's all right Mr. Tanaka. I'll help her. You seem like you had something to do, am I right?" Ren smirked.
"Oh! Yes of course. Thank you for reminding me young man... Then I will leave her in your care! And make sure you finish your finalized script for the second volume of your light novel series tonight Tasogarē." He reminded.
"Yes sir." She replied smiling.
With that the older gent carefully stepped over the scattered mess of papers and made his way downstairs. But he stopped at the bottom once he remembered a small detail.
"Ah and Tasogarē?" He called.
"Yes?"
"Good luck with your transfer. I hope your new home and office is just as welcoming as this one!" And then he disappeared from sight.
After she finished waving, Sumire inhaled sharply.
"I never thought he would leave..." She sighed.
Ren stared down at her. "What? I thought you were comfortable talking to him?" He asked frowning.
"No way. Mr. Tanaka is very nice but, sometimes he talks a lot."
Wow. So even she got annoyed sometimes huh?
"Sorry."
Golden eyes met hazel the instant she uttered the word.
"What?"
"I said sorry. Talking to people you've never met before can be a pain. I know that's why you said all of those lies." She scowled before bending down to once again reclaim her work.
'Observant as always.' He shrugged.
Maybe now was his chance to take what rightfully belonged to him.
"Maybe you can make it up to me?" He asked cunningly while kneeling down and assisting her.
Without giving it a second thought Sumire nodded smiling. "Sure thing Maaka."
And there it was...
His "Go" sign.
'Foolish woman...' He thought smugly.
"So... To you're appartment right?" He asked nonchalantly handing her the rest of the papers.
With a small nod, the unsuspecting girl joyfully climbed up the stairs with Ren following right beside her.
Oh the anticipation.
Woo! I already have the second chapter finished! So I feel that's a small accomplishment for someone as lazy as me(as you all probably already know if you've read my other works).
But yes this chapter seemed a bit repetitive once it got to the end there. With the paper's falling over(which has become something of a running gag I guess? XD) and all, but I promise it was the last time that Ren's plan would be ruined by other people. Well for a while at least, heh.
Also in this chapter I introduced two new OC's that will play a future supporting role in later parts of the story. They won't play parts that are larger than Karin and the rest of her family though, so there's that.
Anyway, I think I'll leave off here for today. Please review(boy now I sound kinda pushy lol) and I hope more of you give this story a chance. Oh and if anyone is curious(doubtful) these chapters will be between 4,000-5,000 words each, excluding my side comments. This way I won't feel pressured to type 10,000 word chapters like my other works.
But if you want to continue reading this, then review like no tomorrow! Muahaha! I am so evil!
See you next time everyone!