Akira froze as Erika suddenly pinned him against the bed.
He instinctively called out,
"…Erika?"
Her grip tightened slightly.
Only then did he see her clearly.
Her golden hair was slightly disheveled, falling messily over her face.
Her breathing was ragged, almost desperate.
And the hands gripping his shoulders trembled faintly.
Then, in the darkness—
he saw her eyes.
Her usual clear blue irises had turned a deep crimson, hazy and trembling with hunger.
Before Akira could react—
she leaned down.
Golden hair spilled over her face as her lips brushed against his neck.
Then her fangs sank into his skin.
Akira's mind went blank for a second.
Then his thoughts exploded into panic.
What the hell is happening here? Why the sudden intimacy…?!
But Erika didn't stop.
She drank his blood far more hungrily and messily than usual—not with her normal elegant restraint.
At the same time, she held him far too tightly, almost crushing him in her grip.
If it had been a normal human, their bones might already have broken.
But Akira's mind was focused on something else entirely.
Why is she hugging me like this? She's never done any of this before… what's happening right now?!
His thoughts raced far past overdrive.
All he could feel was her closeness—
her weight pressing against him,
her breath against his skin,
the way her body trembled as she drank his blood.
He was completely overwhelmed.
Don't tell me… is this the legendary…? But it's too soon! We're not even married yet!
As Akira's thoughts spiraled in increasingly strange directions—
he suddenly felt something wet against his shoulder.
Not blood.
The location was wrong.
Then he realized.
…Those were tears.
Erika was crying.
Akira's expression changed instantly.
The strange excitement vanished immediately, replaced by panic.
"Erika…?"
He gently wrapped his arms around her, one hand stroking her back.
But she didn't answer.
Akira panicked even more.
What do I do? What do I do? I need help…
Then he called out to the one person he could think of.
"Sister! Sister! Why is she crying?!"
Selena's voice came back immediately.
"Because she attacked you. She's scared she hurt you."
Akira blinked in confusion.
"What attack are you talking about?"
Selena replied flatly,
"The thing she's currently doing to you."
"Really? …That was an attack?" Akira asked honestly. "I thought she just liked me more."
Selena sighed.
"…For vampires, those are basically the same thing. The more she likes you, the better your blood tastes to her."
Akira immediately shot back,
"Don't joke around! What should I do?! Erika isn't listening, and she's crying!"
Selena answered calmly,
"I have no idea. That's something the two of you need to figure out yourselves, so good luck. I'll be busy—call me after you're done."
Akira stared in disbelief.
Did she seriously just abandon me?! …Just you wait.
But Erika was still crying.
Akira had no idea what to do.
He didn't care about the bite.
But seeing her cling to him like this while crying…
In his panic and desperate need to comfort her, he acted completely on instinct.
He gently pulled her closer—
and lightly bit her neck.
Not hard.
Just enough to mirror what she had done to him.
In the most chaotic, unmistakably Akira way possible.
Erika's body jolted.
Her crimson eyes widened instantly.
The emotional whiplash hit her like lightning.
She froze completely, tears still sliding down her cheeks, now mixed with total confusion.
Akira pulled back slightly and said softly,
"See…? Now we're even… so don't cry, okay?"
Erika didn't answer.
Her body trembled faintly.
The tears gradually stopped, though she continued drinking his blood quietly.
After a while, the last traces of her instinctive haze finally faded.
Her crimson eyes slowly returned to their usual clear blue.
But even then—
she didn't move away.
She simply stayed there, lying on top of him while holding him tightly.
For a moment, no one said anything.
Akira and Erika simply lay there, breathing heavily.
Erika didn't know what to do now.
She had just attacked Akira.
She didn't know how to face him anymore.
Even though she knew he wouldn't fear her because of this…
What if he did?
What if he didn't want to stay near her anymore…?
Her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
So all she could do was cling to him tightly and refuse to let go, too afraid to face him directly.
But then—
Erika noticed something.
…
Something was rising.
Erika froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
…
…
She immediately shot backward off the bed.
Akira blinked in confusion.
"…Erika?"
Erika's face turned completely red.
With a trembling hand, she pointed at him.
"Y-Y-YOU—"
Akira followed her gaze.
…
…
"…AH."
Akira finally realized what had happened.
His face immediately turned red too.
"W-Wait! It's not like that! This is a completely normal biological reaction! It's perfectly natural!, I mean, you were literally lying on top of me and you're soft and—"
Erika, now fully red from embarrassment, finally snapped.
"STOP TALKING!"
Akira instantly stopped.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Honestly, there wasn't anything they could say in this situation.
So all they could do was sit there awkwardly in silence.
Then—
Selena's voice echoed telepathically.
"Oh, you two are finished? Well, doesn't matter. I recorded everything. This should keep me entertained for a while."
Both Akira and Erika froze.
Then they immediately exploded.
"SELENAAA!"
"SISTER!"
Selena openly laughed this time.
"Fufu~ You should see it too—"
"DELETE IT!" Erika screamed instantly, face completely crimson.
"No."
"DELETE IT!"
"No."
Akira pointed accusingly into the air like Selena was physically standing there.
"Sister, you can't do this… let me see it too."
Selena replied smugly,
"Oh really? I can… but you have to say 'Onee-chan daisuki.'"
Akira stared blankly.
"What are you making me say…?"
Then he sighed.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Using his most perfect Darth Vader voice possible, he declared,
"Onee-chan daisuki."
Selena replied flatly,
"That's not the tone at all… fine, whatever. I'll show you later."
Erika finally couldn't take it anymore.
"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!"
Both Akira and Selena immediately went silent.
Erika buried her face deeper into her knees.
"…I want to disappear…"
Selena finally sighed, her tone softening slightly.
"Anyway, jokes aside… how is Erika-chan now?"
Akira immediately turned toward Erika, worried again.
"…You okay?"
Erika hesitated for a moment before quietly nodding.
"…I'm calmer now."
Her voice was still shaky.
Akira relaxed slightly.
But then his expression suddenly changed.
"…Wait."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Sister."
Selena immediately responded.
"Yes?"
"…Why did this happen in the first place?"
There was a brief silence.
Then Selena answered calmly,
"Because magic is completely restricted during this mission."
Akira frowned as realization hit him.
"…I see. Eclipse Clarity isn't active."
Selena sighed.
"So Erika-chan's vampire instincts are no longer being magically regulated."
Akira blinked.
"…Wait. Why didn't you tell me this could happen? You knew something like this was possible."
Selena replied calmly,
"Because Erika-chan asked me not to."
Akira froze.
Slowly, he turned toward Erika.
Erika completely avoided his gaze.
"…I wanted to try controlling it myself," she admitted quietly.
The room fell silent again.
Akira looked genuinely confused.
"…Why? If you had told me, we could've figured something out together."
Erika hugged her knees tighter.
"It's just… you wouldn't understand…"
Her voice grew softer.
"…I thought that if I depended on you too much, then I'd never actually become stronger."
Akira stared at her quietly.
Then his expression softened.
"…That's stupid."
Erika turned away slightly.
Akira immediately continued awkwardly,
"…Forget it. I don't really understand emotions or why you wanted to handle it alone, but…"
He scratched the back of his head.
"If something's bothering you, just tell me normally…"
Erika lowered her eyes silently.
Then suddenly, Akira remembered something.
"WAIT."
He pointed upward accusingly again.
"Hey, sis! Why didn't you warn me before she attacked me?!"
Selena answered immediately,
"Wouldn't it have been more interesting this way?"
Akira frowned.
"Oi, sister."
Selena coughed lightly.
"…Come on. Nobody was in danger, and I knew I could stop both of you if necessary. So I figured it was better to let it happen and see what would happen."
Akira muttered thoughtfully,
"I mean… you do make sense. We did get a lot of data, but…"
Erika finally snapped.
"Can both of you stop treating this like some kind of experiment?!"
Silence.
Then Selena sighed.
"Fine. Let's talk seriously."
Her tone became noticeably calmer.
"What happened tonight was inevitable sooner or later."
Akira frowned slightly.
Selena continued,
"Using magic to suppress vampire instincts was never a permanent solution. Eclipse Clarity stabilized Erika emotionally, but it also prevented her from properly learning how to regulate those instincts herself."
Erika listened quietly.
"And right now," Selena continued, "things are even worse because both of you are emotionally unstable."
Akira immediately protested,
"I'm perfectly stab—"
Selena interrupted flatly.
"No. You are not."
Before he could defend himself further, she continued,
"Erika-chan's instincts react strongly to emotional attachment. The more emotionally attached she becomes, the stronger those instincts become."
Akira blinked.
"…Wait."
Selena continued mercilessly,
"And because your emotions are unstable too, both of you are unconsciously amplifying each other."
Silence filled the room.
Akira slowly processed that information.
"…So we're emotionally radioactive together?"
Selena replied immediately,
"…That is unfortunately an accurate description."
Erika covered her face again.
"…This is so embarrassing…"
Selena sighed.
"So instead of suppressing the problem with magic again, the better solution is controlled exposure and emotional conditioning."
Akira tilted his head.
"…What does that mean?"
Selena answered immediately,
"It means creating a safe environment where Erika-chan can gradually stabilize her instincts naturally."
Akira nodded seriously.
"…Makes sense."
Selena continued calmly,
"Preferably through consistent close contact, controlled feeding, and restricted movement to prevent accidental escalation."
Akira nodded again.
"…Still makes sense."
Then Selena casually delivered the finishing blow.
"So my current recommendation is handcuffing my brother to the bed."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Akira's brain stopped for a moment.
Then—
"…Actually, that does sound pretty effi—"
"NO!"
Erika instantly shot up from the bed, face burning bright red.
"I-I CAN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"
Selena sounded genuinely confused.
"Why not? It's practical."
Erika screamed.
"THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!"
Akira raised his hand slightly.
"…I'm okay with it if it helps."
Erika turned toward him in complete horror.
"WHY ARE YOU AGREEING SO FAST?!"
Akira blinked.
"…Because it sounds logical?"
"That makes it worse!"
Selena sighed deeply.
"Honestly, you two are exhausting."
Erika completely lost the ability to remain in the room any longer.
"I-I'M GOING BACK TO MY ROOM!"
Before either of them could stop her, she bolted out of the room at full speed.
SLAM.
The door shut loudly.
Silence filled the room again.
Akira stared blankly at the closed door.
"…So are we actually doing it?"
Selena replied immediately,
"We'll discuss the details tomorrow."
Akira nodded seriously.
"…Understood."
Then he paused.
"…So, can you show me now?"
Selena laughed softly.
"Well, not now. Good night, brother."
Akira sighed dramatically.
"…How am I supposed to sleep now?"