Chapter 252: Gasper
"Could it really be here...?"
Haruto hesitated before entering. After inquiries, he learned that Gasper had barely attended school since showing up briefly at the beginning of the semester.
The dilapidated small Western-style house before him, eerie and deathly silent in the fading twilight, was the address Gasper had listed at school.
After using detection magic to confirm someone actually lived there, Haruto pushed open the front door covered in spiderwebs.
Dust filled the air. Only after hastily casting a magical barrier did he continue exploring.
The three-story house with a small yard was much more spacious than typical Japanese homes.
If well maintained, it would have been quite comfortable to live in.
But now, the spaciousness only made the place feel more sinister.
The yard was overgrown with weeds. As it was early summer when vegetation grows most vigorously, the tallest weeds reached nearly waist-high.
In the dimming light, the faint, shifting shadows looked terrifying.
The living room on the first floor was also covered in dust, though the kitchen remained relatively clean, suggesting occasional use.
Upstairs on the second floor, the rooms that should have been bedrooms were completely empty, without any furniture.
Following the sensed presence upward, Haruto's shoes creaked uncomfortably on the wooden stairs, the sound echoing through the cold, silent house and adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Haruto wasn't afraid - in this world, ghosts were as real as angels and devils.
He even carried with him the soul of this world's most powerful ghost - Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor.
But he strongly disliked the filthy environment.
Though not obvious, he actually had mild mysophobia - this was why he usually bathed before dual cultivation sessions.
The third floor was smaller, with only one room.
Compared to the other two floors, it was much cleaner. The doorway was blocked by seal tape, clearly indicating someone was trying to hide something.
"Huh..." Haruto had intended to push the door open directly, but was blocked by an invisible barrier.
"Who would have thought this seal was actually an enlarged barrier created by a sealing spell."
After studying it briefly, he discovered the reason.
This shut-in was so socially anxious that they had directly sealed themselves off with a barrier, which only lifted late at night.
This period was likely when Gasper would come out to forage and bathe.
After spending half an hour dismantling the sealing barrier, Haruto finally managed to push the door open.
"Eeeek!!!"
A sharp, piercing shriek—like a young girl being assaulted—suddenly tore through the sky. Haruto instinctively covered his ears and took two steps back.
Once the scream faded, he first scanned the area to confirm it was remote enough that no one would be drawn by the noise, then carefully observed the room's interior.
The room was largely indistinguishable from a typical girl's bedroom, except that where a bed should have been, there lay a coffin.
Yes, exactly the kind of classic vampire coffin from movies—an irregular hexagon, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.
Unlike ordinary coffins, this one was quite ornate.
Not only was it studded with a circle of sparkling rhinestones, but it was also draped with semi-transparent white fabric as a curtain, adorned with red embroidery, giving it a lavish and mysterious aura.
The curtain functioned like a regular bed canopy; when drawn, it concealed the coffin serving as the bed.
But there's already a coffin lid, so no one can see inside anyway... yet they went to the trouble of adding a curtain. How idle.
Sensing the intermittent breathing from within the coffin, Haruto complained internally.
He didn't rush to open the coffin lid but instead stroked his chin with interest, observing it carefully.
Come to think of it, he had always wondered: wouldn't sleeping in a coffin feel stuffy and cramped?
Even if vampires don't suffocate, it must be uncomfortable, right? Why choose a coffin over a perfectly soft, spacious bed?
Moreover, crafting a decent coffin isn't any cheaper than buying a bed.
Inside the coffin, Gasper—dressed in a cute little dress with slender legs clad in black thigh-high socks—had tear-filled eyes and a pitiful expression.
He had been peacefully at home when suddenly someone barged in. After the initial scare, he braced himself for the coffin lid to be forcibly opened, but then the person fell silent.
Had they left?
Gasper wondered inwardly and decided to test the waters.
"U-um, is there something you need?"
The voice was unexpectedly cute—could they actually be a girl?
Haruto's eyes lit up. "Are you Gasper Vladi from Class 1-F? I'm from the Kuoh Academy student council. There's something I need your cooperation with."
"Didn't we agree I wouldn't have to attend school? Are you going back on your word?"
Gasper's slender body trembled, but the coffin posed no barrier to their conversation.
"This isn't about school attendance."
Haruto had already learned that Gasper's absence from school was approved by the academy, and placing them in a regular class was meant to further reduce their visibility.
It seemed exceptional talents always received special treatment—this held true everywhere.
As the reincarnation of a fragment of a demon god's consciousness, though currently a hybrid of human and vampire, Gasper Vladi's potential shouldn't be underestimated.
"Forbidden Balor View"—that was the name of the Sacred Gear they possessed. This power of the demon god Balor could freeze time for anything within their line of sight.
This ability was so overpowered it seemed like cheating, so potent that Gasper couldn't control it—when agitated, the power would activate uncontrollably.
After Haruto briefly explained the vampire incident, Gasper responded bluntly.
"It wasn't me. I don't drink blood."
"Then what do you do when you're hungry? Won't you starve?"
With so many variations of vampire lore, Haruto wasn't sure about this world's specifics, so he took the opportunity to chat with Gasper.
Though annoyed that Haruto wouldn't leave, hiding in the coffin allowed Gasper to maintain somewhat normal conversation.
Hoping to send Haruto away sooner, Gasper answered every question, and unexpectedly, their conversation stretched on.
Through the vampire's own explanations, Haruto finally understood how vampires worked in this world.
It was mostly similar to what he'd known before, with one difference: vampires at B-rank or higher weren't afraid of sunlight, and those with exceptional bloodlines were born unafraid—like Gasper and Tachibana Nanao.
Blood wasn't their only food source.
Drinking blood was solely for power enhancement; other foods could satisfy hunger just fine.
They discussed many other scattered topics—like why Gasper slept in a coffin instead of a bed, and what it felt like.
Though exasperated, Gasper answered each question.
They didn't know about other vampires, but for them, the enclosed space of the coffin felt secure.
As for the sensation... it was somewhat stuffy, but they liked it.
With his curiosity satisfied, Haruto smiled. "I have one last question."
"...Go ahead."
Hearing it was the final question, Gasper sighed in relief—they'd spoken more with Haruto in this short time than with anyone else in the past year.
"Are you really a girl?"
"..."
Inside the coffin, Gasper's breath hitched for a moment before a slightly flustered voice emerged through the lid.
"O-of course! I'm definitely a girl! D-don't the school records sh-show that...?"
"Really?" Haruto said confidently. "I don't believe you."
Curling up inside the coffin, Gasper began weeping pitifully again, though no one could see it.
"I-I really am a girl..."
"I won't believe it unless you let me see for myself."
Haruto was about to step forward to open the coffin. He wouldn't feel reassured until he personally verified Gasper's gender.