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It was a little past nine in the morning.
Tokyo, Nerima Ward.
Max landed softly in the courtyard of his place, still holding Moka Akashiya in his arms.
The barrier around them dissolved.
He didn't rush to put her down — instead, he carried her straight into the living room and sat down on the sofa, still holding her close.
Moka slowly lifted her head to look at him. Her pale face was tinged with a faint blush that wouldn't fade.
Their eyes met.
In each other's gaze, they saw only reflections of the other.
Max leaned down.
Their lips met — soft, warm, and trembling.
Moka's eyes fluttered shut. Her response was still a little clumsy, unsure, but her arms stayed wrapped around Max's neck.
Five minutes passed before they finally pulled apart.
Her gaze was hazy, cheeks flushed, breathing uneven.
When she finally caught her breath again, Max looked at her and smiled gently.
"Right, Moka… there's something I forgot to tell you before."
"What is it?" she asked softly.
"Before you, I actually already had a familiar."
"Huh?!"
Moka blinked, caught off guard.
A strange feeling stirred in her chest — something sour and tight.
She'd thought she was Max's first familiar… maybe even his only one.
But she wasn't the only one.
Not even the first.
Max looked straight into her eyes, his voice calm but serious.
"Moka, listen to me."
"I know I'm a bit greedy, and not exactly the most faithful guy. In the future, there'll probably be others who become my familiars."
"I won't make promises I can't keep."
"But I can promise you one thing."
"No matter how many familiars I have… you'll always be special to me. Unique."
"I'll never abandon you."
"You won't ever be second to anyone — you'll all be equals in my heart. Every one of you matters to me."
He laid it all out — honest and straightforward.
It was a bit of an overkill maybe, saying something so blunt, but Max chose honesty anyway.
If Moka was going to become his familiar — his partner, really — then he owed her that much truth.
Moka fell silent.
Her gaze wavered, but she could feel the sincerity behind his words.
A tangle of emotions flickered through her heart, then faded.
She quickly made up her mind.
She moved, straddling his lap, looking him straight in the eyes.
Her eyes shimmered with a watery glow; her flushed face was radiant.
"Then kiss me," she whispered.
Even if she couldn't be his only one, deep down, she just wanted to stay by his side — always.
So her choice was clear.
And honestly, neither of them were ordinary people.
One was a vampire. The other… well, a superhuman.
The rules of "normal" relationships didn't really apply to them.
Monogamy? One partner only?
From what she knew, her adoptive father, Shuzen Ichirō, had more than one partner too — even her sisters had different mothers.
So Moka quickly accepted it.
She chose to believe in Max.
To believe his word.
Because, if you noticed carefully, Max hadn't said you're the most important one to me — he didn't lie to make her feel better.
That made his promise even more real.
—Inside the Cross dimension—
The inner Moka, who shared the same memories, frowned slightly. Her crimson eyes flickered with thought before she relaxed again.
Since Max had already "conquered" her once — and she'd accepted it — there was no turning back.
As long as he didn't abandon her, she wouldn't give up either.
Seeing that Moka had made her choice, Max smiled softly. His eyes were warm as he leaned in again and captured her lips.
Moka's arms tightened around his neck.
This time, she grew more active, bolder — though still not as daring as the inner Moka.
"Let's… go to the room," she whispered shyly.
Her eyes shimmered like a clear morning lake, rippling with emotion.
Love filled the air, almost tangible.
And since she'd already said that, Max wasn't about to play the saint.
He stood up, his hand supporting her waist and hips, and carried her upstairs.
Everything flowed naturally from there.
The barrier sealed the bedroom.
Two and a half hours later—
After what could only be described as special training, Max cast Sky Magic on Moka.
Then, the inner Moka appeared.
Just like after she fed on blood — her pupils turned crimson, and her pink hair shimmered into silvery white.
"Again!" she said, pushing Max down onto the bed.
Max chuckled, watching her take the lead.
He closed his eyes, resting his hands behind his head, a grin tugging at his lips.
At this point, he didn't have to do a thing.
After all that earlier "work," he deserved to just enjoy himself for once.
—Meanwhile, in Tokyo's Meguro District—
Just as Max carried Moka upstairs, Yotsuya Miko, who was out shopping with Hana Yurikawa, suddenly froze.
"Huh?"
A strange feeling washed over her — like something heavy had just settled on her head.
It passed as quickly as it came.
She blinked, shook it off, and didn't think much of it, brushing away the unease.
She continued shopping with Hana.
As the day went on, she noticed something — Max had been right.
Her best friend Hana really did have the kind of body that attracted spirits… and one had started following her again.
Miko didn't react. She just ignored the ghost, suppressing the instinctive fear that always came up.
Before they knew it, noon had come.
Instead of heading home, the two grabbed lunch at a cozy-looking restaurant.
Half an hour later, they started walking toward Meguro Station.
"Wait a sec…"
Just before reaching the station, Miko suddenly stopped, pretending she'd just remembered something.
"What's wrong?" Hana asked.
Miko smiled softly. "Sorry, Hana. I just remembered I forgot to do something."
"You go on ahead."
"What is it?"
"Just something small. I'll catch up later, promise."
Before Hana could press further, Miko turned and walked away — decisively, like she'd made up her mind.
As soon as she left, the spirit that had been tailing Hana suddenly shifted, turning to follow Miko instead.
"Eh…?"
Hana blinked, watching her friend's back disappear into the crowd.
Something about it felt off — distant.
For some reason, she suddenly felt like there was an invisible wall between her and Miko.
Like they weren't as close as before.
What was going on?
Could it… have something to do with Max?
"....."