Luke waved his hand in front of Krul's eyes, but she didn't react.
He poked Krul's cheek; still no reaction.
Luke let out a sigh of relief.
Finally, it's done.
Looking at the new mission on the light screen, Luke understood that tonight Mika would steal the map of Sanguinem and attempt to lead the children to freedom.
But the naive Mika surely didn't know yet that all of this was within Ferid's calculations.
He should have let the plot develop slowly, but since Luke had known these children for so many years, he still hoped to do what he could to save everyone.
Even if the subsequent plot changed drastically due to the butterfly effect, he could accept it.
So today, he had drawn his blood in advance and added half a Sedative Candy to the cup.
Although the amount of blood wasn't enough to make Krul drunk, half a Sedative Candy was enough to make her sleep for more than three hours.
Luke checked the time; accounting for the time Mika and the others would spend walking, there were still over four hours before they would encounter Ferid.
The timing should match up; at least Krul would be able to make it by then.
Luke opened the miku map and took a shortcut to the path Mika and the others were bound to take... a house within the human residential area.
Everyone at the Hyakuya Orphanage was eating delicious curry, the atmosphere harmonious and joyful.
"So delicious!"
But there was one person who hadn't taken a bite.
Yuichiro stared blankly at the curry rice in his bowl, no one knowing what was on his mind.
The little girl sitting next to Yuichiro noticed he wasn't eating and asked curiously,
"What's wrong, Big Brother Yu? Aren't you eating?"
"Hmm? Oh."
Yuichiro responded dully.
The little girl didn't press further and went back to her meal.
At that moment, a short-haired girl at the dining table spoke up to everyone.
"Today, um, I think it's my birthday!"
The girl beside her quickly chimed in.
"My birthday is today too!"
A little boy shouted indignantly,
"That's so unfair! Then it's mine too!"
"Mine too!"
The children scrambled to join in.
Seeing this, Byakuya Akane, sitting at the head of the table, smiled gently at everyone.
"Well then, let's just say today is everyone's birthday!"
Upon hearing this, the children were extremely excited.
"Yeah!"
"That's great!"
Yuichiro watched the scene, smiling helplessly without saying a word.
Byakuya Akane took the opportunity to say to the children,
"You must make sure to thank Big Brother Mika."
"I will!"
"Where did Big Brother Mika go?"
"Why isn't he here?"
"Big Brother Yu, where is Big Brother Mika?"
Noticing his absence, the children began to ask one after another.
For a moment, Yuichiro was overwhelmed by the questions.
"Mika, he's..."
Yuichiro looked at the curry rice on the table, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Yuichiro already knew that Mika's occasional disappearances were to go to Ferid's mansion to trade blood for delicious and healthy food, but it was better not to let everyone know about such things.
It would only make the 'family' worry.
"Taichi is stealing my curry!"
A sharp voice diverted everyone's attention; children, after all, are easily distracted by external things.
"Then Taichi's curry is confiscated!"
"How can you do that!"
"Hahahaha..."
The issue was dropped just like that.
Everyone finished the pleasant dinner amidst laughter and playfulness.
Only Yuichiro, the only one who knew Mika's situation, couldn't eat.
More than two hours later, everyone had drifted into dreamland, except for Yuichiro, who lay with his head on his hands, unable to sleep no matter what; he was very worried about Mika.
Everyone slept on the floor; this was their bed.
In the alley, Mika's figure approached from the distance under the dim light; it was clear that he was currently very weak.
Mika opened the door and walked in. As he climbed up to the attic, he saw Yuichiro sitting up and looking at him.
Mika was startled for a moment, then smiled and greeted Yuichiro.
"Hey, I'm back, Yu-chan."
Seeing Mika return safely, Yuichiro gave a tsundere reply and lay on his side, preparing to sleep.
"Oh."
Mika climbed into the attic and joked with Yuichiro.
"Aren't you going to say 'Welcome back'?"
Yuichiro kept his back to Mika.
"Anyway, I ate your portion of the curry."
Mika's tone was one of disbelief.
"No way?!"
Yuichiro stopped joking, his tone becoming complex.
"Just kidding. The kids were all very happy."
Mika chuckled; hearing Yuichiro say that made him feel his sacrifice was worth it.
Yuichiro disguised his tone to sound casual and asked,
"So, for this curry, what was done to you?"
Mika knew Yuichiro was worried about him and remained silent for a short while.
"Honestly."
Yuichiro sat up again.
"Next time, I'll go sell my blood."
Mika teased,
"Yu-chan, your blood must taste so bad it wouldn't even sell."
Just as Yuichiro was about to retort, Mika spoke again.
"Just kidding!"
Mika spoke with earnestness.
"Yu-chan doesn't need to do that. Aren't you going to take down the Vampires? Until then, I'll—"
Yuichiro angrily interrupted Mika.
"Don't give me that crap! Don't try to shoulder everything alone! I... I'm not an idiot either, about defeating the Vampires and all that..."
The momentum in Yuichiro's voice grew weaker and weaker.
"Don't say another word!"
Mika encouraged him, his voice carrying a hint of a sob.
"The children believe what Yu-chan says, so the Vampires will definitely be defeated. We won't lose! Yu-chan, keep saying those things... Alright, let's go eat curry!"
Mika wiped his tears and stood up; he knew Yuichiro, this guy probably hadn't even eaten his own curry.
At the table, Mika suddenly pulled out a handgun.
"Ta-da! Yu-chan is going to fight Vampires later; you can't go to war on an empty stomach."
Yuichiro had a look of disbelief as he took the handgun.
"You..."
Mika looked proud and said mysteriously,
"Actually, this is no big deal."
Under Yuichiro's shocked gaze, Mika pulled a map from his clothes and spread it on the table.
"Ta-da! Look, a map of this city! It clearly marks the route to the exit."
Yuichiro was beyond shocked.
"You... did you get this from that Noble...?"
"I, Lord Mikael, am not someone who lets Vampires suck my blood for nothing."
Looking at the cocky Mika, Yuichiro really didn't know what to say.
Mika's tone shifted, becoming gentle.
"Let's escape together."
Yuichiro felt that escaping now was too risky and wanted to say something.
Mika saw through Yuichiro's thoughts and quickly said,
"It's fine, it's fine, I've planned everything! Just leave it to Lord Mikael!"
Yuichiro was still uneasy and asked,
"But what about the virus? The outside is a world of death."
Mikael seemed to know something.
"That apparently doesn't infect people under thirteen. How old are we again?"
Yuichiro was a bit speechless; how could someone not even remember their own age?
"Twelve."
"Then let's use this one year to figure it out. The two of us, plus our family from the Hyakuya Orphanage."
...The escape of the Hyakuya Orphanage had begun!
You will get 90 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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