"What do you mean 'age out'? Nia, you're still young, and from now on you won't change at all," Shichen said with a smile, shaking his head.
"That's different, okay? Your heart still ages," Nia pouted back.
"With the way you act, you really don't look 'old at heart'. What's the difference between you and a little girl?" Shichen let go with one hand, pinching her lips as he teased.
"Hey—" Nia slapped his hand away, a little annoyed.
"Stop stalling!"
"Why so impatient? If you end up crying later, don't blame me," Shichen wrapped his arm back around her smooth waist and reminded her.
"Hmph~ I don't believe you. What could you possibly do that would make me cry?"
"Oh? So you're underestimating me!"
"Then let me see what you've got, okay~?" Nia chuckled charmingly, lowered her head, and kissed him.
Shichen tightened his hold on her and responded.
Nia wasn't young in years, but in terms of "experience" she was completely green—she only knew how to press her lips against his.
Shichen, on the other hand, was a seasoned pro. He took the lead without hesitation and taught her what to do.
"Mmm…"
The moment their tongues touched, Nia's eyes flew open in surprise. That feeling really was unbelievable—like an electric current shooting through her whole body, like her very soul had been elevated.
She'd known such a thing existed, but actually experiencing it made her realize her imagination had been far too shabby.
Kissing felt… incredible.
But wow, he was really skilled.
On that point, Nia felt just a tiny bit dissatisfied. She was the pure newbie here; a girl's first instinct is always to care about that kind of thing.
Still, she wasn't a little girl anymore—she got over it quickly.
If not for the other girls "helping" him level up, she wouldn't be able to enjoy a Shichen this experienced. Enjoying the fruits of someone else's labor wasn't so bad.
People should learn to be content.
When a kiss is clumsy and inexperienced, Shichen would get strangely excited—that was the sign he was about to corrupt someone, the manifestation of his possessiveness.
Naturally, his hands stopped behaving.
His left hand slid downward, his right hand moved to the front.
Each hand found its target, and his fingers couldn't help but move.
"Nn—!" Nia instantly stiffened.
She couldn't help herself and broke the kiss, breathing hard.
Shichen, however, didn't stop his hands; they kept moving.
Nia's face was already burning red. She lowered her head, glanced down, then shot him a shy sideways glare.
"Your technique is just as practiced…"
"Quit watching White Album," Shichen said, exasperated.
"Come on~ that's a famous series. Of course I have to watch it a lot for reference."
"You're even writing faction wars now?" Shichen looked at her in surprise—he still hadn't properly read her work.
"You haven't read my manga?!" Nia demanded, annoyed.
"I'll read it later, okay?"
"Hmph~" Nia sniffed, reluctantly accepting.
"I don't remember your series being a battle story," Shichen changed the subject.
"So what? That doesn't stop the male lead from being loved by a whole bunch of girls… Mm~"
"You are a female author, you know…"
"And? Male-targeted stuff sells more."
"…"
"And besides, I write the love triangle stuff for… mm~ myself."
"For yourself?" Shichen looked at her, puzzled.
"Pre-simulation, obviously. What if I have to compete with others someday?"
"They wouldn't do that."
"I know, everyone else is a good girl—but you still have to compete for affection."
"Is that so? Once we're done, you won't be thinking like that anymore," Shichen said, giving her a wicked smile.
"Why… mm~"
"Simple. You'll find out what being scared really feels like."
"Hmph~ all you do is talk big. Are your hands the only thing you're good at?"
"You really won't believe I'm serious until you see Kunge cry, huh."
"Then hurry up and get to the main event."
"No rush. Let me 'rebuild' you a little first."
"Rebuild me?"
"Like this."
As he spoke, Shichen's eyes took on a faint red glow, a bloody light flickering there. His fangs slowly lengthened.
"Oh~ you're a vampire?" Nia asked excitedly.
"More or less. Let me drink a little of your blood first."
Shichen let go with both hands and pulled her into his arms, one hand steadying the back of her head as he lowered his mouth to her neck.
"Will it hurt?" Nia pressed her forehead against his chest, a little tense.
"It won't."
"Ow—! Liar, that does hurt!"
His fangs pierced her skin, and Nia immediately felt the sting.
Two thin red lines trickled down. Nia could clearly feel her blood being drawn out.
She wasn't afraid—Shichen would never hurt her.
It just felt strange. Vampire legends were everywhere, but actually being bitten was rare.
It was a very peculiar sensation. She felt heat rising all through her body, her head going a little fuzzy, a sudden urge to kiss him.
How could getting your blood sucked make you feel like this?
No wonder vampires only like drinking the blood of beautiful girls… Nia couldn't help thinking.
Then she noticed something else—something was flowing back through her veins.
"Shichen…?"
He didn't answer. He was busy infusing his own blood into her, turning her into one of his familiars.
When he was done, Shichen lifted his mouth from her neck, two red threads of blood still clinging between skin and lips.
"Shi… chen…"
Nia's eyes had gone unfocused. She leaned toward him, found his lips, and kissed him.
The taste of their mingled blood in the kiss made her even more drunk on it; she eagerly tangled her tongue with his.
Shichen held her and kissed her back.
The groundwork was done—now it was time to get down to business.
He'd never heard Nia sing before. He didn't know what her voice sounded like, how good her singing was.
But he figured it had to be pretty good.
After a while, Nia was out of breath and broke away, panting wildly.
She didn't know how to breathe properly during a kiss yet; Shichen would have to teach her slowly.
"Shi…chen…" Nia finally caught her breath, cupping his face in both hands, eyes hazy as she looked at him.
"Don't come crying to me later~"
"I won't…"
Nia was down to just her underwear now, and that made things very convenient.
Shichen didn't push that convenience any further, though—she was still a girl, after all. If there was blood on the underwear later, it'd be ruined.
The design was cute; he didn't want to waste it.
Once that last piece was tossed onto the floor, singing began.
At first Nia could barely get any sound out, her throat sounding like it had been hurt, but little by little she got used to it, and her voice turned beautiful.
With no one else around, and with the side-effects of the blood-drinking kicking in, Nia completely let go and sang at full volume.
Shichen sat and listened quietly. The more he listened, the more hooked he became, the more he liked it.
As expected, Nia could sing—and she sang very well.
To keep her singing flowing and natural, Shichen didn't join in with her; he just sat there, listening to her voice.
Neither of them ate lunch.
By the afternoon, Nia finally sang herself out. Her voice was hoarse before she stopped.
Shichen scooped her up, laid her on the bed, and pulled the covers over her so she could rest.
Then he went to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and—without even cleaning the room—headed straight back to Rindouji Girls' Academy.
He had promised to meet Miku today.
Since Nia wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, Shichen decided to spend a bit of time with Miku, and then come back to look after her.
His schedule was very well-balanced.
This time, there was no need to stir up a scene to find Miku. Shichen went directly to the infirmary from yesterday and let a hint of his presence leak out.
It didn't take long for Miku to arrive.
Still in her cute sailor uniform.
"Darling!"
The moment she stepped into the infirmary and closed the door, seeing there was no one else around, Miku leapt straight into his arms.
Shichen opened his arms and caught her, holding her tight. The pressure against his chest was… formidable—Nia couldn't compete with that.
Thinking that felt a little unfair, but it was just the truth—and Miku was still going to keep developing.
People really aren't all built the same.
Even on a weekend, Miku still came to school to practice, since Tenou Festival would have stage performances—a singing contest.
Even if she wasn't an idol anymore, she still liked singing, and performing once for the school was no problem.
Tomorrow, Shichen wouldn't be able to come visit her.
Miku was determined not to go a whole day without seeing him. She sat snuggled on his lap all afternoon, clinging to him and constantly whining for him to come find her after school.
Just taking a walk or sharing some sweets would be enough.
There was no way Shichen could withstand that sweet, sticky coaxing, so he agreed on the spot. As for Tokha and the others—he'd explain it later.
The two of them stayed curled up together in the infirmary like that, not doing anything more intimate, just casually chatting.
Miku shared what her last two years had been like. Nothing dramatic, nothing thrilling—very ordinary, but she liked it that way.
Shichen was very happy about that too. She hadn't become that man-hating girl, nor the girl who only liked clinging to other girls, but rather a girl who only liked him and disliked all other men.
That was… not bad at all.