Vk la trappola del ghiaccio nero (secondo romanzo)

Vampire Knight The Noir Trap

Story by Ayuna Fujisaki

Drawings and Creation by Matsuri Hino

Translated from Japanese to Chinese (Official Publication). Uploaded in Chinese by LZ

Translated from Chinese to English by: Witless Fool

Version 2.0

This translation was originally provided on http://vampire-knight.livejournal.com

Vampire Knight: The Noir Trap Page 1

Disclaimer:
The purpose of this translation is to share the stories with the English-speaking audience, who after
so many years, are still waiting for an official release. It’s strictly free – no commercial distribution
is allowed. Distribution for general discussion and other fan purposes are allowed, and feel free to
translate this into other languages for the other VK fans out there. But please do not claim this as
your own work – give credit where credit is due. I spent a lot of effort on the translations and would
be reluctant to do any future translations if people were to take my hours of hard work and pass it
off as their own.

That being said, please remember the novel is the creation of Ayuna Fujisaki and Matsuri Hino. If
and when the novel is officially released in English (fingers crossed!), please buy it and support the
series!

Little Extra Side Notes (Important, Please Read):
Things often get lost in translation (that’s how the phrase came into being in the first place). And
even if it’s the official release of the Chinese version, even the most professional translator cannot
retain everything when crossing from one language to another. And when you have a translation of
a translation (done by, well... me, NOT a professional translator) – it’s inevitable that twice the
amount of material get lost.

(Plus, when characters talk, they rarely ever add who said what. So during a long convo sequence,
it’s difficult to figure out who’s actually saying which line.)

In addition, Japanese honorifics such as senpai and sama are pretty much lost when this was
translated into Chinese. I used honorifics according to how the characters interacted in manga (like
Kaname-sama or Wild-senpai) but the others, I’m just going with what I think is right... which is
probably wrong.

Also, LZ didn’t specify where a chapter started and where one ended, so I’m just putting in breaks
where it felt the most natural.

In addition, what may sound poetic and eloquent in one language sounds terribly awkward and
disjointed in another. In an attempt to make this feel like a novella and read smoothly, some artistic
license has been taken. So don’t take this as a literal translation, though I do remain as close to the
literal translation as I possibly can.

So when the official release does come out, do not come back and start flaming me for getting things
wrong. Because at the end of the day, this is just a fan’s attempt to share more bits of the VK world
with other fans. It may not be perfect. It may be wrong in some spots. But the general gist is there.
Think of it as a fan’s impression of what happened in the stories rather than a literal professional
translation.

So in short, READ, ACCEPT THE FLAWS, ACKNOWLEDGE THE AUTHORS, ACKNOWLEDGE
THE TRANSLATORS and ENJOY!


Table of Contents
Disclaimer and Important Notes Page 2

Chapter One: The Noir Trap Page 4

Chapter Two: For This Beautiful Night – Nadashiko Shindo Page 42

Chapter Three: For this Beautiful Night – Kaseumi Kageyama Page 65


Chapter One: The Noir Trap
“What are you doing in someone else’s room?” As Zero returned to his own room, he found an
intruder standing by his closet. “Chairman Cross.”

“Well... It’s like this.” The self-proclaimed father of Zero explained. “I- I was doing my laundry when I
thought I might as well grab Zero’s clothes too.”

Zero sighed at this pathetic excuse.

“Even if you prepared all my uniforms, I’m still not going.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Straight-away, Chairman’s eyes became shifty. He had never
been good at lying. It was just as well for Zero.

“I want to sleep. Please get out.”

“Ah well, okay... good night.”

Zero slapped the door shut, and then sat down on the bed. It has been almost a year since he
graduated from middle school. Over the course of that year, the Chairman had pulled a lot of crazy
stunts. For instance, he once came in with a ruler in his hand. He pretended he was going to take
Zero’s middle school uniform for a wash but instead, took the opportunity to measure Zero’s
clothes.

And tonight, while Zero was in the shower, he sneaked in to measure the size of Zero’s clothes so he
can have Zero’s high school uniform made up.

I’m not going to go to high school....

This time last year, when graduation date was approach, the Chairman would often bring up the
topic of education at the dinner table. Whenever this happened, Zero would either completely
ignore him or explicitly tell him “no.”

And every time Zero said this, the Chairman would sigh or look at him with sad eyes.

Other people have also tried to persuade him, but Zero absolutely refused. For once he attended
high school, he would have to run into the vampire gang. Even with the school divided into Night
Class and Day class, interactions between the two cohorts were inevitable during the changeover
times.

Even those short periods of time gave Zero a repulsive feeling of being contaminated. He did not
want to breathe the same air as them. Ever since “that woman” bit him, he had been living in a pool
of despair.

If he was to interact with them, he may end up falling... It was the fear of degeneration that stopped
him from attending high school.

Was that so wrong?


He silently brushed his fingers through her hair. It was silky and smooth with a smooth supple feel to
it. The fingers twirled the hair around, let it fall back into place, before repeating the action all over
again.

Meanwhile, the girl remained motionless in his arms.

“Ah...” Out of the corner of the smiling mouth, a pair of small fangs could be seen.

This was what humans did not have. They were white... and small...

Fangs...

The slender white neck... The scattered silky hair...

After he finished playing with her hair, his hands began searching for the arteries. They slowly glided
up the girl’s neck. His lips soon followed, slowly kissing up the path with anticipation. He would
brush the girl’s hair aside, inhale the sweet aroma and become intoxicated by it.

This was his unique courtship.

The eternal kiss.

Accepting the courtship of the vampire, the girl’s eyes were void of any expression. Then, an
unknown object floated gently into the young girl’s hands.

It was a rose... which the vampire dedicated to the girl ...made of coagulated blood.

“...?”

In the depth of slumber, the young teenager was aware of someone calling out his name and asking
him a question. He buried his face into his pillow, but nevertheless, mustered enough energy for a
reply.

“.... That one... should be fine...”

Having understood his semi-coherent reply, his roommate nodded. “Okay.” Having said that, he got
up and left.

It was a rest day. Sleeping in like this was an absolute luxury. Normally, the noisy Day Class students
would be outside. But today, it was all quiet and peaceful – perfect for sleeping. Hanabusa turned
over in his bed and fell back asleep, completely forgetting the conversation he just had.


“Really... why would I want to do such a thing?”

As the driver stepped on the emergency brake and stopped the vehicle, Ruka opened the door and
gracefully stepped out of the taxi.

With pale white skin and a slender slim figure, she was as pretty as a doll. And with long wavy hair
cascading down her back, she looked like a beautiful graceful lady. She was, after all, one of the most
beautiful girls of the Night Class – Ruka Souen.

But on that particular day, Ruka was in a bad mood.

It was during the day time, which for vampires, was way too early to be up and about. Sure, the sun
wasn’t their mortal enemy – it won’t kill them. But for vampires, exposure to sunlight was
nevertheless uncomfortable.


Moreover, she was more disgruntled with her partner than anything else.

“Ah... But what can we do? This was, after all, Kaname-sama’s order.”

Following her out of the taxi, Akatsuki Kain replied in a soothing tone, trying to comfort the sulking
Ruka.

He had a tall, prominent yet at the same time soft figure, long strands of wind-swept untamed hair,
and a lean, tight mouth that gave off an impression filled with wildness.

Today, the two of them were not wearing the school uniform of the night class, but their own
normal clothes.

Upon hearing Akatsuki emphasize the words “Kaname-sama” into her ear, a blushing Ruka jerked
her head up and gave the considerably taller Akatsuki a severe glare.

“O-of course! Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have come out with you! But seriously, why would
Kaname-sama specifically pick us two?”

“If the Dorm President made this decision, he must have his reasons.”

Ruka had no response to this reasonable reply. Instead, she focused on trying to suppress the anger
building within her. Constantly throwing temper tantrums was not the answer.

“–the ancient castle, must be it, right?” Ruka pondered out loud.

Aktasuki nodded his head in agreement. “Ah, Shiki and Rima must be here.”

In front of them stood an ancient castle.

The ancient castle was filled with a cold atmosphere. As she took one step inside, Ruka couldn’t help
but give out a sigh of uneasiness. Having come to such a place, air that one can actually breathe
comfortably was suddenly scarce and valuable.

“–Shiki’s over there.”

Akatsuki found Shiki standing on the grand spiral staircase of the lofting hallway. Ruka also turned
her neck in their direction, her lips curled up into a smile.

“Rima’s there as well, sitting on the steps. But... what kind of outfit is that?”

The handrails of the spiral staircase were designed to look like vines. Blood red roses were scattered
all over the dark red carpet. Overall, the backdrop created a beautiful atmosphere.

Shiki was still in the middle of the shoot. Only a slight flicker in his eyes indicated his
acknowledgement of their arrival.

Although Shiki’s big eyes gave off a characteristic rigid appearance, at the same time, they also
exuded a sense of delicate charm that was as thin as glass. The lack of change in his expression was
one of the reasons he had become such a prized model. It gave him an unshakeable sense of


presence. No one else has his ability to create this type of atmosphere – it’s his greatest charm. He
was... irreplaceable.

At the present moment, he was wearing a white dress shirt with tight black pants. The open shirt
revealed a considerable amount of chest, and the tuxedo over it had an asymmetrical hem. On top
of it all, he wore a large black cloak.

As Shiki spread out his arms as if he was prepared to fly, the cloak immediately flared out around
him like wings. A bloody red rose fell gently from the cloak, drifting through the air before settling
into the hands of Rima, who was sitting on the twisted staircase.

Although she naturally held a distinctive charm, Rima’s beauty was highlighted by the make-up that
was applied to her face. Her crystal white skin reflected the shimmering light emitted by the
surrounding blue and white lights. Her slender and beautiful eyes were clouded with confusion as
she gazed off into the horizon. Her sexy slim lips were coloured bright red. Wearing a retro-styled
dress, Rima expressed no response to the rose that fell into her hands.

In that moment, they were models, portraying characters on a set. As a young vampire, and the
human girl that was attracted by his charm. Click. The photographer captured a snapshot of this
unique world.

“Heard the subject of this photo shoot is ‘vampire of the ancient castle.’”

“Really? Then Rima is acting as the human that got abducted? Pretending to be a vampire... really...
is this the type of job that Shiki and Rima are willing to do?” Ruka’s tone was neutral, containing
neither sarcasm nor mockery.

Upon hearing this, Akatsuki could only shrug his shoulders in reply.

“Shiki-kun, please turn slightly towards me! Ah, yes, that’s right! Now try this –” The energetic
photographer kept pressing the shutter. Meanwhile, the two professional models remained
motionless, moving only when told.

“Come to think of it, this is my first time seeing them while they are working.”

“Me too.”

“Ah, Shiki-kun is really good! That’s just the expression of a vampire: cold, proud and lonely. Just as I
would expect – no, even better than I expected. And Miss Rima is also very good. It really does look
like a vampire and his beloved noble lady.” The photographer commented loudly as his camera
never stopped taking shots.

“But then again, it’s no wonder when you consider Shiki-kun and Miss Rima are professional models.
I heard, this time, the two of them specifically asked to work with him.” Next to Akatsuki and Ruka,
the staff working behind the scenes started talking among themselves.

“It’s because this ancient castle emits a great atmosphere. And with great models such as those two,
it’s no wonder the photographer is getting more and more excited with each shot he takes.”


“Vampire of the ancient castle, forever young and beautiful, falling in love with a human girl. Ah, the
love story is so poignant. Just look at those two, they could definitely make a TV series out of this.”

“Speaking of vampires, have you heard of the rumour yet?”

“Ah, uh, that one?” The female staff member dropped her voice, her tone becoming somewhat
more sombre.

Although he was turned away from them and appeared not to be paying any attention, Akatsuki
shoulders suddenly stiffened. Ruka also slowly blinked her eyes. Those were the only indications of
their heightened awareness. Though, of course, the eyes of ordinary humans observed none of this.

“It’s strange though, isn’t it? Looked like the deaths were caused by severe blood loss.”

“And all the targets were beautiful young girls...”

“And is it true what they said about all the corpses were drained of blood?”

“There were no official police reports?”

“The events were so bizarre that they didn’t want to reveal them to the public. I heard the police
and authorities are investigating it in secret.”

“It’s really scary...”

Dispelling the heavy atmosphere, a female staff member cheerfully mused, “ah, but if it was me, as
long as the vampire looked like Shiki-senpai, I wouldn’t mind getting sucked...”

All the other staff laughed it off as they returned to their respective jobs. Having just finished the
photo shoot, Rima and Shiki left the spiral staircase and looked over at Akatsuki and Ruka.

“I think it’s their break time, let’s go over.”

“Sure.”

“Shiki-kun and Rima, you two must be tired.” A short-haired woman wearing glasses quickly strode
across the hallway towards the pair.

Upon seeing their manager, Rima pointed at the magazine spread open on the table and said, “Next
time, let’s use this photographer.”

“Ai, isn’t that Inakaru-sensei? He’s a very well known newcomer. Rima, you have great foresight. Just
as well, he’s working for the firm that’s covering the next photo shoot.”

Having heard the manager, Shiki also glanced down at the magazine and muttered, “Fine, let’s go
with him.”

“Recently, you two have become used to picking photographers by name, and are more willing to
accept magazine interviews. This is so great. You two are finally beginning to become more
professional. But before the next photo shoot, we need to get you two hydrated.”

As the manager quickly strode away, Akatsuki raised his hand in greeting to the pair.


“Shiki, Rima, must be tiring.”

Since Shiki and Rima were already aware of Akatsuki and Ruka’s entrance while they were busy
working, the two showed not a flicker of surprise. After all, they do pay attention to their
surroundings.

“... You two came together.” Shiki grunted.

Ruka couldn’t help but purse her lips and blurt out, “it was Kaname-sama’s order. But let’s not talk
about that... Here, take this. Hanabusa recommended these cakes.”

Shiki immediately opened the box. But when he saw the luxuriously decorated cakes, he lost all
interest and closed the lids again. “I’d actually prefer a chocolate bar. Rima, want some?”

“No.”

Ruka easily disposed of the cakes by giving it to one of the staff members.

Meanwhile, Akatsuki took out a small box and handed it to Shiki. “I figured you’d say that, so I got
you guys these.”

“Limited edition fragrant coffee flavour... I thought these were sold out.”

Shiki happily opened the box and silently offered a pocky stick to Rima. They were the same as
always. No words of communication were necessary.

“How was today’s photo shoot?” Akatsuki asked them casually.

The photographer was busy adjusting the set. He darted from one spot to another, constantly
making changes like moving the chair around and ordering the assistants to change the position of
the lights etc.

“Should get some good shots.”

Hearing Rima’s reply, Akatsuki shot Ruka a glance.

“Do you think that’s him?”

“Maybe. But then, after this, there are other photo shoots right?”

Although they just got there, Ruka’s body language was already screaming “I want to get out of
here.” It was bad enough having to mingle with the day class students during the changeovers back
at school. But having to be surrounded by so many ordinary people under such circumstances?
Ruka’s bad mood just got much worse.

... But it’s Kaname-sama’s order.

Besides, it wasn’t just her who accepted the task. She was there with Akatsuki.

Kaname-sama...


Ruka gently rested her cold fingers against her neck. On the night they moved into the Moon
Dormitory, Kaname-sama took her blood. Although she had not experienced that lucky event since
then, just the fact that Kaname-sama specifically chose her for this task made her extremely happy.

“Fine, let’s wait till after the start of the next photo shoot before we go back. After all, it can’t be
that easy to encounter the guy.”

“Indeed.” Just as Ruka gave that brief response to Akatsuki –

Shiki and Rima’s manager came running back, saying in a stern voice, “Really! I told you guys to
restrict your intake of sweets. It’s for your own good!”

The pocky stick Rima was holding (her third one) froze in mid-air.

Akatsuki was just about to walk away, but he couldn’t help but add, “Ah, sorry.”

Upon hearing Akatsuki’s apology, the manager’s gaze immediately turned to him. Her eyes widened
and it was as if she suddenly forgot how to blink. With her eyes firmly fixed on Akatsuki, the
manager quickly took in all his handsome features.

“...uh, that is...”

“The chocolate, I was the one who bought it for them.”

“Ah, oh, are you a classmate of theirs?”

“Uh-huh.” Akatsuki nodded his head.

“Ah, so sorry, I thought you were another model.” The manager blushed as she continued to stare at
Akatsuki. Her voice even cracked a little.

“Uh, manager...” Even Shiki’s helpless sigh failed to reach her ears.

“Why don’t you become a model for us? And the girl standing next to you, she’s so beautiful. Are all
friends of Shiki-kun this beautiful?”

“That’s right, I’ve been dying to give her a make-over ever since she got here,” the make-up artist
had Ruka planned as his next target.

Even the photographer looked up from his work and nodded in agreement. “He has a type of
masculinity that’s completely different from Shiki-kun. I really want to get his picture as well.”

At this moment, a loud voice shouted from the entrance. “I’m so sorry, we got here a little bit earlier
than expected. But can we take some shots here. We’re part of the “castle tours” group, here to
take some special edition pictures.”

Looked like the next photo shoot has already showed up.

“Ah, you must be from the magazine,” the manager said.

Dressed in a T-shirt and casual jeans, a young man quickly walked over and handed her a business
card. “I’m the editor of the magazine.” Having introduced himself, he looked over at Akatsuki and


Ruka. “We originally intended to use Shiki-kun and Miss Rima for the castle photo shoot. But if it’s
possible, I hope they could participate as well.”

“But, we just came for a visit...” Akatsuki’s half-spoken sentence was quickly drowned out by the
chatter of the surrounding staff members.

“A couple of photos won’t hurt –”

“Just leave make-up and hair to us, don’t worry about a single thing!”

“It would be a great memory for you both –”

In a few short moments, the two of them were completely surrounded with no means of escape.
Outside the chaos, a comfortable Shiki observed the unfolding mess and whispered quietly. “I want
to see this.”

“Shiki, you...”

“...”

Ruka kept shooting Akatsuki looks that said “are you kidding me?”

Akatsuki could only breathe out a helpless sigh. “Did I say too much...”

Meanwhile, Rima calmly said to Shiki, who was standing by her side. “An occasional photo shoot is
not that bad. Besides...” Rima looked behind the magazine editor at the photographer. “That guy’s
the next photographer.”

Instantly, all four them tensed up. The guy Rima was pointing at was the photographer she selected
out of the magazine, who, according to their manager, was fast becoming a well-known
photographer.

“The chance of him being the guy is quite high.”

Akatsuki nodded his head, then muttered to Ruka. “... might as well see this to the end.”

“... I said right from the start I didn’t want to do such a thing.”

On their way to the school, Ruka couldn’t help but voice out her dissatisfaction. She then sighed, “Oh
well, there’s no way out of it, what’s done is done.”

Walking alongside her, Akatsuki tried to comfort Ruka by whispering some quiet words of
reassurance. Unfortunately, the loud commotion around them drowned him out. The screaming fan
girls irritated Ruka to no ends. After all, she was of noble birth, she found girls who shamelessly
cheer and squeal utterly unbearable. Even under normal circumstances, she found it hard to hold
onto her temper. But now, in her extremely agitated state...

“Kya, Wild-senpai!”


“Look over here!”

“Please, will you stay a model?”

“Can you please sign this magazine?”

Akatsuki gave them a gentle wave, which unfortunately only caused the girls to scream even louder
with excitement.

“He’s so cool!”

Seeing the recently-published magazine clutched in the hands of so many students, Ruka sighed
again. The magazine just came out yesterday. “How did the news spread so quickly around this
school?”

Really, so many things irritated her lately.

Wordlessly, they walked into the classroom. Outside the window, the sun was setting over the
horizon.

“...hahahahaha”

The laughter fell on deaf ears. Both Ruka and Akatsuki simply turned their heads away.

This guy, let’s beat him up into a pulp.

Hidden underneath the table, Ruka’s hands curled up into angry fists.

“Oh, this is hilarious... hahahaha...”

After a while, just as Ruka was about to reach the end of her patience, Akatsuki suddenly stood up,
reached over and patted Hanabusa on the head.

“Your laughter has gone too far.” He quietly admonished him.

But to Hanabusa, it was just too funny. He couldn’t contain his laughter as he wiped tears of mirth
away from the corners of his eyes. “I thought to myself, why would vampires dress up and pretend
to be vampires for a photo shoot? At first, I thought that was ironic, but now, look at the magazine,
hahaha, couldn’t resist, oh hahaha”

Spread out on the table was the popular youth magazine, on it was a picture of Shiki as a vampire
and Rima playing the human girl that captured his heart. But the problem did not lie there. Instead,
it was the picture next to it. With her back against the sofa, Ruka wore a bored expression on her
face. And Akatsuki rose from behind the sofa, with both arms stretched out across its back, as if he
was about to take Ruka into his arms.


The front of Akatsuki’s shirt was open, revealing the well-defined muscles that lay beneath. That
alone was enough to make women swoon for the man. His natural hair also provided a sharp
contrast to Shiki, giving Akatsuki a rough and wild image.

On the other hand, Ruka was dressed in a glamourous low-cut black dress. She had a rose raised
close to her lips, as if she was enjoying the fragrance of the beautiful flower.

Since they were not models, it was impossible for them to express and act like Shiki and Rima. They
had wanted to use this excuse as a way to turn down the modelling invitation. However, the
photographer said, “as long as you guys are in the shots, it’s fine.” So he just put them onto the set
and ended up taking this shot.

Besides – “It exudes a sexy kind of atmosphere. It’s pretty great, right?” – Shiki commented, with
that “bored” expression on his face, causing Ruka to become even more agitated.

This is so bothersome, let’s just get this over and done with...


Although it was the complete opposite of how they felt inside, the end result was exactly as Rima
and Shiki’s manager described it – “a wonderful kind of glamourous and sexy atmosphere.”

“Don’t say such strange things.” Ruka glared at Shiki. Really, it was his fault it turned out like this.

“Hahahahaha...” Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Hanabusa was still laughing uncontrollably.

Concerned about how Ruka felt, Akatsuki said to Hanabusa. “Are you done laughing yet?”

“No, no way... hahaha”

Ruka reached the last of her patience. She slammed shut the magazine. “If you want to laugh, keep
laughing. At least, don’t expect an apology when I lose my temper!”

“Haha, okay, sorry, sorry. But seriously, you have only yourselves to blame. Why did you go to the
modelling studio anyway. Besides,” Hanabusa added, snickering, as he picked up the magazine and
flipped it open. “I can use this as a joke for a very long time.”

Ruka narrowed her eyes as she said, “oh, you don’t know? I did find it strange how you’re not off
sulking somewhere.”

Her anger faded as she smirked at Hanabusa. This time, the victory was hers. She ran a hand through
her long hair and declared, “We went there on Kaname-sama’s order.”

“Hey, what?”

The magazine slipped out of Hanabusa’s hands. Akatsuki picked up the magazine and placed it back
on the table.

“Yeah, that’s right. We tried calling you, but you refused to get out of bed.”

“What? When did this happen? How come I don’t remember? Wait, why did you both have to go?”

“I thought about buying some cakes for them. Then you recommended that shop. Remember it,
now?”

“Huh?”

“The western cakes that you recommended were enjoyed by all the staff at the modelling studio.”

“Huh?”

As she didn’t want to reveal the fact that they had no interest in the cakes, Rima suddenly
interrupted them, “Is it time to start yet?”

Hanabusa’s eyes widened. Despite the memories being very fuzzy and vague, he did remember the
incident now. But still, it was a rest day... He clenched fists. Although he didn’t know why Kaname-
sama had picked Ruka and Akatsuki to go to the modelling studio – “Hey, if I had known, I would
have tried a bit harder to get out of bed!”

“Even if you did get up that day, I don’t think I would have picked you for the task.” A voice suddenly
spoke up from behind them.


Hanabusa turned around and saw – “Kaname-sama.”

As if on cue, everyone in the classroom stood up in unison. Kaname stepped into the room and gave
them a nod, indicating they may sit down again.

As a pureblood, Kaname-sama was the leader of the vampire community. And today, like always, he
exuded a natural grace and masculinity that reminded everyone of his position.

“Kaname-sama, what did Chairman Cross want?”

To this, Kaname replied. “It’s about Akatsuki and Ruka going to... ah, right, it’s that.” Walking over to
where they were, Kaname picked up the pamphlet that was next to Hanabusa’s magazine. It was
advertising the “Castle Tour” special edition. The picture was also of Shiki, Rima, Akatsuki and Ruka
all dressed up in vampire costumes with the ancient castle in the background.

“I heard the editor of this magazine will be coming to this school, hoping to take some more pictures
of Rima and Shiki’s school life here.”

“So... what was your answer to them?”

“I agreed. Besides, there was no reason to decline their request. Next time, you should try harder to
get out of bed, Hanabusa,” Kaname’s lips curled up into a small smile.

“Ah... yes.”

Great, next time I’ll definitely get up earlier, so I can work hard for Kaname-sama’s sake

Too worked up over his own internal thoughts, Hanabusa did not catch the hidden meaning
concealed underneath Kaname’s words.

Then, at noon that weekend, the photography team arrived at the campus of the Night Class.

“Wuaaaaaaah.” Hanabusa yawned as he stumbled wearily down the hall as he tried to rub the sleep
out of his tired eyes.

Akatsuki couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “You’re up.”

“Why did it have to be this early? Can’t they do the shoot at night?”

“Nah. Apparently, they wanted to take some photos of life in the Moon Dormitory.”

The crew was already setting up the filming equipment around the campus. Rima and Shiki were also
down there, surrounded by the make-up crew while receiving instructions from their manager.

“Akatsuki...”

Ruka pointed at the man that was currently fiddling with the camera. He was a little bit older than
them and at first glance, he looked like a gentle person. From his appearance, he could even pass off
as a movie star. However, his hair and clothes were very carefully groomed, making him look
somewhat pretentious.


“That guy...” Feeling something was amiss, Hanabusa glanced over at Akatsuki. Though his cousin
didn’t speak, his gaze flashed as if in agreement.

“He’s currently the hottest photographer around. He came today with Ruka as his next target.”

“I told you, there’s no way I’m doing this.” Ruka’s eyebrows scrunched up into a frown. However,
despite her reluctance, it was Kaname-sama’s orders so she’ll just have to put up with a couple of
hours of this torture.

“Ah that tall young man and the young lady standing next to him. The last time you guys helped up
with the photo shoot, I thought you guys were a perfectly matched couple.” The photographer
suddenly popped up in front of them with a beaming smile on his face.

Hearing those words, Ruka turned her face away. “It’s not like that, you misunderstood.”

Akatsuki’s expression briefly darkened when he heard Ruka’s vehement denial but it soon cleared
up. Then, in one casual move, he positioned himself right in front of her.

“Ah, you must be Inakaru-sensi.”

“That’s right, I’m Inakaru the photographer,” he replied as he patted the camera that was hanging
around his neck. “Please look after me today.” [AN: I believe this is a traditional Japanese greeting]

“While our editor has already been granted permission by the school, I’d like to ask you two to help
out. The subject of this photo shoot is “campus life.” If it was just Shiki and Rima, I may not have
enough models.”

Basically, he was asking them to be in the photo shoot too.

“We were already informed of this. If it’s just for one scene, there should be no problem.”

Upon hearing Akatsuki’s reply, Inakaru frowned with bemusement.

“So... can’t we shoot a couple more scenes?”

“If that’s the case, then there should be more suitable candidates for this job than us.” Akatsuki
pointed to Hanabusa, who was still yawning.

“What? Him... He looks familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him from somewhere before...”

“As a boy, he was often on TV as a gifted child.”

“Oh wow! This is so great! Excuse me?”

“Wait, what?” Suddenly hearing someone call out, Hanabusa immediately turned his head around.

“Can you please be a model for this shoot? You can be one of Rima and Shiki’s friends.”

“Model? Wait, me?”

“You’ve been on TV, right? The prodigious genius, I still remember you.” Inakaru quickly rattled off
all the information that Akatsuki just gave him.


“Well...” In a blinding flash, Hanabusa was suddenly transformed. No longer sleepy, he charmingly
smiled at the photographer while running a hand through his blonde bangs. “If you insist then I’m
happy to help out.”

“I want you to appear like a genius.”

“That’s what I’m best at.”

With both hands wrapped around her elbows, Ruka watched Hanabusa with a stony gaze. “Seriously,
there should be a limit to his ego.”

The photo shoot began in the library.

The scene was quite simple in its design. Shiki would be seated by the window with a book in his
hands. Rima would walk in and stand by his side. As Shiki notices Rima’s presence, he would lift a
hand in greeting. They would repeat this over and over again until the photographer was satisfied
with the pictures.

After a dozen or so shots have been taken, Shiki’s head suddenly fell forward onto the table with a
loud “thud.”

“Aiyaya, Shiki-kun! Please wake up!” The manager, who was observing the shoot from behind the
camera, suddenly cried out.

“Hey...” Rima gently shook his shoulder.

At this, Shiki slowly raised his head. “Sorry. It was so warm, I guess I just fell asleep.”

“Shiki-kun is just so cute!”

“This kind of natural behaviour is so great.”

“The ‘just woken up’ look is also so cute!”

The females upon the crew all cheered.

“Go! Hurry up and tidy up his hair.”

With those instructions from Inakaru, the hair stylist quickly rushed onto the set. While waiting,
Inakaru turned to Akatsuki and the others and asked, “Oh that’s right. I heard this school has a night
class and a day class. Rima and Shiki works as models during the day because they belong to the
Night Class. So where are the Day Class students?”

“Since this is the weekend, most of the students are out. The rest are in their dorms, which are a bit
further away from here.” A captivating voice explained from behind them.

“Ah, Ichijo, you are also here?” Hanabusa couldn’t help but frown. Just a couple of moments ago,
Hanabusa was wandering around, busy making acquaintances with all the crew members, dazzling
them with his sunny disposition and charming smiles.


“That’s right. I’m here on behalf of Kaname-sama to take a look at photo shoot.” Ichijo said to
Hanabusa. Then, he turned to Inakaru the photographer and smiled. “You see, the Night class and
the Day class do not really interact. So to avoid large crowds of day students crowding around here,
we decided not to tell the Day Class about this.”

He then extended a hand. “Please work hard today, Inakaru-sensei.”

Inakaru shook his hand. “Ah, sure sure. Though it’s a great pity...”

“I’m sorry, what is?”

“I heard the Night Class and Day Class wear different uniforms. I was really hoping to take some
pictures of both,” Inakaru explained as he gestured with his camera.

“Ah so sorry to have kept you guys waiting!” Having done her job, the hair stylist quickly jumped off
the set.

“Ah well, I guess we’ll take a couple of more pictures before moving to the next location.” Inakaru
returned back to the shoot and once again, the sound of camera shutters once again rang out in the
library.

After the shoot in the library finished, the stage was moved to the atrium. Following the theme of
“campus life,” Shiki reluctantly sat down on a bench next to the garden and opened up a bento box.
Though seriously, for the Night Class, this was not how they normally behave. And according to the
director, Rima had made this lunch herself.

That’s impossible.

“Somehow, I’m beginning to feel sorry for Shiki and Rima.” Ruka remarked from her position under
the shade of a tree. She ran a hand through her long silky hair as she observed the photo shoot. Even
if they were professional models, they were still vampires, and exposure to sunlight must be very
uncomfortable.

“I guess... I’m afraid the only motivation here is to find the guy.” Akatsuki replied as he looked at
Hanabusa, who was currently stealing a small slice of apple out of the lunchbox in Rima’s hands and
stuffing it cheerfully into his mouth.

That expression... is that really what a genius is suppose to look like? Ruka could not help but think.

If he really wanted that kind of attention, he might as well become a professional model. After all,
his personality would definitely suit the profession. Although Ruka didn’t think much of it, she guess
Hanabusa’s good looks was something he could play to his advantage. Just a few moments ago, he
was completely surrounded by all the female staff members.


Some of them said, “Hanabusa’s skin is so beautiful, just like that of a girl’s.”

Some remarked, “He should be a celebrity, this kind of good looks are wasted on a boy.”

But others pointed out, “It’s because the good looks are on a boy that he looks so beautiful.”

Whenever he hears such words, Hanabusa feels great. Although on the surface, he puts on a cool air
of indifference, but inside, he’s desperately trying not to break out into a beaming smile.

“Aidou really should become a celebrity.”

“He won’t be able to do that.” Akatsuki commented.

But looking at the scene in front of them, there doesn’t appear to be any reason why he won’t be
able to become a celebrity. Ruka couldn’t help but tilt her head in puzzlement and ask, “really?”

“He’s not good at keeping secrets.”


“Ah... that’s true...” Whether it was because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut or he was simply
careless, but Hanabusa often causes trouble and Akatsuki was always the one who has to deal with
the mess. “It must be very tiring for you...”

“Yeah, I guess,” Akatsuki sighed as he shrugged his shoulder in response.

Ruka thought – Akatsuki has always been like this, right from the beginning, loving his cousin like a
little brother. Though when one considers their blood status, Aidou is ranked higher. So whenever
Hanabusa gets in trouble, Akatsuki’s never failed to take part of the blame in order to save
Hanabusa’s reputation. This kind of action reveals a deep love between the pair.

Is Aidou not aware of this?

Ruka watched on as Hanabusa cheerfully smiled for the camera. He smiled just like he smiled every
day to the Day Class girls during the changeover. For now, she wasn’t sure if he was smiling from the
inside or if he was just doing a job.

Maybe it was Kaname-sama’s command that’s causing him to work so hard.

After all, Kaname-sama did say to him “next time, you’ll have to work harder and get up early,
Hanabusa.” Even though he wasn’t here now, his words clearly still had a strong effect on Hanabusa.

Although I am in no position to criticize Hanabusa... Since I’m also working hard for Kaname-sama.

Even though he wasn’t there, they were still carrying out their tasks like ordered. Just then, the
chatter among the staff members reached their ears.

“Like I said, I think it happened again yesterday. You know, a death by blood loss?”

“Ah, I heard it too. It was that girl in the hair styling department right?”

“Yeah, I heard the attack happened after the shoot when she was on her way back home.”

“That girl was quite pretty. The target is really another beautiful girl. This is really scary.”

“Hey, I don’t think you need to worry about it, then.”

“Hey senpai! What do you mean by that!”

Even though it was clearly a tragedy, the girls were all relaxed and chattering among themselves.
Ruka frowned in disgust. Vampire...

Although to an average human, it sounds like a mysterious death by blood loss, to Ruka and
Akatsuki, the event held a different meaning. This news was similar to the rumours they heard a few
days ago at the castle.

In the so-called “Show Business,” there are a lot of vampires among the humans. Actors, singers,
athletes, political commentators, journalists, producers... the list goes on.

But for a vampire to suck blood until the victim dies...Even a Level E vampire wouldn’t be able to walk
around a modelling studio without being noticed.


Ruka’s thoughts were interrupted when the editor of the magazine suddenly appeared in front of
them and asked. “So you two really have no intention of becoming models?”

The young editor smiled as he continued. “Thanks to you guys, last week’s publication was a success.
Even though you two are only high school students, there was a burst of captivating charm in that
image. It’s rare to find such natural talent as you two.”

Well, technically, they couldn’t be regarded as high school students. But saying anything would just
lead to more trouble, so both Akatsuki and Ruka didn’t bother to correct him.

“Well, our grades at school will no doubt be affected...” Akatsuki wanted to use this as an excuse to
decline the modelling invitation.

“But both Shiki-kun and Miss Rima are able to successfully juggle the two. So it’s not impossible,
right?” Though this was delivered in a casual tone, there was an underlying insistence in his voice.
“Well, I’ll let you guys think about it for a bit. But for today, I have a small request for you, Miss
Ruka.”

“What is it?” Akatsuki was the one who answered. He knew very well Ruka was currently in a really
bad mood.

“I would like to interview you a bit later. Miss Ruka is roommates with Miss Rima, am I right? I hope,
you would be able to answer some questions about what’s it’s like to be her friend at school.”
Having finished his explanation, the editor quickly shoved a business card in Ruka’s hand and
returned to where the other staff members were.

“So annoying...” Ruka grumbled.

Seeing the name printed on the business card, Ruka remember he was the one who requested the
two of them to be in the photo shoot with Shiki and Rima back at the castle. And this photo shoot
about their campus life was also his idea.

“That guy... he seems to be targeting you.”

“A private meeting between the two of us, there’s no way I’m doing that.”

“I know. I won’t let him do anything.” Let me take care of this. Akatsuki swallowed back those
unspoken words and turned his gaze back to the photo shoot.

The “lunch time” scene seemed to have finished as Hanabusa was walking back towards them.

“Hey hey, how do you guys think I went? I was pretty cool, right?”

In response to Hanabusa’s question, Akatsuki lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Well, it wasn’t
that great.”

“Hey! How could you say that!”

“Hanabusa, if you are here to play, then you might as well go back to your room.” Ruka scolded him.

Meanwhile, shooting was still ongoing.


“So – Shiki-kun, this is a single shot. Miss Touya, you may take a rest and get changed for your shot.
Okay, how about you go over there to the lawn.” Following Inakaru’s instructions, Shiki laid down on
the lawn.

“Ah, that’s right, pretend you are taking a nap after the lunch you just had.”

So tired.... and sleepy... Shiki’s eyes slowly fell shut. Under normal circumstances, he would still be in
bed sleeping now. With those thoughts in mind, Shiki gently fell asleep.

Ruka and Akatsuki, from their vantage point underneath the tree, could not help but let out a small
chuckle.

“Ahaha, look, Shiki really fell asleep!”

“Waaah, wait a second, Shiki-kun, don’t actually fall asleep for real! Wake up! Wake up!” Although
slightly panicked, the photographer continued to take shots.

While the photographer finished taking those shots, Rima came back all dressed up and ready.
Inakaru turned his attention to Ruka and Akatsuki and waved them over. “Yo, sorry for keeping
everyone waiting, you guys can all come in –”

Akatsuki and Ruka nodded to each other, as they got up and stepped over to the lawn. A staff
member suddenly came over and handed a few photos to Rima and a box of chocolate to Shiki.
Apparently, the next scene is titled “Happy Memories with Friends.” Rima was instructed to look
through the photos and everyone was supposed to chat and smile at each other.

Upon hearing the instructions, Ruka, Akatsuki, Shiki and Rima all thought at the same time – no
way...

Hanabusa was the only one who energetically answered, “Okay, no problem!”

“Yuuki, look, look! Zero-kun is also here. Everyone is so happy. Next time, the three of us should go
hang out somewhere. Daddy will make us all a nice packed lunch. Hey... why are you two so cold.
What did I say? You two are so heartless... Daddy’s so sad!”

Ichijo turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. It turned out, it was Chairman Cross walking
over with two children in tow.

“Chairman, Yuuki’s also here? Hey, what happened? Yukki, isn’t that a high school uniform?”

Facing a cheerful Ichijo, Yuuki couldn’t help but break out into a shy smile.

“The uniform just came in. I wanted to see if they fit.”

“Ah, that’s right, you’re about to enter high school. It looks good on you, Yuuki.”

“Thank you!”


Zero, who was standing by Yuuki’s side, was avoiding Ichijo’s gaze. Wearing civilian clothes and with
his head cocked to one side, he was exuding a dark aura from his body.

Zero should have been in senior high school already, but it’s been said he’s been avoiding high
school for a couple of years now. After all, the school facilities were shared between the Day Class
and Night Class. The thought of coexisting with vampires... Zero couldn’t stand it. Moreover, he
despised the thought of interacting with the Night Class during the changeover every evening.

Zero’s entire family have been massacred by a vampire. His aversion to vampires was
understandable. Yuuki could only sigh. Zero... really...

Zero’s beliefs were completely different from Yuuki’s. He hates vampires with every fibre of his
being. In his mind, there was no such thing as happy coexistence between humans and vampires.

Kaname-sama, Zero’s still struggling with this... Seeing the sad expressions on his children’s faces,
Chairman sighed. At this rate, he probably won’t go into high school this year either...

When Zero first brought up his reluctance to go to high school, Chairman decided to give him a year
off. On the one hand, Zero needed his space. And on the other hand, if he waited a year, he would
be in the same grade as Yuuki.

This, to Zero, might even be a salvation. Chairman had hoped that over the course of this year, Yuuki
will be able to slowly soften Zero’s attitude. However, with so much hate inside, it was impossible
for all of it to easily melt away.

But Zero-kun, you can’t remain like this forever...

Chairman raised his head and looked up ahead to the future. Should he wait for Zero to change his
mind, or should he force him into school?

Today, there was a photo shoot happening at the school. Day class students were all out today and
there were very few students in the Night Class. After all, to bring Zero to a crowded situation would
not have been a good idea. With that thought in mind, Chairman had brought Zero out today.

“Ah, seriously, what should I do...” Chairman whispered as he heaved a sigh.

It’s true, what they say. There is no end in sight for the problems that a father must face.

After the photo shoot outside, everybody was given a quick break before the shoot moved into the
school.

Will Kaname-sama not come?

She wanted to show him her new uniform. After all, that was the reason she came today wearing it.

“... Are you trying to find that guy?”

“Huh?”


Hearing voices coming from the side, Yuuki quickly turned her head. A very unhappy Zero was
standing behind her.

A bit further away from them, a female staff, who judging by the conversation was Shiki and Rima’s
manager, was busy talking and exchanging business cards with the Chairman.

“... I’m going to go home.” Zero didn’t want to stay here for one more second.

Just as he was about to turn around, he was grabbed by Yuuki. “Wait, wait a minute, Zero.”

“...?”

“Well... shouldn’t we use this opportunity to have a look at this school?”

“Why?”

“Before I attend, I’d really like to see the layout of this school.”

“...” Zero grunted, as if to say “that’s got nothing to do with me.” He then fell silent again.

This is really tough... Yuuki sighed.

“How about this. You go and wait at the front gate while I have a look around. After I’m done, I’ll go
and find you.”

“... Fine.”

As Zero turned around and walked away, Yuuki looked around again. Kaname-sama, where are you?

According to the Chairman, this photo shoot was granted special permission by Kaname-sama.
Excited to see what’s going on, Yuuki wandered around the photo shoot area. Just as she was about
to leave and look for Kaname-sama, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“You are a Day Class student, right? The school uniform is different.”

“Ah, that’s right..” Yuuki replied while looking at the young man standing in front of her. “And you
are?”

He smiled and raised his camera. “Sorry to bother you, I’m the photographer.”

“Ah...” So he was the photographer. While Yuuki was busy looking at the Night Class students, she
didn’t pay attention to the crew members.

“I was wondering, could you please let me take some pictures? I heard the Day Class students won’t
be here today.”

“Well... I’m not really a high school student yet.”

“Our magazine is targeted at ordinary girls. So we want to take some shots of general students as
well. Besides, you’re so cute. Won’t you please say yes?”

Yuuki wasn’t sure how to respond to this friendly request. “But...”


“Pretty please? Look, to avoid any problems, I’ll go and clear it up with the Chairman now. We’re
taking a little break right now, but the shoot is moving up to the roof-top next so would you please
come? We’ll be waiting. Bye!”

Before Yuuki could reply, the photographer rushed off.

Not sure what just happened, it took a while for Yuuki to realize. “Wait... am I going to be on a
magazine?”

According to the photographer, apparently she was.

“Oh dear.” Yuuki quickly ran into the make-up room. “Uh, I need a comb!”

She then remembered the small comb in her pocket. She quickly tidied up her messy hair and looked
at herself in the mirror. “What position should I do? Should I just be myself?” Yuuki also practiced a
couple of different smiles in front of the mirror, trying to calm down her beating heart.

She recalled hearing Chairman’s cheerful comments back on the set.

Since Senri Shiki and Rima Touya were both professional models, they were quite famous within the
Cross Academy. The other three students – Hanabusa Aidou, Akatsuki Kain and Ruka Souen – they
were just as beautiful as the two models.

Am I going to be photographed with them?

That alone was going to be huge and terrifying.

But... But...

“If I get on the magazine, then Kaname-sama would be able to see it...” With that thought in mind,
Yuuki’s heart started racing once again.

Yuuki quickly exited the make-up room and went up to the roof top. It was very quiet...

Creak... As she pushed open the door, a breeze of cool air blew in. “Such a nice day.”

Soon, she’ll be attending this school. That thought filled Yuuki’s heart with happiness. She’ll finally
be attending the same school as Kaname-sama.

Although they won’t be attending the school together, she felt that just by being in the same school,
the distance between Kaname-sama and herself would be smaller.

Back at their first encounter, she was just a small child. Yuuki wanted to prove to him that now, she
was slowly growing into an adult.

“Kaname-sama...”

And also –

“Zero... He still refused to attend high school. If nothing else works, they should tie him up with
ropes and drag him there by force. Really, he’s such a bother.” Yuuki sighed. She also really wanted
to go to school with Zero...


Though she didn’t know why all these thoughts were running through her. Maybe it was the
melancholy colours of the lonely blue sky that triggered such emotions...

At that very moment, Akatsuki was walking towards the library. During their short break, Akatsuki
had convinced Ruka to ask the editor for the location of the interview.

Akatsuki was alone. Although the editor had wanted to interview Ruka, Akatsuki never had any
intention of taking her to him.

Pushing open the door, Akatsuki found the editor seated by the window seat, where Shiki was sitting
that morning for the photo shoot.

“Ah, how come it’s you?”

“... She wasn’t feeling well. I told her to go back and rest.”

“Was it because of the photo shoot? Is she still nervous about it?”

“I guess so.” Akatsuki calmly lied as he settled his body against the window.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. With her charisma and beauty, she doesn’t look like an ordinary
high school student. I was looking forward to having a nice chat with her. What a pity.” The editor
stood up and decided to leave the library. Somehow, he had the urge to say “I’m not interested in
boys.”

Behind him, Akatsuki spoke out. “Were you planning on... ‘eating’ her?”

The editor froze. He glanced over his shoulder at Akatsuki. “Wait, what did you say?”

“You’re just an ordinary human. At first, I was going to let you go. However, if you were planning on
making a move on her, then that’s a different matter entirely.”

Even for someone like him, who was of the same kind, Ruka was unattainable. But for an ordinary
human being – and one with ill intentions at that – there was no way he was going to let him touch
her.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. If Miss Ruka’s not coming back, then I’m going to
leave.”

In the blink of an eye, Akatsuki moved. One split second later, his large left hand seized the editor by
the chest. The editor was lifted off his feet – his toes could barely touch the floor.

“Wa-wait! What are you doing!”

“She’s not someone you can mess with.” A flash of extreme wild anger burst forth from the depths
of Akatsuki’s eyes.


Overwhelmed by the situation, the editor couldn’t stop himself from trembling with fear. He
responded, with a shaky voice, “Uh.. okay, I’ll admit it. I have used an interview as bait, so I can ‘eat’
a couple of girls.”

“Eat” girls.

Akatsuki gazed upon his victim with contempt. Such vulgar behaviour was simply unacceptable.

“Look, okay, I won’t go after your girlfriend. I promise... I promise!”

Ruka wasn’t Akatsuki’s girlfriend.

“From this moment forward, if you ever think of doing this kind of thing again, then it won’t be as
simple as just killing you.” Akatsuki watched the editor with a pair of sharp eyes. He flipped over the
business card that he held in his hand and threw it into the air. As it momentarily suspended in mid-
air, it suddenly caught on fire and in a flash, burnt into ashes.

The editor could feel the heat of the fire on his face.

“What... What happened?” Wide-eyed, the editor kept repeating himself. “Was... Was that magic?”

“...” Akatsuki didn’t respond. He lowered the editor and threw him away. “Get lost.”

As he walked down the empty corridor, Akatsuki ran an anxious hand through his hair.

Originally, they had thought Ruka would be a good bait to find that guy. But they never thought that
they would end up picking up such a useless extra slimeball. This entire plan... came up with nothing.

After the photo shoot last time, in order to prevent possible incidents from happening, Akatsuki and
the others were extremely vigilant. But as soon as the shoot was over, the editor and the rest of his
crew all left straight away.

Was it because the timing was too close? Or was it because the guy didn’t find something he wanted
to “eat?”

According to the information gathered from the photo shoot in the castle, the guy always “eats”
someone present at the photo shoot or one of the crew members. The victim was always a young
beautiful girl.

Although Ruka being bait made Akatsuki quite uncomfortable...

Aside from the crew members, the only target other than Rima would have to be Ruka. And since
they deliberately proposed to come to the school for a photo shot, it appeared the target would be
Ruka. However, that guy made no suspicious invitation towards her...

At this rate, the most likely victim would be one of the female staff members. There was no one else
for that guy to target...

Ah....


Akatsuki suddenly remembered just before the break, there was another girl at the photo shoot. She
looked like the daughter of Chairman Cross.

I need to tell Kaname-sama right away.

The sounds of Akatsuki’s running footsteps echoed down the empty corridor.

Zero was currently running around the school buildings. “Yuuki, Yuuki! Where are you?”

He got no response, nor could he see any traces of Yuuki. Zero’s anxiety level escalated.

At this school, the atmosphere was filled with the presence of the vampires. Zero felt so depressed.
The air was disgusting. And also, Yuuki didn’t show up at the front gate like promised. Things didn’t
look so good.

Right from the start, I didn’t want to come to such a place...

His aversion to vampires has always prevented Zero from stepping foot inside the school grounds.

But now – was not the time to worry about such things.

“Yuuki!” When he shouted again, something seemed to have swept into his field of vision. “Yuuki?”

In the distance, on the rooftop, that familiar black hair was flapping gently in the window. Under
normal circumstances, Zero wouldn’t have cared where Yuuki got up to. It was her choice.

But now –

“You better not move from there!”

Zero summoned all his strengths and jumped up. He didn’t know why, but he had an uneasy feeling
about this.

Sweet...

That sweet hair... that girl must be very tasty. He could not help but lick his lips with anticipation.
Just the thought of the tasty blood flowing beneath her skin brought an involuntary gurgling sound
from his throat.

“How could I resist it...”

Smiling a sinister smile, with the flashing eyes of a hunter, was... Inakaru.

He licked his lips again. Right from the beginning, the thirst of a vampire could not be stopped. He
was practically drooling with desire.

Sweet... It’s such a sweet taste.


He wanted to eat it up all quickly. To enjoy the freedom of sucking it all up, not leaving a single drop
of blood...

Or was it better to taste it slowly?

It doesn’t matter. Such delicious blood, there was no way he was going to waste a single drop. He
would drink it all up – right to the last drop – to quench his thirst and gain some strength.

“Having said that, women are so easy to be dealt with. Just lure them in with the dream of becoming
a model and they’ll come right up to your finger-tips.”

Gulp... Gulp...

Cackling as Inakaru slowly climbed up the stairs. The blood of that popular actress was both fresh
and vibrant. But the blood of that hair stylist two days ago was also very tasty, even though she had
a plain face.

“Their blood is so tasty... And this one seems particularly sweet... I really want to drink it all up...”

His job as a photographer made finding preys in the entertainment industry so easy.

“I want to take a photo of you.” With just one whisper, the prey would walk right up to the front
porch.

His prey this time was very special.

Unable to keep the laughter inside anymore, Inakaru laughed out loud.

Really, when he first came into the school, he was disappointed. He had wanted to find a couple of
prey in the crowd but none of the Day Class students showed up. He couldn’t find a single prey.

On this point, he shared some similarities with the “woman-eater” editor. I’m like that guy... but on
a completely different level... To compare his noble acts with sex was simply ridiculous.

And that guy wanted to go after Ruka. What an idiot – he must be feeling the pain now. Wanting to
“eat” that kind of haughty girl – he must have been dreaming.

I like the ordinary, honest and cute girls... But when I came to this school, I couldn’t find a single
target. But just as I was about to give up, that girl popped up. I think her name was Yuuki...

Such a good prey... The best prey... If he was to miss this opportunity, he was sure he’d never have
another opportunity like it again. That girl’s blood must taste better than all the other blood I’ve
tasted so far. He thought to himself.

Therefore, she must be seized. Her blood will be slowly savoured until the very last drop. Maybe
she’ll look more beautiful as her skin turns a pale white. Against a black backdrop, such a white skin
would glisten like a pearl. Taking a picture of her wouldn’t be so bad.

Almost there.

The hunt was about to start.


Arriving on the rooftop, he found a slender figure standing in front of him.

“Who...?”

Inakaru the vampire raised his head. He saw the figure had a black coat wrapped around his body,
with an angelic face full of youth and a cold, cold smile on his lips.

“Who are you?”

As the boy smiled at him, Inakaru’s vampire instincts were ringing alarm bells in his head.

“I’m the president of the Night Class, Kaname Kuran.” He had a calm voice and a polite manner.

So why did he feel fear right down to his core, Inakaru thought in confusion. Even though he was
facing a young boy, his entire body was trembling with fear. “Who... the hell are you?”

Kaname coldly asked, “Did you not understand. I’ve already said my name.”

His beautiful voice completely dominated Inakaru’s thoughts. The youth’s name... what was it again?

Kuran...

Although he didn’t remember the second half, the instincts of a vampire kicked in. Inakaru realized
the significance of the boy who was standing in front of him. A member of the pureblood series, the
same as the one who turned Inakaru into who he was today.

Filled with mysteries, he was the King of the Night World.

“You’re a pureblood?” He asked with trembling lips. Suddenly, his throat felt very cold. “Wh-Why are
you here?”

Stepping down the stairs, Kaname smiled. “I heard you were abusing girls.”

Inakaru’s face instantly turned pale white.

Kaname continued to smile as he stepped closer. He was such a powerful beast, not an easy prey.
With the sudden loss of his powers, Inakaru felt timid and lost. “Do you really think I would not
notice? The mysterious deaths by blood loss? The culprit – it’s you.”

Because of recent events, Akatsuki, Ruka, Shiki and Rima were told to look for the culprit.

“I asked them to go to as many photo shoots as possible, so that this matter can be dealt with
quickly. That’s why I sent Akatasuki and Ruka to the photo shoot that last time. It’s fortunate you
popped up earlier than I expected. After all these incidents, it’s best to deal with this as soon as
possible.”

“Wh-why do you think it’s me?”

“Rima and Shiki knew immediately.”

Inakaru stared. “You... them... all the Night Class students... you all are...”


Vampires... of Noble Birth. Kaname silently confirmed his suspicions. He then continued. “Because
you didn’t show your hand at the last photo shoot, we had to lure you here. Once you enter the
school, you are trapped. Now that you’re in this cage, I can easily get rid of you.”

The young man standing in front of him was the mastermind behind the photo shoot.

“Damn!”

Everything was a trap. They already knew his true colours, they just pretended not to take notice.
Even at their first meeting today with Hanabusa and Ichijo. They both had a cold expression hidden
underneath their warm eyes.

“So, you wanted to lure me into the schoolyard and then used the Day Class girl as bait?”

“No, Yuuki came here was unplanned. If you dared to compare Yuuki with “bait,” I will not forgive
you.”

Although he looked calm, Inakaru felt the rising anger inside the pureblood. “Yes... it’s my fault.
You’re going to save that girl for later. That’s why you’re protecting her... Fine, I won’t go after your
prey... And I promise I won’t in the future either. So let’s just call it a day and –” Inakaru couldn’t
finish the sentence – let me go.

Kaname’s glacial gaze froze him all over. “You don’t seem to understand. Never mind, I didn’t intend
to let you live anyway.”

Inakaru knew the pureblood was angry. But he didn’t know why.

“I had no intention of personally dealing with you. But having heard from Ichijo that you were
targeting Yuuki, I changed my mind.”

Inakaru couldn’t understand the meanings behind his words. If he wasn’t saving her to eat later, why
was he protecting her? However, one thing was very clear – he was no match against the pureblood.

Inakaru’s body trembled in the still air. He was also aware of one other thing. It was difficult to
describe in words, just an instinctive reaction his body formed to the pureblood vampire.

He was about to be killed.

He won’t be able to drink that sweet blood...

He was about to die.

Even facing the pureblood vampire, he was not going to go down meekly.

“I’m not going to die here!”

With nothing to lose, Inakaru changed within the blink of an eye. Eyes wide open, his face
transformed into one of a ferocious beast.

He leaped up, towards the top flight of the stairs and charged. Despite his obvious attack, Kaname
remained motionless. He only looked at Inakaru without expression.


Was this an opportunity?

Inakaru focused all his strength on his fingertips, aimed squarely at the pureblood.

“...!”

The next moment, his fingertips was indeed touching Kaname’s body. But...

“What?”

His fingertips started to fall off and crumble away into dust. It was followed by his arm, then his
shoulder. Ashes fell onto the old wooden staircase.

“Do not... touch me.” Kaname coldly stared at him.

This cold phrase, softly delivered, shook Inakaru right to his core.

“Argh!” Inakaru screamed as he rolled down the stairs. Clutching at his shoulder, which was
gradually turning into dust. “My... my hand!”

Kaname did not lift a single finger.

As he rolled around on the floor with his arm slowly crumbling into ash. Having witnessed the
strength of Kaname, Inakaru came to a horrible realisation. There was no way he could beat this guy.

“Please.... I beg you... save me...” Inakaru begged as he lay there on the floor. There was only one
way out of this – to confess, apologize and beg for forgiveness. “It all started with an impulse. I
would invite girls over and take just a little amount of blood. However, it became more and more
difficult to control my desires and well... you should know, right? That kind of hunger and thirst...
and so what if one or two humans die? You purebloods must have drained a lot of humans.
Compared to you, what I did was merely a drop in the bucket.”

Inakaru tried to justify his actions. After all, weren’t they both in the same boat? A pureblood was
still a vampire. They were a group of monsters that needed to suck the blood of humans to appease
their own hunger.

If they were also sucking others blood, then they had no right to judge him. Sure, it sounded noble
and idealistic, but sucking another person’s blood, what’s wrong with that? Besides, turning humans
into vampires was their fault, wasn’t it?

In that case, he did nothing wrong. He was merely a victim.

“Please, I beg you, give me a break. I haven’t fallen to Level E yet. Even if you are a pureblood, you
should not eliminate me.” Inakaru’s eyes flashed with victory and triumph.

This was his ace card.

Inakaru knew that those who haven’t fallen to Level E could not be eliminated – not even by
purebloods. Therefore, Kaname could not kill him.


However, Kaname’s expression did not change. Like the frozen ice in the night, the pureblood stood
silently in place. The wind blowing in from the windows riffled through his hair and the sunlight in
the background only served to make him look even darker.

This was the most beautiful picture in the entire world.

No amount of filth or darkness could defile or taint him. He was a perfect being.

Kaname’s mouths slowly opened. “Have you finished?”

“...”

A chill raced down his spine. It was as if the Sickle of Death was pressed against his throat. Even if he
hasn’t fallen to Level E, he knew he was about to be killed.

“Please... please spare me.” Inakaru desperately pleaded. Desperately wanting to live, he crawled up
the stairs, leaving a trail of ashes behind his wake. He managed to climb to Kaname’s shoes.

He looked up at Kaname. He couldn’t even speak now. Only whimpers of fear escape from his
throat.

“You tried to hurt my most precious treasure... That was your biggest crime.”

Kaname turned his attention to Inakaru and a slow smile emerged on his face. In that smile, there
were glimpses of sympathy, affection and full of mystery. It was the most gentle smile he had ever
seen.

“...”

At that moment, Inakaru was already about to be killed, but he still thought Kaname’s smile was
beautiful. Was this the charm of the purebloods?

Forgetting the taste of fear, Inakaru stared at Kaname’s face and was completely absorbed. Even his
soul could not escape Kaname’s captivation. As his heart succumbed to his magnetism –

Shhhhh, the sound of sand...

Inakaru’s body turned completely into ashes...

Thud... Thud... came the sound of a camera rolling down the stairs.

It was probably Akatsuki.

Gazing at the pile of ash on the floor, Kaname-sama said, “I’m probably just like you, holding onto a
filthy and stupid idea...”

But, because of this –

“I cannot forgive you for threatening the most important person to me.”


He had no idea how many times he thought of leaning in and pressing his lips against her neck
before stabbing it with his canines. However, I cannot do it to her...

No matter how enamoured Yuuki was with him, he couldn’t do it.

It’s too early...

“.........”

The sound of footsteps running up the stairs passed by Kaname’s ears. But it wasn’t Akatsuki who
appeared, but a sweaty teenager who was breathing heavily. “Was it you?”

He was the young man who was perfect the closest to the young girl of his heart. He hated vampires
and was dealt a cruel blow by fate. He was sad, poor and an all-round eyesore. But, for a certain
reason, Kaname had not yet killed Zero.

“...!”


Zero looked at the scene and could not help but suck in a cold breath. Ashes – in the shape of a
human body with a camera by its side.

Just then, Zero realized everything.

“That photographer...”

He instinctively picked up the camera. Ashes fell away onto the floor.

“...!”

He sucked in another breath and naturally took a step back. With lights streaming in from the
windows, the sunlight enveloped the body of the beautiful and brutal beast that was Kaname.

Zero did not care about his looks. He grabbed a handful of ashes and threw them into the air. Ashes
swirled and danced, dispersing into the air and glittering in the sunshine.

Clack.

The sound of Kaname’s footsteps on the staircase brought Zero back down to earth. He stared up at
him. “Did you do this?”

Kaname merely shrugged, giving no answer.

“Why did you kill him?”

“Because he threatened my precious Yuuki. I couldn’t forgive him for that.”

“What?”

“If you are not careful next time, I could be very upset... Vampire hunters have the ability to
distinguish between vampires and humans. If you aren’t even helpful, then your place by Yuuki’s
side is useless.”

He could not be around Yuuki all the time. Therefore, if Yuuki was surrounded by those who could
protect her, then he could at least rest with ease. This was his biggest reason for keeping Zero
around.

“...”

Zero clenched his teeth. He was angry at his own uselessness. And having Kaname coming to the
rescue.

Terrible...

His inability to protect Yuuki angered Zero. Embracing his own inferiority, it entwined with remorse
and created a bitter feeling in his heart. He wasn’t strong enough...

Faced with a completely defeated Zero, Kaname continued talking. “Do you intend to protect Yuuki
for the rest of your life?”


“Yeah...”

“And yet this year, you don’t intend to enter high school? If that’s the case, how can you protect
her? Always running away from your problems, you do not have the necessary qualifications to
protect Yuuki.”

Kaname’s calm voice was like a sharp knife that stabbed Zero in the heart.

“Uh...” Zero bowed his head and clenched his fists, his nails leaving deep impressions in the palm of
his hands.

Seeing Zero in such a state, Kaname smiled.

“Are you not willing? If so, then why don’t you step up here?”

“I...” Zero couldn’t continue.

Kaname completely lost interest in Zero. He turned around and opened the doors that led to the
rooftop. For one blinding moment, the orange glow of dusk flooded in, but it soon disappeared.

Without even looking back at Zero, Kaname closed the door.

Zero could only watch his exit in silence. Yuuki was on the rooftop. Zero knew with absolute
certainty that the present him was not fit enough to meet her up there.

The evening light cast a golden light on the rooftop. As the sun slowly disappears over the hill, the
window began to get a little colder.

“So slow...”

Leaning against the fence, Yuuki watched the sunset. Her body was shivering with cold. Scared she’ll
catch a cold, she wrapped her arms around her body.

It was long past the appointed time, yet nobody showed up. The school buildings were quiet, giving
her weird vibes. “Was this the wrong location?”

Just as she was about to give up, the doors opened.

“They’re here!”

Yuuki turned around, expecting to see Inakaru and the rest of the photography team. Instead, she
found Kaname-sama.

“What? Kaname-sama, why are you here?”

Seeing Yuuki’s surprised expression, Kaname couldn’t help but smile. “Yuuki... Inakaru the
photographer won’t be coming...”

“Why?”


“I heard he was in a hurry. The rest of the photography team are packing up and ready to leave.”

“Oh... ah well, it’s like that then...”

Although she accepted the facts, Yuuki couldn’t help but feel disappointed. What a pity. I wanted
Kaname-sama to see my picture...

Kaname-sama stood by her side and leaned against the fence like Yuuki did. Against the setting sun,
his face was like a statue – perfect, beautiful and exquisite.

Kaname-sama was so beautiful and in Yuuki’s eyes, he was such a gentle person.

Although she knew the gap between the two of them was great, she couldn’t help but gaze at him
with longing. Ever since she was rescued by him as a child, he has always been a prince charming
that popped out of a fairy tale. He would always be the object she yearns after.

With him so close, Yuuki’s heart began to race again.

The orange sky began to fade into a light purple. As the cold wind blew around them, Yuuki’s nose
began to itch.

“Achoo!”

Kaname laughed. “What a cute sneeze. Are you cold?” He gently draped his coat over Yuuki’s
shoulders.

“Kaname-sama...” His coat was full of his warmth and feelings. It was a very strange feeling. Yuuki
was very happy yet at the same time, strangely shy.

Feeling protected and cherished, a warmth began to spread from her stomach. No matter what time
it was, Kaname-sama always looked after Yuuki.

Like a little sister. Yuuki couldn’t help but feel a bit saddened by that fact.

“Ah, that’s right. See? I put on the high school uniform. What do you think?”

Watching Yuuki twirl a full circle, Kaname narrowed his eyes in appreciation. “It suits you very well.”

“Really? That’s great!”


Yuuki jumped up and down with happiness. Then she stopped, her face flushed red with
embarrassment.

“Ah, from now on, I’ll be in senior high and need to be a bit quieter and mature.”

Yuuki hastily straightened her slightly ruffled skirt. Kaname watched her every move. “I guess so.”

Suddenly, Yuuki looked around to check there was no one else around. Then nervously looked back
at Kaname-sama.

He asked. “What’s wrong?”

“That...”

“What is it? Just say it...”

“Well...”


“From now on, I’ll be in senior high school and we’ll be sharing the same school facilities. Please look
after me.”

“Ah, that’s right, sharing the same facilities...” Seeing Yuuki bow down in front of him, Kaname
reached out to touch her hair. “In the future, I’ll have more opportunities to see Yuuki. It makes me
happy.” He whispered into her ears, causing Yuuki’s cheeks to turn bright red.

“Uh, well... If you don’t hurry back, everyone may start looking for you...”

“Don’t worry about it... Recently, I haven’t had much time to have a good chat with Yuuki. We can
stay awhile, right?”

From the crack between the doors, Zero quietly observed the two people outside. Gently, he turned
around and headed back downstairs. He had wanted to take Yuuki home rightaway but he changed
his mind. It wasn’t that he wanted to encourage the love between the two of them, it was just that
he was keenly aware he wasn’t qualified... not yet.

Frowning and full of remorse, Zero ran a hand through his hair.

“Are you not willing? If so, then come up to where I’m standing.”

What Kaname meant was – if he wanted to protect Yuuki, he must stand in the same position as
Kaname.

“Damn...”

Pureblood vampire. He knew Zero could never be on the same level of him. And he then added,
“You’re so irritating.”

Yuuki was about to enter high school.

The Day Class and Night Class shared the school facilities but had their separate living quarters. They
will no longer be living with Chairman Cross. Thus, in order to protect Yuuki, he must stay by her
side.

But I shouldn’t even be by her side in the first place...

Although the tattoo on his neck helped him avoid falling down Level E, he wasn’t sure how long it
would be before he started craving for blood.

If he was to attend high school, breathing the same air as those vampires and interacting with them
more often, he may no longer be himself.

That’s why he’s been putting off going to high school.

But, from now on...

If he can’t stay by Yuuki’s side, he’ll always regret it. This kind of feeling could not be ignored.


Conversely, if he stayed by his side, there was a definite possibility he’ll do something unforgivable...

Yuuki...

Even now, memories of that night came flooding back. It was just after Chairman Cross had rescued
him, he couldn’t shake off the feelings swirling inside of him, nor could he break free from the
internal struggle – he was forever cursing vampires and “that woman.” He was disgusted at the
feeling of being bitten by a vampire.

Although the wound had healed, it still left a strange feeling. Like a contamination on his skin that he
could not get rid of. Yet whenever he tried to grab his neck and feel where “that woman” touched
him, a pair of hands always stopped him.

She didn’t mind wiping away his blood, with her little hands desperately clenched around his. Such a
small pair of warm hands...

I will always hold your hands... Those words of comfort...

Despite being comforted by a girl that was smaller than him, he couldn’t let her go. It was because
she touched that arrow of sorrow hidden within my heart. This girl, she also knew what real tragedy
was.

He would never forget the kindness she offered him.

I cannot allow her to go to high school alone...

Her heart was too kind, and she always believed in others. Like today, falling prey to a vampire...

“...”

Zero silently stared at his own hands. At that time, Yuuki was willing to hold his hands.

He wasn’t strong enough yet. Compared to Kaname, he was a powerless kid.

Zero returned back to the school and looked up at the rooftop. The sun had set. The two figures had
long since disappeared from view.

Stand in my position...

It was a provocative thought. Even if he didn’t know how he could be useful by Yuuki’s side –

I will protect Yuuki...

I will not always stand here.

Silently standing there in the dark, a strong light began to gather in Zero’s eyes.


Chapter Two: For This Beautiful Night – Nadashiko Shindo
The princess desperately extends out her hand. Inside her glass prison, she only had her eyes on one
person.

The prince also desperately extends out his hand. He ignored the chains that weighed down heavily
around his ankles, cutting into his bleeding flesh. In his heart, there was only one person.

Between the two of there, there was an invisible wall. It was the boundary line between two
different worlds, it could not be crossed.

Despite knowing this, they still couldn’t help extend their hands out to each other. They would never
be able to touch one another, but they still desired to. They knew they were powerless, yet they
couldn’t quite erase that small ray of hope inside them. Seeing the foolish lovers like this, the
magician couldn’t help but cackle with glee.

You know you two can’t touch each other, yet you still extend your hands out to one another. It’s
pointless!

However, with fingers extended to the absolute limit – “click” – the glass started to crack.

The magician’s gleeful expression disappeared.

“Wait a minute!”

Listening to the sound of glass gently breaking, all the princess was thinking was I really want to see
him...

“Whaaaaaat?! How can they end it on a cliffhanger... It’s such an interesting story! What’s going to
happen next.... They were so close to finally seeing each other!” The tall slim girl pursed her lips and
adjusted her thin-framed glasses. Perhaps it was because her light-coloured hair was always tied up
in braids, but the girl had a rather rustic plain look. But hidden behind those glasses were a pair of
shining eyes. Her neck was slender and graceful like that of a swan, making her look very elegant.

“Ah... and they look so much alike...”

Ignoring the book laid out on the table in front of her, Nadashiko Shindo rested her head on one
hand as she sighed dreamily. He was her ideal man – an aloof handsome prince.

If only I have a prince like that, then...

Actually, a princely figure like that did actually exist in their school.

“Look alike... Who are you referring to?”

With her mind still immersed in the book, Shindo was startled by the voice by her ear. She jumped
up in fright and slammed her book shut.

“Seriously, you scared me half to death!”


The one who spoke out was her classmate as well as her roommate, Mairodori. She leaned over the
seat behind her and said. “Well, you were in a daze... Oh, you’re reading that book again? You’ve
already read it so many times, you must like it a lot.”

Mairodori was quite familiar with the book that was in Shindo’s hands. She hasn’t read it herself, but
she always sees Shindo carrying it around with her.

“I haven’t read it that many times! This is the latest in the ‘Black and White’ series. It’s only been on
sale for a few days and I’m already looking forward to its sequel.”

“Shindo, you must really like reading. How many books are there in this series?”

“23.”

Mairodori shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “Don’t you ever lose patient reading that many
volumes? I would be fed up with just collecting that many volumes of books.”

“But if it was manga, Mairodori, would you read it?”

“Of course. But in a novel, there are just texts. Reading novels take too much effort, I always get a
headache.”

“That’s a pity. I really hope you would give it a chance. The story is wonderful. And one of the
illustrations is so beautiful.”

Seeing Shindo’s cheeks pinken, Mairodori’s interests were piqued.

“So what’s the story about?”

“Well...” She’s read it so many times that she knew the story like the back of her hand. She launched
into her explanation. “There’s a princess who is put under a spell. However, she’s not aware of it.
And the deadline of the curse is fast approaching, if the curse isn’t broken by her next birthday, the
princess would die and her soul would fall into the hands of an evil magician. One day, when the
princess was out –”

Shindo quickly gave Mairodori the basic summary. The princess got kidnapped by the evil magician.
But in her moment of crisis, a mysterious prince came to her rescue. He was an extremely powerful
and handsome prince. All the fans of the novel series admired him.

However – Shindo didn’t tell her friend that the prince looked very much like Ichijo-senpai from the
night class. That, she hoped, would remain a secret in her heart.

“I see... So, that prince resembles Ichijo-senpai?”

“EEEEeee? How did you know?”

Mairodori smiled mischievously at her friend’s shocked expression. “I knew it!”

“Damnit, you tricked me!”


Mairodori had a very strong intuition. Shindo never managed to hide anything from her. Even
though they were the same age and good friends, Mairodori always acted like an older sister to the
timid law-abiding Shindo.

“What’s there to trick? I only need to think back to who you always stare at to know the answer.”

Blushing furiously, Shindo stared down at her desk.

Ichijo-senpai – Ichijo Takuma.

Shindo’s prince has never spoken a word to her. After all, the students of the night class were very
special. They rarely have contact with the day class students. And other than breaking the rules,
there were no way for the day class students to interact with them.

Even so, Shindo felt like she knew him just from looking at him from afar.

Ichijo-senpai, with his gentle manner and calm smile, he must have a beautiful soul.

Shindo was a student of the day class. The night class and day class shared the school facilities. The
night class male students were all handsome and were greatly admired by the girls of the day class.
But every day, they only had a brief opportunity of seeing them when they let their dorms. And
during that time, in order to see them, all the day class students were all packed at the gates.

Shindo would always be with them, quietly watching Ichijo-senpai. She didn’t scream out like the
other guys but despite that, his friend still saw through her.

“Valentine’s Day, are you going to give some chocolates to Ichijo-senpai? The day is almost here.”

Still blushing, Shindo nodded her head. “... ah....”

“Everybody is fiercely determined. After all, giving your chocolates to the one you love has sort of
turned into a competition. And because of the disciplinary committee, we can’t break the rules.”

At the school, Mairodori was one of the rare students who weren’t interested in the night class
students. Because back home, she has a boyfriend. They grew up together. Although due to the long
distance, they weren’t always able to meet up with each other. But they still remained in touch.
Whenever Shindo saw the happy expression on her friend’s face, she would felt a little jealous.

To be together with the one you love, what does it feel like?

To be able to talk to the one you love, what would you say?

She didn’t know.

Chocolates... if I can put them in his hands... it would be wonderful...

He would most definitely accept the chocolates with a beaming smile on his face. Just thinking about
it, Shindo felt very happy.

Nadashiko Shindo has never felt real love before. She was still a simple girl, who yearned for love,
read it in novels, fantasized about it...


Flip –

Turning back to her book, she turned to her favourite page. Her favourite moment was when the
princess first encountered the prince. Everything started from that point. If the two never met, then
there would be no story. There would be no excitement, no anxiety, no pounding heart.

“Come.”

With silky hair, a gentle smile, the prince opened his arms to his princess. With her in his embrace,
the prince would only smile at his princess. He would only give his love to his princess.

“My... princess.”

On the morning of that day, the atmosphere was unusually bright and colourful.

“Wuaah...”

It was Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, this was the day that you were supposed to give chocolate to
your crush. Shindo clutched her homemade chocolate tightly to her chest as she walked up to the
front gates of the Moon Dormitory. Unfortunately, when she saw the group of girls clustered at the
front, she couldn’t help but take a few hesitant steps backwards.

Even though it was still the morning, there were hordes of girls crowded around the entrance.

“Oh well, I guess there’s no way getting in...”

Shindo sighed with disappointment as she looked sadly down at the small box of chocolates in her
hand. In this case, she guessed handing her chocolate to Ichijo-senpai was going to be extremely
difficult. She was about to turn around and leave but was stopped by a familiar voice.

“What are you doing, Shindo? Over here, over here!”

“Ah, Mairodori?! Wait a second, where are you going?”

Mairodori pulled Shindo through the crowd quickly until they arrived at the front gate.

“Look, we’re here. Just a little more effort and you’ll be able to get over the wall. Here, climb onto
my back, quick!”

“... ah!”

Normally, Shindo would have thought climbing over the wall was a rude and unbecoming behaviour.
But – now was not the time to worry about such things. If she was reluctant to do this, then she
would never be able to give her chocolates to Ichijo-senpai. Looking at her friend, she nodded with
determination.

“That’s right, we both need to be determined in our campaign of love. Here, can you please pass
along my chocolates as well?”


Shindo couldn’t help but wonder out loud, “Mairodori, who are you giving yours to?”

“Heh heh, Wild-senpai of course! He’s so awe-inspiring.”

“... okay, but if you boyfriend gets mad at you, don’t blame it on me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not being unfaithful or anything. These festivals are so rare, if we don’t
spend them to our heart’s content, then what would be the point? Okay, are you ready?”

Seeing Shindo climbing onto Mairodori ‘s back, the girls around them started to cry out.

“Hey, that’s really smart. Here, can you pass along my chocolates as well?”

“Ah, that’s right, all I need to do is get over the fence.” Even though she has been discovered, she
was determined to do it.

“Good luck, Shindo-san! Just a little bit more – argh!” Mairodori raised her head to shout out an
encouragement to Shindo but her sudden movement knocked Shindo backwards. Out of balance,
she fell backwards.

“Aaaargh...”

I’m going to fall...!

There was no time to react. Shindo squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared for the inevitable
collision with the ground. She was sure she would be severely injured. However, after a long
uncomfortable wait,

Huh...?

Her whole body was wrapped up by the warmth of another individual.

“...”

Gingerly cracking her eyes open, she saw a very unhappy face – it was that of Prefect Yuuki’s
companion – Kiryu Zero.

So it was Zero who caught her. Even though his eyes were scary, and he was an aloof, stand-offish
guy, he still caught her –

She still couldn’t believe it. Stammering, she managed to blurt out, “Th-thank you, Kiryu-kun.”

He plopped her onto the ground and clutched at his head in anger. Shindo was convinced that she
was going to get berated at by the prefect. After all, she had broken the rules and almost gotten
hurt.

Zero glared down at her. “I told you before... members of the night class do not step outside the
Moon Dormitory during daylight hours... If you absolutely must give them presents, it will have to
wait until dusk... Come back when the day and night classes change over.”

He glared fiercely at all the surrounding girls and said. “If anyone of you pull a stunt like that again,
the festival activities may be cancelled.”


All the girls froze in fear.

Kiryu Zero is a very scary person indeed.

Ah... it’s Kiryu Zero...

During their lunch break, Shindo was reading a book when she suddenly glanced up and saw a
sullen-looking Zero walking along the veranda. Unable to help herself, she continued to look at him
until he disappeared from view.

Even though he was just walking, he still managed to look scary and imposing.

But... he protected me...

Shindo’s heart began to beat faster.


Vk la trappola del ghiaccio nero (secondo romanzo)

Vk la trappola del ghiaccio nero (secondo romanzo)

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