You Will Only Be Mine-Chapter 472: Plague

Classes went on as usual, with Ai coming to my seat between each period, though something different happened this time. During lunch break, instead of joining me, she was dragged away by her friends in some manner I can’t comprehend. All I know is that when she did leave the room, her face was bright red. I can only imagine what Haruka told her. I looked around the room for the guys, only to find them already gone for lunch. They probably have their own place to eat, and I don’t think I would like to interrupt that time. We were going to hang out either way, so I look forward to it.

I rarely check the group chat, given the events of last night, but there were tons of messages in it. I should also probably ask them if they have any specific things they would like me to cook for the journey. I did plan on making an assortment of rice balls with different filling but that definitely won’t be enough for the four of us. I’m also sure Ai would want to eat them, too, so I have to basically make it for five people in total. What is another thing we can have on the trip without spilling anything? Maybe some sandwiches too, depending on whether they feel like eating those instead of rice balls? Ugh, I’ve never really packed for a trip, so I don’t know what to make. I’ll leave that decision to them. I’m just the cook.

I started walking out of the class and found a familiar figure I hadn’t seen in a while. The moment our eyes met, his face brightened as he ran in my direction. "Senpai!!" he shouted from across the corridor, making sure that all eyes were on him and me.

He ran over to me, raising his hands, so I did the same, as his high fived me with both his hands. "Hey, Koto. How have you been?"

"Me? I should be asking you that question! Do you know how worried I was? You know how troublesome Yoshi has gotten since he can’t stay with you. We were both so worried. Oh my god, what is with the eye patch? Did you lose an eye? Noooo!" he started rambling loudly, bringing more attention to us. I grabbed both his shoulders and brought him to the ground, accidentally squeezing them too hard as I could feel his muscles squishing under my grip. "So it is true."

"I- Koto, maybe it would be better if we take this conversation somewhere else," I said, turning my back and heading towards the roof as he followed me. "Is your shoulder fine? I didn’t squeeze too hard, right?"

"No worries, I’ve faced stuff far worse than this," he said, shining a huge smile at me, throwing a thumbs up at me. "Anyways, more about you. I heard you made quite a name for yourself. Being a delinquent and all."

"What do you mean?" I said not to stop in my path.

"Well, given both your and Ai-senpai’s sudden absence from the school for a while from the school. Many nasty rumours came up, you know. I did my best to subdue them, but you know how these things work," he said, and a nerve popped in my forehead. "And your drastically shifted demeanour doesn’t help with it."

"It isn’t that big of a change," I said.

"That’s what you think. You practically act like a completely different person," he said as we arrived at the roof. We found a person there who looked at us, confused, then quickly left the place. "This is what I mean."

I looked at him, confused as the guy ran past us, and I felt him feeling scared for some reason. I stared at his back as he ran down the stairs.

"Did I do something?" I said, and Koto let out a sigh and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Why do you look at me like that?"

"I’m sorry for what happened to both of you," he started with an apology. "It was horrible, and I feel bad I couldn’t help in any sense."

"Why are you even apologising?" I got even more confused.

"Senpai, I got a little briefing on the things that happened since I was deemed involved in your insubordination, but I do know both you and Ai-senpai went through something rough. That event has led you to shift a little in how you are presenting yourself. The constant glares, the hostile personality, and not to mention that scary look in your eyes. You don’t realize it, but the way you are acting every day in big crowds didn’t make a good image for you," Koto explained, and looking back on it, sure I was more protective of Ai since she felt terrified of the crowds and clung to me but I didn’t think there was much of anything weird in what I did. "I wanted to tell you this alone since I didn’t want to bring Ai-senpai into this conversation, which is why I couldn’t get in contact with you all these days. You’re being monitored, senpai, twenty-four-seven. I’m one of the observers whose job is to observe you and deem you as a threat or not."

"Why tell me all this?" I asked, feeling on guard by the exchange of the information.

"Because not everyone in the VEO can be trusted. Even our branch and I enjoy messing with you, so I don’t want to see you end up locked up," he kept speaking. "I want you to know that I am on your side, senpai."

"Why go that far for me? Wouldn’t just telling me all this be breaking orders?" I asked, wary of his response.

"My orders never told me not to tell you about what was going on in the VEO. James is the one who appointed the observers, and I think he is picking those who are not in favour of having you turned into a lab rat," he said, and leaned against the wall behind me. "Also, Yoshi really likes you. If you are gone, he will be a huge pain in the ass."

"Thanks, Koto," I said, relaxing.

"Then treat me to lunch," he said, holding out his hand. I looked at him, confused. "What? I’ve been told about the legendary lunches of Shiba Kazuki-senpai from Sensei. I have to confirm for myself what sort of sorcery calms down the demon."

"You know she might have probably heard you," I said, and he chuckled a little with a sweat dropping down his forehead.

I handed Koto my lunch box, and he gave me a bread roll and lemon bread bought from the school cafeteria. How did he even get that so fast? "The lunch lady favours me a little so I get mine first, always."

Great, now I have another thing to concern myself about. Isn’t my life amazing? I want to find the guy who is writing my life story and strangle him personally for each problem that gets thrown on top of the ones I already have.

From what Koto said, it would also be plausible that Natsumi-san is also an observer, and how I am acting is being monitored by her and documented for James. Sigh, I mean, I can’t really blame them for it. Given how things are going with me, I would also prefer documenting myself to see any changes or patterns in my growth as a vampire. Koto asked me to show him my eye, which I did, and he thought it looked really cool, getting too close for my comfort.

I looked down at his lunch, and it was already finished while I wasn’t even half-way done through the bread roll. He asked for more, and when I said I had another, but it was for Natsumi-san, he quickly retracted his request. Yes, I made an extra meal for her apart from her lunch since I know there is a high chance she would be extra hungry because of drinking the night before.

"Hey Koto, what do you fight for?" I asked.

"Getting philosophical with me now, senpai?" he said with a little smirk. "If I have to pick an answer, it has to be for the money. They pay a hefty sum to each hunter and way more when you are at my level. Can you even imagine just how many snacks I can get with that money?"

"You have a big appetite, don’t you?" I said, chuckling a little from his response. Maybe I was overthinking it.

"When speed is your forte, you need a lot more calories than other people due to all the unnecessary running I need to do to get my kills," he said and grabbed the melon bread. I guess I will only survive on one bread roll for lunch. "But if it’s other than that, I don’t want to die. I also don’t want to leave Yoshi alone. I absolutely also want to save people and be popular. So many reasons."

"Don’t you have one that is over the other? Like your main reason," I asked as I saw this boy throw the entire melon bread in his mouth and chew it with no issue. Saying I am surprised is an understatement.

"No, not really. All those reasons are equally important to me. Nothing wrong with it," he said, dusting his hands and standing up.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, no one ever has just one main reason to do the things they do. Then why should I?" he said as he offered me a hand. I smiled and reached out grabbing it, and stood up. I saw the guy eye my half-eaten bread roll.

"You want it- "

Before I could finish my sentence, Koto grabbed the roll from my hand and ate it in one big bite. Thanks to him, I got somewhat closer to the answer to Ethan’s question and am left absolutely starving.

"Wait, if you eat so much. Why only buy this?" I asked him, confused since that is the only stuff I saw Koto having on him, and I can clearly see his appetite being a lot bigger.

"The people in my class love giving me snacks, so I satiate myself that way," he said, holding up a peace sign at me.

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