"Where am I?"
Masaru groggily opened his eyes, finding himself in an unfamiliar room. It was far too extravagant to be his home—the ceiling was adorned with golden gems, and a massive chandelier illuminated the space with an almost ethereal glow. Yet, it couldn't be the school either. No such room existed there.
He struggled to recall what had happened before he passed out, but his memory was hazy. The last thing he remembered was a sharp pain before everything went black.
"Vam... Vampire!!"
Masaru jolted upright, scanning his surroundings frantically.
"Hush! You're too loud!"
A familiar yet cold voice spoke beside him. Turning his head, he saw her—Akane Mikazuki.
Her platinum-white hair shimmered under the chandelier's light, and her crimson-red eyes held their usual sharpness. There was no mistaking her; she was the coldhearted princess of the school, the one no one dared to cross.
"You... you're a vampire!" Masaru stammered.
It all made sense. He had felt sharp pain before losing consciousness, and now he had woken up in her room. That could only mean one thing—she had bitten him.
But then, doubt crept in.
He had seen her walk under sunlight countless times, completely unaffected. And right now, she didn't look like a bloodthirsty monster. Could he be mistaken? Maybe she had just found him unconscious and brought him here?
Before he could make sense of it, Akane spoke.
"Yes, I am. And? What if I'm undead then so what? What are you going to do about it?"
Her tone was indifferent, completely unfazed.
Masaru's mind spiraled. What was he supposed to do? Call the police? Tell someone?
"I... I'll... I'll call the pol—"
"—You'll do nothing. Because right now, you're also undead—a lowly, pitiful ghoul."
There was a trace of mockery in her voice, but she watched him closely, waiting for his reaction.
Masaru's breath hitched. His body stiffened, his heart pounding like a drum.
"W-What... what do you mean a ghoul?! How—how?!" His voice cracked in panic. "You must be the one! You bit me, didn't you?! I'll call the police right—"
SMACK!
A sharp, stinging pain erupted on his cheek. Akane had slapped him—hard.
The force sent him crashing against the bed's headboard, which cracked under the impact.
"You'll do no such thing," she said coldly. "Accept reality, or you die. If you can't live with it, I'll kill you right here and now."
The sheer killing intent in her voice sent a shiver down Masaru's spine.
What the hell was happening?!
The school's number one beauty was a vampire, and now he had somehow become one too—no, something even lower. A ghoul.
He had always been at the bottom of the social ladder, and now, even in the supernatural world, he was at the lowest rank.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to stay calm. Panicking wouldn't help.
"...Alright, I'm calm," he said, rubbing his cheek. "I'd like some explanations."
Akane crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, as if assessing whether he was truly ready to listen.
"You were bitten by a vampire, but it wasn't me," she finally said. "I was chasing a Fallen, and before I killed it, it bit you. A bite from a Fallen is fatal, so you were already doomed. The only way to save you was to bless your commoner blood with my noble blood."
Masaru frowned. "So… you turned me into a ghoul?"
"Yes. As a high-ranking vampire, my blood was powerful enough to reanimate your dying body—but only as a lowly undead. A ghoul."
A heavy silence filled the air.
"...Any questions?" she asked, crimson eyes locked onto him.
Masaru hesitated before speaking. "Yeah. Can I increase my rank? I mean, being the lowest kind of undead sounds… pathetic. I'm no different from a human, right?"
Akane let out a soft laugh.
"Hah! You're confident, I'll give you that. But you're wrong. You're extremely weak, yes—but you're still stronger than an average human. However..." She smirked. "You've also gained a set of crippling weaknesses."
Masaru swallowed. "...Like what?"
"Sunlight will kill you. Holy water will kill you. Silver will kill you."
His eyes widened in horror. "So you're telling me becoming an undead actually nerfed me?!"
Akane shrugged. "Not entirely. You also gained some advantages. Physically, you're about three times stronger than an average adult. Your speed is around 20 meters per second, which is faster than any human—but still slower than a cheetah. And your reflexes? Around 44–70 milliseconds, about the speed of a snake's strike."
Masaru wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more terrified.
"So I'm stronger… but also ridiculously fragile."
"That sums it up."
He took a deep breath. "And about increasing my rank… you said it depends on you?"
Akane's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"That's right."
For the first time, Masaru felt hope.
"Then—"
"—Don't bother asking," she cut him off coldly. "I see no reason to make you stronger. It wouldn't benefit me."
Masaru's heart sank. Of course.
She wouldn't just give him power for free.
Akane turned her gaze toward the window, her expression unreadable.
"...That's what I would have said," she muttered, "if I hadn't found out that you had..."
Masaru's breath hitched.
Had what?