It's True Love 63 (Patreon)

"I'm here again..." The room of a princess. Altrouge Brunestud's dream.

It had become even more detailed than last time.

The vampire who was sitting on the bed grinned. "Oh? Have you finally evolved?" What she was asking was obvious. Had Yuta reached the level where he didn't forget her everytime he left.

He hadn't. The truth was that he remembered meeting her as soon as he appeared here, but he wouldn't undoubtedly forget about it as soon as he left again. Which he still didn't know if it was a good thing or not.

"Does it really matter?" Why would she care. "Anyways, I have a question to ask you, Altrouge." This was a golden opportunity, one he wouldn't so easily ignore.

She pouted. "Ask away, fool." Hadn't he basically asked a question already anyways? Ugh, this is why she avoided stupid commoners.

He took a deep breath. "Well..." This was a surprisingly scary step he was taking, even if he knew Altrouge couldn't hurt him.

He walked towards the bed, and sat next to her. Maybe this would make things more comfortable for the both of them. Alternatively, it might make things even more uncomfortable, but at least he tried to be nice.

Altrouge raised an eyebrow. "What are you..." And then she blushed. "Before you try to push me down, please remember that such actions will have its consequences! Terrible ones!" A princess must protect her chastity.

Yuta sent her a look of confusion. "What are you yapping about now?" Before she could answer, he waved her off. "Look, I'm about to delve into a serious topic. So feel free to ignore me." He wasn't doing this to make her feel good of course.

Yuta didn't care about Altrouge enough for that, she was a monster. However, that's why he had to be careful. It was like she had said in her weird outburst, dealing with her could have terrible consequences.

Altrouge looked away. "Fret not, I shall not ignore you." A sigh escaped her mouth. "Even I shall remember a worm if he constantly bothers me every night." Yuta wished she wouldn't remember him though.

He scoffed. "Right... Anyways, here's the question. How... what do you feel towards your sister, Arcueid Brunestud." In the end he still hesitated, much to his chagrin.

He wanted to go straight to talking about the French Incident, but he ended asking a much more complicated question. One he had a feeling might make Altrouge very, very angry.

To his surprise, it didn't. Though she did frown. "What kind of gentleman asks about one's sister? Are you perhaps even more foolish than I previously thought?" She giggled to herself. "I'll have you know I'm much more beautiful than her."

"Debatable." Yuta immediately muttered to himself.

Both were undeniably beautiful of course, and also pretty similar looking. That said, Altrouge had more youthful features, and her body wasn't exactly curvaceous. It really was a younger/older sister difference. Even if Altrouge happened to be the older one here.

She hummed. "Sorry, did you say something, human?" She had heard it. Nonetheless, she decided to spare him this time.

He looked away. "N-no, sorry." He would not deny the mercy that had been given to him. "So, about your sister... I'm just curious, I guess." He couldn't exactly tell her that he was Arcueid's boyfriend and just worried about her.

She nodded. "Very well, though there isn't much to talk about." She supposed it was only natural a worm would be curious about his superior masters. "As you already may know, her and I are the last of the True Ancestors." Probably.

There were rumors about how a boy from the Holy Church had calmed down a Demon Lord from his rampage. Altrouge rather doubted these rumors however, it was probably propaganda to try and prop up a new saint.

She continued. "Naturally, I do have some semblance of respect towards her due to this. Overall though, I would say she's a bit of a failure. Not all humans are equal, not all vampires are equal."

"She's... a failure?" In certain aspects he could see that.

But if he was measuring people by those aspects, than Altrouge was just as big failure. In essence, he was calling them both eccentric little weirdos. Or in Arcueid's case a big weirdo. As established before, she was the curvaceous one here.

Altrouge raised a finger. "Yes, a failure. She is technically of better blood than me, and yet she does nothing. Her faction isn't even ran by her. Honestly, I don't even think she knows she has a faction." She would one day pay the price for her arrogance.

While she may indeed be more powerful than Altrouge, the Black Princess was looking for methods to bridge that gap. One of them was her guard dog, which technically made her just as strong... or perhaps even stronger than Arcueid.

Yuta tilted his head. "Factions huh...? I'm surprised she has a faction too." He sort of understood the concept by now, mostly because Ciel had included as part of his lessons.

As far as he knew, the vampire world was more or less controlled by two massive factions. One led by Altrouge herself, and the other one led by a very old Dead Apostle Ancestor who crowned himself king of vampires.

Arcueid should have no stake in this game.

The princess sighed. "Because she basically doesn't. It's all run by people who are more faithful to the Crimson Moon than her." In a way they too were Arcueid's enemies.

"So if you ask me how I feel about my so-called sister... I feel a bit of pity I suppose, so I sometimes land her a hand. I will still kill her one day however." Yuta got it.

For Altrouge, Arcueid was her failure of a little sister who was skipping vampire high school. Well, she also wanted to eventually kill her, which was something he didn't really have anything to compare too.

The princess smirked. "So, shall you tell me the reason why you were so curious?" Ah, she wasn't gonna let him escape from this huh?

Welp, he sort of had answer to give. A half truth. "It's because I know you saved Arcueid during the French Incident. I was curious on the why... because I have a friend who's a survivor of that." That shouldn't give too much away.

Altrouge tilted her head. "A survivor of the French Incident? Interesting..." Why did he have a feeling he gave too much away!? "Only two humans left that graveyard. Roa's vessel and some whelp. Both joined the Holy Church..." He definitely gave way too much away!

He had underestimated her, probably because she was as eccentric as Arcueid. Much like her younger sister however, Altrouge wasn't actually stupid. She was intelligent, and well informed when it came to stuff like this.

Yuta had to be more careful in the future.

Now however? Now he had to survive whatever she was about to do towards someone who was clearly a member of the Holy Church.

Actually she didn't seem to care much. "Very well, let us discuss the French Incident you humans care so much about." Yuta wasn't about too look a gift horse in the mouth, so he didn't mention anything.

"I did indeed save my sister during that day. Mostly because the one who caused that incident was just too disgusting for me to let his wishes be granted." So it was like Ciel theorized. She attacked because she had a grudge against Roa.

Yuta nodded. "So you went to get revenge against Roa because he humiliated you in the pa-."

"Who told you that!?" She pointed at him, a angry blush on her. "I did not go there for such a reason! I barely remembered such a thing even happened at all!" Yeah, she definitely remembered losing to Roa.

"That day he defeated me was akin... akin to a human being attacked by a wild and reckless pigeon! You hear me!? Roa was like a pigeon, and much like one he always leaves his waste all over the place!" Was she implying Roa pooped on her!?

Yuta decided he didn't want to think too much about it. "Right, right." He started patting her head. "He only won due to luck and stuff." When he killed Roa one day, he hoped Altrouge took that as good news.

At this point she even had tears in the corner of her eyes. "I'm glad you understand!

She cleared her throat. "However, let me clarify exactly what happened... Roa was a dog aiming for something far beyond his station. Such would be fine if he was a respectful, albeit charmless young man such as you of course, but..." Wait a minute!

She was comparing Roa to him!? And in Altrouge's mind Yuta was trying to court her... Wouldn't that mean she was saying Roa was trying to court Arcueid? Nah, he had to be misunderstanding something.

"But he was a crude brute. A savage. I cannot let such a man put his hands on royalty, and so I saved my pathetic sister from such an unworthy faith." She giggled. "I also got to walk my dog around. He enjoys hunts." That's...

"But enough about Roa, the French Incident and all that... Entertain me commoner!" She was back to blushing.

He sighed. "Well, you did answer my questions..." He then patted his thighs. "Okay then, as a reward, I shall grant you the legendary lap pillow." It was something that not just any girl got to receive!

Though he actually offered such a thing to fluster her. Naturally Altrouge would get mad and reject it. And so he wouldn't really need to offer anything else.

"Legendary!? I cannot refuse such a gift!" She actually seems rather happy!?



//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////



"So, how are things going back in the Tohno Mansion?"

Shiki shrugged. "They're going... okay, I guess." He pushed his glasses up. "Akiha wants to kill you by the way, and you know exactly why." Ah, it was due to the little prank he played on Arach, wasn't it?

Speaking of her, Yuta wondered if that woman actually got fired or not. Strangely enough, he hoped she was okay. Though he supposed he shouldn't find that strange, since she had helped in her own little weird way.

Rika interjected. "Well, I don't. So please explain, Four Eyes." She was out of Yuta's shadow right now.

Mostly because the trio was chatting in a familiar place to them. The school rooftops... The place where all protagonists gather! Without a doubt Senpai came here once or twice too, she had that protagonist aura after all.

Shiki raised an eyebrow at Yuta's direction. "You didn't tell her about what happened yesterday?"

Yuta looked away. "I told pretty much everyone what happened yesterday. I even had a bonding moment with my own siblings, thank you very much!" It's just that...

Well... "But you know... I might have left out a detail or two, for I am not a sinless man." Look, he didn't want to tell Rika he made an Akiha impregnation joke. That's all.

"Yuta you are dangerously close to... Well, I won't kill you, but I have my ways of teaching lessons." It was common knowledge that fates worse than death existed.

Yuta gulped. "Right. Um... that doctor Arach was bothering me, so I told her I knocked Akiha up to get off my trail." One might also say he was simple being a prophet at that moment.

Shiki snorted. "How does your mind function man?" You know, when people told him Yuta was like half-alien or something...

He believed it. Yep, makes total sense.

Rika chuckled. "It functions at higher levels than you can ever comprehend, Four Eyes. Yuta is a massive genius after all..." It was always good having his ego fed. "That said, the consequences of this is that he sometimes thinks in eldritch tongue." And... his ego immediately died.

Yuta pouted. "Whatever." He shook his head. "By the way, speaking of Arach, what happened to her?"

Shiki sighed. "For now nothing. Akiha has... well, she's okay, but she hasn't left her room yet." For real!? She became a stinky NEET!? "And before you make a joke about it, no, that doesn't count as her being a NEET."

"Seriously you two, don't take this as her being in some desperate situation. She just needed to rest for a while, that's all." That was good to know, Yuta supposed.

When he left the Tohno Mansion he thought he had more or less calmed down Whatever anxieties Akiha may have about this whole situation. He would have felt awful had he actually failed that.

Shiki continued. "But yeah, since she hasn't left the room she hasn't had the time to fire Arach. Or kill her. Or do whatever she wants to do to her." Even right now his little sister's head was probably running with multiple ideas that would bring Arach suffering.

If Shiki was being honest with himself, firing her was totally okay with him. He didn't like that woman, she made him... uncomfortable. And yes, he knew his best friend was Yuta Okkotsu the master at making people uncomfortable, but the two felt different.

Yuta made people uncomfortable because that was just the way his personality worked and because it showed up as a consequence of his goals. He didn't meant to do it, and Shiki was sure he wouldn't if he had the choice. He felt a little... innocent. Pure even.

At least when compared to Arach.

That woman purposely went out of her way to make people uncomfortable. It wasn't a consequence of anything, it was the goal itself. She was a predator playing with her prey.

So yeah, Shiki didn't like her very much.

Yuta groaned. "What a pain... I will probably need to help Arach if the axe falls down her neck." An eye for an eye. He owed her.

Shiki pushed his glassed up. "Alternatively, you could just let it happen. Not every pretty girl in the world needs your help." An Arach was indeed pretty. And many other things that categorized her as beautiful as well.

Rika quickly nodded. "Yep, Four Eyes is totally right. Especially since that woman is rotten to the core."

Yuta raised an eyebrow. "You never even interacted with her..." Though she had heard Arach speak at least. That probably counted for something.

Rika shrugged. "Blame women's intuition, I can just tell that the bitch is super evil and super crazy too, but anyone can tell that. By the way, since I'm the most woman to ever woman, my intuition is the most intuition to ever intuition." He couldn't argue with that.

Still... "Right... I..."

Rika cut him off. "Seriously, if you bring her to Rabbit's apartment I will kick her out." Yuta was definitely not gonna do that! That place was cramped enough as it.

He really needed that house of his to be built already. If what was happening back at Ciel's apartment continued one day someone would snap and kill another person. And the murderer might be Ciel herself.

Yuta chuckled. "I will keep that in mind." He definitely couldn't deny Rika's intuition.

After all he himself felt very weird when he first met Arach. And by this point he understood that trusting his instincts were always the right move. Now he just needed to figure out what exactly was up with her.

An awkward mood settled in. Arach made everyone uncomfortable without even being here.

Until Shiki remember something he wanted to ask. "By the way Yuta, what happened with Makihisa's diary?" He almost wanted to call the thing a cursed artifact.

Yuta put a hand to his chin. "Now that you ask about it, I don't really know. I dropped when I ran to your house, and I didn't really ask anyone if they picked it up." He sent a confused glance to Rika.

Since she stayed in Ciel's apartment, she should naturally know what it happened to it. Well, considered Sensei was there, there was a decent chance of his redheaded girlfriend destroying it in a fit of rage.

Luckily... or maybe unluckily considering the contents of the book, that was not what happened. "Rabbit threw it in some random drawer."

She looked at Shiki. "Why do you wanna know anyways? Doed Hot Head want it back?" That would be understandable. It was her father's diary after all.

Shiki immediately denied. "Nope. Besides giving me the information I missed by leaving the room, Akiha has pretty much not even talked about the book at all." His sister probably didn't give a single shit about what happened to it.

Well, it did contain important information that could theoretically ruin her, but... She trusted Yuta. The book was with him, so nothing bad would end up coming from it.

"The reason why I asked about the book is... I want to read it." He didn't even know why.

He wasn't a confrontational person, definitely not at all like Yuta. And so he would normally be more than happy leaving this whole thing behind. Nonetheless, something was pushing him towards that damn thing.

Yuta gave him a thumbs up. "Welp, I don't mind giving you that thing. Normally Senpai and I would go straight to work, but we can make a quick detour back home with ya." Besides this way he could make sure Kohaku and Hisui got home safely.

Shiki smiled. "Thanks. Anything important happen with your... work, if you don't mind me asking?" He was simply curious about it.

It was a bit insane to think Yuta was now an executor of the Holy Church.

"Eh, nothing too crazy. We're just hunting clues about this vampire spider thing."

"I see..." He didn't.



//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////



AN: I wasted all my mana prisms expanding my second storage. I regretted it.