Ch. 28 Trust the Reprobate
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 28 – Trust the Reprobate
Incheon was an excellent place to gaze at the stars.
Unlike the old world, there was no fine dust drifting in from China, and thanks to the city being completely destroyed, there was no light pollution either.
The Milky Way and countless constellations. And stars that, though not part of any constellation, shone brilliantly or faintly on their own.
The stars I liked were the ones that shone despite being isolated and weak, as well as the occasional comets.
For instance, right now, a pure white tail was streaking across the night sky…
…Wait, do comets stop moving? Huh? Why is it getting closer?
Hold on. Time out. What the hell is that? As I instinctively took a step back in alarm, a certain radiant existence, one that could plausibly appear in Incheon, popped into my head.
Oh, no way. Is that Radiant White?
“I finally found you! Mina, don’t even think about slipping away with lies like last time! Today, I’m getting to the bottom of everything! Oh, and well done, Sky!”
Bingo. And on top of that, tucked under her arm was a blue-haired girl who, quite uncharacteristically for a magical girl, looked downright terrified.
Setting aside the oddity of White carrying around another magical girl like an object, so her name was Sky, huh?
She must have some use if White was hauling her around like that…
“Look, I get how you’re feeling, but still… Don’t you think carrying someone around like an object is a bit much?”
First breaking and entering, and now this? I was starting to have some doubts about Radiant White’s sense of morality.
But she clearly couldn’t care less about that. She simply pointed at me and asked with conviction:
“Why did you lie to me back then?! And what is your relationship with Hemorrhagia? Answer me! If you don’t—”
“If I don’t?”
What, are you gonna shoot me or something? You’re a magical girl. You don’t even know what I am, and you’re already making threats?
As I stared at her with an unimpressed look, she let out a dumbfounded “Uh…” as if she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
…Wow. She really just charged in without a plan, huh? While I felt a smug sense of satisfaction at having perfectly baited her, I also couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of guilt.
It was starting to feel like I was leading her on with false hope.
“I never taught her to be like this…”
Even the Shining White inside me seemed at a loss for words, baffled by what she was seeing.
At least one thing was certain now.
Shining White wasn’t just some bundle of memories or information—she was a full-fledged consciousness residing in my head.
She didn’t share my thoughts completely, only catching fragmented sentences and memories. That meant she and I were merely sharing a body.
It was good to confirm that, but it didn’t change the fact that Radiant White was still right in front of me, meaning I had to deal with her properly.
Luckily for me, this time, I was prepared. And she, clearly, was not.
“Relax, I was just messing with you. No point in hiding it from you now, anyway. So, which question do you want answered first? My relationship with my mother? Or why I hid the fact that I drink blood?”
Might as well take control of the conversation from the start.
She flinched slightly at my unexpected response, looking momentarily stunned. I had thrown her off completely.
“………What?”
Given how shocking that information was, Radiant White could only stare blankly at me for four whole seconds before finally managing to stammer out a response.
“Since you’re not saying anything… I’ll start with why I lied to you. I was afraid you’d blow my head off.”
“W-What are you talking about? Why would I ever do that…?”
Struggling to process the sudden flood of information, Radiant White stuttered.
“Because you’re a magical girl and I’m a vampire. If you saw a vampire drinking human blood, would you just say, ‘Oh, she must be hungry,’ and let it slide?”
I crossed my arms and said it as bluntly as possible, making her hesitate.
“Well… No, but still…”
“Wait, wait a second. Before anything else, why should I believe what you’re saying?”
Realizing she was getting sucked into my pace, she quickly tried to regain control of the conversation.
…Hmm.
If it were daytime, I could just do what I did with Suhyeok and let the sun roast me a little.
But at night, I didn’t have a convenient way to prove I was a vampire.
I did have my fangs, but they weren’t exactly dramatic enough to be definitive proof.
“Do you have any proof that I’m lying?”
“Last time, you lied to my face without a hint of shame. And if you’re really a vampire, then how do you survive under the sun?”
I had tried to brazen it out, but she shot me down with absurd ease, leaving me momentarily speechless.
…This isn’t the direction I expected this to go.
“My blood is diluted. I can move around in sunlight for a short time.”
I delivered my pre-prepared excuse, but Radiant White’s expression remained full of doubt. She clearly didn’t believe me.
“Senior… I don’t care who this woman is… but she’s definitely not normal.”
To make matters worse, Sky, who had been slumped over the whole time, suddenly opened her mouth, sending the conversation spiraling even further out of control.
So, it was some kind of sensory magic, huh?
“See? Even she says I’m not human. Not that I know who she is, but—”
I was about to make full use of Sky’s words to my advantage when…
“It’s not so much… diluted… as it is… mixed. Heavily… mixed… Or maybe not? One? Or… two…? Mmm… I’m tired… Five minu—mm…”
…Huh?
…
……
“Damn, I guess that was her limit. Should I have at least let her drink some water…?”
My palm was damp. I stayed silent, only wiggling my toes for no reason.
I couldn’t be sure how much Sky had seen.
I simply stared at Radiant White, who muttered, “I’ll take them back to their lodging. From here on, I’ll have to do this alone.”
“Anyway… I now understand that you’re not human. Alright, I’ll believe you when you say you’re a vampire.”
Only after hearing those words could I finally feel relieved.
Even though I don’t believe in any gods, I silently offered thanks to whatever deity came to mind and calmly, convincingly, told her the lies I had prepared.
The thin-blooded vampire, my supposed mother Hemorragia, the circumstances surrounding it all… I left out everything related to Suhyuk but revealed the rest.
“So, you’re saying you’re a vampire who came all the way from Romania with some kind of purpose?”
“That’s right.”
“And the recently emerging monster, Hemorragia, is actually affiliated with an organization called Rabbit’s Foot, and that monster is your mother?”
“Regrettably… that’s the truth.”
“You lied back in Romania because you were afraid you’d be killed if you got caught drinking blood?”
“When you’re trying to survive, what wouldn’t you do?”
Radiant White, who had been full of suspicion, now seemed to have accepted my words to some extent.
But that didn’t mean she completely trusted me.
“Alright, let’s say I accept that. Then what exactly were you doing here?”
She still had plenty of questions left.
“I came to see my mother, who should be here. I thought… maybe, just maybe, if I reached out, I could change her mind.”
Even if I wasn’t fully prepared, it was easier to pile lies on top of lies than to build one from scratch.
“Your mother, huh. If that’s the case, I suppose it’s possible… since blood ties exist, after all.”
Even though it was easier in comparison, it was still incredibly difficult.
Maybe because she had already been deceived once, she just wouldn’t let go of her doubts.
“…There’s no real way to prove this, so let’s move on.”
It seemed like the hurdle had gotten ridiculously high after she had already fallen for one lie.
This… really isn’t easy. I knew it’d be exhausting when I met her again, but now that I’m actually dealing with it, I feel like I might die from sheer fatigue.
Yesterday was about messing with White, and today, I planned to go after Suhyuk. What the hell is this detour?
“So, are you actually Korean? What’s your real name?”
“You could say I’m Romanian. I was reborn as a vampire there. Most of my past memories are gone.”
“Hmmm…”
Honestly, my lies were convincing enough that she should’ve bought them by now.
But considering she had already been tricked once, I couldn’t help but feel like she was being overly harsh.
After a few more rounds of questioning, Radiant White seemed to be getting tired and finally brought up something resembling a last question.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. What I really want to know is this—did your mother ever show any interest in magical girls or anything like that?”
Given what I knew, it sounded like she was trying to find out if Hemorragia had any connection to Shining White.
She must really be desperate. Trusting the words of someone who already lied to her, not knowing if it’s the truth or just another fabrication.
“Hmm… I do recall her mentioning something about magical girls, but I wasn’t paying much attention, so I don’t really remember.”
“So she did bring it up…?”
“Yeah.”
“I knew it… There really was some kind of connection…”
Radiant White mumbled to herself in a chilling voice before suddenly pointing at me again.
“Don’t expect me to trust you. I won’t be fooled like last time!”
“Oh, sure.”
Thinking she was about to get aggressive again, I braced myself to summon whatever bravado I had left.
“But… if what you’re saying is true, and you do meet your mother… could you contact me at this number? Please.”
But instead, Radiant White suddenly lowered herself, bowing slightly as she spoke.
It was a sight I never expected from someone who was always so assertive.
“Uh…? Oh, um, yeah. Got it…”
I ended up adding her contact almost reflexively.
She left me with a final request, gathered up Sky, and took off again.
“Please, I’m begging you. Please… I mean it, please.”
Even as she flew away, she kept repeating those words to me.
It made me feel just a little guilty.
…
Forget it. Time to mess with Suhyuk.
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