episode_0047

Serika Tachibana grew up with two mothers.

Stella’s mother is weak and her strict Japanese mother.

Among them, perhaps because he inherited his mother’s genes, Tachibana was so weak that he would often catch a cold since he was young.

But Tachibana was happy.

Because my mother and mother-in-law took care of me both materially and spiritually.

And when Tachibana was three years old, his mother, who had been suffering from a chronic illness, finally went on a long journey.

“Mother, where are you?”

“Serica… Only you… I must… .”

Tachibana, who did not know the meaning of death, grabbed his mother’s sleeve and asked, and his mother gave a completely unexpected answer and hugged Tachibana.

With that hug as the last, Tachibana became a bird in a cage.

‘I’m bored… .’

6 years old. Tachibana is old enough to understand his mother’s worries.

Her mother, who was as frail as she was, passed away early. She is afraid of that fact and keeps herself hidden.

I certainly understood it in my head, but that didn’t mean I could help but feel dissatisfied.

The blood of the cow that we eat every day. Of course, it was fresh and delicious because it was carefully airlifted by my mother. However, no matter how excellent the delicacies are, if you eat only one, you will get sick of it. Tachibana naturally became interested in the diverse food cultures of humans.

Just because they’re vampires doesn’t mean they only drink blood their entire lives. They just don’t need to eat food because they don’t get any nutrients from it.

‘Candy? It’s so shiny, it looks like a jewel… Shiro, what does candy taste like? Is it hard like a jewel?’

Shiro. That was the name of the pure white canary that Tachibana raised.

Tachibana grew up dreaming while reading a fairy tale book that he received from his mother together with Shiro.

And when Tachibana turned seven, even Shiro, the only person with whom he could share memories, left Tachibana’s side.

‘Shiro, I’ll be back. I’ll take care of everything for you.’

For the sake of his comrades who were locked in the cage with him, Tachibana attempted to escape.

‘wow…!’

That day, with courage borrowed from Shiro, he spread his pure white wings that he had always had to keep folded, and set foot on the outside world, avoiding his mother’s eyes.

Tachibana, who was fascinated by the city’s glamour and was only chasing the lights, encountered a large demon he had never seen before.

‘The demons I only saw in fairy tales actually exist!’

A man was moving around loudly and shouting, but Tachibana paid no attention and looked up at the demon.

Sharp eyes. Long claws reminiscent of a Japanese sword. Hair so rough it would hurt to touch. It was on a completely different level from the demon beasts I had only seen in pictures.

‘Shiro, what do you think? Do you think Shiro can win?’

I leisurely admired the magic while joking with my friend. I felt a little lonely because I didn’t get a reply, but I definitely wanted to show it to Shiro.

‘Huh, huh? I can’t see it… .’

But soon, Tachibana’s vision became completely black.

Instead, a very warm, comforting warmth enveloped my whole body.

A fragrant smell wafted out, incomparable to that of cow’s blood.

Is this what it would feel like if Shiro, who had grown up so much, hugged him? Tachibana closed his eyes tightly as he was held in her warm embrace.

If I get out of here, I’ll go back to that stuffy cage. My mother will be really angry. I might never be able to come out again.

In that case… wouldn’t it be better to go to Mom and Shiro?

Tachibana was hugged by an unknown woman and made a wish in his heart.

This woman is such a bad person, I wish she could meet her mother and Shiro.

But contrary to Tachibana’s wishes, the woman sat down on a park bench and began to talk to herself.

A woman was constantly moving her mouth and moving around. Although he couldn’t understand what she was saying, Tachibana remembered the pronunciation she was making.

It was pure curiosity. What on earth was he talking about that made him so desperate? I wanted to know what the person I was talking to for the first time outside was saying.

The woman looked at him for a while, then smiled and handed him a candy with a cute cat drawn on it.

And although he was caught by the bodyguards shortly after, Tachibana was able to return without any regrets.

‘candy….’

A great gain from coming out. Tachibana hid the candy in his pocket and thanked the woman.

“Goodbye!!”

The woman waved her hand fervently to Tachibana and bid him farewell forever.

Until then, Tachibana also thought that his relationship with women had ended there.

“Serica… !”

Crack─!

That day, Tachibana was slapped by his mother for the first time. It was the first time he had ever experienced anything like this since he went outside.

“I’m sorry, Serika. If you’re wrong, I’ll… .”

My mother, who had been standing there blankly for a while after hitting me in the face, hugged me with trembling hands and shed tears.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t do it again.”

Tachibana wasn’t at all heartbroken. He wasn’t even shocked.

Because I now have a bigger goal in life than the fact that my mother slapped me.

─ Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?

I wrote down on paper the woman’s words that remained vaguely in my memory.

And I told my mother and started learning her native language.

─ I’m glad you look okay.

The woman was genuinely worried about him, even though they were meeting for the first time.

─ I don’t know why that happened.

I can’t forget the serious expression on the woman’s face that I saw that day, so I can’t help but smile every time the number of letters I can interpret increases.

Maybe that’s why Tachibana’s mind was filled with thoughts of a black-haired woman.

─ Right. Do you want some candy? You know, Chuchu? Chuchu? My daughter loves it so much, and it’s also so cute.

The candy I ate in my room without telling my mother was really sweet.

‘You had a daughter… .’

Although the candy has been eaten and is gone, I still cherish the wrapping paper with the cat on it.

Tachibana looked at the wrapping paper and thought of the woman. Her only memory with an outsider. It was not something he could easily forget.

─ If you eat it, you will definitely get strength.

‘You said such kind words.’

─ Um… Did you get separated from your parents by any chance? Should I help you find them? Do you have a phone number or something?

‘I was trying to find my parents. There’s no reason to worry…’

Tachibana’s body was still trapped in the cage, but his mind had long since flown into the sky.

There is no turning back now.

Tachibana wanted to meet the girl again somehow.

In order to continue the vampire’s bloodline, he had to take a wife. So, since he had to get married anyway, he thought that woman would be a good match.

A woman’s voice always lingered in my ears. I imagined myself being held by a woman while covered with a blanket. If I had the illusion that the scent of a woman lingered on the tip of my nose, saliva would gather under my tongue and it would be hard to hold back.

Thoughts develop into imagination, and imagination develops into delusion.

As the days of not seeing each other continued, Tachibana began to fantasize about having a child with a black-haired woman and living happily ever after.

“Mom, let me go. No, I will go. Thank you for everything.”

Tachibana, who was confident that he was fully prepared, went to his mother’s room when he turned 17.

Contrary to her mother’s worries, Tachibana’s physical condition was always fine. She was not her mother in the first place. She did not have the same chronic disease.

“No, it doesn’t work. What’s missing? I’ve never had any complaints until now… .”

“It’s not that it didn’t exist, it’s just that I didn’t express it. If you want to stop it, come out. I’ll show you that I’m not the daughter you know.”

It was an act close to unfilial conduct. Beating up my mother and then trying to become a monk. But other than this, I couldn’t think of any other way to persuade my mother.

Besides, it was uncertain whether Tachibana could defeat his mother. Even if he had been locked up at home and studied only ways to defeat his mother, theory and practice were completely different areas.

“I know… .”

But my mother did not approve of the fight itself.

“I knew it, but… I couldn’t accept it… .”

Instead, he came to me with tears streaming down his face, then hugged me tightly and burst into tears like a baby.

“Why, why are you leaving me! Was there something I, was there something I lacked? Why are you leaving everything… everything… !”

Tachibana patted his mother’s back and whispered.

“I found someone to take as my wife. My mother is preparing to see her granddaughter.”

“Granddaughter…! Granddaughter! I see. I didn’t think about it. When Serika goes out, the granddaughter will naturally follow. Good. Let her go. First, I want to see the person who will be my daughter-in-law.”

The mother reacted madly to the word granddaughter and released Tachibana. If I had known this would happen, I would have seen Shobu earlier.

Tachibana left behind some regret and used his family’s power to search for the black-haired woman he had met that day.

‘The name is Iharu. I work as a receptionist at the guild… My daughter is the same age as me… ? Then, should I try to approach her and establish a connection?’

─ If you approach them directly, they may feel uncomfortable, so try to meet them in a more natural way.

It was a moment when the dating skills I had been honing for years while reading books really shined.

Tachibana first headed to Istee Academy, where Mirae was scheduled to enroll. He also stopped by the guild every now and then to spy on the future wife.

“Okay, hold on! Stop, stop!”

And that day, the fateful encounter took place.

“We met again. And… nothing has changed… .”

Tachibana finally couldn’t stand it anymore and bit the nape of his bride-to-be’s neck.

Because she looked exactly as Tachibana remembered her.

Attractive, sweet, and pitiful.

He definitely wants to get his hands on it and have a daughter who looks exactly like him.

The Iharu that Tachibana had pictured in his head was that kind of woman.

* * *

“So, what do you want to talk about, Mirae Yang?”

It’s training time at Easty Academy. Tachibana and Mirai face each other on the training ground.

“Start with weapons.”

Mirae looks at Tachibana with a cold gaze and extends her hand forward.

Tsk tsk, tsk tsk─

Soon the air froze, a chilling scream erupted, and the once empty hands of the future took hold of a giant shard of ice in the shape of a two-handed sword.

“I don’t think this is the level of conversation… Are you feeling bad?”

Tachibana continued to pretend not to know and acted coy until the end, but he had a feeling that this wasn’t a problem that could be easily overcome.