South Island, Aiba Residence
Kojou had been sitting in the living room for nearly half an hour, waiting for Asagi.
Though the air conditioner was running, filling the room with a cool and refreshing breeze, Kojou was sweating endlessly from sheer nervousness. No matter how much he reassured himself that everything was fine, he couldn't stop imagining Asagi's gaze—filled with disappointnt and fear—once she learned the truth about him.
After his long wait, Asagi finally ca down from the second floor and took Kojou to her room, as he always did whenever he visited her house.
"Why are you making such a serious face?" Asagi asked, staring at Kojou's tense expression. She tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "This isn't like you. You always have that stupid look on your face."
Kojou was now in Asagi's room. She had quickly tidied up, sprayed so perfu in the air, and pulled him inside—the most private place in the house. It was clear Kojou wanted to talk about sothing extrely important.
"It's true… I'm a huge idiot…" Kojou smiled self-deprecatingly as he spoke. "So let be serious this one ti before I go back to being my usual dumb self."
"What's really going on with you?" Asagi asked gravely, her heart aching at the sight of the man she loved looking so vulnerable. "Weakness isn't like you. You're always strong, facing every problem with that stupid grin of yours."
"Asagi…" Kojou murmured, then suddenly hugged her without hesitation, trembling. He could only seek warmth from soone right now—and fortunately, Asagi was here.
(⊙ｏ⊙) —Though Asagi was startled by the abrupt embrace, she didn't push him away when she saw how he was shaking like a frightened child who'd just watched a horror movie.
"..." After a mont of hesitation, Asagi hugged him back, gently patting his head to calm him down. She couldn't help but feel a storm of emotions inside—happy that Kojou was holding her, yet sad and angry to see him like this. This was the first ti she'd ever seen Kojou so broken. Despite his usual foolish deanor, he was a person of near-invincible willpower—sothing Asagi knew well. That's why she was utterly confused: What could have shattered soone so strong to this extent?
…
…
…
"Have you cald down now?" Asagi asked as Kojou finally pulled away from the hug after nearly half an hour.
"Mmm…" Kojou nodded, his face much more relaxed. The warmth of Asagi's embrace had soothed him greatly.
"So, are you going to tell what happened?" Asagi asked, worry shimring in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Actually…" Kojou hesitated for a mont before deciding to tell Asagi everything. He had resolved to place his trust in the girl before him—the one who'd always stood by his side no matter what over the past few years. "I've beco a Vampire…"
"..." Asagi's eyebrow twitched in surprise, but she didn't interrupt. It was clear this was only the beginning—Kojou still had much more to say, judging by the look on his face.
"But I didn't just beco any Vampire… I'm the Fourth Primogenitor," Kojou said, then began telling Asagi everything that had happened to him up until now—or at least what he could rember, as large chunks of his mory were missing ever since he beca the Fourth Primogenitor.
"..." Though Asagi didn't speak, her expressions shifted with every word Kojou said. Fortunately, her sharp mind allowed her to process his words without breaking. Had it been anyone else, their brain might've short-circuited from the sheer onslaught of revelations.
As for Kojou, he couldn't bring himself to look at Asagi's face. His gaze remained fixed on the floor, guilt burning in his eyes. He didn't have the courage to see how she was looking at him—certain he wouldn't be able to bear it if she saw him as a monster or with disgust.
And so, ti passed. Kojou spoke without pause, and Asagi listened in complete silence, never interrupting. This was the first ti Kojou had ever confided everything about himself to her. Despite his usual carefree, foolish deanor, he had never been one to talk much about his own struggles.
Kojou continued, confessing every troubling thing that had happened to him so far. He hid nothing from Asagi—even admitting that he had noticed her feelings for him but pretended not to understand. He explained that he wanted to build a new relationship with her, one not founded on lies and deception.
Though Kojou had said sothing that should've made Asagi furious, her expression didn't change when he revealed he'd feigned ignorance of her feelings. It seed she had already known.
anwhile, Kojou still couldn't look at her face, staring at the ground with guilt in his eyes. He interpreted Asagi's lack of response as disappointnt—so profound that she couldn't even scream at him or scold him for his despicable actions.
Another Title: Beneath the Fool's Mask
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