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“Um, what do you mean by rest…?”
“Well, I can see you’re getting a little flustered.”
“Flustered?”
“I understand your friend is important to you, but there’s no need to get so worked up. Let’s calm down a bit, shall we?”

I don’t really understand what she means by that.
Even if you say I’m flustered, I don’t mean to be, and as for Kuzuha-chan… I don’t dislike her, but if you ask me if she’s important to me, I’m not sure. I don’t know. We’ve only known each other for a short time.
A finger reached out smoothly. Before I could react, it was rubbing my forehead and eyebrows. Before I could ask what was going on, a voice laced with exasperation came down from above.

“There you go, making that troubled face again. You’re leaving yourself wide open.”
“Is that so…?”
“It is. Let’s take a break.”
“…In that?”

Naturally, I was pointing at the coffin Satsuki-san had brought.
It’s certainly not too small to fit in. In fact, there’s probably plenty of room for me.
I’ve heard that vampires sleep in coffins. Maybe it’s the same in another world.
But if I were actually told to try sleeping in there, even someone like me who loves naps would find it pretty uncomfortable.
The insides of coffins I sometimes see on TV look pretty plush, so maybe it would actually feel nice to sleep in one. Still, getting into a coffin while I’m still alive feels a little weird. It seems like it would be really hard to breathe once the lid’s closed.

Why are we even talking about resting right here, right now, anyway?
Of course, if I could rest, I’d be more than happy to—in fact, I’d love to just laze around every day from now on, living by the motto, “I won’t try my best tomorrow either.”
But considering the situation, that’s just not an option. After all, I’m the only one who can lift the curse right in front of us.

Satsuki-san says I look troubled, but I don’t realize it myself. I was probably just wearing my usual expression. At least, that’s what I think. If you ask me, that is.
I’m probably looking much more troubled right now. After all, she’s saying things that don’t make any sense to me.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Satsuki-san shook her head.

“It’s okay, Arje-chan. Um, sorry, could you just wait there for a moment?”
“Ah, yeah… okay.”
“You’re such a good girl.”

Satsuki-san just peered at me and smiled, winking. I was startled. I thought I was going to get crushed by her boobs.
She spun on her heel and walked away. She took a few steps away from me and headed toward the coffin.

“Ta-daaa! ♪ It’s opening time!”

With a shout that didn’t quite match her mature appearance but perfectly suited her personality, the lid of the coffin was removed.
I couldn’t see inside the coffin from where I stood. It was just a little too far away.
But even without getting closer, I could tell what was inside. The coffin wasn’t empty, nor was it a storage box.

A slender hand reached out from the coffin. Spreading her small, white fingers, the owner of the hand hooked both hands over the rim and pulled herself up.
What emerged from the darkness of the night was a golden figure.
A blonde girl adorned with blue floral decorations—a stark contrast to Satsuki-san’s red. As expected, she wasn’t wearing a kanzashi either, but something more like a barrette.
Her eyes were red, and her ears were pointed. It seemed she, too, was a vampire.
She wore a white kimono, the sort a dead person might wear. It was almost entirely unadorned, which made her golden hair, crimson eyes, and blue floral adornments stand out all the more.
She looked like a ghost, yet also like a supernatural being.
She was a girl who was that out of place—and yet, so beautiful.

“Mm.”

The vampire girl, who appeared as if resurrected from the brink of death, extended her right hand toward Satsuki-san. On the back of her hand was a crest—similar to the ones on my lower abdomen and Satsuki-san’s chest..
Her outstretched hand was taken as if it had been meant to fit there from the very beginning, and she stepped out of the coffin.
Standing there, she was petite—only slightly taller than me. With her vividly colored hair and eyes, and though she wore a white kimono, she exuded a strange aura that seemed to blend seamlessly into the darkness of the night.
Standing in the night, with red eyes that pierced the darkness and pointed ears. There was no mistake about it—that girl was a vampire. “Thank you,” she said, and white fangs peeked out from between her moving lips.

If Satsuki-san is big and soft, she gives the impression of being small and sharp.
Black hair and blonde hair.
Tall and petite.
Large breasts and small breasts.
Why is it that, even though they seem to be polar opposites, they also appear to be strangely in harmony?
Unlike Satsuki-san, the blonde girl shook her short hair and turned her red eyes toward me. Even though they’re the same color, why do they shine so differently?
Satsuki-san’s gaze was warm, but there was almost no warmth in her eyes. It’s a little different from being cold. They’re uninhibited eyes that seem to be sizing me up.
While keeping her gaze fixed on me, she directed her words toward Satsuki-san.

“Satsuki. Who’s the little one?”
“That’s Arje-chan. And the little fox over there is Kuzuha-chan.”
“Hmm. Oh, I see. Well, whatever. If they’re with you, that means they’re nothing to be worried about.”
“I can guarantee that. Yes, it was a really wonderful yuri moment…!”
“I see. Too bad I missed it. So, where are we? This doesn’t look like the Sakura Bath Garden.”
“The hot spring dried up, so we’re investigating the cause.”
“I see. Do you think it’ll be fixed?”
“Yes, thanks to Arje-chan’s magic. It’s just going to be a bit of a hassle, so I was hoping you could help.”
“I see.”

They understand each other quickly. Even without Satsuki-san going into detail, the girl accepted everything smoothly. Their conversation flowed naturally—seemingly calm, yet taking the most direct path.

From the way they interact, it’s clear their bond didn’t form overnight.
That’s not the case for me. Faced with another vampire who appeared out of nowhere, I can’t muster any reaction other than surprise. I’ve calmed down, but Kuzuha-chan still seems unable to recover from the shock; her eyes dart back and forth as she stammers,

“Uh, um…I didn’t know there’s a person in the coffin…?”
“There’s no person inside—it’s a vampire.”
“No, isn’t that a bit too nitpicky right now?”

Well, if she understood that much, I wanted her to help me understand this next part.
When I sent her a look and a word to that effect, Satsuki-san puffed out her chest—which was practically enormous—and introduced the blonde vampire.

“This is Iris-chan. During the day, she sleeps inside that coffin—the Traveling Flower Basket. She’s my family.”
“Iris Ichinose. Nice to meet you.”

Iris, huh. She seems to be around the same age as Kuzuha and me, but since she’s a vampire, her age probably isn’t what it looks like. After all, I’m zero years old and look like this.

She has a calm, mature aura about her, so I think it’s fine to address her with the honorific “-san.”
She calls her ‘family,’ but they look quite different. Starting with their hair color, the two of them are complete opposites.
To begin with, vampires in this world are probably creatures that arise out of nature, so I get the feeling that “family,” as Satsuki-san put it, doesn’t mean exactly what the word implies. Maybe they’re just close, like sisters.

In contrast to Satsuki-san’s energetic movements, Iris-san slowly waved her hand, as if to show off the emblem on the back of her hand.
After taking her time to lower her hand, Iris-san walked toward us with a leisurely stride. Her movements were so leisurely that Kuzuha-chan and I even had the time to introduce ourselves again.

“I see. So you’re putting up with that spoiled vampire princess’s whims?”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”

Iris shook her head gently. Her gesture and tone were less a denial and more a way of telling me not to worry about it.
With calm, unhurried movements—free of any anxiety or hesitation—she brought her wrist to her lips.

“Mm.”

With a short gasp, Iris sucked on her own wrist. It reminded me of something, and I immediately realized what it was.
Yes. It resembled the motion I make when I use Blood Arms—the act of cutting myself. The movement of biting my wrist to inflict self-harm.
Blood began to trickle from the spot where she’d released her grip. Her snow-white skin was stained with blood, coloring her white kimono. Just as I thought. But why?

“Well then, I suppose I’ll give you a hand.”

Iris smiled, looking somewhat mischievous—she reminded me a little of Satsuki-san.