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I nodded along with what he was saying. Kuresawa glanced at him, “Why did you focus so much on that?”

“The main character is a guy and so is the doctor they show in the ads. The doctor is totally a Dom top so it gave me Ideas.” Miyano explained and Kuresawa nodded, as if that answered all his questions.

“But why were you so focused on that, Tashiro? You think you’re turning into a Sub or something?” Shirahama asked, glossing over the debate that had suddenly started between Kuresawa and Miyano about who the main character of the drama should end up with (the doctor or the friend/co-worker that briefly showed up at the beginning).

I shook my head, “No, just curious. Everyone in my family is a Normal but I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be a Dom.”

“Not a Sub?” Kuresawa asked, suddenly breaking off his conversation with Miyano and joining us again.

“I guess either or. Doms just seem like they have more power, ya know?”

“Well it is in the name,”

“Aren’t you guys curious? About dynamics and stuff?” I asked them and they all shook their heads, (even Miyano which surprised me the most). “Really?”

“I like reading about those type of situations but I can’t say I wanna be in them myself,” Miyano explained. “Shuumei-san is already really attentive as it is, I can’t imagine what it’d be like if we had a Dom/Sub relationship.”

“You’d be going into Subspace every second, huh?” I asked teasingly. Miyano thought about it for a moment before blushing and nodding his head.

“Probably.”

“What about you, Kuresawa? You seem like you’d be interested in that type of stuff.”

“My girlfriend is similar to Miyano, in that regard. She said that she likes the stories that come out of Dom/Sub dynamics but she doesn’t really want to experience any. I guess being in and out of the hospital as often as she has, has made her see some things that she’d rather not experience.”

“Ooh, I guess that makes sense, too.”

“What about me?” Shirahama asked after there was a lapse of silence where only the music in the club filled in.

“What about you, Shirahama?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I feel??”

“I already know how you feel. You don’t like Doms ‘cause you think they take all the cute Sub girls away and you don’t like Subs ‘cause you think they take all the hot Dom girls away.” I stated. I had been friends with Shirahama since middle school and we had been together throughout high school and now college. I was pretty good at reading him at this point.

“Still let me complain a little at least!” He groaned and then chugged his drink at all once. “It’s not fair! All they do is just exist and they can get any partner they want!”

“I don’t think it’s that. I mean, Doms and Subs have a codependent relationship. Doms need to give commands and Subs need to be commanded. If either doesn’t get what their body needs, they can have serious consquences to their health. Isn’t that why they make Dom and Sub suppressants? So they can live like a Normal?” Miyano pondered.

“So what you’re saying is being a Normal is the ideal everyone wants to achieve…?” Shirahama sniffed, lifting his head.

“… sure!” A million thoughts probably flew through his head at that question but clearly, he didn’t voice any of them.

“Miyano!” Suddenly Shirahama launched himself at Miyano, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight. “I knew I could count on you!”

“Mya-chan?” We all jumped and looked to see Sasaki Shuumei, Miyano’s boyfriend, giving us a cold, hard stare. Well, not us. Shirahama.

“Shuumei-san!” Miyano shoved Shirhama away and went directly into Sasaki-san’s arms, nuzzling into him. Sasaki-san went from a look that clearly said Want to kill you to I adore him so quickly that I simply blinked at all the harshness was gone from his expression. “What are you doing here?”

“I was hanging out with my friends from school and saw you and just wanted to say hi,” He said, gently stroking Miyano’s hair as he gave me and Kuresawa a nod. Shirahama had crumpled into a ball on the floor. “Is he okay?”

“He’s just drunk and wallowing in his sorrows.” I told him as Kuresawa and I dragged Shirahama to his feet.

“Speaking of, it’s getting pretty late. I have to be up early tomorrow so I’m gonna take this guy home. See you, Miyano, Tashiro.” Kuresawa said, hefting one of Shirahama’s arms over his shoulder. We both waved goodbye and soon the two of them were gone.

“What about you, Sasaki-san? Are you gonna hang around? You said you were with your friends.”

“Oh, no. Not anymore. I’m gonna go tell them I’m leaving, okay?” He directed that last part to Miyano, who nodded and let him go. Soon he blended in with the crowd.

“Is that okay?” I asked after I made sure he was gone.

“I mean, I’m not really okay with him ditching his friends every time for me but I also know at this point in our relationship that I’m not gonna be able to stop him. Even if I told him not to, he would agree in the moment but then come home two minutes after me so it’s just easier this way.”

“That’s so nice… you guys have been dating since high school and are still all lovey-dovey. You even live together and see each other every day, too…”

M iyano blushed, “It’s not that big of a deal…”

“Ready to go?” Sasaki-san returned faster than I had expected.

“Yeah!” Miyano grinned at him and slipped his hand into Sasaki-san’s. “See you later, Tashiro!”

“Bye,” I waved to the two of them, watching them go off hand in hand and couldn’t help but let out a wistful sigh. How nice it would be to have a partner that would dote on me in the way Sasaki-san did to Miyano… wait, or would I rather be the one doing the doting?

“Well, whatever.” I shrugged and drank the last of my beer. I didn’t want to go home just yet, but now that my friends were gone I didn’t really see much point in staying later. One more, and I’ll call it a night. I thought and made my way to the bar.

I got to the bar and sat in one of the empty stools. Once I placed my order and had a drink in my hand, I turned and watched the people in the club, This club in particular was one of our favorite places to meet up for end of night drinks because, while it was popular, it wasn’t ever too crowded and the music was nice. It wasn’t like a typical nightclub, it was way more relaxed than that.

There were people dancing and chatting, as you would see at any club, but there were also clearly couples doing what couples do at nightclubs. I tried my best to avert my eyes from the more steamy moments and as I did, I made eye contact with someone who looked like he was about to start one of those more steamy moments himself.

As he stared me down from across the room, I froze like prey suddenly being spotted by a predator. Unable to run as he made his way towards me.

***

I woke up the next morning, look up at a completely unfamiliar ceiling. I shot up in the bed and looked around. I was… alone? I was pretty sure I was alone, anyway.

“Okay, Gonzaburou… think… what happened last night…?” I muttered to myself after taking in the clothing (mine) strewn across the room. I had gone to the club with Miyano and my other friends… Shirahama got drunk so Kuresawa took him home and then Sasaki came and he and Miyano went home… I was left on my own and I saw… “That guy!”

I suddenly remembered. He had been one of the most gorgeous men I had ever seen. Short, glossy deep brown hair and eyes that were so dark they actually seemed to be purple. He had been slightly shorter than me and I remember his cologne was… intoxicating… he smelled so good. We had made eye contact and he had approached me and… and…

“What happened after that?” I asked aloud. I could remember everything up until the moment he had started to talk to me but I couldn’t even remember what he had said. Clearly, whatever it was had led to us sleeping together, given the large circumstantial evidence, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what he had said that led to this moment.

I know nothing funny happened… in fact, I feel amazing! Like I got the best sleep ever. My body doesn’t feel heavy like it did and I feel… refreshed? I wonder if we even did anything. If we did I guess I was on top, I don’t feel like anything was done to me . I thought, patting my body over. I even still had my underwear on. What was it Miyano had said? That when the bottom gets done the for first time there’s always pain in their lower back area ? I bent over the bedside, grabbing my shirt off the floor but didn’t feel any sort of discomfort in my back or lower region in general. “Maybe nothing really did happen…”

I shrugged and got out of bed, gathering up the rest of my things. I never did get his name or anything. Was this one of those one night stands people had? I had only had a few relationships since college (all girls) and they never lasted very long. I always felt… stifled when I was with them and eventually we would just drift apart and our break up would come naturally. I had never actually just slept with someone for one night only. And I definitely never slept with someone in some random hotel and woke up completely alone.

After leaving the room I went to check out and pay (silently praying I had enough to cover it) but to my surprise, the person behind the desk said that the room was already paid for. They said someone had left this morning and paid for it until noon. It was only a little after ten in the morning so I still had some time but I also had work later in the afternoon and still needed to go home.

***

I let out a large, loud sigh once I was in my apartment. Last night was… insane. I had never done that before and the more I thought about the more I just couldn’t believe it happened. Me? A one night stand? With a guy??? Well, that part wasn’t that big a deal. I didn’t really care that he was a guy. It was more because he had just been so attractive, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I had slept with him… well, if I even did sleep with him. Jury was still out on that one.

I still had some time before work so I decided to take a quick shower. Probably better to take one after last night than not, after all. I made my way into the bathroom like always but paused when I passed by the mirror. I couldn’t believe it…

“Whoa…” I tripled checked my reflection. My coworkers and such had made comments about my complexion – saying it looked like I hadn’t gotten any good rest in months – and normally, I could just wave it off. After all, I always looked like that but now… now I understood what they meant. My skin looked vibrant, compared to before. The bags under my eyes that had been there for as long as I could remember where gone, too. Just what the hell had happened last night?!

“Yes! I’m Tashiro Gonzaburou, a first year in the Economics department! I joined this club because I love ping-pong! Nice to meet you all!” Tashiro introduced himself loud and proud and the end of his speech was met with applause.

“What other sports do you like?” One of the girls asked.

“Hmm…” Tashiro thought about it for a moment, “I’ll play anything but ping-pong is what I’m best at.”

“So you aren’t going to play any of the other sports?” The second year asked.

“Other sports?” Tashiro repeated, cocking his head.

“Oh, c’mon. You didn’t join just for ping-pong.” He said but when Tashiro continued to give him a blank smile he realized he wasn’t joking. “You do know this is a multi-sport club, right?”

“Really?!” Tashiro went wide eyed.

One of the other girls laughed, “Really. The original founders of the club just wanted to create a space where people could get together and play sports even if they weren’t athletic. It’s developed into this huge club where if people have a specific sport they want to play – like bowling or ping-pong – they can and if they’re good enough they can go to competitions and stuff. But if you want to play like soccer or basketball or even baseball just casually you can without worry.”

“It’s a nice easy going club, but if you have something you’re good at you can just focus on that.” The second year said.

“Huh…” Tashiro nodded along. He hadn’t been paying much attention when he had signed up. He just asked the nearest senpai if there was a ping-pong club and had been directed to the table. He didn’t look into it much and just signed up. That being the case though, all these people here makes a lot more sense. “Are any of the other groups good?”

“Yeah! The bowling team has won quite a few small competitions in the past.”

“What about the ping-pong team?”

“Well…” The second year shared a glance with his friends. “They weren’t that good honestly… in fact they were really bad to the point where people didn’t even want to play it even casually… but last year, we got this crazy strict person to join. They totally turned the team around, like magic! Thanks to them, the ping-pong team actually won some super important competitions last year and brought in a bunch of prizes and money.”

Another guy picked up the story, “Now the whole school knows our club and thanks to that person, we have more first years joining than ever!” He leaned close to Tashiro and said in a whisper, “A lot of really beautiful girls even joined just because that person brought so much to the table.”

“Wow… who is this person?” Tashiro asked his senpais.

“Um… they decided to be the vice captain of the team, right?”

“Not the captain?”

The second year shook his head, “They said they didn’t want to be captain yet. Said that it was too much with them just being a second year.”

“They’re only a second year and they’ve already done that much for one section of the club?” Tashiro asked and everyone nodded. “Wow…” That guy must be crazy talented.

“That’s enough about that. This is a welcoming party. So, let’s party!” Another loud cheer erupted throughout the room, this time with Tashiro joining in. Laughter, food, beer and drinks passed all around as everyone began to settle in and let loose. Tashiro didn’t have a lot of experience talking to girls, let alone ones who were older than him, but thanks to his senpais, he was able to jump into conversations without many problems.

“Hey, Tashiro-kun, is this your real hair?” One of the second year girls asked with a slight slur to her words. She reached across the table to lightly tug at his hair.

“No, it’s dyed.”

“Heeeh… what’s your normal color?”

“Hmm… a lot darker than this?” He said, pulling at his own hair to get a better look. “It’s like a dark brown. In high school I actually dyed it blonde but when I joined the ping-pong team I was told I couldn’t have dyed hair.”

“Did you dye it back?”

“No, I let it grow! They couldn’t complain if it wasn’t all blonde. But when I took my exams my mom made me get a hair cut and dye it back. She didn’t care what I did with it after I got into my school of choice though, and I didn’t really want to do blonde again so I just chose a lighter color instead.”

“If your hair is that dark, this dye job is really well done.” The girl next to him said. She leaned over a bit and sniffed the air around him, making him tense up and blush to his ears. “You don’t even smell like any dye!”

“Um…”

“Tashiro-kun, why are you blushing! You haven’t even drank anything yet!” The third year on his other said, slurring his words harshly.

Thankful for the distraction, Tashiro turned to him, “Senpai! You know I’m underage!”

“Oh, it’s fine!” He said, pushing a glass of overflowing beer into his hands. “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,” He slurred, giving Tashiro a sloppy wink.

Tashiro laughed nervously and glanced at the beer in his hand. Just one little sip wouldn’t hurt… right? He thought, and slowly brought the glass to his lips.

Before the liquid even had the chance to enter his mouth, the glass was taken out of his hands, “Alright. I think that’s enough.” A voice said lowly next to his ear.

“Huuuhh?!?!” The third year drunkenly turned to see the person who had taken the drink and immediately went pale.

“Senpai? What’s wrong…?” Tashiro asked and also turned. He felt all the blood drain from his face as he turned around and saw, “Hana… zawa… sen… pai…?”

“Hm?” Hanzawa looked down and Tashiro felt a shiver run down his spine. He would never forgot that parted hair or those fox like eyes… when he would smile rather than make you feel some sort of comfort it would make you feel a sense of dread like never before.

“Oh my,” Hanzawa stared at him for a moment before giving him his classic smile that made Tashiro tense up. “It seems this party was worth coming to after all."

***

“Masato-san, I really like you! Please… please go out with me!”

“Sorry but my answer is no,” Hanzawa Masato said with a soft smile and a tilt of his head.

“But-”

“No,”

“I-”

“No.” Hanzawa said again. He had the same smile on his face as before but somehow… his tone…. The girl froze for a moment before lowering her head and scurrying away. Hanzawa sighed and returned to his table.

“That was rough to watch,” Hirano Taiga, a friend and classmate from his high school days, said as Hanzawa took his seat again.

“I was as gentle as I could be,” Hanzawa said with a sigh.

“I don’t get how you’re so popular, man.” Hirano scoffed.

“Well, it’s not like those girls go into it knowing nothing. They agree to a set of rules when we start,” Hanzawa explained lightly.

“Rules?” Hirano asked, ignoring the feeling in his gut that said he shouldn’t ask.

“Yes. See, in order to make sure things stay fun and stress free, I create a set of rules. Rule number one is, don’t expect me to like you back. Rule number two is, we can stay together as long as it’s fun (for me).” Hanzawa said, counting the rules out on his hand, “The third rule isn’t so much a rule as it as a label on the relationship itself. I am simply looking for a partner to have some fun and release stress. It’s purely physical.”

“And these girls agree to that?”

“Oh yes, they’re more than okay with it at first. But, inevitably, they always end up thinking it’s something more and try to push the boundary further. I suppose I should admit, a small group of them are perfectly okay with it just being a physical thing and in fact have other friends in which they do the same thing.”

Hirano groaned, “I don’t know why I asked.”

“I had to play the perfect honors student throughout my high school years and even before that, Hirano-san.” Hanzawa said. “College is just a good place to let a little loose after all,”

“Agree to disagree,” Hirano said with another sigh.

“But I must admit, it is becoming a problem.”

“How so?”

“It seems like more and more girls think they’re on some type of pedestal, higher than the rest and therefore have the right to become my lover.”

“So?”

“I’m not quite sure how to stop this from happening.”

“Have you thought about getting an actual partner?” Hirano asked and Hanzawa frowned.

“How would that help? That would defeat the whole purpose of my attempts at trying to keep a casual relationship.”

“Well think about it, if you got an actual partner wouldn’t the girls who are looking for that type of relationship with you back off? And I wouldn’t think it would change anything for the ones that don’t care.”

“Hmm… so you’re saying get a decoy lover? Someone I can play the part with that wouldn’t take it too seriously from the start?”

Hirano closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, “Sure.”

“I suppose I could… but who would there be to ask?” Hanzawa mulled it over. “I couldn’t possibly ask another girl. The possibility that they take it seriously is high. Plus, I wouldn’t want put an unsuspecting girl through the harassment some of the more persistent ones are likely cause…”

“Um… Hanzawa-san?” A quiet voice broke through his stupor.

“Hm?” Hanzawa and Hirano turned and saw a group of rather skittish looking students at their table side.

“Um, you know how we’re having that party for the first years?” One of them asked.

“Party…? Oh, for the multi-sport club. Yes?”

“We were wondering if you would show up…?”

“Oh… well…”

“Just go,” Hirano said, kicking him lightly under the table. “It’s possible you could find the answer to your solution there, after all.”

“Hmm… I suppose you’re right. It’s certainly worth a shot, at the very least. Okay,” He gave the group a smile. “I can show my face at least.”

“Great!” They beamed at him. “We’ll send the info in the group chat. See you there!”

Hanzawa waved them goodbye and turned back to Hirano who was giving him a skeptic look. “Yes?”

“You came up with a solution, didn’t you?”

“Why yes, I did. If I can’t ask a girl to help me… then why not ask a guy instead?”

“Are you really okay with that though?” Hirano asked with a frown.

“It doesn’t really matter for this. If I ask guy for assistance, it’s more likely for me to reach my ultimate goal anyway. The persistent ones most likely won’t mess with a guy and if the girls who wish to start a relationship with me see with another male, they’ll probably back off as well. Add onto the fact that you are correct about the ones who didn’t care from the start most likely not minding either way, finding a male partner to play lovers with is the best option. Oh, would you look at the time? I’m going to be late for my next class.” Hanzawa began to gather up his things.

He waved to Hirano and left for his class, leaving Hirano to slump into his chair, “Good luck to the poor soul that has to play along with that crazy bastard…”

***

By the time the day of the welcoming party arrived, Hanzawa-san had completely forgotten. Between lectures, work and his ‘dates’ it had completely slipped his mind. It wasn’t until he had already said goodbye to his ‘date’ did he think to check his phone. He saw several messages from his club mates asking him when he was going to show up.

“Oh my… I had forgotten all about this. Let’s see… oh, it’s remarkably near by.” Hanzawa followed the directions and was quickly led to an izakaya style restaurant. He could hear the chaos from inside just by simply being near the door. Well… aren’t they lively?

He put on his best smile and opened the door. He was greeted by a roar of noise. A quick glance around the room showed that his club mates were well into the evening. Some were passed out face first on the tables, others were harassing first years. The sober ones that were left were trying to get everyone under some semblance of control.

His attention was drawn to a table towards the back corner of the room. A clearly flustered (most likely first year) club member was between a somewhat drunk second year girl and a very drunk third year. Hanzawa realized that aside from the girl sitting across from the three, every other person at that table was either passed out drunk or in the middle of something else. He sighed and made his way over.

“… I’m underage!” The flustered club member cried. Hanzawa realized at this point it wasn’t a boyish girl but rather, an actual boy.

“Oh, it’s fine!” The third year said, pushing a glass of overflowing beer into his hands. “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,”

The boy laughed nervously and Hanzawa would see him wavering. After a few moments hesitation, he slowly brought the glass to his lips. Hanzawa quickly leaned over and took the glass of beer from him before he could take a drink.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” Hanzawa said lowly, trying not to let his anger bubble over. A fun party where the first years had a few sips was fine as long as they weren’t being forced into it. Hanzawa wasn’t going to forgive anyone – even a senpai – for forcing someone else to drink.

“Huuuhh?!?!” The third year drunkenly turned to face Hanzawa and was met with his cold glare. The third year froze and went pale.

“Senpai? What’s wrong…?” The boy asked and turned around. “Hana… zawa… sen… pai…?”

“Hm?” Hanzawa glanced down. Oh. Tashrio Gonzaburou, his adorable underclassman from his high school days gazed back at him. Hanzawa felt his face break out into a grin. “Oh my, it seems this party was worth coming to after all.”

“Are you?” Tashiro responded and Hanzawa was silent. Tashiro sighed and rubbed at his neck. He could still feel the sensation of Hanzawa’s tongue against his skin… and he couldn’t deny that he felt like he wanted to feel it again. “Why’d you go into rut?”

This time time it was Hanzawa’s turn to sigh, “… Miyano went into heat.”

“He did?!” Tashiro blinked in surprise as Hanzawa nodded.

“He should be fine, Sasaki is with him but… it’s his first heat. His pheromones hit like a train,” Hanzawa explained. Tashiro watched him, he was still clearly trying to hold back.

“… what about suppressants?”

“I don’t have any on me. They’re in my bag… back in the classroom.”

“Should I go get them?” Tashiro asked, getting ready to climb to his feet.

“No!” Hanzawa grabbed his hand before he could get much father. “No…”

T ashiro looked between his hand and Hanzawa’s face before closing his eyes and nodding. “Okay.” He sat back down next to Hanzawa. “ So, what do are you gonna do about that?” Tashiro gestured to Hanzawa’s hard-on. It was obviously straining against his pants.

H anzawa let out a long sigh, there was no use hiding it. He had just had it pressed up against Tashiro mere moments before, after all. “It’ll go away… eventually.”

“How long is eventually?”

“A few minutes? Hours? It doesn’t matter.” Hanzawa waved his hand flippantly. He might’ve been playing it cool, but in reality, all he could think about was the scent of his Omega junior in heat on the other side of the school. He had never been so effected by an Omega’s heat before and, if he was being honest, he wasn’t sure his excitement would die down with actual sex.

“It looks really painful…” Tashiro said softly. Hanzawa glanced over at his junior. There was a somewhat hazy look in his eyes and he was focused solely on the spot between Hanzawa’s legs.

“Well… there is another way of dealing with it that’s proven effective.”

“Oh?”

“Sex.”

There was a pause.

“…Sex?”

“Yes, sex.

“But… doesn’t it have to be with an Omega?”

“Not necessarily. It can be with another Alpha or with a Beta. Sex with an Omega is just most effective.”

“A Beta, huh…” Tashiro mumbled, rubbing his neck again. “Then… could you use… me?”

Hanzawa froze and stared at Tashiro. He had expected Tashiro to blush and act all embarrassed but instead, the boy looked quite serious. He seemed to notice Hanzawa’s gaze and met his eyes. Oh, he is serious .

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Tashiro-kun?”

“I… I just want to help my senpai, that’s all.” Tashrio responded lightly. He did want to help Hanzawa, that was true, but he also couldn’t stop thinking about Hanzawa’s tongue on his skin and his hardness that had been pressed up against him before. He couldn’t stop picturing what it would feel like in the flesh, without a layer of clothing in-between.

In his normal state of mind, Hanzawa would have laughed and told Tashrio it was a joke, that having sex with someone who wasn’t an Omega wouldn’t work. Or he would have teased him, calling him a pervert for wanting to do it at school, in the club locker room. However, he wasn’t in a normal state of mind.

Without a second thought, Hanzawa pounced onto Tashiro, pinning him beneath him once again. Unlike before, Tashiro didn’t have a single fear going through his mind. He wrapped himself around Hanzawa without hesitation which only worked towards spurning his senior on.

Hanzawa made quick work of Tashiro’s shirt, unbuttoning it and letting it fall open so he could have access to his chest. While he bit, lick, and sucked all the exposed skin he could reach on Tashiro’s torso, his hands worked at undoing his pants. Once they were undone, Hanzawa practically tore them off and then sat back to get a good look at what he had done.

Tashiro’s face was flushed and he was panting heavily. The skin of his upper body, around his neck and nipples mainly, was already marred in Hanzawa’s markings. Any worry Hanzawa had originally had about Tashiro not being able to get it up was quickly blown away at the sight of Tashiro’s member straining against his underwear, a small damp spot forming at the tip. In all honesty, the sight of Tashiro like this alone was enough to nearly send Hanzawa into a frenzy, but he didn’t want to do anything to scare Tashiro away.

“Senpai?” Tashiro asked quietly, after Hanzawa had done nothing but stare at him for a long while.

Hanzawa shook his head aburptly and smiled at Tashiro, gently stroking his cheek. “Sorry,”

Feeling a bit uneasy at that smile, Tashiro resolved himself and sat up. Using his sudden movement to his advantage, Tashiro lightly tapped Hanzawa so he fell backwards and quickly went to work at undoing his senior’s belt.

“Wha-?” Before Hanzawa could figure out what exactly he was doing, Tashiro had undone his pants completely and was removing Hanzawa’s rock hard cock from his underwear. It throbbed in his hand as Tashiro marveled at the pure… might of it. He ran one hand down the shaft while the other stroked the head. He heard Hanzawa take a sharp breath inward as he leaned forward, his breath brushing over the tip. Before he could convenience himself of doing otherwise, Tashiro snaked his tongue out and gave Hanzawa’s member a lick.

Hanzawa let out an audible groan, something between a moan and a growl, and threaded his fingers into Tashiro’s hair and pushed him just a tiny bit closer to his dick. That was all Tashiro really needed before he took it into his mouth.

Just at the feeling of Hanzawa’s member filling his mouth made Tashiro moan as he went to work sucking at it. It was as if something had taken over him. He took it as deep as he could, running his tongue over every inch of skin that he could reach, thoroughly lubing it up. Hanzawa’s gasp and moans as Tashiro did his work only made him want to work harder. He wanted to make Hanzawa cum.

He pulled back, letting it go with a pop before running his tongue over it again and then used his hands to apply just the right amount of pressure to the base. Hanzawa gasped and tugged at his hair while raising his hips, forcing his cock back into Tashiro’s mouth as his breath quickened. He began to move his hips in time with Tashiro’s head bobbing, making the friction all the more sweet.

As Tashiro continued to suck him off, Hanzawa got harder and harder and he began to leak more and more precum, but he couldn’t come. Not yet. He leaned over Tashiro and stuck his hands down his briefs, grabbing at his bare ass and kneading it. The sudden action caused Tashiro to stop sucking and actually let his penis fall from his lips.

“What…?” Tashiro tried to move away but Hanzawa’s hands on his ass kept him in place.

“Shh,” Hanzawa gently guided Tashiro back to his cock with one hand while the other slowly circled his asshole. He slowly messaged the area around it, trying to make sure Tashiro was as relaxed as he possibly could be before he grabbed some lube out of the pocket of his pants.

“You just carry that around?” Tashiro couldn’t help but ask as he watched Hanzawa’s movement out of the corner of his eye.

“You never know when it could come in handy.” Hanzawa said lightly as he pulled Tashiro’s underwear completely off and proceeded to pour the lube all over his cheeks before once again kneading his flesh there. Tashiro moaned lightly, stopping his work at Hanzawa’s crotch as Hanzawa got him ready. He thoroughly drenched his asshole in lube before slowly inserting his finger.

Tahsiro tensed at the feeling of something entering where normally things were exiting, but after some gentle movements, Tashiro was relaxed and once again focused on Hanzawa’s crotch. Hanzawa quickly added a second finger, pumping in and out while searching for that perfect sweetspot. He knew he had found it when Tashiro suddenly stopped again and gasped, clenching around Hanzawa’s fingers.

“Senpai, please.”

“Please what?” Hanzawa asked, his voice lower than he had been expecting.

“Please stick your cock inside me,” Tashiro begged. That was all Hanzawa needed to hear. He flipped them over so that Tashiro was on all fours and quickly put on a condom before swiftly thrusting into him. They both moaned at the feeling. Hanzawa at the warm, slightly sucking feeling wrapped around his cock and Tashiro at the feeling of being completely filled, with everything being pressed against in just the right way.

They stayed like that for few minutes. Hanzawa didn’t want to move to quickly and hurt Tashiro but it was very hard to hold back. His Alpha instincts were telling him to pound Tashiro in oblivion, to not stop even if Tashiro begged him to. But the rational side of him kept him in check.

“Are you… okay… Tashiro?” Hanzawa gasped out as he leaned over Tashiro.

“You can… move. I’m… fine,” Tashiro panted. Hanzawa had entered him at such a way that he had been pressing up against his sweet spot the whole time. Tashiro desperately needed him to move, to scratch that itch and make the feeling even better.

“I don’t want… to hurt you… anymore.” Hanzawa huffed, trying to focus on anything besides the wet warmth that was wrapped around is crotch.

“It’s fine, Senpai! Just move! Please!” Tashiro begged, wriggling his hips to create some type of friction.

Hanzawa made a low growl from deep within his throat, grabbed Tashrio’s hips and rammed him hard. Tashiro could do little more than let out a gasp as Hanzawa thrusted into him with abandon. He saw stars with every thrust.

“Tashiro… kun…!” Hanzawa reached around and grabbed Tashiro’s leaking cock and began to stroke it from behind.

“Senpai, I’m gonna…!” Tashiro panted and reached behind him for one of Hanzawa’s hands on his waist.

“Me too…!” He gently laced his fingers with Tashiro’s and with a few more rough strokes, leaned forward and bit down Tashiro’s nape. Tashiro let out a loud moan as the pain mixed with pleasure and he came at the same moment he felt Hanzawa explode inside him.

They stayed connected together for a short while before Hanzawa slowly removed himself from Tashiro and collapsed beside him.

“You okay?” Hanzawa asked softly, reaching out to stroke Tashiro’s hair.

Tashiro gave him a sleepy smile and leaned into his touch as his hand moved from his hair to his cheek, “I should be asking you that, senpai.”

“I feel a lot better, actually. Thanks to you,”

“Glad I could… help…” Tashiro responded, his voice softening and his eyes fluttered shut. Soon enough, he was taking deep rhythmic breaths. Hanzawa blinked a few times before smiling softly. Tashiro wasn’t even an Omega, and he had just done all of that just to make Hanzawa feel better. He truly was a fantastic junior and a wonderful person.

“I’ll accept your help any time, Tashiro-kun.” Hanzawa whispered, stroking his head once again before giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead. He then went to work cleaning up Tashrio and the locker room and carried him out on his back to take him home.

My mom tells me stories sometimes about how it was when she was a kid, about how parents of Omega children would apologize to them for being born an Omega. She remembers how her mom cried when she found out her daughter was an Omega and how growing up people kept her at a distance, even though it wasn’t something she could control.

It’s not like that now though. Medicine and suppressants have come a long way and now, as long as an Omega is properly taking their meds (it’s now a daily pill instead of an injection that you use once your heat starts), they can live totally normal lives.

“Yoshi-kun?” My mom knocked on the door to my room as I was getting all my things together. “Are you up? You don’t want to be late for school,”

“Yes, I’m coming!” I called out and grabbed the few things I had left on my desk and shoved them into my bag.

I quickly went to the kitchen and sat down as my dad also came to the table. My mom set the last of breakfast onto the table and sat down herself, “Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Yoshi-kun?”

“I’ll be fine, mom.”

“Relax, dear,” My dad said, gently taking her hand. “He’s been taking his medicine. He’ll be fine. It’s not like it was when we were kids,”

“Oh, I know. But this is a mixed school. It’s not just Betas and Omegas, it’s Alphas, too!” My mom cried.

“Mom, I’ll be fine. This school is known for being super safe for Omegas even though they have Alphas. And it’s not like I haven’t been around Alphas before,”

“Sure, but the only Alpha you’re constantly around is your father. That’s very different from an Alpha you met in school.” She said and I sighed and shared a look with my dad. He shrugged. There wasn’t really anything we could do to abate her worries.

And what she said was true. My dad was an Alpha and my mom was an Omega. They weren’t fated to be together or anything like that, as they liked to say, my mom just happened to be an Omega and my dad just happened to be an Alpha. Even if one or both of them were a different sex, they liked to say they would have still ended up together.

“Oh! If you don’t hurry you’re going to be late. Both of you,” My mom suddenly switched gears and quickly cleaned up our finished breakfast.

I went to the front door while my dad went go to collect the things he needed for work. “I’m off!” I called out to them.

***

“Take care!” My mom waved from the kitchen, trying her best to hide her worry. I waved back and made my way to the train station.

I had made sure to leave some extra time just in case something happened, and luckily got to the station with time to spare. The last thing I wanted was to be late on my first day of high school. I got on the train once it pulled in and after a quick glance, saw that the majority of the seats were taken, despite the early hour. I debated going onto the Omega only car but decided against it, just in case anyone from my new school saw me. I personally didn’t care that I was an Omega but I still didn’t want it broadcasted to the entire student body.

I sighed and pulled out the student handbook. It wasn’t a very long train ride to the station at the school but it wasn’t a short one either and it wasn’t like I could bring my manga with me to school. The train stopped twice and on the second stop, as the doors slowly opened I smelled… something. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell and it wasn’t overpowering or anything like that but it caught my attention all the same. I looked up, trying to figure out where it was coming from when my eyes landed on a very tall man with dyed brown hair and piercings standing on the platform on the other side of the door, looking just as confused as I was.

He was covering his nose but when he looked up our eyes locked and I froze. His eyes went from cold and hard to soft and warm in an instant and I quickly felt a heat rising on the nape of my neck as my heart began to pound. We stared at each other like that, completely frozen until the doors shut and the train began to move again.

I took a deep, shaky breath as I was suddenly able to move again, and put a hand over my heart, trying to calm it down. It still felt like my heart was trying to jump out of my chest.

“Are you okay?” A woman asked with concern, as apparently seeing me crouched over and clutching my chest. I tried to respond but my voice got stuck in my throat and all I could do was shake my head. They seemed to realize something was wrong and quickly guided me to the door to the Omega car and helped get settled there. The woman got off the train before I did, but said to go to an attendant at the next stop if I didn’t feel better, but luckily, sitting down really helped. I fanned myself with my student notebook, trying my best to delay the fever that had suddenly hit me. By the time the train stopped at the correct station, I was feeling completely normal… minus the confusion about what had caused those sudden symptoms in the first place.

“Who is this?” I asked, looking between the Tashiros and my mother.

This time my mom didn’t look upset and she simply smiled and crouched down to stroke the child’s head. “Don’t you remember him, Masato? This is Gonzaburou. He’s their son. You two played together all the time.”

I slowly shook my head and sat up, Gonzaburou moving with me. He was now clinging to my arm instead of my chest but his smile was still present. “Why is he here?”

My mother and Tashiros shared a look. I wasn’t sure what it meant at the time (and if I’m being honest, I still don’t quite know) but the look was gone as soon as I noticed it and my mother smiled again, “He’s going to join our family one day so we thought that he should spend as much time with us as possible. The sooner, the better, right?”

“Right!” Gonzaburou agreed loudly, raising his free hand high in the air.

In this world vampires are real. They aren’t like how they’re written in books, you aren’t bitten and changed and vampires – simply by nature – are more athletic, smarter than average, have good looks and (typically) have high senstivity to sunlight. They don’t burst into flames in the sun though nor are they averse to holy ground or garlic. Vampirism is simply a genetic mutation that happens before a person is born. When this mutation happens and your parents are both human, you are called a full vampire – meaning you can live off blood packs or live blood (blood directly from a human).

If that full vampire decides to have a child, if they have it with a human, their offspring is considered a dhampire, or a half vampire. These vampires can eat regular human food but need a small amount of blood to survive – typically they can survive off one blood pack a month added to their regular diet. Everyone is different though and some half vampires need more than others… some might even be unable to drink blood packs and need it directly from the source.

Now, if that full vampire has a child with another vampire their bloodline – after a few generations – will be considered pure and the vampires from that house will be considered pureblood vampires. These vampires can only live off blood taken directly from a human and they typically have special powers that come with being purebloods. Their bites carry a type of venom, that’s different from one family to the next but only comes in three types: amnesiac, antiseptic and aphrodisiac. Their powers are as their name implies. They also have the special privilege of having a bond with a human called a familiar contract. This contract is built upon a mutual agreement (aka consent) between a human and a pureblood vampire.

This bond is likely where a lot of the fiction comes from. When a human enters a familiar contract with a pureblood vampire, they gain a small bit of vampirism themselves. They become more athletic and gain an edge to their intelligence, as well as become more robust and they tend to live longer lives than the average human. They also need to ritually consent to the contract about once every month and during this ritual, the pureblood and the human exchange blood. While under this contract, the human cannot have children and the aging process will slow significantly, however the moment they decide they want to move forward, the contract is null and they are able to pick up their life where they left off… whether the pureblood wants to or not. You cannot force someone into a familiar bond.

Now with all that being said, the only reason I even bring it up, is because I – Masato Hanzawa – am a pureblood vampire. And the Tashiro family has been contracted to my family as their familiars for generations. Obviously this was no longer the case for the current (last?) generation as they had a son, but now, that son was set to become a familiar to either my sister (the de facto future head of the household) or my brother (the eldest son).

And that fact… left a strange, itchy feeling in my chest as I looked at Gonzaburou by my side. Even at that young age I knew that’s where he belonged… but I didn’t have the power nor the knowledge to keep it like that.

***

A few years later, I was in sixth grade, getting ready to head off to junior high, and Gonzaburou had since became a common (and important) part of my life – both at school and at home.

“Maa-kunnn!!” Gonzaburou yelled into the classroom as he threw open the door. I didn’t even pause or look up from filling out the journal for my day duties.

“I told you not to call me that at school,”

“’s fine. Not like anyone’s here anyway,” He said lightly and sat at the desk next to mine. “What’re you doing anyway?”

“Filling out the journal, I was on duty today.”

“Heh…” He glanced at my work before frowning and leaning back. “Are you gonna be done soon?”

“In a bit. Why?”

“’Cause I wanna-” He was cut off as the door opened a second time.

“Ah! There he is!”

“Tashiro, c’mon! Let’s play soccer!” A group of students were gathered at the door, a soccer ball squished between them.

“Can’t,” Gonzaburou said, shaking his head.

“Why not?”

“I’m going home with Maa…” He stopped himself when I glared at him and quickly corrected himself. “Masato.”

“Ehh?”

“Boring.”

“C’mon, let’s go, guys.” The group then dispersed as quickly as they came.

“… you could have gone with them.” I said after it was clear they weren’t coming back and he was staying behind.

“It’s fine. It’s not like I told them I’d hang out with them today. ‘Sides, I wanted to be with you more.” He was able to say such things with such ease, as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, his simple words made my heart squeeze in my chest.

However, I was but a child and had yet to truly understand what that feeling meant, so I simply sighed and shook my head, quickly finishing the log and gathering my things.

“Done already?” Gonzaburou blinked at me, a bit astonished that I had finished so soon.

“I can get things done quite quickly when I’m not interrupted.” I told him flatly and then raised an eyebrow when he didn’t move from his spot, “Are we going home or not?”

“Yeah!” He grinned and jumped from his seat, quickly sliding his hand into mine as we left the classroom.

“I have to drop this off with the teacher first and then we can leave, okay?”

“Okaayyy!” He cheered and nodded enthusiastically. We didn’t get very far towards the teachers’ room before my homeroom teacher popped up down the hall.

“Oh! Hanzawa-kun, did you finish the log already?” She asked, crouching down to met our eye level. She was a nice woman, young for a teacher of sixth grade, but she had a habit of treating me as a much younger child.

“Yes,” I handed it to her and she smiled at me before her eye drifted over to Gonzaburou, who was still holding onto my hand.

“Hmm… Tashiro-kun, right?”

“You know me?” He asked, his eyes slightly sparkling. I squeezed just a bit tighter on his hand in response.

“Of course! Hanzawa-kun talks about you all the time.” She smiled. “But, I shouldn’t keep you. See you tomorrow, Hanzawa-kun.” She waved goodbye and continued down the hall.

“I like your homeroom teacher,” Gonzaburou said once we left the school building. “I hope I have her next year,”

“Right…” Next year I would be starting junior school, which meant I would be away from Gonzaburou’s side for a whole year. Maybe longer if he decided to go to a different school. I knew that was the case but it was just now hitting me that it was so close.

“By the way, Maa-kun, did you have breakfast this morning?”

“What?” I blinked, taken slightly aback by the sudden change in conversation.

“I know you didn’t have anything at lunch, and you said you don’t like having breakfast. How often do you need blood again?”

“Twice a day at least but-”

“Then let’s do our usual!” He then dragged me off the sidewalk to a park where we quickly hid among the trees.

As a pureblood, I had to drink blood from a human in order to survive. And as a pureblood from a very old and powerful house, the list of people who willingly volunteered to be drank from was seemingly endless. Everyone in my family twice a day, in the morning before school and in the evening during dinner, would hide away in their selected rooms and drink. Every Hanzawa had an aphrodisiac bite – now, this bite didn’t fully take effect until we hit puberty but still – so in order to minimize the effects, we weren’t technically allowed to actually bite the person, they were to cause a wound or something that would then bleed and we would drink from that. But every now and then, someone might get carried away and actually bite the person they’re feeding on and no one wants to see that so, we hide away when feeding.

Now, with all that being said, going back to what Gonzaburou had said about me not liking to have breakfast was true. I had been drinking blood directly from a live source since kindergarten and it was never an enjoyable experience. The blood never tasted right… or maybe the more accurate thing to say was it never tasted like anything. It gave me the nutrition I needed, but I just couldn’t stand the taste so I often only drank a few drops and then sent the person I was feeding off on their merry way, telling them I had my fill. The only reason Gonzaburou even knew about that was because he had seen my collapse due to malnutrition once a few years ago. Ever since, he always bugged me about feeding and had more or less become my personal blood bottle. I didn’t agree to it, but his blood did taste better than any other blood I had had. And with his blood plus the blood I would get from my meager feedings, I was able to pass off as that I was okay without my parents or siblings really looking into it.

I sighed once we were deep enough in the thicket of trees that no one could really see what we were doing and frowned at Gonzaburou, “I really don’t want to do this today.”

“Sorry, Maa-kun, no can do. You gotta eat otherwise you’ll collapse again. And it’s not like you can drink from a blood pack or eat regular food to fill in the parts you’re missing like all the other vampires.” He explained as he triple checked that we were alone. He nodded to himself once he confirmed and then turned to me, his arms wide open. “Now come!”

I shook my head, knowing that there was no way I was talking him out of this and walked up to him, tugging his shirt collar down. We had an agreement that if I did this, I would do it in a place that no one was likely to see so I always made sure to bite him in an area that was covered by his shirt. “Wait!” His hand shot out and grabbed my arm before I even had a chance to lean down.

“What?”

“Do you think I should take my shirt off?”

“What??”

“I don’t wanna get blood on it!”

“When have I ever… ugh, it’s fine. Just hold still.” I covered his mouth with one hand and held his shirt collar down with the other and sunk my fangs into the base of his neck. Tashiro gasped, giggled and squirmed as I drank from him and when I finally pulled away after having my fill, I took a good look at him. His face was flushed and his eyes were unfocused.

"Gon-kun?" I gently tapped his cheek and he looked at me, his eyes only focusing slightly as a wide, happy grin spread across his face.

"Maa-kuunn..." He held his arms out towards me, asking for either a hug for me to pick him up.

My heart clenched but I smiled at him and scooped him onto my back, picking up his bag. "Let's go home, Gon-kun."

This reaction wasn't brand new but it was new. My bite was starting to turn into an aphrodisiac and Gonzaburou was clearly starting to be effected by it. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain to him that I couldn't bite him anymore... he would definitely think I was saying I wouldn't drink from him anymore. Actually, I shouldn't even be drinking from at all! He was going to the familiar to my sister or my brother, what was I thinking, drinking from him like this?

"Maa-kun," Gonzaburou sighed contentedly and nuzzled into my back, clearly feeling happy and satisfied.

***

I dropped him off at his house, making up some story about how he got tuckered out playing with his friends to his parents before returning to my own house. The moment I entered the door though, I knew something was wrong.

"I'm back," I called into the house but got no response. By this time, my sister would've been home and my mom would have been cleaning the house (she had no reason to make dinner, after all). My brother would come home shortly after I arrived but when I went to put my shoes away, I noticed that his shoes were already there. "Mom...?" I called again, but still nothing.

Feeling panic rise up in my chest I slowly went deeper into the house, nearly jumping out of my skin when I passed by the door to the formal dining room and saw my whole family sitting there in silence. Both my parents were on one side, my mother cradling our baby brother in her arms while my elder sister and brother sat across from them, their expressions stern but resolute.

"What's... going on...?" I asked as I slowly came into the dining room. My parents both flinched at the sound of my voice while my siblings didn't even glance at me. They continued to stare down our parents in silence.

"Masato, sit. Please." My dad gestured to the seat at the head of the table, between him and my sister. I took another glance at my siblings but they still didn't look at me, even as I climbed into the chair.

Once I was settled, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted.

“Mom?” I looked at her and she gave me a small smile, bouncing the baby gently in her arms.

“It’s okay, Masato.”

A little bit of that panic ebbed at her words and I slightly relaxed. I took another look at my sister and managed to catch her eye this time. She sighed and stood up from the table, smacking her hands on the tabletop as she did so.

“This is pointless. Look, Masato. I’m stepping down as the next head of the family.”

“… What?”

She let out a long breath and pushed her long hair back out of her face, “I don’t want to be the head of the family. Not if means having to marry someone I don’t even know! I want to be able to pick who I end up with in life, even if that means they’re human.”

“What about you?” I looked at my brother. He shrugged.

“I don’t want to take over, I also want to be with whoever I want to be with.”

“Then… what does that mean for me?” I slowly looked over to my parents. They shared a look before my dad reached out and gently grabbed my shoulder.

“It means that you’re going to the next head of the family, Masato.”

“Eh…?” A thousand thoughts went through my mind at once. I was about to go to junior high and they’re telling me I’m going to be the next head of the family? What did that even mean? What did my sister when she was going to be the next head? Did that mean I finally got Gonzaburou all to myself?

“Not much is going to change for you, Masato.” My mom explained when I didn’t respond right away. “You’ll just be taking a few extra lessons in addition to your regular schooling, that’s all.”

“That’s not all.” My sister spoke up and got a glare from my mother in return. “You’ll also have to take on a fiancee.”

“A fiancee?” I repeated. “Who?”

“That doesn’t matter right now-”

“Oh, come on, dear.” My dad shook his head. “We’ve had fiancees picked for all the kids, just in case this happened.”

“What?!” All three of us turned to him in unison.

He walked away and returned with a delicately decorated folder in hand which he then gave to me. “Here,”

I took it and slowly opened it. Inside was a picture of probably the most gorgeous, adorable little girl I had ever seen. She had big eyes and red hair so bright it seemed to be pink. If my parents hadn’t just explained it, I would have thought for sure she was a doll.

My eyes skimmed over the picture and then to the other side, where the name caught my eye. “Niibashi… Juuya ??” That wasn’t a girl’s name.

“Niibashi?” My sister yanked the folder out of my hand. “They have a kid? Whoa! They’re gorgeous!”

“It’s their son-”

“That’s a guy?!” My brother got up to look at the picture.

“Wow. He really looks like a girl.”

“He’s only a year younger than you, Masato! That’s great!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s call them right now!”

“They’re probably eating dinner-”

“It’s fine, you said they knew about this.” My sister dashed away to the phone.

“Wait! There’s an order to these things…!” My dad chased after her and soon after they left, our younger brother started crying in our mother’s arms. She quickly left to deal with him, leaving my brother and I behind.

“So, how are you feeling?” He asked after there was a long silence between us.

“A little… shaken up.” I admitted. “That was a lot of information to take in in a very short amount of time.”

“You’ll be okay, little brother.” He gently knocked my shoulder. “I’ve seen our sister do it, it’s really nothing.”

“But what about this fiancee thing?”

“Does it bother you? Wait, do you have someone else you like?”

My mind flashed towards Gonzaburou but I quickly shook my head, “No. But I don’t even know this person.”

“That’s simple then,” My brother shrugged. “Just get to know them. Unlike with our sister who was paired up with guy in his thirties, this Juuya kid is near your age. He doesn’t go to your school, but that won’t matter because in a few weeks you’ll be in junior high anyway. Just spend that time getting to know him.”

But I don’t want to . I thought. I wanted to spend that small amount of time with Gonzaburou at my side. Not this kid that I didn’t even know. But, ever the good son, I sighed and gave my brother a smile. “You’re right. I think I’ll do just that.”

My sixth year ended and I started junior high, where my lessons as the next head really took off. Due to those lessons and not being in the same school anymore, my time with Gonzaburou became nonexistent. Which wasn’t ideal but it did teach me to drink blood other than his, despite my unwillingness to do so.

Soon enough though, my first year in junior high ended and I was moving onto the second year and with the entrance ceremony came a big surprise. As I took my place on stage for the welcoming address, my eyes immediately spotted two things: Gonzaburou’s wide smile beaming at me from the crowd and the bright red pink hair of Niibashi Juuya.

***

I knew that there was a chance I could become a vampire – my father is one after all – but having gone through all of primary and almost all of junior high without a single inkling of wanting blood or any of the other signs (aside from being a night owl but I am a teen in junior high, that’s normal), I thought I was in the clear.

But all that came crashing down when one of my classmates cut themselves on some paper. It wasn’t a serious wound, but did it bleed. And all I could think about was how it would taste.

Needless to say, I freaked out and went home early that day. Despite my parents best efforts, I’ve been stuck in my room since. That happened at the beginning of July. It’s almost September now and I still haven’t stepped foot in my school.

I spent my time reading manga and surfing the net. While I was idly looking through some blogs, I came across one that had a band I recognized from a drama I had watched recently. The blog itself was simple, it wasn’t very eye-catching and to be honest, the person running the blog didn’t seem that interested in posting daily, but their posts when they did make them really showed just how much they enjoyed music and the bands they were writing about.

Working up my courage after a few weeks of checking the blog out, I made an account and posted a comment. It hadn’t been anything serious, just a simple comment saying how I had come across the band myself. I hadn’t expected a response and yet, within an hour of me posting that comment, I got an email saying there had been a reply. I was curious and checked and found that the owner themselves had responded to my comment. They had responded enthusiastically about the drama and asked if I had heard any of their other works. And just like that, I started regular contact with the owner of the blog.

We only talked through email, but I did learn a few things. They were my senpai, a year older so a first year in high school. They had started the blog simply because their friends had said they should. Apparently their friends said they needed a hobby and music was something they already liked so it was easy enough. One of the reasons they had replied to my comment was because I was a name they hadn’t recognized. Most of the people who left comments were their friends from school who knew about the blog or bots.

I told them about how I had stopped going to school since July and how I was afraid of going back. It was easier to tell a stranger, someone who I couldn’t see physically, and get across my true feelings about the matter. I didn’t ever bring up the whole dhampire thing though. While vampires were accepted in society as just commonplace, I was still struggling with the fact that I was one now. I played it off as simply a form of anxiety, which in a way it was.

Hmm… that does sound tough. I get that though. It can be hard to return after making a scene like that. Kinda like a you missed your moment kinda thing. Did you talk to the person from school? Get their opinion on it?

No… I never thought to reach out. I was just so freaked out, I hadn’t even thought about what my reaction was like to them…

Were you close?

Hmm… I wouldn’t say we were close but they sat next to me in class. We talked sometimes. They were in the art club and asked me to model for them a few times. I turned them down, though.

Ooh? Could I actually be talking a beauty this whole time without knowing it?

No comment.

ww don’t worry about it, I’m kidding. Anyway, since you stopped going to school, I’m assuming that means you aren’t thinking about high school?

… I don’t know. I mean… I do want to go to high school but… what if the same thing happens again? What if someone gets hurt and I freak out again? I’m scared I won’t be able to stop myself…

Well, I can’t tell you not to worry about it. But maybe it might be good? A change of pace. A different school with a different set of people. If you pick one that’s kinda far away, there’s a chance that people from your school won’t even go there. Or maybe you can pick one of those all one gender schools? That way even if you did run into someone, at least you’d know you’d be on the same level.

“Huh…” I said softly, reading senpai’s message. I hadn’t thought of that. An all boys school a bit far away… there was one that I’d had my eye on. It was about three stations away, and also allowed students to live in dorms. If need be, I thought I could ask my parents to let me stay in the dorm but with my awakening the whole idea of high school had been thrown out the window. But maybe they were right. A change of pace might be a good idea after all.

“But can I even get into high school anymore…?” I pondered aloud. My grades had been good enough before I stopped going to school but I wasn’t sure if I could keep up now. “Hmm… I wonder if this awakening would help me with that… but if I’m serious about this I should probably–” I was cut off by a knock at my door.

“Yoshi-kun?” My mom called, slowly opening the door and peeking inside. “Do you have a moment?”

“Sure. What’s going on, mom?” I asked, closing my laptop and focusing on her. She nodded and came in, sitting on my bed beside me.

“Well, your father and I have been discussing some things… do you still want to go to high school? Or would you rather just stop at middle school? As long as you have your compulsory education, it should be fine but…” She paused and took a breath before giving me a soft smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come off like I was a pressuring you.”

I shook my head. It was fine, I knew my extended absence from school was probably causing my parents a lot of stress, even if they did understand what was going on.

“Anyway, we’ve been discussing things like I said and we came across some schools that are specifically for vampires. While you might only be a half, I don’t see why they wouldn’t let you in. Your grades from before were a little on the low side for this type of school but if you attend cram school, I think you’ll just about make it…” She said, shuffling some papers she had in her hands. I hadn’t noticed them before and a quick glance told me that they were brochures.

“Actually mom… I’ve been thinking about it and…”

***

Senpai! Sorry I haven’t been responding lately. Things have been a bit hectic. Thanks to your advice, I talked to my parents and decided to go to high school! For now, I’m just going to attend cram school – kind of as a way to play catch up and see where I am. Depending on how that goes though, I think I might actually return to school. I’m still kind of scared if I’m being honest...

Hey! Long time no speak! That’s great about you moving forward, I’m glad I could help, even though I don’t think I did much ww as for the whole returning back to school thing… I think it’s really brave of you. Really. From what you said, that moment was really scary for you but it seems like you’re doing better now. I think if it’s you, you’ll be able to do it. Actually, I don’t think, I know.

… thank you, Senpai. For everything up until now. Um, I’m going to be busy now but is it okay if I still message you from time to time? It… it really helps.

Of course! Message me whenever you feel like. It can be about anything. I really enjoy our little chats.