Chapter 7: Miss Liuli Gets Too Close

(Part One)

“Liuli?
Nice name…
Where do you live?
Can you get home yourself?
No need for me to walk you, right?
Sun’s too bright, I’m kinda lazy…
Whoa!
Why’re you getting so close?!”
Cola clutches her half-drunk Coca-Cola, nervously pressing against the wall to dodge the girl’s sudden gaze.

She doesn’t answer, just leans in, sniffing.
Then she buries her face in Cola’s silky silver hair.

“Hey…!
Is this a scam?!
I’ll call the cops!”

“Mmm… smells so nice.”

“Huh?”

“Dunno why, but you’ve got this super familiar scent!”

“What scent?”

“Kinda fizzy, tingly, with a bit of sweetness…”

“…Carbonated soda?”
Cola blinks blankly.

“Eek!
Sorry, revered ancient vampire prince Cola-sama…!”
Realizing what she’s doing, she panics, stepping back.
“I didn’t mean to disrespect you!”

“Can you drop the long titles?
And stop acting like you defiled me!
It’s just sniffing hair—weird, but not that bad…”

“Then, Miss Cola, what’s your surname?”

“Quantum…”

“Quantum?”

“Yup, Quantum Cola.”

“Wow, such a weird name.”

“Exactly.”
Cola rolls her eyes hard.

“C-can I ask one more thing?”

“S-sure…”
The girl’s intense stare makes Cola’s face flush slightly.

“How many people have you Embraced?”

“How many?”
Cola clears her throat.
“First one…”

“Ehh~~!
As an ancient being, it’s your first time?”

“Y-yeah, first time…
Wait, why’s that sound so weird?”

“So I’m your first kin!”

“No, no, just you.
I don’t want to make more vampires.”

“Wow!
You’re so loyal!”
Yuezuki Liuli’s eyes sparkle.
She rushes forward, hugging Cola tightly, rubbing her head into Cola’s silver hair.

“The Embrace isn’t dating!”
Cola shouts instinctively, but regrets it instantly.
Maybe she should’ve asked her out—girl body or not, she might’ve said yes!
But then she thinks, even if they dated, nothing could happen.
She deflates.

“Eek, sorry!
So rude of me!”

“It’s fine…
Just don’t get so close suddenly.
My heart’s racing up and down, it’s rough.”
Cola clutches her chest, sighing as Liuli steps back.

“As your first kin, do I get a title?”

“Title?”

“Or do you have one, Miss Cola?
Like, Most Ancient Hero King…”

“That’s Gilgamesh!”

“Same vibe!
Or something elegant, like Moonlit Dancer.”

“Nope.”
Cola shakes her head.

“What about a catchphrase?”

“Catchphrase?”
She scratches her head.
“…Sugar-free Cola’s for dogs… does that count?”

“Oh!
I know your title!”

“What?”

“Cola Super Sweet!”

“…Huh?”

“Can you give me a title?”

“Uh… no way, I suck at naming.
I’ve got choice paralysis.”

“Just pick one!”

“Then… Ice-Cold.”

“So I’m Ice-Cold Vampire—Viscountess Liuli!”

“…Sounds like you’re already dead.”

“I think it’s fun!”

“You seem to know a lot about vampires.”

“Yup!
I’m a vampire fanatic!
I love vampire novels, manga, games—even the trashy ones, I buy ‘em all!”

“Don’t throw money at garbage creators!”

“It’s love!”

“Put your love in better places…”
Cola rolls her eyes, chugging the last of her Cola.
“If the sun’s too much, head home at night.
But call your family so they don’t worry.”

“No biggie, I’m just in Tokyo for summer break.”

“Summer break…
Wait, you don’t live here?”

“I live in Gunma, Maebashi~”

“Sounds familiar.”
Cola mutters, then tilts her head.
“Oh, isn’t there a girls’ high school…
Something Agricultural?”

“Gunma Prefectural Seta Agricultural Girls’ High School?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s where I go!”

“Huh?”

“What’s up, Miss Cola?”

“We’re… schoolmates.”

“Eh?!
I didn’t know we had a silver-haired, red-eyed girl at school!”

“‘Cause I skipped the first semester, ahem.”
Cola lies.

“Oh…
So, you starting next semester?”

“Uh, yeah.
I’m moving out of this place today, heading to Maebashi tomorrow to find a new place.”

“So soon?”

“Gotta pay next month’s rent the day after.
This apartment’s crazy expensive.”

“Eh~ If it’s okay, I’ll go with you!
It’s on my way!”

“Oh… right, you go to school there, so you live there…”

“Yup, yup!”
Liuli dashes to the door excitedly.
“I’ll grab my stuff from the hotel.
Wait for me, Miss Cola!”

Before Cola can reply, she’s gone.
In Japan, Cola’s never met such a lively, boundary-blind girl.
“Does she not get personal space?
Gets way too close sometimes…
Is it ‘cause I’m a girl now, so she’s got no guard up?
F*ck… when’s Mom’s research gonna pay off…”

(Part Two)

The sky’s so blue.
Tokyo’s a global metropolis, but its environment’s well-managed.
On clear days, the sky’s always this pure.
In her sparsely furnished apartment, Cola lounges on the soft mattress, letting the breeze-tossed white curtains brush her cheek.

Her stomach growls.
She doesn’t want to go downstairs.
Ordering takeout’s too pricey—Japan’s delivery fees are insane compared to back home.
She’s got instant noodles, but she’s sick of them lately.
Maybe a side effect of the Embrace, she’s got no energy.
Even with her stomach rumbling, she just wants to lie there.

Knock, knock!

“Miss Cola, it’s me~!”

“Ugh…”
Cola shambles off the bed like a zombie.
“…Pretty quick.”

“My hotel’s nearby.”
Yuezuki Liuli pats her orange suitcase.
“All my stuff’s here.”

“Oh… I haven’t packed yet.”

“Need help?”

“Ahem, n-no thanks!”
Cola tenses up.
“I’ll handle it!”

“Oh, I get it.
An ancient vampire prince has secrets no one can see, right?
No worries, when you trust me as your kin, you can show me~”

“L-later, maybe…”
Cola’s mouth twitches.
“But I’m leaving tomorrow.
Why’re you here today…?”

“To spend the night, of course!”

“Hey, I’ve only got one bed!”

“I can sleep on the floor!
Japanese are a floor-sleeping people!”

“Don’t let other Japanese hear that, they’ll say you’re insulting them…”
Cola clutches her forehead, flopping back onto the mattress.
“Ugh, so tired.
Do whatever, I’m resting.”

“Hungry?”

“Starving, but too lazy to move…
Hey, can you grab me some food downstairs?
Wallet’s on the shoe rack…”

“No need!
I’ll cook!”

“You cook?”
Cola’s eyes light up.

“I can make all kinds of instant noodles!”

“False hope.”
Cola buries her face in a pillow.
“Cook whatever noodles you want…”

“What flavor do you want?
I’ll buy some~”

“Udon… how’s that?”

“Instant udon?
Got it!”

“Grab some fried chicken from 7-Eleven too.”

“Sure!
Drinks?”

“Don’t.
I’ve got a fridge full of Cola I don’t know how to move…”

“Ship it to my place?”

“Might work.
It’s close, so shipping shouldn’t cost much…”

(Part Three)

While Liuli’s downstairs, the newborn vampire miss leaps off the bed.
She stuffs her precious manga collection under everything in her suitcase, then leisurely packs.
After a year in Japan, she hasn’t bought much.
Besides essentials, her stuff’s about the same as when she arrived from home.

She planned to finish language school, take college exams, and move near her university.
No point buying much here.
By the time Liuli returns with instant udon and fried chicken, Cola’s mostly packed.
The apartment’s bedding belongs here, so it stays.
The small odds and ends take longer to sort—gotta organize them properly to find later.

In the kitchen, Liuli hums “Rice is a Side Dish” from KON, bustling about boiling water for noodles.
It’s just instant noodles, but she pours the seasoning into a bowl first, then into the pot—a pointless step that somehow makes plain udon feel refined.
Cola suspects this is Japan’s artisan spirit at work.

“Oh, right, Liuli…”

“Just call me Liuli!”

“Ahem… Liuli, can you give me your address?
I’ll call a courier now to send the fridge’s Cola to your place.”

“Sure!”
Liuli pokes her head from under the open kitchen’s island counter.
“Can I just tell you?”

“Yup.”

“Gunma Prefecture, Maebashi City, Showa Town…”