Chapter 14: Hypnotizing Herself

(Part One)

Vampires possess various mystical abilities, differing by bloodline.
Some, in vampire history, could even teleport through space.
But for the same bloodline, abilities are similar, varying only by rank.
Higher-ranked vampires wield more powers.
Cola’s bloodline excels in mental abilities, with hypnosis being a basic skill even E-rank (Baron) vampires can use.

These inherited memories flood Cola’s mind, instantly clarifying what’s happening.
Golden patterns in Liuli’s pupils mean she’s under hypnotic control, and the orange-red glow (color varies by rank) signals active vampire powers.
No other vampires are likely nearby, and Liuli was just bathing downstairs.
Only one explanation: Liuli hypnotized herself in the mirror!

It’s rare but possible, especially for a newborn vampire like Liuli, turned by the Embrace, not born of a bloodline.
Losing control of new powers is normal.
Cola doesn’t know how to undo someone else’s hypnosis, but her brain races, landing on a solution: hypnotize Liuli herself to override the self-hypnosis, then release her.

Sounds simple, but she’s pinned to the floor, unable to move!
Liuli’s strength is shocking; Cola, not yet fully awakened, can’t break free.
Liuli’s fangs graze Cola’s neck, as if ready to pierce her veins any second.

“Urgh—!”
Cola grabs Liuli’s shoulder with one hand, pushing her forehead with the other, takes a deep breath, and steels herself to open her eyes.
Wrong move—she looks not at Liuli’s face but at… other areas.
Her face flushes; the magic circuit nearly backfires.

Liuli’s even cuter than imagined.
Maybe Cola’s been too shy to look closely these past days, or maybe this trance-like state is just too different.
Forcing her gaze to Liuli’s eyes, Cola focuses—
To channel magic, she must visualize the magic circuit.
But her mind’s filled with the sight of Liuli’s youthful body, blocking all else.

“Cough…!”
Disrupted magic makes her choke on blood.
Liuli’s struggles intensify.
If Cola doesn’t act fast, this Vampire Prince might get forcibly drained by a lower-ranked vampire.
Per tradition, vampires kiss after feeding, then do… weird things.
…Maybe that’s not so bad; a little blood won’t kill her—Cola briefly considers giving in.

“No, no…!”
She shakes her head, snapping out of it.
Her eyes glow red, locking onto Liuli’s.
Magic flows smoothly, the circuit stable.
Hypnosis is a basic vampire skill, after all.
The golden patterns in Liuli’s eyes reverse, and Cola whispers, “You’re a vampire who doesn’t drink blood.
You love drinking Cola…”

“I… don’t drink blood… only like Cola… Cola, delicious…”

“You’re soaking in the bathtub, relaxing…”

“I’m… bathing…”

Liuli sways to her feet, walking downstairs like a zombie, her steps heavy.
Cola exhales in relief.
The floor’s wet from Liuli’s bathwater.

“Oh no—!
Little Liuli, why’re you walking around naked?!”

Cola’s heart skips, and she instinctively cancels the hypnosis.
A piercing scream follows.

“Ehh—?!?!”

“Cough…”
Cola scratches her cheek awkwardly.
“Hope she remembers nothing…”

(Part Two)

After Cola’s bath, it’s dark outside.
A recent rain leaves the air fragrant with grass and earth.
Stepping out, she sees Liuli’s mom busy in the open kitchen, preparing dinner.

“Little Cola, comfy bath?”

“Yeah, pretty good, but first time I’ve seen a stainless steel bathtub…”

Liuli’s mom giggles, covering her mouth.
“My husband bought it, said it’d never break.”

“Hard to break even if you tried…”
Cola’s mouth twitches.

“Liuli said the box of Cola delivered this morning is yours?
I put it by the fridge, iced two bottles inside.”

“Oh, thanks, big help.”
Cola wipes her mouth, hurries to the fridge, grabs an iced Cola, and chugs half, sighing, “Ahh.”

“Hungry, Little Cola?”

“Kinda.”
Cola smiles sheepishly.
Japanese portions are small, and even as a girl with a smaller stomach, her lunch is long digested.
Lunch was wild—Liuli’s cousin wolfed down rice, saying he hadn’t eaten it in a month and praising the restaurant’s fresh rice.
Cola pitied Japanese folks then, but realized without her mom’s money, she’d struggle to afford fresh rice too.
Pretty pitiful herself…

“Dinner’s almost ready, just a bit.
Light meal okay?”

“Sure, no problem.”
Cola nods.
Back in Z Province, she ate lightly—not like spicy-obsessed J Province folks.
She adapted to Japanese food fast, though fast food like ramen often feels too heavy, the broth undrinkable.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Cola sips her Cola, watching Liuli’s mom curiously.
She takes a palm-sized tofu block—half the size of Chinese tofu—carefully cuts it into four, uses three, and places them in small bowls.
With a few knife cuts, she drizzles soy sauce, green onions, and wasabi, arranging them neatly on three plates.
That’s… a dish done.

“One piece of tofu, can you finish it?”
She asks, concerned.

“Y-yeah…”
Cola’s eyelids twitch.
Finish?
She could eat all four!

It’s evening, so the dishes are simple.
Cold cucumber salad: one small cucumber, sliced thin, split into three dishes—five or six slices each.
Stir-fried potatoes: a small pot, a few slices per person.
Miso soup: one small bowl each.
The main dish is a salt-grilled mackerel pike, served on a long plate, fragrant and pretty.

That’s… the whole dinner.
Good thing she’s a girl now—her old appetite would’ve needed all three portions to feel half-full!

“All done, can you finish?
Less rice if it’s too much?”

“No, no, this is fine…”

“Great~”
Liuli’s mom calls from the stairs, “Little Liuli—dinner’s ready!”

(Part Three)

“Mom, dinner smells great.”

“It’s the rare Gugu rice we snagged.”

“Oh—Gugu rice is tastier than Gugugu rice!”

Cola, holding her rice bowl, twitches her mouth, feeling like two birds are cooing.
Liuli glances at Cola, her face inexplicably flushing.

“Um…”

“Uh… what’s up?”

“N-nothing, just felt shy looking at you, don’t know why…”

“Cough… just your imagination?”
Cola chugs her Cola to cover her nerves.

“Um… is Mom’s mackerel pike good?”

“Really nice, super tasty.”

“It’s her specialty~!”

“Impressive.”
Cola resists complaining about the tiny portions.

“How’d you and Little Liuli meet, Little Cola?”

“Oh… we’re into the same stuff.”

“Eh?”

“Yup, we’re both vampire fans!”

“Oh~ silver hair, red eyes, you’re cosplaying a vampire, right?”

“Uh, you know about it, Auntie?”

“Of course, I know Little Liuli’s hobbies.”

“Mom approves of my hobby!”
Liuli puffs out her chest proudly.

“Having such open-minded parents is great.”

“Mom’s super accepting—she’s kinda a vampire fan too, thanks to me!”

“Huh?!”

Liuli’s mom giggles, a bit embarrassed.
“Yup, it’s true.
When I saw Little Cola, I couldn’t help wanting to touch your hair~ such a high-quality wig.”

“Cough…”

“Your red contacts are gorgeous too.
Prettier than any Little Liuli bought.”

“It’s… alright…”

Seeing Cola’s embarrassment, she teases, “At night, if you’re thirsty, will you sneak a sip from Little Liuli?”

“Vampire-sama~ please drink my blood!”
Liuli plays along, staring at Cola.

“Eek—!”