Date: Winter's Eve – Four Months Since Enrollment
Location: Dorm Room, Training Grounds, Common Kitchen
---
Finally.
Today, I absorbed mana through the spirit crystal without pain.
It's small, barely a trickle — but the moment I felt it, I almost laughed out loud.
Yukari's gift is working.
The crystal's pure, and my body no longer rejects the mana. My core still isn't healed — that'll take time — but now I can feed it. Guide it. Grow it back.
I kept the crystal on a thread, worn under my shirt. It's warm against my skin. Like carrying a heartbeat that isn't mine.
For the first time in weeks, I let myself hope.
---
Alice still visits once a week.
The "feeding" sessions, as Elric awkwardly called them, have become oddly routine.
She comes after dinner, silent as shadow, drinks just enough… then vanishes before morning.
It's not uncomfortable anymore. She never takes too much. Never lingers.
But lately, I've noticed something.
She stays a little longer after.
Sometimes watching me sleep.
Sometimes… smiling.
---
This morning, Lily caught me at breakfast.
She sat down across from me like nothing was wrong, spooned her soup with perfect grace, and said:
> "Did Alice visit again last night?"
I nodded, mid-chew. "Yeah. She—"
> "I see."
Just two words.
But her eyes…
Anger? Confusion? Or something quieter?
It reminded me of something from long ago — a look I once saw from someone who wasn't sure how to ask: "Do you care about me, too?"
I froze.
I put my spoon down.
> "It's not like that," I said. "It's… not anything, really. She needs blood to stabilize in winter. That's all. No feelings involved. No secrets. Just… necessity."
Lily didn't say anything at first.
Then she smiled. Soft. Maybe a little sad.
> "You're not very good at this, you know."
> "At what?"
> "People."
I didn't argue. I've never been good at people.
But then she stood. Paused.
> "Still. I'm glad you told me."
She started to walk away.
Then stopped again.
> "If… you ever want company that doesn't involve fangs… I'm usually in the observatory at night."
She didn't wait for an answer.
---
That night, I went to the observatory.
She was there, wrapped in her cloak, hair glowing silver in the moonlight.
We talked.
About magic. About families. About loneliness.
She told me how she hated being called "Moon Flower" — how it made her feel like a symbol instead of a person. I told her how I still don't know what I want to become.
She listened.
I listened back.
Hours passed like breaths.
And when I finally stood to leave, she said:
> "Next time, bring snacks. Stargazing should never be done hungry."
---
The jokes started soon after.
Gideon nodded solemnly and said, "Two vampires in one dorm. Dangerous."
Leander put his arm around me and whispered, "So which one is it? Ice Queen or Moon Flower? You've got taste, I'll give you that."
Anna made little red paper hearts and taped them to my journal.
Elric just laughed and said, "I'm surprised none of them killed you yet."
Even Riya's energy felt… different.
Not cold. But quieter.
She smiled, but sometimes her gaze lingered too long when I spoke.
And once, when Alice touched my arm in passing, Riya's hands sparked slightly — just enough for Leander to raise an eyebrow.
---
I still don't understand people.
But I understand this:
Whatever we are now — this team, this bond — it's growing into something more.
Not just comrades. Not just classmates.
Something heavier.
More dangerous.
But maybe… more beautiful too.