My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave

Chapter 131: B - When friendship isn’t enough

"Aoshi, let me pay!" Ayane insists.

"It’s my birthday gift to you — there’s no way I’m letting you pay!" Aoshi grumbles as he walks toward the register.

"I-I know, but... now that you’ve lost your job, even a few yen could make a difference — especially since you told me Eliss will be going home soon!"

"T-That’s not something you need to worry about! I’ll figure something out, you’ll see!" Aoshi replies.

He still hasn’t told Ayane that he’ll soon be buried under a mountain of gold.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me pay!"

"Would you two hurry up already? You’re holding up the entire line!" the cashier snaps.

Behind them, a crowd of increasingly irritated customers waits impatiently.

"F-Fine, you win. Now calm down..." Aoshi grumbles.

At a nearby table, two men are watching them.

One of them — Hiroshi, a tanned, muscular blond in his thirties with bleached hair — is looking at them with the same mocking expression as everyone else in the fast-food restaurant.

The other man, roughly the same age but even more heavily built, has neatly groomed black hair, a short beard, and a bandage wrapped around his head, partially hidden beneath a snapback cap.

He studies Aoshi and Ayane with the thoughtful look of someone trying to place a familiar face.

These two aren’t from Nagano... but I swear I’ve seen them somewhere before. Where the hell was it?

The moment he remembers, his fists clench and his teeth grind together.

"Hiroshi..." he mutters, nudging his friend with an elbow and gesturing toward Aoshi and Ayane. "...keep an eye on them. Let me know the exact moment they leave. I’ve got unfinished business with that walking stick figure," he adds, referring to Aoshi.

Hiroshi smirks and takes a bite of his cheeseburger.

"Oh, so that’s the guy? Got it..."

◇◇◇

"It’s official — this fast-food place is completely overrated," Ayane grumbles as she gets up from the table, visibly annoyed. "The fries were mediocre at best, and the burger was honestly inedible. I have no idea why this place is always packed! Come to think of it, we should’ve just crossed the street if we wanted real meat."

"Yeah, but Cordesol Meat costs, like, ten times as much... though at least over there you wouldn’t have attracted this much attention with that dress. Everyone in there had their eyes glued to you — and they still do..." Aoshi replies, following Ayane out of the restaurant.

The moment they step outside, he can’t help noticing the hungry looks some of the customers are throwing Ayane’s way without even trying to hide them.

Her slim, elegant figure stands out in the red dress hugging her hips and chest, while the high slit along her right thigh leaves her leg completely exposed.

Walking behind her, Aoshi can’t help stealing a few glances at her small but well-shaped ass, perfectly outlined by the tight dress.

"Stop pretending it bothers you when people look at me like that — I’m not Eliss."

"What does Eliss have to do with this?"

"It’s just strange that you didn’t invite her too. Every time we go out, she’s glued to your side."

"Well, Eliss is working. Even if she’d wanted to come, she couldn’t have. Ever since Mr. Tobita fired me, she’s been working even harder than before. And there’s no way they’d give her Sunday evening off — it’s one of the busiest times of the week."

"Right. Her job. I suppose that’s the only reason she isn’t here tonight — otherwise she’d be breathing down my neck like always."

"W-Why are you suddenly talking about her like that — as if she really gets on your nerves? I thought you two were friends..."

"I’m not angry at her, idiot — I’m angry at you! You keep saying you don’t care about her and that you can’t wait for her to go back home. But that’s not how it looks at all. At the water park, when she left with that sleazeball, anyone could’ve seen from a mile away how worked up you were. And don’t feed me that bullshit about being worried for her — I’m not stupid. It’s easy to tell the difference between someone who’s worried and someone who’s jealous. And you were jealous as hell, Aoshi! Why? Tell me why you get so jealous over Eliss!"

"W-Well, it’s just..."

Aoshi lowers his gaze and lets out a deep sigh without saying a word.

"You don’t have to answer — I don’t need to hear it from you," Ayane whispers, turning her back to him. "It’s obvious. You’re in love with her. It’s as clear as day. It’s just that..."

Her voice breaks.

Tears stream down her small, flushed cheeks.

"...I just don’t understand why you keep lying to me. Why do you keep saying you don’t feel anything for her? That it’s all in my head?"

She spins around, and Aoshi freezes at the sight of her face streaked with black tears from her running makeup.

She’s sobbing now, her breathing shaky, her eyes redder than her elegant dress.

"A-Ayane... w-why are you like this right now? I don’t understand..."

"Not me. Why are you like this?! Stop messing with me and admit that you love her! Come on, SAY IT!"

"N-No, you can’t force me to say things I don’t feel! And like I’ve already told you, Eliss has nothing to do with this right now! We came out here to celebrate your birthday, just the two of us, so why are you saying all this nonsense? I-I’ve told you a hundred times — I don’t have feelings for Eliss. And even if I did... I don’t understand why it would upset you this much!"

Ayane takes a deep breath, trying to recover even a shred of composure — and the courage she needs.

Her entire body is trembling from head to toe at the thought of what she’s about to say.

I... I can’t keep doing this.

At this point it’s obvious that Aoshi doesn’t feel anything for me — he’s completely hung up on Eliss... but I don’t care anymore.

I’ve carried this burden inside me for far too long, and if I don’t let it out now, I know I never will. I can’t keep pretending I only see him as a good friend. I can’t keep pretending it doesn’t hurt every time another girl enters his life. Pretending to be happy when he’s happy with them.

And if what I’m about to say destroys our friendship forever, then so be it. I can’t keep being the good friend he thinks I am — the person I’ve forced myself to be all this time.

"You’re asking why I’m so upset..." Ayane whispers, her voice barely audible as she lowers her gaze again.

She clenches her fists so tightly that even her toes curl inside her red high heels.

Her heart pounds in her chest like a jackhammer.

"It’s because I... I..."

Ayane lifts her head and locks eyes with Aoshi.

"Because I lo—"

"Well, well... what a small world, huh?"

A threatening voice rings out behind Aoshi a split second before Ayane can finish her sentence, and a heavy hand drops onto his shoulder.

Acting on instinct, Aoshi jerks forward, shrugging off the hand and spinning around.

It takes him a moment to recognize the black-haired man with the beard and the bandage wrapped around his head beneath a snapback cap.

Standing beside him is Hiroshi, a tall, muscular blond.

The moment Aoshi recognizes him, terror flashes across his face.

Ayane mirrors the same fear, instinctively taking a step back.

It’s Kaito — the guy Aoshi injured while trying to save Eliss at the water park that day.