The mixer ended. Chifuyu told the girl he likes anime and her reaction wasn't pretty, to say the least. Nicholas was holding up a conversation decently well but the girl told him he just wasn't his type. Meanwhile, Diego got the number of the girl he talked to and plans to see her again. So much for his "feelings" toward Beatrice. The biggest surprise of the night truly was Caesar. Not only did he and the girl exchange phone numbers, but they also left the rest to hang out on their own.
"Hey, Chifuyu. Don't worry about it, I'll set up another one. Just give me the word."
"I'm never doing this again."
"I guess Caesar just ditched us. He'll probably call an Uber so let's go back."
Chifuyu and Nicholas are both defeated. They will never be going to another mixer again.
Caesar and his newfound love are taking a lovely stroll through the streets. Golden lights illuminate the night sky, as they will for the rest of this month and the next. They've been walking for over half an hour. The two start wandering into a not-so-busy area where it can just be them.
"I'm really glad we met, Caesar. You seem like a genuine guy."
"That means a lot, Lalika. Thank you."
"No, I should be thanking you. My friend told me to come with her to that mixer last minute and I thought there was no way me of all people should go to something like that. But she said I need to be proud of myself. So, I tried it. And I'm glad I did."
"Lalika…"
The two have escaped to a place where the golden lights don't reach. Here, they can show the other their real feelings.
Caesar goes in for a hug.
The girl can't stop tears from falling as she thinks she's found love.
Opening his mouth as wide as he can, the man bites into her neck. Dumbfounded, no words come out. They couldn't find their way out. It was her throat that was bit into and swiftly torn out. More tears trickle down. Unable to speak, the girl questions her life. Why did this happen to her? The person she just thought she could fall in love with is licking her blood of his lips and fingers. Losing consciousness, she drops to the ground like a stone. A pool of blood forms beneath her dying body. The man climbs on top of her, stripping her bare, and feasting on her. He is no vampire, he is just a human. The Hunters believe they've caught him, but it was an innocent person who was set up. Caesar is Charlatan, the fake vampire.
Leaving the corpse, he walks off to wash himself in a nearby pond. But he feels it.
Someone watching him.
"Well, this isn't good. Who might you be?"
Leaping off the building she stood on, she landed right in front of the bloodied boy.
Shiori Boreas.
"You're not human."
"Neither are you."
"How long have you been watching me?"
"For a looong time."
Caesar begins to sweat. He thinks this is the end for him.
"Are you getting along well with my sister?"
"…..Shinatsu? I see the resemblance. This is interesting. Are you not here to kill me?"
"Why would I do that? I'm interested in you. I've even told my friends about you."
"…?"
Suddenly, the evening's cool breeze disappears. The temperature shoots up and Caesar's sweat multiplies. Something catches fire. It's Lalika's corpse. Caesar watches it burn to nothing. Suddenly, he's surrounded by nine figures including Shiori. He can only see the silhouettes of six of them. The other two he can see are a male vampire and a female one with flames trailing from her body.
"This is the human?"
"Yep. Don't know if we can call him that though seeing what he did to that poor girl."
"The only thing that matters is whether or not he'll be useful."
"Of course, he'll be. After all, he's already snuck himself into Odd Jobs."
Caesar casts a wry smile, seeing where this might be going.
"You're not The Slayers, are you?"
"No."
"We are Shadow Garden. Gah—"
The male smacks Shiori across her head for joking around.
"We don't have a name. Shiori tells me she's found us a new ally. It's good that you know your place, seeing as how you accepted your fate once she approached you."
"Heh. So you're also interested in Odd Jobs? May I ask if it's the Vampire Lord or the half-vampire?"
"Neither."
"Oh."
"We're going to say hello to Odd Jobs soon. For starters, we want you to communicate their every action to us so we can operate elsewhere. Not just them though, the Strongest Hunter as well when you can. You and I will be working as a cool duo."
"For starters, huh? I don't plan on getting myself killed, so I'll follow any order you give me. Your name is Shiori, right?"
"Uh-huh. She's still the big boss though."
Caesar has been trying to avoid eye contact with her as much as he can, but he looks at the leader once more. Her golden hair appears as if it may catch fire at any moment. The intensity of her bloodshot red eyes gazing down on him shakes his very soul but they also seem normal. No, they are normal. But Caesar can still feel it, something howling inside of her. She's not presenting herself in an intimidating way, but her authority can still be felt. Caesar kneels and bows before her.
"I am Talaryuna. The one who will scorch everything."