I hesitated for a moment, acting as if I needed to weigh the consequences of such a solemn commitment.
'Great expression, master,' complimented Kimi.
'Thank you.'
Making a blood oath was not something to be taken lightly and with the grave consequences that came with it being broken, I couldn't so easily accept the offer.
However, I looked at Maya, read the determination on her face, and acted without uttering any words, I conveyed the realization that perhaps this was truly the only way to ensure her silence and protect the secret of Diana and myself.
"Fine," I finally conceded. "I didn't want to do this but the more I think about it, perhaps this is the only option that will grant me some semblance of security."
Maya nodded her head, agreeing with my statement.
"But remember, Maya, you don't have to do this oath if you don't want to. If you break it... I don't know if I can live with myself," I told her.
Solemnly, she nodded again, her eyes filled with a determination that tried to mask away the fear that enveloped her.
"Can I add something to the oath? For myself?" asked Maya.
'There it is,' I thought to myself.
There was no way that the ever-snooping Maya, club president of a secretive club, the scariest ghost of them all — would just willingly silence her voice on such a spicy piece of article because she somewhat was terrified of my anger.
Her emotions would never outweigh the joy she finds in being in people's business and leaking them.
'She wants something in return,' I chuckled. I had a feeling I knew what it was.
The room seemed to hold its breath as Maya awaited my response.
She didn't interrupt me or try to rush me because it was reasonable for me to take my time.
She had just suggested turning a one-way blood oath into a two-way oath. Now I'd also be at risk of being punished to eternal limbo.
Only a sadistic person would hurry up the other person in this scenario.
'Master, why are you taking so long to answer her? Just tell her yes or no,' said Urisha, yawning as if she had places to be.
'It's called acting, Urisha,' Liona responded, clicking her tongue. 'A good actor must always consider tension, suspense, and how to build it to the appropriate amount.'
'Whatever. This is a boring play anyway. I'd rather watch paint dry,' responded Urisha.
Ignoring the bratty artifact, I took another half a minute to think before letting out a reluctant sigh.
"If your condition is reasonable," I responded.
Maya's eyes lit up as I said that. She also exhaled, relieved to see that I was open to the idea of it being two-way.
"Of course. It shouldn't be too hard to do," she told me.
"What is it?" I questioned.
"Could you promise not to reveal my secret to anyone? I... I also don't want my other identity to be exposed to others. Just like how Diana has her vampire side she doesn't want others to know about, I also have mine."
She was treating the two cases as if they mirrored each other but they honestly didn't.
One wasn't by choice and could lead to death even if she wasn't to blame; the other was someone doing it on their own free will and anything that came for them, was mere consequences of their own action.
I was kind of appreciative that she offered to make this blood oath apply to both because now, I had an excuse to up the level of the promise she would have to make me.
"So you want to make an oath not to reveal your secret identity to anyone?" I asked, wanting to clarify it.
"Correct," she nodded her head.
"I... I can promise you that if you promise to make a minor change to your oath."
"...Which is?"
"Rather than just keeping your mouth shut about Diana's identity or the secrets you've known, could you also promise that in the future, no matter what secrets you may find out about me... keep it between the two of us?" I asked her. "Basically, I don't want you to reveal anything about me without my permission."
Maya didn't want to show it but I could see in her eyes that this was a difficult thing to ask from her.
She must've had plans to stalk me even further and with the oath in place, even if she publishes an article that details a secret she discovers later on, she wouldn't have to worry about me knowing who released the article because I was under oath to not reveal the identity to others.
'Clever girl,' said Kimi. 'Not clever enough for master, however.'
'Good job!' cheered Liona.
She looked like she wanted to decline but with a wince, she knew that she had no choice if she wanted to keep her identity as the ghost of the academy a secret.
"That's not a minor change," she chuckled.
I chuckled along.
"Sure. We can do that," she reluctantly agreed.
In a classroom where mana wasn't usable, we had to search for something sharp.
Our skins were tougher than normal earthlings so we couldn't just settle on a paperclip. Eventually, I found a needle in the teacher's drawer.
Its gleaming metal glinted in the room of natural lighting, reminding the two of us about the sharpness of our soon-to-be commitment.
"Ready?" I asked Maya.
"...Yeah," she responded, still a little reluctant to keep her mouth shut about my future revealed secrets it seems.
Carefully, I pricked my finger, allowing a small bead of blood to form.
I handed it over to Maya who did the same, her hands trembling ever so slightly.
The two of us took the blood that was beginning to spill out of our bodies and used it to draw a specific magic circle on our palms.
As the two of us let out a synchronized deep breath, we brought our held-out hands together, slamming the palm against each other.
The two magic circles were now facing each other.
At the same time, we recited with clear voices, "From the womb of our mother, the seed of our father, by the blood that binds us together, let our oaths be spoken and sealed into the threads of fate."
Where our palms were, as if we were holding a lightbulb inside, it began to glow red.
"Maya, I swear upon the blood oath to never reveal your secret identity as the ghost of the academy to others. If I break this oath, may fate take my soul away and leave it in eternal limbo," I stated to my side.
"Bell, I swear upon the blood oath to never reveal Diana's identity as a vampire. I swear to keep your secrets a secret and never tell another soul about them, including the ones from the past or ones that I haven't discovered yet," she said, her face visibly in pain from the loss of great articles. "If I break this oath, may fate take my soul away and leave it in eternal limbo."
After she finished stating her side, a voice sounded in both of our heads asking us, 'Do you agree to the terms of this blood oath?'
If one person disagreed, the oath would be canceled.
This was a way to ensure that the second person making the oath couldn't scam the other person and change their mind last second.
"I agree," the two of us spoke and the red light vanished.
Pulling our hands apart, we looked down at the magic circle on our hand that turned black like a tattoo and slowly was beginning to fade away.
With the blood oath made, the tension in the room finally eased.
Although the gravity of what we had just done hung in the air, with a newfound foolproof sense of trust, Maya's expression naturally transformed from fear to relief.
Staring up at me, there was this mixed look of anguish and joy.
She told me, "I guess I can't write an article about Diana's vampirism anymore. Bummer."
"Bummer indeed," I chuckled at the attempt to crack the last bit of ice that was between the two of us.
Offering my hand, she made a face of confusion but took it nevertheless.
As I shook it, I told her, "I appreciate your commitment to protecting Diana and myself," acknowledging her resolve.
Although she was just doing that to protect her own behind, she couldn't not accept my gratitude so she awkwardly responded, "Of course. I just did the right thing."
'The right thing is to not stalk the two of us in the first place and stay in your own business,' I thought to myself.
Stretching my arms, the perfect smile on my face slowly formed into one that was a little less suitable for someone who was a protagonist.
"?" Maya looked confused at the changes in my expression
"With that being said," I spoke with less manner than before, "finally."
If I was a goody-two-shoe student before, then I now sounded a little more like a delinquent.
"...Finally?"
"Finally!" I repeated myself before letting out a little hysterical laughter. "I was sick and tired of pretending to be such a good human being. Do you know how tiring that is?" I asked her, shaking my head in disbelief.
"What?"
"How do actors and actresses do this all day? Being a different person gets so tiring after a while," I spoke.
Maya looked like someone had just given her a shot of lemon juice.
Her fingers were itching, tempted to write the masterpiece of her life.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Why... why are you acting like this?"
"Come on Maya," I said, throwing my arm around her shoulder as if we were best friends. "You're a reporter."
"I consider myself to be just your typical writer," she corrected, clearly uncomfortable by my change.
I couldn't help it. It was the first time since I arrived in this world that I didn't have to play a role in front of another human being.
"Well, my dear writer, take these context clues I'm giving you and formulate your own story. Oops. Too bad you can't publish it though," I said, laughing as if I had just heard the funniest joke of all time.
Maya looked extremely uncomfortable but also intrigued by this new discovery of hers.
She looked like she had been sentenced to execution.
The oath she made to keep my secrets was already coming back to bite her.
I still had my arm around her shoulder but she was too lost in her own thoughts, the theories that's been coursing through her mind, to separate herself from me.
"Shall we head back?" I asked, opening the door and leading the two of us out before she could answer.
Our footsteps echoed through the empty hallway like the beats of an eerie symphony.
Maya looked at me every once in a while with a complex mixture of emotions she must've never felt before.
I responded to these gazes with a smile that was too creepy for a main character.
Walking in silence, our footsteps carried secrets they would never be able to tell. Hers — a little more regretful.
As the elevator door opened as we reached the first floor, I removed my arm from her shoulder and the two of us walked out of the building.
With a wave, I sent Maya on her way but she kept staring back at me every few steps forward.
'Master, you're a little sadistic,' said Yanari.
'I just want to have a little fun with someone who I've known for so many years,' I told her.
'It's still a little sadistic though,' said Urisha.
With a smile, I turned around and began heading to my next class.
'Maybe just a little bit,' I agreed.