The racism against vampires was evident; he experienced it every time he walked alongside Ayame through the corridors of the supposedly best combat academy in the kingdom. Still, those of his kind weren't welcomed any better. That a vampire attended classes with them was something they didn't like at all, of course, but for an NPC to do so?

  That was something they didn't even dare to think about, something that defied common sense, the supposed laws of reality.

  If the truth were ever discovered, they would treat him like an outcast, he was sure. Probably worse than any vampire. He no longer harbored illusions that someday the truth wouldn't matter and they might accept him based on his merits. Apparently, this world didn't work that way; it didn't accept such childish viewpoints.

  Still... what was the worst that could happen if he told Ayame? She wouldn't go around telling everyone, and she wouldn't judge him for it. No. Knowing what it felt like to belong to an oppressed group, one that many people considered inferior and non-human—or at least, less than them—how could she?

  So why did his stomach churn just thinking about taking that step? He didn't know if it was right or wrong, but for now, he chose to keep his mouth shut.

  If Ayame was the person he thought she was, then she would forgive him for lying anyway. She would understand. And if not... well, if not, telling her the truth would be risking too much for nothing.

  So he continued with what he supposed would be his normal life from now on: going to classes, training, talking with his friends, and little else. No stupid arrogant types wanting to make a name for themselves by challenging them to a duel or wanting to teach them a lesson; no risky escapades to this or another dungeon. No problems, basically. They had decided to train a bit, farm, and level up before returning to that dungeon and retrieving the runestone.

  By the way, the Runehaven staff members who dealt with runestones, the procedures related to quests and dungeons carried out by students… were collectively called 'the Guild'. The nice receptionist they had seen that day simply belonged to the Guild. He had learned that recently; well, everything was recent for him here. The point is that for Vincent, accustomed to the blacksmiths' guild, the fishermen's, the tailors', and others—specific guilds—simply 'the Guild', capitalized and singular, seemed utterly stupid, not to mention a bit arrogant. But someone had called it that, and so it would remain until someone else had a better idea and the inclination to bother changing it. Anyway, things happen.

  Without planning it, Friday arrived and the morning classes ended. Now they were free. The first thing they did was return to their team room. Immediately after, the two girls went into the bathroom to change.

  "Well, we go in together, right?" Ayame asked. "We're both women."

  "Doesn't matter," Tara said. "Wait your turn."

  "Okay, okay, as you wish."

  At least Ayame tried. As soon as she came out of the bathroom, she looked at him and shrugged, as if saying: "I have no idea what's wrong with this girl."

  When Tara had also changed—not into pajamas, of course, not so soon, but into other clothes—she clapped her hands to get attention; it seemed she had an idea.

  "Hey, guys, how about we enjoy our first week here and rest for once? Let's go to the city, have some fun."

  Ayame shrugged.

  "Whatever you guys want."

  "Okay, then, what do you say, Vincent?" Tara asked. "I'm obviously in favor."

  Well, he began mentally, if I say: "I only go if Ayame goes," it would look very bad. Besides that, it wasn't necessary.

  "Yeah, why not?" he said aloud. "Could be nice. Unless there's some problem." He looked at the vampire.

  "What do you mean?" she asked.

  "You know… people's attitude towards you might be worse in a city than at the academy, I don't know. So if you prefer to stay here, relax, spend the afternoon just us, that's fine with me too."

  "That's your excuse. It's just as bad anywhere," Ayame replied, without much thought. "Well, almost. I suppose I'm less likely to be attacked in the city."

  "Oh, really?" Tara said.

  "Yes, police officers are slightly more competent than the faculty of any school."

  Okay, that had been a joke, right? Her expression hadn't changed one bit, so it was a bit difficult to tell. He supposed that, funny or not, she wasn't wrong, and that was the point.

  "Well, then you're okay with it," Vincent said, receiving a nod from her.

  "Then let's go," Tara said. "Although I'm not very familiar with the city."

  "Neither am I," Ayame said.

  "But I am," Tara intervened. "I can guide you. You know, return the favor for letting me join the team and for the dungeon. In the dungeon, you always went ahead, Ayame, leading the way. Now I can do it."

  "Sounds good to me. Let's go then," the vampire said. "I leave it in your hands. Anyway, what's the worst that could happen."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Tara laughed, and Vincent smiled too. He thought Tara wasn't sure if it was a joke either, but she didn't care.

  ***

  Once decided, Ayame and Tara took showers. But not only that: they changed a second time, for some reason. Vincent didn't bother asking why. He took a shower too; he had to admit he needed it. Lots of hard training… classes weren't just sitting down, planting your ass in a chair and listening to theory, history lessons, or trying to learn horrendous math. It felt good to wash off the sweat, relax. But he only changed once, of course.

  Then they acted as if he hadn't taken longer than the two of them combined to get ready, but that was another story.

  "Come on, let's go already," Vincent said, "or it'll get dark on us first."

  They looked pretty, as expected. Surely there was a very limited number of things that looked bad on them. In Ayame's case, probably none. And he, although in more casual clothes than usual, still looked like himself. Not ugly, or at least he liked to think so, but not handsome either. Nothing special.

  No, ultimately I do belong to another world, he thought.

  The nearest city to Runehaven was called Viewpoint. Why? Damned if he knew. He disliked it as much as the name 'the Guild', but it had been that way for thousands of years, and probably would remain so for another thousand, at least.

  He had passed through the city out of necessity to take the Runehaven initiation test, but that wasn't the same as visiting it, no sir. Then he hadn't stopped to admire the views and smell the roses, literally and figuratively. On his first pass through, the city had been like a poster in a room: however beautiful it was, and however well the poster looked, ultimately it was just decoration, something easy to forget.

  But now that he had time to explore it, and moreover, alongside friends, he saw the city with different eyes. It seemed to shine differently.

  First of all, they went to a café that Tara liked. Elegant, simple, and cozy despite the numerous clientele. He couldn't complain; he only had one issue: he wasn't much of a coffee person, but he could get over it.

  "What do you think of the place and the coffee?" Tara asked.

  Ayame took a sip from her cup, then placed it back on the table.

  "Acceptable. I prefer how my butler used to prepare it, but I didn't expect something of the same quality. And the atmosphere is nice."

  "Butler? You have a butler?" Tara asked. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

  "Yes. Don't you?"

  "Of course not. Most people don't have servants."

  "Ah, well that's good to know."

  She meant it seriously, right? Of course, most people didn't have servants. How could she have believed otherwise? She was beautiful, strong, brave, and yes, intelligent, but she could also be very silly about some things. What kind of life had she led to have such huge blind spots?

  "In any case, coffee isn't my thing," Vincent admitted. "I prefer tea. The few times I could try it in my village. But it's not bad at all. It's a nice place with a good atmosphere. I wouldn't mind coming back here often."

  "Neither would I," Ayame said.

  "Good, I'm glad," Tara said, fists propped under her chin. "But this is just the first stop. I have to show you everything worth seeing in the city."

  If she was so familiar with the city, she must live here. Neither of them asked her, but it was obvious.

  They drank, ate the snacks they were given, and then moved on. Tara wanted to show them everything worth seeing in the city, and the list seemed long. At least there were clues as to why it deserved to be called Viewpoint. Well, it was a city rich in views, at least.

  They went to a museum. Not exactly his idea of fun, either. But he supposed what really mattered was the company. Besides, he had never been to a museum; good or bad, it was a new experience. He would go anywhere with them and probably have a great time, doing anything or nothing in particular. He was even grateful to have met them, to be friends. Someday I'll manage to say that out loud without blushing, maybe.

  Third, they went to a cinema and watched an intense, entertaining, and straightforward action movie. By the time they left, he had forgotten the title, but ultimately it didn't matter. It was a movie quite interchangeable with thousands of others. Easy to enjoy in a group, easy to forget. Enjoying it was what mattered.

  "I feel good," Vincent said. "Well, we needed to go out like this, breathe a little, don't you think?"

  Tara nodded.

  "It can't all be classes and training. At some point, you have to rest."

  "I wasn't tired," Ayame said. "But I'm liking it so far. I'd do it again."

  "I'm glad to hear that," Tara said, and Vincent thought so too.

  Following Tara's guide, they soon took a shortcut through a narrow but short alley.

  It turned out to be a mistake.

  Hands closed around his torso, pulling him back, restricting his movements.

  He wasn't carrying a sword or shield, just casual clothes.

  Muggers. What fucking bullshit.

  The same was happening to Tara, of course. She wore a tight black skirt and white shirt, no place to hide a bow and arrows, haha. Except it wasn't funny at all. And yes, they had caught her by surprise too: a big guy who looked like what he surely was, a low-level thug, held her firmly.

  As for Ayame, she was lying on the ground at the feet of a third and final low-level thug. His heart leaped into his throat. What the hell had they done to her? He didn't see a wound, not even a drop of blood. It wasn't possible he had just hit her with that bat, right? Ah, that would just be like tickling for her.

  However, his eyes didn't lie: she was lying there, motionless. He didn't understand. He also didn't understand how everything had changed so quickly.

  The third thug approached Vincent, stepping over Ayame. If he had trampled her, none of those three men would have left the alley alive. In fact, it was still very possible none of them would.

  "Let's see what you've got," the thug said, stopping in front of Vincent. "You look like rich kids, surely you're worth the trouble."

  "We're students at Runehaven," Vincent said, still trying to break free from the grip of the man holding him. "You're making the biggest mistake of your lives. Maybe even the last."

  The son of a bitch in front of him punched him in the stomach. He had his stats as protection, but not the armor, so Vincent winced. The bastard knew how to hit hard where it hurt most.

  "Well, look at that. First-year students, at most, right?" the thug mocked. "I think I guessed right, you don't look very dangerous. Boys! Check their pockets, and if they don't have anything worthwhile, well, whatever they're wearing. And we can also use these two girls, surely they'd sell very well."

  Vincent frowned, frozen with rage. What the hell had he just said? He knew perfectly well, and it was unforgivable.

  Then, one of the shadows in the alley came to life. Ayame launched herself onto the one who seemed to be the leader of the thugs, the one in front of Vincent.

  "What the hell?" the guy shrieked, surprised.

  Of course. It made sense, because nothing had really happened to her. Ayame had just been acting to catch them by surprise.

  Vincent smiled wildly. Great. Fucking great.

  In any case, Ayame climbed onto that guy's back and then slammed him onto the ground as easily as he would handle a rag doll. He heard bones crunch. For a second, he wondered if she hadn't killed him, although it wasn't like he didn't deserve it, of course.

  "Fuck! The little bitch has claws," muttered one of the two remaining thugs, the one holding Tara.

  What an idiot. He would have been better off turning around and running. But it was too late for that. Too late.

  Ayame threw her head back and smiled widely, showing her gleaming fangs, sharp as knives.

  "Holy shit! A fucking vampire!"