“So what you’re effectively saying, let me summarise, is that I’m a vampire. Or more precisely, I was being turned into a vampire, and then chosen by God to not really be a vampire?”
“Yes. Exactly. You are a living anomaly by Church standards. One that very few can compare to.”
I think I was starting to understand it now. My celebrity crushes, on the other hand, still didn’t look like they were on the same page.
“So if he’s not a vampire, what is he?” Bea asked, clearly confused.
“Well, for the sake of conversation, let’s call him a demi-vampire. A vampire that was never fully turned.” Aiko gestured toward me. “I placed a camera on him for observation. He undeniably possesses the strength, instincts, and even the appearance of a vampire.”
She pointed directly at my eyes. Then my hair.
“His body underwent a massive mutation last night, transforming him into what he is now. But I believe, similarly to you girls, he received a blessing. That is the most plausible theory.”
“A blessing, huh…” Jia mused. “I suppose that answers the question of whether vampires are human or not. If God was willing to grant a blessing to a vampire, then they must retain some sense of humanity.”
I didn’t fully grasp the weight of what she said, but the looks on the others’ faces told me it mattered. A lot.
“What’s a blessing?” I asked. I knew the word, obviously, but this felt different.
“I’ll answer that.” Talia stepped forward, placing herself directly in front of me.
I couldn’t help it. I blushed slightly and looked away. She really was unfairly stunning up close.
“It’s rude to look away when someone is answering your question, you know.” She took my jaw in her hands, delicate yet firm, forcing me to meet her gaze. She studied me for a moment before releasing me with a sigh.
“A blessing is a divine gift from the Most High. Abilities that allow certain individuals to perform feats beyond what most of the world can achieve. God grants them to those He deems suited for a greater purpose. Sometimes, they are even passed down entire family lines.” She spoke with practiced confidence.
“Blessings are usually innate, present from birth. It is extremely rare for someone to receive one after puberty.”
“So…?”
“Yes.”
“Do you guys have these blessing things?”
“Of course. All three of us do. We are Inquisitors, after all.” She said it like I should already know what that meant.
“So cool. But what’s an Inquisitor?”
“An Inquisitor is the best of the best,” Talia replied.
That was not a helpful answer.
“That’s not very conclusive, Tal. Let me put it simply.” Jia yawned as she spoke, casually undermining her leader’s explanation. Talia pouted and crossed her arms.
“In the Church, there are two major secret factions. Executioners and Inquisitors. Executioners are standard hunters of fiends. Vampires, demons, and other manifestations of evil you don’t see.”
Okay. Church mercenaries. That tracked.
“Then there are Inquisitors. We work directly under the Church and outrank Executioners, even though we do essentially the same job.”
“So what makes someone an Inquisitor?”
“…Take a guess. Put two and two together,” Jia said, not unkindly.
“Blessings…?”
“Correct. Not everyone with a blessing is an Inquisitor. But every Inquisitor must have a blessing.”
“Huh.”
So they were basically the Church’s special forces.
“So you’re an idol group that’s actually undercover vampire hunters?”
“Yep!” Bea added brightly.
“We are the Church’s one and only vampire-hunting group,” Talia said, pride evident in her voice.
“Okay… so where do we go from here?” I asked warily. There was no certainty I would even live past this conversation.
“Leave you here until the Church collects you and experiments on you. Probably.”
Huh!?
Jia said it so bluntly that my brain had to reboot.
Bea looked slightly saddened, as if she had already accepted it as inevitable, while Talia remained perfectly composed. Aiko simply shrugged, like this was entirely out of her hands.
“B-but you can’t just do that to a human!” My voice rose higher than I meant it to, fear leaking through every word.
“Hmmm… but you’re not a human,” Bea said quietly, honestly.
What do you mean I’m not human? What kind of—
“Yes,” Talia cut in, her tone firm. “At the end of the day, you’re a risk to society. You must remain here while your biology is extensively studied.”
The words hung in the air like a sentence already passed.
“I… I beg you, please. I was a fan of you guys. I don’t even know what happened. I got attacked outside your concert for no reason. Just wrong place, wrong time. And you’re telling me I have to be punished for that?” My voice shook. “Why did you even bother saving my life, then? You should have just let me die.”
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Bea lowered her gaze, shame written plainly across her face. Talia let out a quiet huff, but her eyes betrayed her composure. I could see it. Guilt, stirring beneath the surface.
“Please…” I swallowed hard. “Find some use for me. Let me be useful, at least. Don’t let me live like this.”
The words felt pathetic the moment they left my mouth.
But they were all I had left.
Silence filled the room as, for a moment, they looked at one another. Jia was the only one whose composure never wavered. Like a hawk eyeing its prey, I could tell she would never change her mind. It was almost frightening.
“Let us discuss amongst ourselves, in private,” Talia said plainly.
She ushered the others out of the chamber, the door closing behind them and leaving me alone to await my fate.
Yet…
I could still hear them.
The moment I focused, really listened, I could just about make out their voices through the walls. Their words were muffled, indistinct, but unmistakably there.
“…this isn’t right.”
That was Bea, her voice was soft yet shaky
“But I know what the Church will say,” she continued, her voice wavering. “They’ll come down on us hard if we let him go.”
A pause.
“…I’m not an Inquisitor,” Aiko said calmly, detached. “This decision isn’t mine to make. I don't have the authority, so it rests with you three.”
Footsteps followed shortly after. She was leaving, retreating from the responsibility of this decision.
Bea again, quieter now. “But he didn’t choose this. He was attacked. We were too late.”
“…irrelevant,” Jia said flatly.
The word hit harder than it should have.
“He’s an unknown variable,” Jia continued, her voice flat. No hesitation, nor emotion to be found. “A risk. A liability. Sympathy doesn’t—no—won't change that.”
I swallowed.
Talia’s voice came next. Tighter and controlled, but strained beneath the surface. “We’re talking about a person, Jia.”
“A thing that shouldn’t exist,” Jia replied immediately. “Our job is to eliminate threats, not adopt them.”
“That’s not fair,” Bea snapped, louder now. “We messed up. We didn’t catch the vampire in time. This is on us.”
Silence.
Then Talia again, softer.
“…I pity him.”
The word made my chest ache.
“What kind of idols are we,” she continued, “if we stand dancing on a stage preaching love, then turn around and condemn someone for surviving?”
“Idol is a cover,” Jia shot back. “You know that.”
“I know,” Talia said. “But it still means something to me. To him.”
“He begged,” Bea whispered. “Did you hear him? He wasn’t lying.”
Another pause.
Then footsteps, closer together now.
“I’m the team leader,” Talia said at last. Her voice was steadier, resolved. “If a decision is made, the responsibility is mine. Fully.”
My heart pounded.
“I believe we can handle him,” she continued. “If he goes rogue. The three of us will execute him together.”
Bea hesitated. I could hear it in the silence between breaths. “…Are you sure?”
“No,” Talia answered immediately. “This isn’t about being sure.”
A beat.
“It’s about doing what’s right.”
The voices fell quiet after that. Footsteps echoed soon after as they stepped back inside.
“It has been decided. Until the Church calls for you, at least…” Talia added the disclaimer, more for herself than for me. “You will be under our supervision at all times. Twenty four seven. You are not to be out of our sight. Is that clear?”
I nodded.
Honestly, that sounded more like a dream come true than a curse.
“You will be executed if you fall out of line,” she continued calmly. “And you will operate as our ‘manager’ for the time being. In title only. The Church may still claim you whenever they see fit.”
“Understood.” I hesitated. “Do you guys not have a manager?”
That genuinely surprised me. As far as I knew, that never happened in the idol industry. Though, to be fair, I was hardly an expert.
“The Church handles all of those logistics,” Talia replied. “Jia and I deal with most of the technical work. So I suppose you can make yourself useful.” She paused, thinking. “I also recommend you assist in hunting vampires. I’ll leave that choice to you, but if there’s any chance of mercy from the Church, it will come from being useful. Indispensable.”
Her gaze hardened.
“Right now, you’re just an organism to be tested. Make yourself invaluable as a soldier instead.”
There was no way out of this.
For the rest of my life, I was an asset of the Church. An executioner by circumstance. Even if I was granted some freedom, it would never be complete. I would always be on a leash.
Which was why I had to ask.
“Is there any way for me to go back to being a normal human?”
Jia looked at me then. Truly looked at me.
For the first time, there was pity in her eyes.
“No.”
Blunt. Honest. Final.
“I see… understood…” I exhaled slowly.
Just like that, the last remnants of my old life slipped away. I wasn’t a person anymore. I was a tool. A weapon forged by circumstance, owned by an ancient bureaucracy that had existed long before me. And one that would exist long after I was gone.
“So what’s my first mission then, as an executioner or whatever, I mean…?” I shrugged lightly. I may as well be productive and jump headfirst into it.
Talia looked genuinely surprised, coughing slightly before answering. “I did not expect such a quick response. But if you wish to join so soon, our first major operation is tonight at 1 a.m. A force of Executioners has located a vampire nest operating behind the scenes at Tokyo Station.”
That woke me up a little.
“As you are inexperienced, you will assist the Executioners,” she continued. “Although I recommend you keep your new biology a secret.”
It wasn’t so much a recommendation as it was a command.
“Got it.”
“Good. Come with us. We’re going to get you prepared.”
I would have loved to, really. But it wasn’t like I could exactly walk anywhere in my current state. The restraints were still holding me in place, and my head was spinning badly.
Was it the water?
“Sorry, but uhhh…” I glanced down meaningfully.
Talia followed my gaze. “…Right.”
“Bea, go get Aiko to help him out.”
“Okay!” Bea replied instantly, already heading for the door.
I slumped back slightly, waiting to be freed from my restraints and officially introduced to the hidden world of Vampires and Executioners.
Talk about one hell of a Valentine’s Day.
I could only hope the next one would be kinder to me.
“…Maybe I’ll even have someone to celebrate with.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
Who Is Best Girl! (So Far)
