"What do you mean?"
Fang Cheng looked up at her in surprise. "Why are you quitting all of a sudden, when things were going so well?"
He'd been counting on killing a few more vampires and getting some new skills and extra chances to revive.
"Don't tell me you're scared? Or are you out of money? I can spot you a little..."
"Put your fifty cents away."
Kanzaki Rin said irritably, "I told you the Countermeasure Department has been preparing a vampire hunt for a while now. We're going to get rid of the vampires causing trouble in Tokyo. All the official members are mobilizing this time. If things go smoothly, there's a good chance we'll wipe them all out."
Fang Cheng blinked. "You told me that?"
Kanzaki Rin blinked too. "Didn't I?"
"You did?"
"I didn't?"
"Fine, let's say you did."
Fang Cheng was furious. He reached out and smacked the coffee table. "But the Countermeasure Department couldn't have come earlier or later? You just had to show up right when we'd started up! What kind of behavior is that? You're stealing our kills! Is that okay? It's not okay!"
Kanzaki Rin was a little surprised. Before, Fang Cheng had been quite reluctant to work with her to exterminate vampires. Why was he suddenly so eager to help?
He was even getting angry. Judging by the personality he'd shown so far, shouldn't he have breathed a sigh of relief, then hidden away and watched the show?
Kanzaki Rin kept her surprise to herself and replied, "Getting mad at me won't change anything. The decision's been made. Exterminating vampires is the Countermeasure Department's job; not doing it would be negligence. Besides..."
She glanced at Fang Cheng. "The Countermeasure Department doesn't even know who you are yet. Why would we be stealing your kills? Isn't it a good thing that we're helping you eliminate potential enemies?"
Fang Cheng had no way to argue with that. He was still unsure whether he should tell Kanzaki Rin that he could take skills from vampires.
Emotionally, he didn't want to reveal his trump card to her. But logically, they would keep working together, and sooner or later Kanzaki Rin would realize that his ability was just like Kuroishi Yuto's.
If he tried to cover it up with a lie, Kanzaki Rin was smart enough to notice something was off. That could put a crack in their partnership and eventually drive them apart.
Fang Cheng didn't want that. Kanzaki Rin had been a great help to him.
Just her advance preparations and the cleanup afterward saved Fang Cheng a great deal of trouble. He didn't have to waste time on trivial matters, and her help during fights was invaluable too.
Most importantly, without Kanzaki Rin, where else could Fang Cheng find a rich woman who'd provide him with three meals a day?
But after all the vampires were exterminated, would Kanzaki Rin bring the people from the Countermeasure Department to slaughter him like a pig?
That was the deepest worry Fang Cheng kept buried in his heart.
While he was wrestling with the dilemma, Kanzaki Rin had already deftly finished making duck blood vermicelli soup.
Once they sat down to eat, Fang Cheng asked, "Are you taking part in the vampire hunt too?"
Kanzaki Rin nodded. "Yes. The interns have to take part as well."
She had already "eliminated" two vampires, and the Countermeasure Department was taking notice. They were considering drawing on her combat experience for the hunt.
On top of that, those two vampires had earned Kanzaki Rin considerable credit within the department. She'd gained access to many internal documents and equipment.
There had even been suggestions that she graduate from her internship early and become a full member.
Naturally, they would take Kanzaki Rin's opinion into account. The internship was part-time, and most interns were underage students with lives of their own.
If she became a full member, Kanzaki Rin would have to leave school and officially join the ranks of the nine-to-nine grind. She'd have far less time to herself.
Of course, becoming a full member had plenty of benefits too, such as being allowed to carry a gun and having greater access.
Hearing that Kanzaki Rin would be taking part, Fang Cheng's eyes lit up. "If you kill any vampires, could you bring me a heart?"
"What do you want it for?"
A hint of wariness immediately flashed across Kanzaki Rin's eyes.
"I want to run a test. You'll find out later," Fang Cheng answered vaguely. He wanted to see whether he could gain an ability by touching the corpse of a vampire he hadn't killed himself.
If that worked, why bother risking his life fighting vampires in person?
Wouldn't it be better to stay back and watch the show?
Kanzaki Rin ate her vermicelli in silence. After a while, she said, "I'll try, but don't get your hopes up."
"If people had nothing to hope for, what would be the difference between them and salted fish?"
"Just eat your duck blood."
The two of them ate breakfast with their heads down. Then Fang Cheng suddenly said, "You could've called me about this. Why come all the way over? Ohhh, I get it."
He drew out the last word, his face wearing a mocking smile.
Kanzaki Rin gave him a cold laugh.
"You think I came here just to see you?"
"Did you come here just to mooch a meal?"
They both spoke at once, each saying something completely unrelated to the other. Then they froze.
It was clear their minds were on entirely different wavelengths.
Fang Cheng said indignantly, "You're saying I'm full of myself? I think you're the one who's full of yourself."
Kanzaki Rin was indignant too. "I bought the duck blood, I bought the vermicelli a while ago, and I cooked it. What makes you think I came here to mooch a meal?"
They glared at each other in silence for a while, then both snorted and went back to eating.
Over the next few days, Kanzaki Rin indeed stopped showing up at his door first thing in the morning. She was nowhere to be seen all day, presumably taking part in the Countermeasure Department's vampire hunt.
Fang Cheng was happy to have some peace and quiet. The only downside was that he had to pay for his own meals.
He wasn't just lounging around at home, either. He'd put together a strict training schedule.
In the mornings, he did enhanced workouts. He'd moved beyond simple sit-ups and added things like lifting the sofa and weighted push-ups. The method worked well, letting him gain one point of stamina faster.
After lunch, he trained his Steel Blood and Short-Range Dash abilities.
After dinner, he read documents and the news and studied, learning more about the outside world so he wouldn't be out of touch.
Before bed, he played games for two hours. Lately, he hadn't run into that useless idiot of a support player, which put him in a great mood.
Asaka Akie sent Fang Cheng her class notes every day without fail. She even took the initiative to explain anything he didn't understand, working harder at it than his own mother.
These days, parents didn't even put that much effort into explaining homework to their own kids.
For a while, Fang Cheng thought Asaka Akie had a sudden surplus of maternal affection and had started treating him like her son.
As if. I want to touch your bunny, and you want to be my mom?
But after testing the waters in their chats, Fang Cheng discovered what was really going on. Asaka Akie didn't want to be his mother. She thought of him as a little brother.
What a weirdo. I could whip it out and scare you to death, and you still think of me as your little brother.
After closing the chat, Fang Cheng rubbed his chin. He remembered how Asaka Akie had panicked and deleted the sexy picture he'd accidentally sent her earlier, then complained about it. He couldn't help chuckling.
Fang Cheng had been having a relaxing few days. Then, on the fourth morning after Kanzaki Rin disappeared, he was getting ready to make some Mao Xue Wang when the doorbell suddenly rang.
That woman... Don't tell me she really did come here just to mooch a meal?
Fang Cheng went to open the door, but Kanzaki Rin wasn't standing outside.
Instead, there were two young men in full combat gear.
Before you continue