Vampire Hunter D (Please Keep Reading)

Today was the Kent family's dinner party.

Under the warm yellow lights, the long wooden table was laden with a sumptuous feast.

Martha's apple pie gave off a sweet cinnamon fragrance, while Jonathan's creamy corn chowder steamed invitingly.

But the most eye-catching dish was the brisket Locke had carefully roasted.

Its crust was crisp and glistening, while the meat within was pink and juicy, its aroma practically filling the entire table.

Seated at the table, Dio carried himself with the elegance of a young aristocrat, without a trace of a farmer's son about him.

He slowly cut the meat on his plate, every slice falling precisely along the grain before he gently lifted it to his mouth with his fork and chewed unhurriedly.

In stark contrast—

At the other end of the table, Clark was wolfing down his food.

He forked up a huge chunk of brisket and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, glossy sauce smeared all around his lips.

After glancing at Clark, then at Dio, Jonathan could not help but laugh. "Clark, slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."

"Mmff mmff—!"

Clark nodded indistinctly, but his chewing did not slow in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, he had forked up a second piece of meat.

Dio's knife and fork paused slightly.

He stared at Clark stuffing himself, the veins at his temples faintly throbbing.

That brisket.

He wanted to eat it too!

But to maintain his image as an "elegant, well-behaved" child, he could only cut and eat it one tiny bite at a time.

And yet that bastard Clark had nearly wiped out the entire platter by himself!

Fortunately, Martha's next words delighted him.

"Clark!" Martha reminded him. "Look at Dio! We should learn from other people's strengths to make up for our own weaknesses."

Being scolded by his mother, Clark suddenly froze.

He looked up at Dio and found him elegantly cutting a small piece of meat with his knife and fork. His ruby-like eyes curved at Clark as he gave him an obedient smile.

—If this had been before, Clark would definitely have protested indignantly:

He's just eating too slowly!

But today, after Uncle Locke's lesson, Clark chose to force the words back down.

"Okay, Mom!"

He answered glumly and slowed his chewing, though he was still much faster than Dio.

Seeing Clark behave like this, Martha and Jonathan both smiled in satisfaction.

They did not expect Clark to be as polite as Dio from the Locke family. As long as he became even a little more like him, they would be satisfied.

Dio: "?"

The fingers gripping his dinner knife whitened slightly, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

Damn you, Clark!

Why didn't you argue back today?!

Bastard!

I want to take huge bites of Dad's brisket too!

Eat slower, damn it!!!

The dinner knife let out a faint creak in Dio's hand, as though he might crush it at any second.

Yet on the surface, he maintained his perfect smile and even thoughtfully pushed his own plate toward Clark.

"Big Brother Clark, eat more. I'm not hungry."

Martha's eyes reddened with emotion. "Dio is such a thoughtful child."

Jonathan nodded approvingly as well. "Yes, Clark. You should learn more from your little brother."

Clark: "Thank you, Dio."

He looked at Dio's "friendly" smile, then lowered his head to look at the extra meat on his plate.

Uncle Locke was right!

Keeping quiet really does pay off!

"All right, all right. No need to talk about etiquette at a family dinner. We're all family."

Suppressing a laugh, Locke cut off a large piece of beef and placed it on Dio's plate. "Brat, eat more. Don't tell me you're hungry tonight."

"Thank you, Dad!"

Dio was so genuinely moved that tears nearly fell from his eyes. He knew it—his old man still loved him.

Night had fallen, and a river of stars spread across the skies above Kent Farm. The evening breeze carried the fragrance of the wheat fields over the porch.

Standing beside the tractor, Locke scooped Dio up around the waist with one rough hand and effortlessly set him in the passenger seat.

"All right, kid. Time to head home."

Ruffling Dio's blond hair, Locke casually buckled his seat belt for him.

"But Dad." Dio blinked his ruby-like eyes and looked up at Locke. "I want to play with Clark a little longer."

Still want to play?

I'm afraid Clark might not be able to stop himself from punching you, you little brat!

"What time do you think it is? And you still want to play?"

Locke raised an eyebrow and deliberately put on a stern face. "You have school tomorrow."

"And don't think I don't know that you and Clark secretly read that copy of Demon Killing Journey: Vampire Hunter D in class last time."

"?!"

Clark.

Grinding his teeth, Dio looked at his clueless older brother. Seeing the blank look in his eyes, Dio wished he could devour him whole.

This guy actually tattled!

Seeing Dio's expression, Locke laughed. He turned and waved to Jonathan's family, who stood on the porch.

"We're off. We have to get up early tomorrow morning to harvest the wheat."

Holding the already drowsy Clark in her arms, Martha smiled gently. "Drive safely."

"Locke!"

"Wait." After clearing the table, Jonathan strode out of the house and patted the tractor's hood. "It's so dark out. Stay here tonight. We have a room saved for you anyway, and Dio can sleep with Clark!"

Locke was just about to refuse when Dio suddenly tugged at his hem and said softly, "Dad, I'm a little cold."

This little bastard is acting again.

He must be waiting to pull something big when he sleeps with Clark.

What exactly did Clark do to you?!

Locke lowered his head and glared at Dio, frightening the boy into immediately shrinking his neck and putting on a show of sneezing.

Martha immediately felt distressed. "Oh my, the night wind is chilly. What if the child catches a cold?"

Jonathan joined in as well. "Exactly. That beat-up tractor of yours doesn't even have a windshield. How can a child stand that?"

Locke: "."

"Jonathan, are you awake?"

"My house is only three hundred meters from yours."

"It's right next door!"

"?"

"Oh, right." Jonathan scratched his head awkwardly, then laughed and waved his hand. "Then hurry up and get going."

The tractor's roar tore through the silence of the night, its headlights casting swaying beams across the country road.

The Kent family stood in the warm light of the porch and watched them leave. Martha drew her shawl closer and sighed.

"I really never expected Locke to raise Dio to be so sensible."

Watching the tractor's taillights recede into the distance, Jonathan smiled and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Isn't that the truth? When Locke first came to the farm, the look in his eyes was so brooding it made people uneasy. But now..." He paused and looked at Clark, who had somehow fallen asleep in Martha's arms. "Maybe becoming a father made him mature too."

"By the way, didn't you notice?"

"Dio only shows his childish side around Clark."

Martha suddenly laughed as she spoke. "Just like how you always loved teasing Locke back then."

"When did I ever!"

Jonathan's old face reddened, though his voice unconsciously dropped.

Moonlight spilled over the bumpy dirt road. Dio curled up in the passenger seat, flipping through that novel by the faint glow of the dashboard—

Vampire Hunter D.

The pages rustled softly beneath his fingers, and his hanging blond hair made his expression difficult to see.

Locke held the steering wheel with one hand. When he caught sight of Dio turning to the chapter titled "A Vampire's Weaknesses," he finally could not help but speak. "Dio."

"Hmm?"

The boy did not even raise his head, his voice unusually light.

"Why are you always picking on Clark?"

"I knew you'd say that, Dad."