“Kashiwagi Anne.”

The white-haired vampire stated her name. Sporting a summer attire and a popsicle in hand, in the middle of a hot afternoon, the vampire finally introduced herself. I thought about introducing myself as well but before I could even do so, Kashiwagi looked at me in a way that told me she already knew who I was. I suppose my name was visible in my writing entries so that’s probably why.

“Kashiwagi? That’s a weird sounding surname, doesn’t sound like it’s local to any prefecture.” I tried thinking of places where that surname could have originated from, but the closest I could think of was either Kagoshima or Kumamoto. Then again, I haven’t really travelled out of my home town much so..

“Really? I quite like the surname though.”

“You sound like you just picked it up. Now that you mention it, you did say you weren’t a registered voter, no?”

“I did.” She paused as if trying to dig through her memory—as if it were a memory she didn’t want to reminisce. “I don’t know the surname’s place of origin; all I know is that I got it from the vampire that turned me. I inherited it after he passed on.”

“I see..”

A part of me wanted to ask how a vampire could pass away after I was told their weaknesses were made up. But seeing her downcast expression, I decided to hold off and change the topic to something else.

“So, what does a 500-year-old vampire want from a vampire-fanatic author?”

“Hey, I’m not that old just to let you know!” She told me off by pointing and waving her popsicle in my direction. Oy, that’s gonna slip off the stick..

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Really? I was under the impression that you were one of the founding fathers of vampires when you explained your history to me earlier.”

“That wasn’t a first-hand account, I also just got it from my master.” She took a bite from her popsicle before coming to a realization. “Ah, we call the vampire that turns us in as masters since we’re basically their underlings.”

“Yeah, I mean, I could tell that much.” I took a sip from my juice carton before continuing. “How old are you then?”

“Huh? Didn’t you know asking a woman’s age is rude! Though if it’s just vampire years I guess I don’t mind sharing. I’ve only been a vampire for 27 years. I won’t share my age before turning though because it’ll ruin the image of this youthful face!” She said with a peace sign and her tongue stuck out.

27? I suppose she really was older than me in that case, even with just her years as a vampire. But we’re getting off topic again.

“That aside, what did you want with me again?” I asked, putting us back in track.

“Oh, I just thought of sharing what I knew about vampires to improve your depiction of them.” She did one final chomp on her popsicle then threw the stick behind her without looking. It landed cleanly in a trash bin. “Like you thought earlier, one of the judges is actually a vampire. And your poor depiction of their kind isn’t to their liking, that’s why your entries always get shut down.”

The thought of there being a non-human entity in a judging committee sounds kind of unjust to me. So basically, my entries haven’t gotten awarded because of biased judgement. The thought of it kind of pisses me off.

“I mean, you say that but my target audience aren’t vampires. Wouldn’t it seem weird to the average person if I did an original take on vampires?”

“It wouldn’t hurt adding your own spin on an already worn-out topic don’t you think? And besides, your writing is already top-notch! The only thing keeping you from winning is that stubborn vampire who wants you to perfect your vampire-game!” She took a step forward and closed the gap between is, peering into me from below. “With my help, you’ll definitely win this year, what do you say?”

Her eyes were hypnotizing to a degree, they were extremely seductive. It’s as if she were holding the forbidden fruit right in front of my face, the fruit containing everything I have ever desired—to make my name known as a writer and leave a trace of my existence before leaving this world. I wanted to take it so much, however—

“I would have to decline.” I back away to widen our gap, and also to metaphorically escape her clutches. “I don’t want to win with magic or any underhanded way. I want to win the competition fair and square, even if I’m also up against an unjust ruling system.”

Seemingly surprised by my response to her offer, she tilted her head in confusion.

“Huh? We aren’t magicians you know. Vampires don’t have magical capabilities. I’ll simply tell you what vampires really are and it’s still up to you and what you write.”

Now that she mentions it…

Now I feel embarrassed for my whole valiant act just now. For an author, I sure don’t know how to listen properly. I should probably work on that part first..

With a flustered face and a shallow sigh, I faced her head on and gave my response,

“I’m in your care.”