Tetsu knew that his granddaughter, Karen, didn't run away. He was aware of her secret, of her being a vampire. Something definitely happened to her, he was sure of it.

He didn't know why there was a note left in her room, telling him that she was running away, but he knew that there had to be a reason why it was there in the first place. The old man wished to learn the truth of his granddaughter's disappearance, hence explaining why he was standing before the apartment complex.

He had heard of the rumors about some newcomers coming to the town living in this apartment complex. Some of his neighbors told him about the residents of the complex, about how dubious they looked, but besides looking dubious, these newcomers had done nothing wrong that could cause the townspeople to panic.

That and the fact that Karen was planning to turn Sakamoto Town into a feeding ground for her vampire cabal, Tetsu was sure that most, if not all residents of this apartment complex were vampires under her.

Tetsu sighed, knowing that he was about to step into a place where he didn't belong. But he wanted to know what happened to Karen, and he wasn't going away until he learned the truth. Steeling his resolve, the old man stepped forth, entering the complex.

As soon as he entered the complex, he saw a few youngsters in fashionable getups, and when he made his presence known, these youngsters glowered at him, looming over him threateningly.

"What business you have here, old man?" One of the youngsters, the one with piercings on his nose and eyebrows, flashed his fangs, thus confirming that these people were vampires, just like his granddaughter. "If you've got no good reason, you better scram."

Tetsu stood his ground even as the youngsters surrounded him. But then, someone clapped their hands.

"Leave the old man alone."

The youngsters jerked back as they heard that voice. They turned around and saw another youngster, also wearing a fashionable attire, his hair dyed blue. From the way he looked, he was certainly a foreigner, though he spoke fluent Japanese.

"K-Knudsen?!"

"He has good reason to be here. Don't bother him."

The newcomer, Knudsen, motioned to the youngsters surrounding Tetsu to move away. They hesitantly bowed their heads before scurrying off. Shaking his head, Knudsen then approached Tetsu, showing a friendly smile.

"Sorry about that, gramps. Some of the young spawns are unruly, but they're good kids…" Knudsen said, flashing his vampiric teeth. "I mean, for a bunch of bloodsucking parasites, of course. We don't go around binge-eating and stuff like that. Mistress already told you that much, right?"

"Quite." Tetsu nodded a bit uncertainly. "So, you're…"

Knudsen held out his hand, offering Tetsu a handshake. "I'm one of her lieutenants of sort. Johann Knudsen. You can call me Knudsen if you want."

"Tetsumori Tamura, Karen's grandfather…" Tetsu introduced himself to Knudsen. "So… is my granddaughter here?"

"Yeah, but…" Knudsen trailed off. "I'm not sure if you want to see her right now. She's… well, how do I say this? She's currently a mess right now? It's not a pretty sight to see, especially since you're her grandpa."

So, something did indeed happen. "Hrmh… regardless, I'd like to see her."

Scratching the back of his neck, Knudsen looked away. "Well, normally, I'd turn you away and refuse to bring you to her, but… since you're her grandpa, I don't wanna be rude. Well, lemme discuss it with the other lieutenants first. Come, follow me, gramps." He motioned to Tetsu to follow him before he led him deeper into the complex.

The apartment complex itself seemed normal enough, but Tetsu couldn't help but feel something was off about this place. But he steeled his resolve as he continued following Knudsen, who seemed pleasant enough despite being a vampire. Well, since Karen was also a vampire, he wasn't going to discriminate anyone for being a vampire anytime soon.

"So… you're kinda okay with your granddaughter being a vampire, gramps?" Knudsen asked as he led him further down the hallway.

"Hrmh…" Tetsu grunted. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly thrilled with the revelation, but he already knew that Karen had already suffered enough. The last thing she needed was his rejection. "Not exactly okay, but… someone needs to accept her for what she has become."

"And you're that someone?" Knudsen asked again.

"Could be anyone. Could be her father, but he's…" Tetsu sighed, remembering what a sorry excuse of a father his son was. He'd rather not think poorly of him in this situation. "Like I said, it could be anyone, as long as they understand what Karen has gone through."

"Hmm… okay, that makes sense. But, in our world, those who are in the know but not part of us are pretty risky, you know? I mean, we're already in danger of being hunted down by demon hunters and stuff, and someone who is in the know can be a security risk for us, you get me, gramps?" Knudsen said to Tetsu.

"So, me knowing about you is a security risk?" Tetsu inquired.

Knudsen shrugged. "Well, more or less. It was thanks to your granddaughter that we haven't done anything to you. She wants to minimize damage to the town and keep the feeding to a minimum. She wants to rely on the Great Leyline to do the job sustaining us. So, no killing for us."

"Hrmh…" Tetsu grunted. Despite the fact that Knudsen had just said that he was willing to get rid of him for being a security risk, Tetsu didn't seem to be afraid. "Regardless, I won't change my mind. Someone needs to know about her. She had already suffered enough."

"You really love your granddaughter, don't you?" Knudsen stated.

"With all my heart, and more." Tetsu said resolutely. Knudsen blinked.

"Dang… you're really serious there, gramps…" Knudsen said. "You somehow remind me of my own gramps back home."

"You have a grandfather?" Tetsu inquired.

Knudsen shrugged. "Well, back then when I still had a pulse, yeah. He's kinda like you, only balder and skinnier. But after I was turned into a vampire, I kinda had to cut off my ties. For him, I'm dead…" He displayed a bland smile as he said that.

"Karen didn't seem to do that when she was turned, though…" Tetsu stated.

"Well, yeah, since she's in Japan. But I'm a gaijin. It was hard to stay in contact with my family when I can literally disintegrate under sunlight. And let's not go over the fact that there's a huge ocean between Japan and my own country. We literally can't take a flight over the ocean unless we seal ourselves in thick coffins that contain the soils of our birthplaces." Knudsen told. "Sure, we got some awesome powers, but we can no longer go around the world, sightseeing again."

"Vampires can't cross oceans?" Tetsu asked. "Why?"

"Another downside of being a bloodsucker. We vampires can't cross bodies of water at all under our own power. Water is used for baptism rite, and we vampires are sinful creatures." Knudsen explained. "Sure, we can take showers and are fine under rain, but crossing any bodies of water is a hard no-no."

"Hrmh… I see." Tetsu nodded in understanding. "So, vampires are weak to sunlight and can't cross bodies of water. How about garlics?"

Knudsen scoffed. "We can eat garlics just fine. There was this vampire who was allergic to garlics back then when he was alive, so stuff happened, and that's why people think we can't stand garlics."

"Vampires can have allergy?" Tetsu questioned.

"Why can't we?" Knudsen grinned. "Just because we got turned into vampires doesn't mean our allergies go away."

"Fair enough." Tetsu conceded. "How about a stake to the heart?"

"That won't kill us, but that'll leave us immobilized." Knudsen said before he gave Tetsu a pointed look. "So, what's up with all these questions, gramps? You planning to get rid of us after knowing about our weaknesses?"

"Just curious. Back then when I was younger, I loved reading books. I'm just wondering if real vampires are the same like the ones in the books." Tetsu stated.

"Fair enough." Knudsen conceded. Then they arrived in front of an apartment room. "Speaking of which, we're here. Gimme a moment, alright? I want to discuss with the other lieutenants first." He said. He entered the room, leaving Tetsu outside.

Now left on his own, Tetsu sighed. He had somewhat stepped into a clearly dangerous world, a world where he clearly didn't belong to. He was out of his depth here.

Tetsu was aware that he wasn't like Haruka or Karen, who were already in this kind of world. He was just a retired electrician who lived his life in his retirement. He was rather content with his retirement, having done everything there was to do as a man. It was unthinkable for him to get involved in this sort of thing.

And yet, he couldn't simply turn around and run away. Regardless of everything, Karen was still his granddaughter, and he would do anything for her sake. She had endured things that a young girl like her shouldn't endure. At the very least, he wanted to be there for her to ease her burden and suffering.

"Gramps." Knudsen said, opening the door, breaking Tetsu out of his thoughts. "I guess it's okay for you to see your granddaughter now. Come inside."

"Hrmh…" Tetsu grunted before he entered. Upon entering the room, he was greeted by an upsetting sight. He stopped himself from rushing forth as he looked at Karen, his granddaughter, seated on a chair and hooked to a blood transfusion set. She was wearing her nightwear, which seemed to be damaged. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and she seemed to be barely conscious.

It was clear that Karen was in great pain, and Tetsu couldn't bear to see her like this.

"What… what happened to her?" Tetsu asked.

"She was hit by the full power of True Cross, typically instant death for us vampires." Someone said. Tetsu almost didn't realize that there were people standing next to the seated Karen. The one speaking earlier was a young woman in a frilly, gothic Lolita dress. "It was thanks to her being a Daywalker that she survived, but as you can see here, she was left weakened by the attack to the point where she can't even drink blood under her own power."

The young woman then bowed politely to Tetsu.

"I have heard of you from mistress before, Mr. Tetsu. I am Homura Nakajima, one of her lieutenants. It is a pleasure to meet you at last." She introduced herself.

"Hrmh… Tetsumori Tamura." Tetsu introduced himself back. Then he looked back at Karen. "Will she survive?"

"Yes." Another one of Karen's lieutenants spoke out. This time, it was a lanky, gaunt-looking man. Like Knudsen, he was also a foreigner. "It's only a matter of when, not if. It depends on the quality of blood she's taking, and due to the fact that she can't even drink blood on her own, we have to resort to blood transfusion to provide her with blood." He glanced at Karen. "Unfortunately, blood bags are pretty low in quality, and it'll take a while before she can fully recover her strength."

Like Homura before, he also bowed to Tetsu, though he did a curt one instead of the polite, Japanese-style one that Homura did earlier.

"I am Raoul, her primary caretaker and her first spawn." He introduced himself. "I have to admit, we have some reservation about an outsider like you to know about our secrets, but it was our mistress who wishes for you to know, and we follow her wishes. For the time being, we will keep our heads low to avoid attracting the attention of demon hunters and church agents and focus on the recovery of our mistress."

Tetsu eyed the gaunt man. "Is there a way to make her recover faster?"

"Yes, though our mistress forbids us from resorting to it." Raoul said. "Our mistress needs fresh blood instead of cold blood bag to recover faster. But she forbids us from abducting a random person to have their blood sucked by her."

"And you're following her orders even though you hate it?" Tetsu asked.

"It is what our mistress wishes. We are here in Sakamoto Town to live our lives in peace, far away from the dark intrigue of vampire society, where we can thrive without having to cause too much harm. The Great Leyline will become our greatest boon, where we can be more than just damned creatures of the night." Raoul said. "Hence why we will never betray her wishes."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I see…" Tetsu mused as he looked at his granddaughter's pale face. So, all she needed was some fresh blood instead of chilled blood bags. "How about if I give her my blood?"

Raoul raised an eyebrow.

"Your blood? Well, it's certainly doable, but she will need more than just a few drops of blood to recover. Know that it may bring harm to you, Tetsumori." Raoul told him.

"I know…" Tetsu said solemnly as he stepped forth. "Anything, for my granddaughter. Even my life."

Knudsen gave Tetsu an impressed look. Even Homura seemed moved by his declaration.

"I see…" Raoul mused. "It is your call, then. However, do not blame us if she ends up sucking you dry…"

Tetsu flashed him a wry smile. "Well, one way to try it out…" He took out something from his utility belt, which was a pocket knife. Taking a deep breath, he brought the knife to his palm and started cutting it. He let out a pained groan as he wounded himself.

Tetsu was aware that this might be the stupidest thing that he had done in his life, but it was for the sake of his granddaughter. If he could help her in any way, a small cut on his palm was nothing.

Seeing his own blood seeping out of the cut, Tetsu brought his hand closer to Karen's face. He used his other hand to cup Karen's chin, guiding her so that his blood would drop into her open mouth.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Karen reacted immediately. She opened her mouth wider, taking more of her grandfather's blood. It looked like she wanted more, so Tetsu gave her more.

So, he let her bite his hand.

"Ngh!" Tetsu winced as Karen started drinking his blood from his hand. But he didn't pull back. He allowed her to drink his blood to her heart's content. It felt as if he was ready to be sucked dry by her.

And then, something unexpected happen.

"N-no way…" Homura gasped. "She's regaining her strength with just a few drips of his blood?"

Karen's pale skin started regaining its complexion, and her movements became more animated as she continued drinking her grandfather's blood.

"Looks like it." Knudsen nodded, seemingly amused and impressed.

"I see…" Raoul nodded, seemingly in understanding. "Perhaps it is thanks to her lineage that she is able to recover much faster with his blood. Normally, a vampire needs to drain at least three people just to return from the brink of destruction."

"Or maybe because of their familial love?" Knudsen suggested, grinning. "I mean, you know what they said about love being in the blood?"

"Heh… it is just some sort of nonsense some vampires spouted out just to make themselves feel better." Raoul said, though not derisively. "But after seeing this, perhaps… perhaps there is a grain of truth in that…"

Karen continued drinking Tetsu's blood before she opened her eyes. When she saw her grandfather, she froze before she immediately let go of her grandfather's hand. She looked at her grandfather's bloodied hand and let out a horrified gasp.

"G-grandpa?! Y-you… w-why?!" Karen cried out. Her body trembled before she looked at her subordinates, glaring at them. "Y-you i-imbeciles! H-how dare you?!" She roared at them. "Y-you dared d-dragging my grandfather into this?!"

"A thousand pardons, mistress, but it was something that he had decided on his own." Raoul said coolly despite Karen's outburst. "We already informed him of the risks, and he was willing to do it regardless of them."

"Don't lie to me! I swear, I'll throw you out and leave you to burn under the sun!" Karen screamed, but then, Tetsu hugged her. "Bwuh?!"

"He's right. I was the one who wanted to do this for you, Karen." Tetsu said, holding his granddaughter in his embrace. "For you, I don't mind losing some of my blood."

Trembling, Karen looked at her grandfather's hand. In addition to her bite mark, there was also a gash on his palm. Dropped on the floor was her grandfather's pocket knife, stained with blood. She then looked at her grandfather's face, her eyes teary. "N-no way… y-you can't do this to me… i-it's not fair…" She shook her head. "Y-you can't keep doing this j-just for my sake. Y-you already risked yourself enough for knowing about us, a-and yet…"

"I'm your grandfather. It's only fair for me to do this." Tetsu said resolutely. "I don't want to see you suffer anymore…"

Karen could no longer hold back her tears and started crying in his grandfather's shoulder. The three subordinates wisely stayed silent, though Knudsen seemed to have a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched the whole thing unfolding before his eyes.

Tetsu kept holding onto his granddaughter, letting her cry her heart out. After a while, she finally stopped crying, though she still hiccupped as she wiped her tears.

"Are you feeling better now?" Tetsu asked.

"Mhm." Karen nodded timidly. Tetsu then looked at Raoul.

"Seems like she has recovered from drinking some of my blood. I don't think she drained too much, though. I can barely feel it." Tetsu said.

"The true nature of blood still eludes us vampires even though we need it for our sustenance." Raoul stated. "Perhaps it was due to you being her grandfather that the blood becomes so potent that allows her full recovery. Also, I'd rather not subscribe to vampiric superstitions, but there is a saying among our more melancholic brethren that the more you love a person, the more potent the blood becomes."

"We call it love in the blood." Knudsen chimed in helpfully.

"Alas, as we view mortals as nothing but the source of our food, it is difficult to feel 'love' towards them." Raoul added. "In the end, it is unproven. There are some of the scientific-minded of our kind who tried to study the true nature of blood, but as of right now, they found nothing concrete."

"Don't do this again, grandpa." Karen said, pouting. "I don't want you to risk your life for me like this."

"We'll see about that." Tetsu shrugged. "Now that you're feeling good, there's something that I want to ask you." He looked at Karen's face. "What actually happened to you? There was also a note that you left in your room, telling us that you ran away from home."

"…" Karen gave her grandfather a strange look. She seemed to mull over his words afterwards before she said, "I-it's complicated."

"You know that you don't have to keep secrets from me." Tetsu said, not unkindly.

"I know, but… I need some time." Karen said. "For now, I want to lay low and stay with my minions. It's dangerous for me to stay with you. I don't want to put you in harm's way." She hesitated a bit. "A… church agent did this to me. For now, laying low is all I can do." She smiled blandly. "Don't worry about me, grandpa. I'll be fine here."

"Are you sure?" Tetsu asked.

"Yep, I'm sure. Also, it's better for Haruka and, um… Big Sis Kirie to think that I'm running away from home. I'm a problem child, after all." Karen said.

"Haruka was sad when she found out you were gone." Tetsu informed her.

"Haruka's… sad?" Karen blinked in confusion. She seemed to remember that they did promise to talk to each other at some point. "I… grandpa, this is the only way. I promise, once everything's dealt with, I will be home."

"You're always welcome at home, Karen." Tetsu told her. "But if you insist on staying here, then I can't stop you." He looked at Karen's subordinates. "Can I trust you to take care of my granddaughter?"

"She is our mistress. We will gladly die for her." Raoul said proudly, his chest puffed.

"We'll take care of her, gramps. Don't worry about it." Knudsen flashed a roguish grin.

"It is what we have been doing so far, so please rest assured that mistress will be safe." Homura stated.

Tetsu nodded. "I'm going back home, then. I'll come again to visit sometime."

Karen smiled wanly. "…'Kay. Be safe, grandpa."

And so, Tetsu left the apartment complex, heading home. While he didn't come back home with Karen, at the very least he felt at ease knowing that she was alright.

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Tetsu arrived home and saw that Haruka and Kirie were watching television together. Haruka's cat, Saiph, was napping on the table.

"Ah, grandpa." Haruka noticed her grandfather coming home. "Welcome home!"

"Hrmh…" Tetsu said. "You already cooked dinner?"

"Yeah, and we've been waiting for… you…?" Haruka trailed off as she saw her grandfather's bandaged hand. Before he departed earlier, Tetsu had his wounded hand treated and bandaged by Homura. "Um… what happened to your hand, grandpa?"

"This? I… sort of hurt myself while repairing something earlier." Tetsu lied. He made sure to sound nonchalant to not make the lie too apparent. "Don't worry about it. It's not too bad."

"O-okay? But please be careful next time, grandpa. You're not exactly young yourself, you know?" Haruka gently chided her grandfather, and he just let out a chuckle.

"I'll keep that in mind." Tetsu said before he heard the phone ringing. Before he could make it to the phone, Haruka rushed over to it and picked it up.

"Hello? Oh? Ooh! It's been a while, Big Sister Maya!" Haruka was speaking to the caller. "Are you coming here? Wait, let me give the phone to grandpa first." And so, she brought the phone to Tetsu.

"Who's talking?" Tetsu asked.

"It's Big Sister Maya." Haruka said. "She said she's coming here soon." She handed the phone over to her grandfather.

"Hrmh. Hello." Tetsu spoke.

"Hey, grandpa! I miss you!"

"Maya." Tetsu said. "You coming here? When?"

"Well, maybe tomorrow if there's no problem. I'm staying at friend's place first if you don't mind."

"Hrmh. Well… up to you." Tetsu grunted. "Seems like I need to stock up the fridge now since you're coming over."

"Aw, you don't have to. But okay! I'm looking forward to see you again, grandpa! It's been a while!"

"Yeah, it's been a while." Tetsu nodded, smiling slightly. Maya was the oldest one among his granddaughters, and throughout her childhood, she had been living with him the longest. "I'll see you again soon."

"I'll see you again. Love you, grandpa."

Hanging up the phone, Tetsu thought of what to do next. For now, he needed to not worry about Karen. Hopefully, whatever tribulation she was facing would end soon, and she would be able to return home.

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"I'll see you again. Love you, grandpa."

A young woman with short red hair was seated on top of a building as she stuffed her cellphone back into the pocket of her jacket. It was already night as she looked over the neighborhood of Sakamoto Town from the top of the building. Her white clothes seemed to clash with the color of the night sky.

"Man, this place never changes at all…" She said. "No wonder the vampires like it. It feels so peaceful here."

"Are you planning to start the Hunt tonight?"

A disembodied voice spoke to her as she stood up. She then picked up a sword next to her. The sword was a nodachi; long and unwieldy, but she easily hefted it up and slung it over her shoulder.

"Well, if my cousin is correct, my other cousin has become a vampire. Which means… I can start the Hunt tonight."

"Are you certain? As per our agreement, you are not allowed to kill any creature in the first night of your stay in a place."

The young woman grinned. "Well, that doesn't mean I can't kick some asses. Maybe frighten some people in the process. I mean, first impression is important."

"Your idea of first impression is attacking a vampire den and kicking everyone's butt?"

"I'm glad we're on the same page here." She said before laughing. "And I'm not planning to kill them, anyway. I want to see how good their Vampire Lord is and learn why she's trying to establish her den here."

"And that Vampire Lord happens to be your younger cousin?"

"Well, I'm sure some stuff happened." She shrugged. "Okay, enough talk. Let's get working now."

Standing at the top of the building, she then leaped up into the air.

"Tonight, Maya Tamura joins the Hunt."