Part 2
The buzz of the group filled the campsite as Rina continued sharing stories from her life in the forest.
Simmone, for the first time, seemed genuinely interested—asking questions in her usual expressionless tone.
Haruto, however, let his gaze drift to a more distant corner.
There sat Eliza, quietly alone.
She kept a relaxed posture, legs crossed and her parasol resting on her shoulder, but her expression betrayed a faint nostalgia.
As if she wanted to join in… but didn't know how.
Unintentionally, the sight stirred an old memory.
Many years ago…
The dim glow of the television bathed the living room in soft light.
A young Haruto watched an anime with fascination.
Beside him, an albino girl followed the episode with the same wide-eyed excitement.
When the heroine raised her staff with determination, the girl leapt off the couch, proudly raising her toy wand.
"I am…!" Her voice blurred in his memory. "Dimensional Guardian! And I will punish evil in the name of the Moon Rabbit!"
Haruto clapped, thrilled.
"That was awesome!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "But something's missing…"
He pulled out two toy pistols and struck a dramatic pose.
"And I'm Mash! I'll protect the world's smiles!"
The girl giggled with delight.
"Heehee… We'll be the best duo ever, just watch!"
Back in the present…
Haruto blinked and refocused on Eliza.
She was still there—alone—as if her parasol were her only companion.
"Who was I remembering…?"
The question drifted through his mind like a distant echo he couldn't quite grasp.
But the feeling was unmistakable.
That image… that emotion… they were the same.
And then, he understood.
"I've seen this before…"
"Someone who wants to reach out… but doesn't know how."
Haruto smiled softly.
"Yeah… I get it now."
He stood up and walked over, sitting on a nearby rock.
"Elizabeth, right?"
Eliza lifted her head, placing a hand dramatically over her chest.
"Indeed, young mortal!" she declared. "I am Elizabeth Tepes, daughter of darkness and bearer of the Eclipse Eye!"
Haruto blinked, pointing at her blue and lilac eye patch.
"Is that why you wear that patch? Or is it just part of the look?"
Eliza let out a refined, sinister laugh.
"Heh heh heh… This patch is no mere accessory. It seals the immense power of my left eye. Without it… the balance would collapse."
Haruto nodded with practiced seriousness.
"Definitely another severe case of chuunibyou…"
"Sounds dangerous. Try not to unleash it by accident, okay?"
Eliza squinted at him, arms crossed.
"I don't know why… but I feel like you're not taking me seriously."
Haruto turned his gaze away with a faint smile—neither confirming nor denying.
Eliza scowled and clicked her tongue, visibly annoyed.
"What's more… I bet you don't even believe I'm a real vampire."
Haruto scratched the back of his neck and sighed.
"I knew it… you think I'm just playing pretend," Eliza muttered, turning her head with dramatic flair. "Well… I couldn't prove it anyway. If I did… they'd find out where I am."
Haruto raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
Eliza lowered her gaze for a moment.
"Because I deserted the Netherian Empire," she said, her voice quieter this time. "I got tired of my father and his lapdogs."
Haruto crossed his arms.
"That must've been a hard decision."
Eliza smirked bitterly.
"You have no idea…"
Her face darkened.
"My father will probably send Hans Versailles once he finds out. He's always trusted him more than he's ever trusted me."
Haruto blinked.
"You mean the theatrical assassin?"
"Exactly," Eliza said with a sigh. "He's no match for me, of course, but he's efficient. And my father values him more than his own daughter."
Haruto fell silent for a few seconds.
"Don't worry. I doubt we'll see him again anytime soon. After the beating he took today, I don't think he'll recover that fast."
Eliza snapped her gaze toward him, leaning in suddenly.
She was just inches from his face.
The soft floral scent of her hair floated between them.
For the first time, there was no act—just genuine emotion.
"You're not telling me… you beat him? Seriously?"
Haruto froze.
"Yeah. It was a tough fight. I gave it everything I had… but I took him down."
Eliza's eyes sparkled.
"And then?"
Haruto tilted his head, trying to recall.
"Someone rescued him. I think his name was… Victor Tepes… or something…"
Then Cherri's words echoed in his mind:
"That was the King of Vampires—Victor Tepes."
"No way…" Haruto whispered, a chill running down his spine.
Eliza smiled smugly.
"Looks like you finally get it. I'm not just making things up, you know."
Haruto stepped back in shock.
"YOU'RE VICTOR TEPES' DAUGHTER?!"
The shout was so loud that birds scattered from the nearby trees.
Eliza clapped slowly, full of sarcasm.
"Congratulations…"
Haruto clutched his head, his brain scrambling to process everything.
In his mind, an absurd scene formed.
His friends stood around him, clapping in a circle with blank expressions.
Kizuna and Olivia clapped in unison.
"Bravo, Haruto-kyun! You finally got it, Kizu~!"
"Comment: Analysis complete. Master has arrived at the correct conclusion… after a notable delay."
Even Simmone clapped slowly, her face completely unchanged.
"You did it. I'm proud of you."
Haruto shut his eyes and slumped down onto the nearest rock.
"None of this makes any damn sense…"
"Ahem…" Eliza's voice pulled him back to reality.
Haruto blinked a few times, still reeling from the mental chaos.
"As I was saying…" Eliza continued, now with a more solemn tone.
"I don't have anywhere to go. I want to join your group."
She looked away for a moment—her gaze drifting until it landed on Simmone.
"And also…" she added, her voice losing some of its theatrical edge, "my father committed atrocities against that girl's family."
Her single visible pupil reflected something Haruto hadn't expected to see: guilt.
"I want to make it up to her. Even if just a little."
Haruto watched her calmly.
He had no reason to distrust her—but he couldn't make this kind of decision lightly.
Not after having just added Rina to the group.
Finally, he exhaled and crossed his arms.
"As far as I'm concerned, I've got no problem with it," he said honestly. "But that decision's not mine alone."
Eliza looked at him, a bit confused.
"Aren't you from another world? Aren't you the leader of this… unique group?"
Haruto let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"I don't have the soul of a leader."
"Eh?"
"If Yuna hadn't found me in the forest that first day… I probably wouldn't even be here."
Eliza tilted her head, skeptical.
"Then who's the leader?"
Haruto shrugged and pointed his thumb behind him.
"The green-haired elf pretending not to be listening."
At that exact moment, Yuna's ears lowered ever so slightly…
As if she'd just heard something she wasn't supposed to.
A second later, she and the rest of the group approached.
"How did you know I was eavesdropping?" Yuna asked, frowning.
Haruto crossed his arms with a confident smile.
"'Elves have excellent hearing. We can listen from far away.' You told me that during our first days."
Yuna clicked her tongue. No argument there.
"I'm guessing Thalindra was listening too…"
"Who wants to join the group?" Thalindra asked, appearing with her hammer in hand, wrapped in a magical glow.
Eliza blinked, tilting her head with grace.
"Oh… is there a trial by combat?"
"It's more like our favorite dwarf is always looking for an excuse to fight someone, Kizu~" whispered Kizuna as she fluttered near Haruto.
"That's not true!" Thalindra barked. "I just want to make sure this vampire isn't dead weight!"
"No fights," Yuna cut in firmly, arms crossed. "We've had enough for one day."
But before anyone could add more, Eliza raised a hand, closed her eyes, and struck a pose worthy of a dark castle during a thunderstorm.
"If proving my worth is the price for joining this squad… then so be it."
She opened her visible eye, the crimson gleaming brightly beneath the moonlight.
"But beware… I wouldn't want to unleash the true power of my Eclipse Eye."
Silence.
Haruto sighed, covering his face with one hand.
"And there it is again… full chuunibyou mode activated."
Kizuna burst into laughter, zipping in circles around him.
"She's like Melodia, but vampire edition, Kizu~!"
Thalindra spun her hammer over her shoulder, smiling with approval.
"I like this girl. She's got guts."
Meanwhile, Simmone quietly approached and tugged gently on Haruto's coat.
"I don't fully agree…" she said in a low voice, just for him. "But she could be a valuable ally."
Haruto looked at her, catching an unusual tone in her voice.
"What do you mean?"
Simmone let go of the coat and crossed her arms.
"She already knows how vampires operate. That kind of info is priceless."
Haruto nodded, thoughtful.
"And also…" Simmone added, "even if Melodia were here, and we all decided to fight her… we're still not on her level."
Haruto blinked.
Simmone rarely made statements like that without data to back them up.
If she—so analytical and precise—offered a warning like that… then the threat was real.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
"I see…"
A few meters away, Eliza was still dramatically posing beneath the moonlight—completely unaware of the serious conversation taking place around her.
Absolutely convinced, without a shred of doubt, of her own overwhelming magnificence.