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"Here, tomato juice."
After pouring the drinks, Max returned to the living room holding two glasses of his special tomato mix. He handed one to Shuzen Kahlua.
"Thanks."
Kahlua took it politely with both hands.
"Huh?"
As soon as she held the glass, she sniffed lightly, her delicate brows knitting together.
An enticing scent hit her nose—faint but intoxicating.
She stared at the tomato juice.
Somehow, just holding it stirred a strange craving deep inside her. Her heartbeat quickened.
It was just tomato juice… yet it was more tempting than blood.
That was absurd.
For as long as she could remember, she'd been surviving off blood packs to satisfy her basic needs—tasteless, sterile, lifeless blood.
They filled her stomach, sure, but never her soul.
This, though… this was different.
If blood packs were like plain rice, this was a gourmet feast.
An irresistible hunger flooded her body. Without hesitation, Kahlua lifted the glass to her lips.
"...!!"
The moment the tomato juice touched her tongue, her eyes widened.
Shock. Delight.
She tasted blood—real blood.
And not just any blood—the kind that thrilled her soul, made every cell in her body come alive.
Beyond the rich flavor, she could feel vibrant life energy coursing through the drink, flooding her veins as her body absorbed it greedily.
It felt like rain after a long drought.
Her throat moved instinctively.
One sip. Two sips.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
Her cheeks flushed pink. She couldn't stop herself—she downed the entire glass.
When her hunger finally faded and her mind cleared, Kahlua realized what she'd just done.
The glass was empty. Max was smiling faintly at her.
Her face went scarlet.
She looked away, embarrassed.
In her entire life, she'd never lost control like that in front of someone else.
Completely ungraceful.
She set the glass down on the table and fidgeted awkwardly in her seat.
"Big sis Kahlua!"
Thankfully, Akashiya Moka arrived just in time to break the tension.
She wore a white T-shirt that did nothing to hide her… impressive figure, and a pair of blue jeans that made her legs look long and sleek.
At about 165 centimeters tall with perfect proportions, she looked even taller—closer to 170.
Compared to her, Kahlua could only match her in height… well, that and power.
She also had her own "airport" to carry around.
"Moka…"
Kahlua looked up.
When she saw that Moka was in her outer form, her eyes flickered strangely for a moment.
Max caught that look.
He knew why.
If he remembered right, the sisters from the Shuzen family only liked Moka's inner self.
Especially her younger sister, "inner" Moka, who openly despised the gentle "outer" Moka for being too soft and weak.
After all, the two Mokas couldn't be more different—one was kind and warm, the other fierce and dominant.
Given Moka's personality, her preference for the "inner" Moka made perfect sense… probably even a little too much sense.
Moka, of course, didn't notice Kahlua's fleeting reaction. She smiled brightly and came over.
"It's been forever, big sis Kahlua! What brings you to the human world all of a sudden?"
"I came to see you."
Kahlua glanced briefly at Max, then smiled gently at Moka.
"To see me?"
Moka blinked, both surprised and happy. "Really? Why?"
"I heard you were living in the human world, so I wanted to check in and see how you've been doing."
Her eyes flickered slightly as she spoke the harmless lie.
In truth, she hadn't known Moka was here at all—the news was supposed to be confidential.
Kahlua hadn't been living with the Shuzen family for years; she'd been in the Fairy Tale Kingdom, with almost no contact.
Last she'd heard, Moka's father had taken her away three years ago for some kind of "special training."
She never expected to run into her here, of all places.
As she lied, Kahlua couldn't help glancing at Max, worried he might call her out.
But he just smiled silently.
That made her breathe easier.
"Thank you, big sis Kahlua! I've been really happy here in the human world!"
Moka's smile was radiant, her eyes full of joy.
Before meeting Max, that would've been a lie.
But ever since she met him, her world had changed—her past unhappiness had faded like a bad dream.
"Moka, here."
Max handed her the other glass of tomato juice.
"Thanks, Max!"
She took it happily, then glanced at the empty glass on the table and turned to Kahlua.
"Big sis Kahlua, do you want another?"
She knew Max mixed his own blood into these drinks. He never drank them himself, so clearly Kahlua had finished the first one.
"I…"
Shuzen Kahlua hesitated, eyes flickering.
She wanted to say no, she'd already had one—but that scent…
"Go ahead, Moka. You drink it."
Before she could refuse, Max shook his head and smiled, ruffling Moka's hair affectionately.
"There's more in the fridge. I'll pour your sister another glass."
"Okay!"
Moka grinned and leaned into his hand like a happy cat, rubbing her head against his palm.
"T-thank you…"
Kahlua's cheeks turned pink again as she mumbled softly, stealing a shy glance at him.
"No need."
Max replied casually, took the empty glass, and headed to the kitchen to refill it.
Meanwhile, Moka and Kahlua chatted on the couch.
Time passed quietly.
Half an hour slipped by.
Then Kahlua finally turned to Moka and said,
"Moka, can I talk to Max alone for a bit?"
She'd already learned his name.
"Alone?"
Moka blinked, a little surprised.
She glanced between them, then nodded with a smile.
"Sure! You two go ahead. I'll be upstairs."
Once she was gone, Kahlua looked at Max seriously.
"I don't know what Fujisaki Miyabi wants with Moka, but I know he won't give up easily."
"He's got plenty of powerful people under him."
"I'll try to stall him when I get back. Until then, please—keep Moka safe."
Even though she could sense how strong Max was, she couldn't help worrying.
"Don't worry."
Max smiled faintly. "Moka's my familiar. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to her."
"....."