"Is it really here...?"
Ethan hesitated. He had learned that Gasper had barely attended school since the opening ceremony. The building before him was a dilapidated, small western-style house that looked eerie in the fading twilight.
Using a sensory spell to confirm someone was inside, Ethan pushed open the front door. Dust swirled in the air, and he quickly cast a barrier to keep his clothes clean before exploring further.
The house had three floors and a small yard. If it were well-maintained, it would be quite comfortable, but in its current state, the space only made it feel more haunted. The yard was overgrown with weeds nearly waist-high.
The first floor was caked in dust, except for the kitchen, which seemed to be in use. On the second floor, the bedrooms were empty and void of furniture. Ethan followed the scent of a living presence to the third floor. His shoes creaked loudly on the wooden stairs, adding to the horror-movie vibe.
Ethan wasn't afraid. In a world with angels and demons, ghosts were perfectly normal. He even carried the most powerful "ghost" around with him—the soul of the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig. However, he hated the filth. He had a slight case of germaphobia, which was why he always insisted on a bath before "cultivation."
The third floor was smaller and contained only one room. It was much cleaner than the rest of the house. The door was covered in "Off-Limits" tape—a clear sign that someone was hiding inside.
"Huh..." Ethan went to push the door, but was stopped by an invisible barrier. "So the tape is actually the physical manifestation of a sealing ward."
The shut-in was so terrified of people that he had sealed himself in, likely only coming out late at night to eat and bathe. It took Ethan thirty minutes to dismantle the ward before he could push the door open.
"EEEEEKKKK!!!"
A high-pitched, piercing scream—sounding exactly like a little girl being startled—echoed through the house. Ethan instinctively covered his ears and took two steps back. When the screaming stopped, he checked his surroundings to ensure the noise hadn't attracted any unwanted attention.
The room looked like a typical girl's room, except for one thing: where the bed should have been, there was a coffin. It was a classic, movie-style vampire coffin—hexagonal and ornate. It was encrusted with rhinestones and draped in semi-transparent white fabric with red embroidery.
A coffin lid isn't enough? You need bed curtains too? How extra, Ethan thought.
He didn't rush to open it. Instead, he rubbed his chin and observed. He had always wondered: isn't it stuffy and cramped in there? Even if you're a vampire and won't suffocate, it can't be comfortable. Why sleep in a box when you could have a soft bed?
Inside the coffin, Gasper—dressed in a cute little dress and black thigh-high socks—was trembling, tears welling in his eyes. He had been terrified when someone broke in, and he was ready for the lid to be ripped off, but then the person just... stopped.
Did they leave? Gasper wondered. He decided to test the waters.
"P-please... is someone there? Do you need something?"
The voice was surprisingly cute. Could it really be a girl? Ethan wondered.
"Are you Gasper Vladi from Class 1-F?" Ethan asked. "I'm from the Student Council. I need you to cooperate with an investigation."
"B-but they said I didn't have to go to school anymore! Are you taking it back?" Gasper's slender body shook, but they were able to communicate through the wood.
"This isn't about school attendance," Ethan explained. He knew Gasper had permission to stay home; being in a "normal" class was just to help him fade into the background.
Ethan briefly explained the vampire incident. Gasper's answer was immediate. "It's not me! I don't drink blood!"
"Then what do you do when you're hungry? Don't you starve?" Ethan asked. There were too many different vampire tropes, so he decided to use this chance to learn about vampires in this world.
Though Gasper found Ethan annoying, being inside the "safe" space of the coffin allowed him to converse. To get rid of Ethan faster, he answered everything. Ethan learned that vampires in this world didn't fear sunlight once they reached B-rank, and some noble bloodlines—like Gasper or Nanaue—were born immune to it. Blood was just a way to increase power; for hunger, normal food worked fine.
"I have one last question," Ethan smiled.
"...Ask it," Gasper sighed. He had spoken more to Ethan in the last hour than he had to anyone in the past year.
"Are you actually a girl?"
"..."
Inside the coffin, Gasper's breathing hitched for a split second. Then, a panicked voice drifted out. "O-of course! I'm a girl! The school r-records say so..."
"Really?" Ethan said firmly. "I don't believe you."
Gasper curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face. "I... I really am a girl..."
"I don't believe it. Not unless I see for myself."
With that, Ethan stepped forward and reached for the coffin lid. He wasn't leaving until he confirmed Gasper's gender with his own eyes.