“It’s good that we have you.”

Jack forced out the words from his mouth. He felt his hard work was for naught. But, not necessarily. What could a few days in the office give?

“Just for confirmation, how much did you actually get?”

“I don’t know how big this is, but I got a thousand dollars after I resigned.”

“How!?”

Kidrith shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t want to tell that she didn’t learn anything even a few days in that office. What she did learn, though, was where the bathroom was and how to play minesweeper to pass the time.

It was still hard work for her to be in a new environment with so many flirting men… sort of. Oh, also, she learned how to use social media. She can’t wait to tell Joren about it.

“Hello, Jack, Kidrith.”

A familiar voice suddenly took both’ attention as they didn’t notice that three people had already arrived.

One was a teenage girl with peach hair. She had a smug look on her face as she wore dollar sign glasses. She fans herself with money paper to further flaunt her richness.

“How have you been?”

Jack’s eyes died for a second there as he replied with a monotonic voice, “I’m fine, how are you, Ness?”

“I’m rich- I mean, I’m good.” Ness covered her lips with the cash made into a fan as if she had made an honest mistake.

“What did you do to get that ric-”

“Wait, Ms. Kidrith,” Jack stopped her and looked at Virena, “What did you do to get that money?”

“Don’t ignore me!”

Meanwhile, Virena was stunned to see a handsome man here. Before, Jack’s face was beaten up badly by Kidrith before, but after a week or so, he fully recovered.

‘Oh, no…’

She held her chest and was about to panic when-

‘Wait, I don’t feel anything….’ Virena frowned as she stared at Jack. Before long, she shrugged her shoulders, ‘Maybe because it’s just Jack that I don’t feel anything.’

“The Principal and I were hired at the arcade. As for Monstein, they said he was too young.” Virena answered, but Jack still didn’t know how that was possible for them to get so much money. Though he didn’t doubt them. From what Ness was showing, it is safe to assume they gained a lot.

“If you’re wondering how we were abl-”

“What kind of job paid you so well in the span of a week?” Jack asked Virena.

“I said don’t ignore me!”

“On the third day since we got the job, the arcade was suddenly featured as a venue for a tournament, and the Principal was promoted as the host since she knows a lot about the game,” Virena answered, making Jack bitterly nod.

“And, she’s particularly nosy about it too, so it would keep the place lively,” he muttered.

“I’d rather say charismatic than nosy.” Ness puffed her chest.

While listening, Kidrith then noticed the injuries on Monstein. He was still smiling like he used to so, it took her some time to notice this.

When she was about to point it out, Ness stepped in-

“Also, you wouldn’t believe it, but on the first night, Virena was kidnapped!”

…

On the morning of the second day, Ness woke up and saw that Virena was not beside her. They were permitted to sleep in the arcade, making them guards simultaneously.

When Ness opened the arcade, she saw Virena carrying Monstein, who was deeply wounded.

“Virena, what happened!?”

“I was kidnapped, but Monstein came to save me.”

“Oh, okay.”

…

“Wait, that was it!?” Jack couldn’t help but raise his voice, “Doesn’t that mean you just slept through the whole thing? Virena, what really happened?”

Before answering the question, Virena looked at Ness and bowed, “Principal, I’m so sorry!”

“Eh, w-why?”

“Actually, I wasn’t kidnapped.” Virena confessed, “Actually, on the first night, I received a letter from a stranger.”

“Ah, I remember that, but didn’t you say it was nothing? I thought it was just someone who had a crush on you. After all, everyone was glancing at you at the arcade.” Ness scratched her head.

“No, actually…”

…

When the arcade owner had just left, and the place was about to close, a stranger came knocking in.

“Sorry, we’re closed.” Virena, who was in charge of cleaning after the place’s closing time, said.

“No, please, I was just sent here to give this letter. You’re the only one with red hair and a pretty face here! Please, just take this paper and tell him not to hurt me!”

The man desperately said while he showed a folded paper.

Meanwhile, Ness was looking at the vintage games collection of the owner. This was her chance after the owner had just left. After seeing everything, she came out of the storage room and saw Virena reading a paper.

“Virena, what’s that?”

Ness curiously asked as she hopped to Virena’s side.

“It’s nothing, Principal.” Virena threw the paper in the trash can.

“Ah, didn’t I say stop calling me Principal?”

“But… I couldn’t possibly just call you by your name.”

“Hmm… well, whatever makes you comfortable.”

Ness let her off. At the same time, Monstein came back with a smile, raising the plastic bags that he bought from downtown.

“Human street foods!”

Ness drooled while Virena asked, “Didn’t you have any problem with buying these?”

Monstein shook his head, “Nope, there were even other kids out there.”

He was not a kid, but because of his outer appearance, he was considered as one.

After eating, Ness and Virena took a bath while Monstein was already asleep at the front desk. He said he was comfortable there and would be the first to know of any intruder. Meanwhile, the girls would use the staff room.

Once everyone was asleep, Virena sat up from the couch as she was fully awake.

Vampires are nocturnal beings.

Walking out of the arcade shop, she became the shadow and traveled in the city. She didn’t notice that Monstein saw her and followed her.

Monstein had already seen Ness’s power himself, so he was confident leaving her alone. As for Virena, she was strong- a vampire- but she was still young and could still be subjected to danger. That was why he followed her.

Eventually, they reached an odd place near the cemetery. It was an unpopulated place in contrast to the nightlife of the city.

There were statues of winged and horned creatures everywhere. Monstein has a bad feeling about this.

Virena fearlessly walked into the place and towards the mansion-like structure in the middle of the ominous area. This structure is an old abandoned cathedral.

When she finally realized what this place was, it was too late as a mild earthquake occurred within the surroundings.

“Oh no-!”

Virena immediately turned into a shadow and was about to escape when one of the statues broke the line of shadow she was traveling through by barbarically landing on it.

Once Virena came out from the ground, she was surrounded by dozens of giant statues in a blink of an eye. No, instead, demonic beings that resemble that of a statue.

“Gargoyles…” she muttered.

There were many gargoyles, and they came from all sizes. One of them was even wearing a suit and had the most humanoid appearance except for his stone-like skin and chimeric horns, tail, and wings.

“What is vampire doing in our territory?”

He asked with a genuinely puzzled tone.

“I thought they were driven extinct by humans centuries ago?”

A female gargoyle said while sitting atop the cathedral.

“Yeah, I thought so too, but isn’t this one relatively young?” the male gargoyle asked as he walked around the Virena.

“Should we kill her, boss?” one of the giant gargoyles asked.

“She’s a unique creature. Wouldn’t it be better to sell her than to kill her?” the female gargoyle asked which the male gargoyle, who the big one called boss, nodded.

“Sure, capture her. It’s not like we can kill an immortal vampire without being able to hold a cross ourselves anyway.”

After the order, the golem-like creature simply reached out its hand in an attempt to grab Virena, but a small figure came in between and blocked this hand.

“Monstein!?” Virena exclaimed in surprise.

“A zombie?” the gargoyle boss was also surprised to see a zombie and a vampire on the same side.

“Miss Virena, please run! They are strong!” Monstein shouted, but Virena shook her head and whispered to him.

“We need to stall time since I can’t leave you here.”

“Huh? Why?” Monstein said as he was being pushed back.

Instead of answering the question, Virena became serious and kicked the arm pushing Monstein back.

Boom*

Fragments flew all over with one strike.

“She’s a vampire, all right!” the boss gargoyle laughed, not fearing her, “You think you’re the only one immortal here, girl?”

As he said that, the stone fragments flew back towards the owner. The giant gargoyle laughed as it had wholly restored its hand… sort of.

“Wait, where are my fingers?”

It noticed that it had three missing fingers, “Hm?”

“Hey… how did that zombie get the stone?” the gargoyles, that were complacently watching from the sideline, asked and pointed out.

Everyone’s attention was then placed on Monstein, whose arm to his shoulders was covered by a stony mass.

“You are misunderstanding him. He’s not a zombie. He’s Frankenstein’s legendary Monster, Monstein.” Virena introduced Monstein as the two of them faced the dozens of aggressive gargoyles.

“I can’t believe it,” the smile on the gargoyle’s boss vanished.

“Kill the monster first while not letting the vampire escape,” he ordered.