CHAPTER 37: AN EVEN MORE UNEXPECTED CONFESSION

«Ren... I-I love you.»

I’m not sure I heard that right.

No, scratch that—I heard it perfectly.

I suspected she had a crush on me... but this much? Really?

It’s not the first time a woman has told me she loves me, of course.

Plenty have said it after knowing me for only two hours.

But that was... a very different context.

Those words come naturally even between strangers... when you’re in bed together.

Especially not from someone like Brianne—if she says "I love you," it’s probably the most sincere thing in the world.

And me...? What do I feel for her?

Sure, lately I’ve been growing more attached than I expected, given how we started.

But is it love? No, I doubt it.

Not that she’s lying, but maybe she’s misunderstood her feelings—or her subconscious is just acting out of spite.

Her purity must be the result of church indoctrination.

Now that the church has turned its back on her because of me, maybe she sees me as some form of rebellion against them.

Damn... am I really about to throw away the golden chance to sleep with her? She just confessed to me, sitting on her bed, home empty, after kissing me... Well, kiss is an exaggeration—she didn’t even use tongue—but for someone as pure as her, I guess it counts.

But if I went along with it, I’d just be taking advantage of her weakness—and I’d feel awful using a good girl like her.

It’s not just her sudden, unexpected confession that stuns me.

Could that be why she said, "I’m not in the mood to see anyone today—especially you"?

But it makes no sense... why wouldn’t she be in the mood to see me if she just said she loves me?

Women are really strange...

«I’d be lying if I told you I felt the same,» I finally answer.

Still, her reaction isn’t what I expected—not that of a woman whose confession is rejected.

«Good...» she whispers.

She smiles, actually looking happy to hear me say that.

I’m even more confused.

«I don’t get it... Why? Why are you happy that I don’t love you? You even said earlier that your love for me is why you’re sad... I know I’m far from the best guy to fall for, but crying all night over it? Seems a bit much...»

Her smile fades. She looks down.

«Loving someone is the most beautiful feeling in the world—it’s one of the most important lessons the God of Light gave us. But in this case... it’s terribly wrong...»

«This is still about those rumors about me, isn’t it?»

She shakes her head.

«What your classmates say has nothing to do with it... Sure, knowing the guy i love sleeps with any female he can get isn’t exactly comforting...»

Damn, that makes me sound like I’m desperate for sex.

It’s not true—I only fuck with those who are worth it.

But this is hardly the moment to make that distinction.

«...But the real problem is knowing that the guy i love... is also a vampire.»

The blood in my veins turns to ice.

My muscles freeze completely.

My breath stops, my body shivering from head to toe.

I hesitate, then force myself to move again.

«Brianne... aren’t you a bit old to believe in that kind of thing? Everyone knows vampires don’t exist,» I say, forcing a cocky but nervous smile.

But she’s dead serious.

Terribly serious.

Any attempt to convince her otherwise would be pointless.

The silence stretches for nearly a minute before I break it.

«How do you know...?»

«I know because I saw you, Ren. Twice. The first time, you had already killed. The second time, I stopped you in time...» she murmurs, her voice trembling with sobs.

Wait... so she’s...

«...that Monster Reaper...? That’s you...?»

She only nods—a small gesture that feels heavy as a mountain.

And yet, once the initial shock passes, everything starts making perfect sense.

A thousand little pieces that meant nothing on their own now fit perfectly together.

Brianne started opening up to me right after the first attack—when I was defended from John Hawkley’s thugs.

She saw my face that night—that’s why her cold wall suddenly vanished.

And then... John said his thug, Oliver, injured the Monster Reaper’s leg... and the next day Brianne stayed home for a week with a leg wound.

When she attacked me in Long Island City a few nights ago... I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t kill me.

But now... it must be tied to her confession.

I’ve been a complete idiot... how did I miss all these signs?!

Even after telling me all this, she’s so calm... as if she just said something ordinary, not a revelation that makes her "I love you" seem mild in comparison.

«So... what now?» I ask.

Honestly, I can’t think of anything else to say. I just hope she doesn’t come back with some movie line like, "Now, I kill you".

Fortunately, she doesn’t.

«You tell me what I should do... You’re a vampire, I’m a Monster Reaper... Naturally, one should kill the other. And after what you’ve done, it would probably be the right thing. But I didn’t even come to New York for you, so I could overlook it... if you promise you’ll stop hunting humans.»

«I’d starve to death if I did! How about this—you promise to become a vegetarian, and I’ll promise not to drink human blood anymore!»

«I don’t see the connection...» she mutters.

«There’s definitely a connection! You eat pork, but I can’t drink human blood? It’s called the food chain! Humans are at the top—at least in this world—but I don’t see pigs forming a Human Reaper to defend themselves from you. It’s not my problem if it’s hard for you to accept that something exists above you in the food pyramid!»

Brianne hesitates, clearly caught off guard by my logic—which, on the surface, makes sense, even if it’s not that simple.

After all, the food chain is part of nature, just like plants and animals, and existed long before humans or vampires ever did.

But guilt, triggered by cliché lines, is always effective.

«I don’t make the rules,» she finally says. «Anyway, my parents will be home from work soon. Even if they’re not Monster Reapers themselves, they both work for HESPARC—the organization that protects this world from threats from N’Raeth. So it’s better if you’re not here. My mother can recognize a vampire just from their scent—a rare gift in her family.»

Yeah, sounds like it’s time to get out of here, but not before...

—SMACK!

A kiss on Brianne’s lips.

She blushes instantly.

«W-Why did you do that, Ren...?»

«You kissed me earlier without warning, remember? Now we’re even.»

«Idiot...»