Chapter 1: V-Line Victory

It was the middle of July, and summer was in full swing in Japan. It felt like the temperature and humidity were in a race to the top, so people were showing more skin outside or staying nice and chilly inside. Restaurants had been planning for this since the beginning of the year-now they had summertime menu specials to help customers cool down.

On the first floor of a shopping mall, a young man and woman who were maybe college students sat on a bench. His arms were crossed, and his shoulders were shaking a little. She was hiding her face behind a handkerchief. They were radiating tension and awkward energy, so everyone else in the mall stayed far away. None of them wanted to get wrapped up in a couple's fight.

"I thought you said anywhere's fine!"

"I did. I did, but still..."

"Then what's wrong with Garde? What are you crying for?"

"It's not like I wanna cry! I just, well..."

"Yup, that happens," said a third voice. "I totally feel you."

The couple froze.

The flashy teenager standing in front of them had wavy platinum-blonde hair, and her bluish-purple color contacts stood out under her glittery eyeshadow. She wore a frilly cropped tube top that showed off her belly button, and her legs looked great in short shorts. Her pierced ears and her peachy lip gloss boosted her beauty, and her dark choker and garter belt really brought her outfit together.

She wagged her finger, and the flowery rhinestones on her nail sparkled. "Miss, try not to cry when you don't have waterproof makeup on. You're gonna feel worse if you ruin your look." Then, after nodding a few times, she turned to the guy and narrowed her eyes. "Mister, it's tough for her to talk when you're being so intense. Try being a little more gentle, maybe?"

He looked uncomfortable and squirmed around until he couldn't stand it anymore. "Wh-Who the heck are you?" he asked.

"Who, me?"

"Yeah. We were talking, and you just showed up and stuck your nose in the middle. Who- Ack!"

She held up a peace sign and stuck it in front of his face. With a bright, energetic grin, she replied, "My name's Ruka Moriki! I'm a second year at Hie High, a member of the dance club, and a normal gyaru looking for a dream! Nice to meetcha!"

Her bubbly introduction seemed to make him even more confused. "Ruka Moriki...?" he repeated under his breath twice. "Seriously, who the heck are you?!"

Oh, he looped. Guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Ruka's smile fell a little, and she started curling the orange tips of her hair around her finger. "I mean, I was just waiting around for my pal. But you looked all worked up and she was crying her face off, so I had to say something."

"Th-This has nothing to do with you, so butt out," the man shot back, but he awkwardly looked away.

Ruka didn't know if he was running out of steam or feeling guilty about looking at her when she was showing so much skin, but she knew this was her chance. "You don't wanna keep fighting, though, right? Someone else sticking their nose in totally makes it easier for your girl to speak up."

"I'm telling you..." The guy made a face like he'd swallowed something bitter, but then he loosened up and leaned back.

Ruka figured they were on the same page now, so she turned her attention to his date. Her chin-length hair was sleek and shiny, and her face was silky smooth without any peach fuzz-as far as Ruka could tell past the handkerchief, anyway.

She wanted to look good for today, Ruka concluded. She crouched down in front of the young woman. "Miss, you put in a ton of effort for your date. Wouldn't letting that go to waste be, like, a real beauwaste?"

The handkerchief shifted lower, and Ruka could see the young woman's eyes. Oh good, she thought. I think she'll listen to me now. "By the way, beauwaste is short for beauty waste. It's like food waste, but for cosmetics and stuff."

"Pff..." The young woman finally lowered her guard and put her handkerchief down.

She laughed! But aww, her nose is all red... A waste for sure. Ruka kept that to herself and smiled. "So what happened?"

"I said we should get lunch...and he suggested Gardenia."

Gardenia was a family restaurant that served Italian dishes. Their prices were reasonable, and their food wasn't bad either. The drink bar made it a great place to hang out too. Ruka liked the place, but lots of people didn't. Others thought it was okay for a casual meal but not for a special date.

"So you're not into Garde?" Ruka asked.

The woman shook her head. "It's a good restaurant... The food's tasty and not too expensive..."

Ruka didn't see a problem yet, so she just nodded and listened.

"B-But... But..."

Meanwhile, the guy had an awkward look on his face like he couldn't understand all the crying.

She has to say it straight, or he'll never get it. Honestly, I won't either if she doesn't...

"But...ten times in a row is too much!"

Ohh, so that's it... Gardenia was good, but ten times in a row was rough. They did have a big menu with plenty of options, but going on the same date so many times was just too much. Ruka couldn't understand what this guy was thinking, and she wasn't sure why he seemed so shocked either.

"B-But you, you said it was fine...didn't you...?" he asked.

"Yeah, on our first date. I did say that Gardenia was fine, so I didn't want to complain about it, but when I thought about going back again and again..." She closed her mouth and hung her head.

Okay, we've had some twists and turns, but I get what's going on now. He kept taking her to Garde because of their first date, and she felt stuck between what she said then and how she feels now. Not great, but not impossible to fix.

"Hey, mister," said Ruka.

He nodded and started to pull himself together. "I...sorta figured it was a problem..."

Only sorta? Ruka thought to herself, but she kept her mouth shut. She gave him credit for noticing, at least, so she decided to let him handle this.

"But I was too scared to choose a different place," he continued. "Garde was a safe bet, so I kept suggesting it...and I ended up making you cry..."

"No, I should've said something," she replied.

Both of them sounded relieved, and their mood seemed to be way better. Ruka watched the lovebirds hold hands and thought, Phew! They understand each other now. Problem solved!

"Let's go to a different family restaurant today!"

"Yes, I'd love to!"

The two of them stared into each other's eyes and moved in for a kiss. It seemed they'd forgotten all about Ruka-and the rest of the world too.

"Aww, so sweet." Ruka watched over the couple like an artisan satisfied with her craft. Parts of this are still kinda bugging me, but love got them through it. So glad I butted in!

"Ruka, what are you doing?"

That voice, as clear and cold as ice, made Ruka turn around.

The girl's silver hair and eyes were as beautiful as fresh snow. Her skin shimmered like the surface of a pearl, and her features were like the result of perfect measurements and calculations. She was overflowing with beauty, charm, and purity, and she complemented that with a number of black accessories and piercings that caught the light when she moved. People passing by were drawn to her and overwhelmed by her presence at the same time.

She was Ginka Shijunana, Ruka's friend and classmate. Today, she wore a boyish outfit-a short-sleeved hoodie and tapered pants. She also had black gloves on like always, but they were longer than her usual pair.

They look like cosplay accessories... Or is this her summer look? Ruka shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there was kind of a scene before you showed up..."

"A scene...?" Ginka tried to peek past her.

The smooth lines and soft angles of Ginka's chin got Ruka's attention. She has the prettiest face, I swear... Oh, wait! A beauty like her in front of a guy who just made up with his girlfriend is bad news!

"Whoa, hold on!" Ruka yelled. "We're all good here, but you might throw it all back out of whack!"

"Back out of whack? What are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you later! Hey, you two, keep being lovey-dovey, 'kay?!"

With that, Ruka dragged Ginka away from the couple.

At the beginning of June, Ginka Shijunana became Ruka Moriki's classmate. Her otherworldly beauty caught everyone's eye, while her cold personality scared everyone away. Ruka thought this new girl was serious trouble at first, but Ginka was just clumsy and not used to going to school. After Ruka figured that out and learned what Ginka was hiding, they became really good friends.

Ruka found out Ginka was a former vampire hunter. She belonged to an organization known as the hunter alliance and used a special power called exoforce to fight vampires and their underling retainers. Hunters had...