Reward

It's true what Natsume said. Today the Sakuma brothers returned to campus. Not much different from before, some girls greeted him with a cat-shy attitude, some gave mischievous looks, pretended to fall, and so on for the sake of being seen or touched by the brothers.

"As you can see, the campus becomes a zoo all of a sudden if they come back," said Natsume who was starting to feel uncomfortable about the commotion.

Without further ado, Natsume pulled Neko to a quieter place. Where else if not the library.

Arriving there, Neko was given a cup of hot tea by Natsume.

"Earlier... I felt they were a little different," Neko said to break the silence in this book-filled room.

"Different?" replied Natsume who became interested in Neko's statement.

"Um. I don't know if you feel it or not, it's just… I feel like they're a little different from before."

Natsume also seemed to weigh his friend's statement. He recalled the previous incident and he also felt that there was nothing different about the brothers.

"Maybe you just have a lot on your mind, or feel inferior because you're going to talk to Ritsu. Besides, I'm also not forbidding you anymore, am I right?" said Natsume who immediately turned his gaze to the ancient book that only a magician could understand.

Even though Natsume had a point, Neko still felt that there was something different about them. She also opened the violin bag and played it without Natsume's permission.

However, Natsume didn't protest in the slightest. He actually enjoyed the melody produced by the friction of the strings.

And again, Natsume's sense of hearing caught the sadness and loneliness in that tone. He also stopped his activities, "Neko, why is your melody getting more and more sad and lonely?"

Neko also stopped her activities, "This... this is the melody I caught from Ritsu. The first time I saw her eyes, all I got was that she was very sad and lonely. I can hear that melody."

"So when are you going to tell me your own melody?"

The voice interrupted the two friends who were enjoying the silence. Neko immediately packed up her violin and Natsume closed the book.

"I don't know, I don't even know when," answered Neko.

"That was a beautiful melody, Neko," praised his older brother, Rei.

"Thank you, Rei," replied Neko with a sweet smile etched on her face.

"I've told everything about you to Neko. Even if it's brief, the important thing is that she already knows," Natsume explained while giving Rei and Ritsu a cup of tea.

Ritsu also carved a grin that was enough to make humans shudder in horror. Rei looked at Neko gently, "So, Ojou-chan, are you afraid of us?"

Neko immediately shook her head gently, "I'm not afraid at all. Because, after all, you are creatures that have the right to live."

"Don't get me wrong, Neko. You remember what Natsume-kun predicted? Don't make decisions easily and believe in appearances, right?" interrupted Ritsu.

However, Neko just relaxed, "It doesn't matter if a human being likes to make sudden decisions or being careless. Because that's where humans can learn the importance of appreciating what they have. So, I'm not afraid of anything.

Besides, Natsume was also by my side. So what am I afraid of?"

"Always awesome as usual, Ojou-chan," Rei complimented and made Neko laugh lightly, "Thanks for the compliment, Rei."

*****

That night, Neko went with Ritsu with Natsume's permission. Yes, because Ritsu had promised to give a gift and Natsume had also loosened his control a bit and started trusting the Sakuma brothers again.

I don't know what the problem is between witches and vampires. But clearly, if there is a vampire then there is a werewolf?

"Werewolf, hm? I think you are more curious about our world than you are dealing with your relationship with Natsume," said Ritsu while handing him the ice cream he had just bought.

"Eh? Relationship with Natsume? We're just friends. It's just that Natsume tends to be like my older brother. Nothing more," replied Neko with an innocent look.

"Joking," said Ritsu who then sat next to Neko.

Now they enjoy people going back and forth to try out various games. Small children were no less enthusiastic. Many of them choose to play merry go round,

Indeed, they were at the playground. Just to unwind after a long day of activities. However, Neko looked at something different from Ritsu.

Ritsu's gaze looked tired than usual. Even though the bead always looked lonely and sad, this time the blood red bead looked a little filled with some color.

"Enough to look at me?"

"Eh? Looking at you? I looked over there. There are people playing music there," Neko evaded which made Ritsu smile, "There's nothing there."

"There is!"

"Not."

"There is!"

"Okay, I relent. Now try to show it," said Ritsu which then made Neko pull Ritsu to where he intended.

Warm, that's what Ritsu currently accepts. Even though he was like an undead that needed blood to survive, this time he felt something different.

Could Ritsu fall in love with a human like his father's love story?

Impossible. Ritsu chose not to think about it. After all, he had already lived for six hundred years. It was impossible for him to think about things related to love.

"Look, I'm not lying!" said Neko while pointing to a man who was playing the violin with full appreciation. But unfortunately, not many people approached him.

"Your hearing is sharp enough for a human," said Ritsu as he let go of Neko's hand and stood in line with the girl.

"I'm used to hearing the violin. When I was little, my father used to play the violin to make me sleep."

"What happened to your parents?" Ritsu asked which made Neko take a deep breath, "My father died while trying to attract a new vampire not to approach me and my mother.

And not long ago, my mother died at the hands of the demon who was again after me. In the end, Natsume's mother saw and cared for me like her own daughter. Thus, now you may understand why Natsume is sometimes overprotective of me.

In addition, the death of my parents also became the basis for what I did. I erased and sealed all those memories and then assumed that vampires, demons, and werewolves never existed in my life and in the real world at the same time."

"Sorry, I don't know about that," said Ritsu, who somehow felt bad hearing the past from the girl next to him due to the actions of the darkness.

Neko looked up at the night sky so the liquid crystals wouldn't fall. "It's okay, I just found out about it from Natsume too. It's hard to believe, isn't it? And besides... now we're even," said Neko while giving her best smile.

For some reason, when Ritsu saw Neko holding back tears, she felt strange. Unknowingly, he embraced and hugged Neko, letting Neko share all the burdens of life that he had lived so far.

Ritsu could feel the pain of Neko's suffering. However, Ritsu knows that Neko is a strong girl. Ritsu also believes that Neko can face all that will happen one day.