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[Crossover] Ch 142: Asagi Aiba
🕑 Added 2025-07-12 00:16:22 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes, the girl at the next table finally sensed something was off. She turned her head—and immediately locked eyes with Ryo and Avrora.
Caught staring, her face turned red. Annoyed, she snapped, "What are you looking at? Never seen someone in a bad mood before?"
'Bad mood, huh?' Ryo lowered his gaze slightly and glanced at the six empty plates on her table... and the seventh steak she was still working on.
'So this is what a bad mood looks like—eating your feelings. Impressive.'
"Binge eating isn't great for your health, little lady," he commented mildly.
Her blush deepened into full-on embarrassment. "This isn't even half of what I usually eat!"
But before she could finish being flustered, she caught sight of someone familiar sitting with them.
"Wait... Natsuki-chan?!"
"How many times do I have to tell you not to put '-chan' after a teacher's name?"
Natsuki responded reflexively. Then her eyes narrowed slightly as she examined the girl with the long ponytail, round glasses, and undeniable charm despite the school uniform.
"Oh, it's you—Asagi Aiba from the middle school division. You eating here too?"
"Whoa, it really is Natsuki-chan! I mean, who else would be wearing gothic lolita in this heat?" Asagi exclaimed, still amazed.
"Watch your mouth. Call me that again and I'm assigning extra homework to your class."
Natsuki gave her a death glare, clearly not in the mood.
Ryo rested his chin in his hand, watching the exchange with a smile. "So you two know each other?"
"She's one of my students. Asagi Aiba from the middle school division," Natsuki sighed. "Well, technically a future student. She'll be in my grade soon enough."
On Itogami Island, students usually attend the same school all the way through elementary, middle, and high school. Transfers are rare until college.
So while Natsuki taught high school, Asagi was technically part of her future batch.
"Asagi Aiba?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, his tone shifting slightly. "The Priestess of Cain?"
Cain—the original Primogenitor of the demon kind in the Strike the Blood world. He was the one who annihilated the ancient devas and taught humanity the foundations of sorcery.
In a way, he was the origin of the whole story.
And Asagi was someone with the potential to become his priestess.
"What did you just say?" Natsuki's eyes sharpened instantly.
The Priestess of Cain wasn't a title you threw around lightly.
Asagi blinked. "Huh? Priestess? Who?"
Ryo smiled as he watched her confusion. "Hmm… If you dyed your hair blonde and added a bit of fashionable jewelry… yeah, you'd have that vibe."
He paused, then added teasingly, "The 'innocent b*tch' vibe."
He was, of course, describing what Asagi would look like a few years from now—her future self, the one he was actually more familiar with.
Right now, with her black hair and middle schooler look, he hadn't recognized her immediately.
"What the hell!" Asagi snapped, clearly offended.
Innocent b*tch?! Who says that to someone they just met?! Her opinion of Ryo instantly nosedived.
Sure, he was good-looking, but everything else about him screamed "jerk."
Just then, a soft voice piped up beside her.
"Big sis, big sis, you're still eating?"
Asagi turned—and saw a delicate girl looking up at her with wide, curious eyes.
"Ah, yeah! I'm only like… half full," she said, flustered.
The girl was so cute Asagi couldn't help but blush a little. She knew she had a huge appetite, and she usually kept it under wraps to avoid being judged at school. But this little girl was looking at her with pure admiration—not an ounce of ridicule.
She was powerless to resist.
"Wow!" Avrora gasped, then turned to Ryo. "Ryo, Ryo! She's still eating! And she's only halfway full! That means... she's fourteen times stronger than you!"
Asagi blinked, then looked at Ryo's plate—which still had half a steak left—and nearly burst out laughing.
"Yeah, I guess that is fourteen times more. Are you even a guy? You eat like a bird."
'Score! Payback for calling me a b*tch!'
Ryo raised an eyebrow at the jab and replied calmly. "If I actually let loose, the owner would cry."
"Then let him cry. Come on, do it!" Asagi grinned, doubling down.
Ryo chuckled. "Alright. Want to go head-to-head?"
"You're on. I've never lost when it comes to food." She confidently removed her glasses.
Natsuki watched the two of them with a deadpan expression. "Are you both ten?"
---
One hour later...
A server appeared at the front desk, barely holding onto his professional smile as he greeted the group.
"Sorry for the wait. I was… dealing with an emergency in the kitchen."
Asagi glanced toward the small kitchen door and instinctively shrank back.
Behind it, the staff were collapsed over carts and trays, on the verge of crying blood.
"I only ate fifteen servings! The other three hundred weren't mine!" she protested silently.
Who knew the guy sitting next to her could devour food like a monster? Was he even human? Some kind of ancient glutton demon? A mythical Behemoth?
At the counter, the server gave a strained smile as he addressed Ryo.
"Sir, according to local policy, we charge demons based on food quantity. Regular humans pay a flat buffet fee. Will you be paying by card or in cash?"
"Card." Ryo said, unfazed.
Then he turned toward Natsuki.
"I'm impressed. You actually followed through on that little food contest." Natsuki sighed, pulled out her wallet, and handed over a credit card.
'This guy's stomach defies biology.'
Just then, her phone rang.
She raised an eyebrow, pulled it from her bag, answered, and listened with a few quiet "mm-hmms." Then she sighed, reached into her wallet again, and handed another card to Ryo.
"There's thirty million on this. The overseas bank confirmed the transfer."
"Thanks." Ryo accepted it without blinking and casually slipped it into his pocket.
Asagi blinked.
'Thirty million?! Why is Natsuki giving him that kind of money? And why does he look so used to it?!'
A thousand thoughts ran through her head at once—leading to one unfortunate conclusion:
'Wait… no way… Is this a sugar mommy situation?!'
'Natsuki-chan, no… You're so beautiful. Do you really need to resort to that? Are you that lonely?'
"Hey, kid."
Natsuki's sharp voice cut through her inner monologue like a blade.
"Stop imagining weird crap over there."
Asagi flinched in embarrassment, amazed that Natsuki had read her mind. And even more disturbed that she sounded like… a total pro at this.
"Ehehe~"
Just then, Avrora came skipping over with a triple-scoop ice cream, eyes sparkling.
"Natsuki-chan, Natsuki-chan! Can I have this?"
"Yeah, just don't get it all over yourself," Natsuki said casually without looking up.
She pocketed her card and accepted the VIP membership card from the server. Then she turned to Ryo.
"Back home, or somewhere else?"
Ryo shrugged. "Let's check out the night market. Might find some good snacks."
"You're still not full?!" Asagi yelped, visibly panicking.
She considered herself a competitive eater among humans… but Ryo? Not even in the same league.
Suddenly, Avrora tugged on her sleeve and whispered. "Big sis, you lost to Ryo earlier, right?"
"Uhh… I guess so?" Asagi replied, caught off guard.
She could already feel her precious image crumbling.
Avrora's eyes suddenly turned crimson. Her voice deepened—smooth and seductive.
"Since you lost… doesn't that mean you belong to Ryo now?"
"Wha—?!"
Asagi froze. Her limbs wouldn't move. It was like being a mouse locked in the gaze of a cobra.
'What the hell is this pressure?!'
Avrora—or rather, Cyrora—licked her lips, revealing a wicked smile.
"Your blood… smells absolutely divine."
'Vampire?!' Asagi's mind raced.
'Oh god. What do I do when the cute girl I met at the restaurant turns out to be a vampire… and she wants to eat me?!'
Then—THWACK!
Ryo lightly karate-chopped Cyrora on the head.
"Don't come out just to scare people."
Holding her head, Cyrora groaned. "What? Isn't it only fair that the victor gets to claim their spoils? I'll just take the blood, you can have the rest!"
"Oh? You teaching me how to divvy things up now?"
One cold look from Ryo and Cyrora immediately backed down.
Her crimson eyes faded, returning to that innocent blue.
The little vampire sat down, rubbing her head as she looked at the ice cream she dropped… eyes brimming with tears.
Ryo reached out and gently patted her head.
"Don't cry, don't cry. I'll go get you another one—how about four scoops this time?"
"…Five," she sniffled, trying to hold back sobs.
"Alright, alright—five it is!"
As Asagi watched the two of them interact like it was the most normal thing in the world, she couldn't help but ask herself. Who the hell are these people…?
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