ChroNoir: The Two Who Won't Be Dyed Black - The vampire called a monster, and the collapsing everyday — ChroNoir can never go back —

The Shinjuku night was quieter than usual. On the eighteenth floor of a high-rise apartment. Inside a room with the blackout curtains drawn tight, Kuzuha sat alone, sunk deep into the sofa. Several half-empty energy drink cans lay scattered across the table. He told himself they were a substitute for blood, and he poured them down his throat every night. The smartphone screen glowed faintly in the dark room. The sender was Kanae. "Are we really doing tomorrow's collab?" Kuzuha stared at the words. (Not like I've got a choice.) Kagurazaka Rei's orders were absolute. As long as he belonged to Verdure Agency, he couldn't defy the president's command. Besides, Kanae had said it. Just once. The viewers are looking forward to it too. What kind of face had Kanae made when he said that? Kuzuha let his head fall back against the sofa. He looked at the ceiling. Pitch black. This room was always like this. He never let light in, even during the day. As a vampire, he blocked out the light in order to live in the human world. It had become second nature. (...Why am I) Kuzuha looked at his own hand. Pale fingers. Sharply extended nails. A body just slightly different from a human's. A memory from elementary school suddenly resurfaced. Lunch period. The clamor of the classroom. While everyone else ate happily, he alone left his seat. Led by the teacher, heading to the special room. The smell of that dim hallway. Eating bread and milk alone in an empty room. "Hey, you're never around during lunch, huh." "That guy, his eyes are red. Creepy, right?" "Getting close to him feels like you might get your blood sucked. Scary." Voices he could hear. Mockery, meant to be heard. And what he hated even more was that when he heard those voices, his pulse quickened deep in his chest. Thump, thump—his heart made an unpleasant sound. It was like the other person's fear was entering his body. (When those guys get scared of me, my pulse speeds up.) (That, I hated more than anything.) Kuzuha closed his eyes. Keeping his distance from people had become natural. If he didn't get close, he wouldn't feel their fear. If he didn't get close, he could forget that he was a monster. When he entered middle school, he started playing online games. The person on the other side of the screen didn't know his face, his eyes, nothing. A world where only his gaming skill was evaluated. That was the only place that belonged to him. And then, he met him. "You're good at games." The first words Kanae ever said to him. He still remembered that moment clearly. A slightly low, calm voice through voice chat. It was the first time anyone had praised his gaming skill. (That was all.) (It was just that, and yet.) Kuzuha felt the corners of his eyes grow hot. Even after Kanae learned Kuzuha was a vampire, he said nothing. Even seeing his red eyes, he never called them creepy or scary. He just played games as always, laughed as always, and stayed by his side as always. Just that alone, and the world changed. "...The more I treasured you, the more I tried to keep my distance." Kuzuha muttered into the empty room. "The 'partner' label is a safety device so I don't lose what we have. ...So why does it hurt this much now?" His voice was swallowed by the darkness. No reply. Of course. No one was here. Kuzuha picked up his smartphone. He typed a reply to Kanae's message. "I'll do it. Not like I've got a choice." Send. Then, Kuzuha curled up on the sofa. (Kanae.) (What do you think of me?) That question quietly dissolved into the dark room. --- The next day. The air in the ChroNoir studio was slightly tense from the morning. "Good morning, senpais. Please take care of me today." Lumina smiled brightly the moment she entered the studio. Silver hair reaching down to her waist. The red at the tips swayed under the lighting. Her large red eyes, as always, were fixed straight on Kuzuha alone. "Yeah. ...Why are you so close?" Kuzuha stepped back. "Because today is a collab stream. Sitting next to you, senpai, is my designated seat." "Who designated it?! I never agreed to that!" "I did. Is there a problem?" Lumina tilted her head. The gesture was adorable, but her eyes weren't smiling. "...Well, whatever. Let's start the stream." Kanae sighed as he set up the equipment. In the studio, Kanae, Kuzuha, Lumina, and Shion had gathered. Shion stood beside Kanae, looking at the streaming equipment with a slightly nervous expression. Her long black hair flowed smoothly down her back. "Kanae-kun, do you think I'll do okay? I'm nervous." Shion gently tugged at Kanae's sleeve. "You'll be fine. Just be yourself. It's a cooking stream, right? Just be the usual Shion." "...The usual me. Yeah, that's right. The me I always show in front of you, Kanae-kun." Shion smiled faintly. Seeing that smile, Kuzuha shot a glance at the two of them. "Hey, Kanae. How long are you two gonna flirt? We're starting the stream." "I'm not flirting! Shion was nervous, so I was just talking to her!" "Oh, is that so. How nice that you two get along." Kuzuha's voice was strangely sharp. Kanae tried to retort, but just then, the studio door opened. "My, everyone's already here. Right on time." It was Kagurazaka Rei. President of Verdure Agency. A woman in her forties, but with sharp eyes that betrayed no sense of age. Just her entering the room tightened the atmosphere. "I'm expecting great things from today's collab stream. Lumina-chan, Shion-chan, this is your first stream from the ChroNoir studio, right? Relax and be yourselves." "Yes, President. I'll do my best not to drag my senpais down." "I'll also give it my all." Hearing their replies, Kagurazaka nodded with satisfaction. "Then, go ahead and start. I'll be watching the numbers from the office." With that, Kagurazaka left the studio. "...The numbers, huh." Kuzuha muttered quietly. Kanae glanced at Kuzuha's profile. (Kuzuha's been in a bad mood since yesterday.) He thought it, but didn't say it aloud. --- The stream began. "ChroNoir × Lumina × Shion Special Collab Stream!" The moment the title appeared, the comment section exploded. [They're heeeere!] [Been waiting for this!] [Four people is way too luxurious] [Bloodbath confirmed lol] [I wanna know who sits between Kanae and Kuzuha] "Everyone, sorry for the wait! Today's special! We've got two newcomers joining the collab!" Kuzuha raised his voice in his usual manner. Stream-mode Kuzuha was assertive and bold. As if his earlier bad mood had been a lie, he acted cheerful. "Yeah, that's how it is. Today the four of us are doing a game stream, so stick around till the end." Kanae also gave a light wave toward the camera. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lumina. Today, I'll be streaming next to Kuzuha-senpai. I'm so looking forward to it." Lumina wrapped her arm around Kuzuha's. "Hey, don't cling to me! Get off!" "I refuse. Today is my premium seat, after all." The comment section accelerated further. [Lumina-chan is way too bold lol] [Is Kuzuha blushing?] [This is getting interesting] "Nice to meet you, I'm Shion. I'm Kanae-kun's childhood friend, and I cook for him every day. Please take care of me today." Shion bowed politely toward the camera. [Childhood friend!?] [She cooks for him every day!?] [That's basically a wife already?] [Kanae, what's going on!?] The comment section boiled over even more. "...No, it's true we're childhood friends, but 'every day' is an exaggeration. It's about three times a week." "My, Kanae-kun. Last week I went five times. Weren't you counting?" "...Seriously? I wasn't counting." [He wasn't counting] [Shion-chan is too devoted] [This is a full-on love triangle now] "Oh, five times, huh. How close you two are." Kuzuha said in a low voice. "...What's with that tone?" "Nothing. I just stated a fact." The atmosphere of the stream grew heavy for a moment. [Huh? Did the mood change?] [Is Kuzuha in a bad mood?] [Is this also part of the show?] [Too much bloodbath lol] "Come on, let's start the game! I've never played this one before. Kuzuha-senpai, please teach me." Lumina raised her voice cheerfully. "...Can you even play games? You've been holding the controller backwards this whole time." "My, you're right. It was backwards. Teehee." "Don't 'teehee' me! Fix it!" Kuzuha snatched the controller from Lumina's hands and turned it the right way. "Senpai, you're so kind. Fixing it for me." "Of course I am! Otherwise the game won't start!" [Kuzuha's tsundere mode activated lol] [I love how he's kind but can't be honest] [Lumina-chan is a strategist] The viewer count hit an all-time high fifteen minutes in. Two hundred eighty thousand concurrent. Seeing the number, Kanae's hand stopped for a moment. (Two hundred eighty thousand...) The previous record was two hundred twenty thousand. And today it had been easily surpassed. (The effect of Lumina and Shion, huh.) What Kagurazaka had said crossed his mind. "Lumina-chan's streaming effect is proven by the data. The new registrations that day were thirty thousand." (So the president was aiming for this.) Kanae gripped his controller again. The game began. A party-based action game where four players cooperate to defeat enemies. Kanae and Kuzuha, with their perfectly synchronized teamwork, mowed down enemies one after another. "Come on, come on! Let's keep going!" "Coming from the right. Kuzuha, take the left." "Leave it to me!" Their combination was flawless. [Still perfectly in sync] [These two's coordination is really amazing] [ChroNoir really is these two] "Senpai, I want to fight too. Please teach me how." Lumina brought her face close to Kuzuha's ear. "Huh? Now's not the time for that—hey, you're close! Too close!" "But I can't figure it out unless you teach me. Please, senpai." Lumina's lips drew close enough to almost touch Kuzuha's ear. "Senpai, show me more of your darkness. I want to know more about you." Kuzuha's hand stopped dead. The character on the monitor took an enemy attack and was sent flying. "Hey, Kuzuha, what's wrong!" Kanae called out. "...It's nothing." Kuzuha answered in a low voice. [Huh? What happened?] [Did Kuzuha mess up?] [Did Lumina-chan whisper something?] "Kanae-kun, I want you to teach me too. I don't really understand the controls." This time, Shion touched Kanae's arm. "Ah, sure. The button layout is here—wait, Shion, your hand's close." "Hm? Is it? I'm always this close, though. Even when I'm cooking at your place, Kanae-kun." "No, we're streaming right now—actually, were you always that close?" "I was. You just never noticed. Hey, Kanae-kun, was last night's dinner good? I'll make it again." Shion's voice was picked up clearly by the camera's mic. [She cooked for him last night too!?] [Is Kanae living with Shion-chan?] [No, this is already...] The viewer count spiked again. [Bloodbath lololol] [Is ChroNoir collapsing?] [Kanae, which one will you choose?] [Kuzuha's face is scary] The comment section was no longer about the game at all. "...Kanae, you had Shion-san cook for you last night too, huh. How close you two are." Kuzuha's voice had clearly turned cold. "I keep telling you, we're childhood friends. She just made me dinner like normal." "Normal, huh. A childhood friend who comes over almost every day and cooks you dinner is normal?" "Why do I have to hear that from you? You're the one who had Lumina-chan all over you, and you didn't seem to mind at all." "Hah!? How did that look like I didn't mind?! Are your eyes rotten?!" "They're not rotten! You had her whispering in your ear and your face was bright red!" "I wasn't red! You're the one who had Shion-san holding your hand, grinning like an idiot!" "She wasn't holding it! She was just touching it!" "Just touching it, what does that even mean?! That's even more suspicious!" [They started fighting lol] [Do they realize this is a live stream?] [A complete m

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Episode 4

Name: ChroNoir: The Two Who Won't Be Dyed Black
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