Mahina changed into her regular clothes, carefully carrying a small cake box decorated with a pattern, and pushed open the café door, planning to head home.
“Whew!”
After stepping outside, the evening breeze swept past with a cool, damp touch, tousling her hair.
“Good thing the wind isn’t too strong.”
Mahina instinctively raised her hand to tuck the strands behind her ear, only then remembering she had deliberately applied a light pink tint to her lips today.
“It looks like it’s going to rain. I’d better hurry home.”
Mahina muttered to herself, her steps light and her heart carrying a hint of anticipation.
But she didn’t notice the several unfriendly gazes behind her.
Following the familiar route all the way to the alley entrance, nothing happened along the way, but Mahina couldn’t shake the feeling that something was following her.
She turned to look back, but there was nothing there.
When she reached the old apartment building, Mahina let out a sigh of relief.
After getting home, Mahina closed the door behind her, set the small cloth bag by the table, and eagerly tore open the cake box.
The cake was bought with the wages she’d earned over the past two days.
A tiny slice.
On top was a layer of cream, and the fruit was sweet strawberries.
Staring at the lonely cake, Mahina couldn’t help but wish Lorevil would suddenly appear and share it with her.
But that wasn’t realistic—Lorevil was busy.
Besides, Lorevil had academy classes today, and it wasn’t Saturday or Sunday, so there was simply no time to spare.
Just then, the light in the room flickered with a crackle.
Mahina flinched, her shoulders trembling from the scare, and only relaxed after glancing over.
“The light’s broken again… I’ve been too busy to remember to fix it.”
The girl lit a thin candle, and a faint glow filled the room, illuminating her serious profile.
She pressed her palms together and made a wish.
She had three wishes.
The first was that her deceased parents’ souls would rest in peace.
The second was that the Lorevil she adored would stay safe and smooth in her path, growing stronger in skill.
The third was that she could save up money properly, buy a house sooner rather than later, and decorate it together with Lorevil, building a little home of their own.
After her parents passed away, Mahina had become completely alone.
If it weren’t for Lorevil’s help, she would have long since been unable to keep going.
Mahina was deeply grateful to Lorevil, so after finishing her wishes, she was about to carefully blow out the candle to let them take effect.
Suddenly—
“Bam! Bam! Bam!”
The wooden door of the room shook violently from the pounding outside, letting out a sharp noise.
Mahina, disturbed, furrowed her brow and timidly walked to the door, an inexplicable unease stirring in her heart.
Peering through the peephole, her face turned deathly pale.
It was a thuggish vampire in a flashy shirt, smiling with ill intent.
“They must have spotted me when I left and followed me all the way home.”
Fear gripped Mahina’s heart, and she felt flustered, her hands and feet going cold.
She recalled that the lock on this door had been accidentally slammed by the neighboring tenant before, and it might be on the verge of breaking—easy for these thuggish vampires to bust through.
At that thought, Mahina immediately shoved the room’s only wooden table against the door, then moved the small lit candle cake to the corner nearby.
“Open the door. Stop hiding in there.”
Maybe hearing the commotion inside, filthy words came from outside the door.
“I saw you come in. Open up and let me sit for a bit. Don’t be so clueless.”
Mahina bit her lower lip, trembling with pain.
She had no chance against these thugs in a fight.
Her only hope was to wait for the landlady to come back.
The landlady usually made rounds to check if the tenants needed any help. Once, when Mahina had come back late, she’d even waited specifically for her.
“What’s all the racket? It’s late—can’t people get some rest?”
Just then, the door across the hall clicked open, and an annoyed man’s voice rang out.
Hearing the voice, Mahina thought she was saved and nearly wept with joy.
But the next second, the girl’s blood froze solid, bit by bit.
Seeing the vampire thugs outside, the man’s expression shifted, and from inside his room came the complaints and crying of his wife and kids:
“Are you done dealing with that? Come back and eat.”
“Got it.”
The man slammed his door shut without hesitation.
He wasn’t hostile—he just didn’t want to invite trouble.
He had a family to take care of, so she could only fend for herself.
As the dull thud of the door closing faded, Mahina’s last hope died with it.
Her legs gave way, and she slid down the door panel to the floor.
Salty, bitter tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her pretty face.
The girl hugged the old scissors her mother had left behind, curling up and shivering uncontrollably.
Today was her birthday, and also the anniversary of her mother’s death.
She hadn’t wanted to bother Lorevil, so she hadn’t gone to find her.
She’d only planned to quietly get through the day, eat a small slice of cake at night, and make a few simple wishes.
But she never expected misfortune to come knocking on her door.
Now, her only remaining hope was the landlady.
Yet that illusion shattered the very next moment—
“Crack!“
A sound she dreaded hearing rang out.
The wooden door was hacked open with a slit by a sharp tool, wood splinters flying everywhere and landing in the girl’s hair.
“No, I have to hold out until the landlady can make it here. Please…”
Mahina stared at the crack, gritting her silver teeth, throwing all her strength into the table.
But compared to the burly, strong-built thug, her frail frame stood no chance in sheer physical strength.
“Creak, creak!”
The strained sound from the joint between the table leg and the door frame made Mahina’s heart pound with terror.
She closed her eyes, realizing it was only a matter of time before the door broke through.
If this were a nightmare, please let her wake up soon.
Mahina prayed silently.
But reality was—
“BAM!“
With a thunderous crash, the wooden door was slammed open, the immense force sending the wooden table toppling over with a loud bang.
Mahina was flung away, her back slamming hard against the wall.
Agony wracked her entire body, and her vision went black.
“Cough, cough…”
She struggled to get up, coughing violently, a sweet, coppery taste rising to her lips.
“Tch… What a pain. So you’re not dead yet. This dump’s falling apart, and there’s no money in it—what a waste of time. If the higher-ups hadn’t given me a quota to hit, I wouldn’t even bother.”
The bald thug, reeking of alcohol, swept his eyes over the room and scowled in disgust.
The harsh words made Mahina tremble all over, her blood running cold as she clutched the old scissors like a lifeline.
Seeing this, the bald thug seemed to think of something and burst out laughing:
“Hahaha! Useless! In our gang, you’d have been weeded out long ago. Pathetic, just like a coward!”
With that, he kicked the barricade aside, the dim yellow light swaying wildly, casting twisted shadows.
Maybe not satisfied yet, the bald thug’s gaze landed on Mahina, crumpled on the floor, and he spoke like a demon:
“Miss Mahina, long time no see. Remember the blood slave workshop?”