Chapter 29: How the Brain Works
Chapter 29: How the Brain Works
After leaving the underground training ground, Kanzaki Rin took Fang Cheng to a grilled meat restaurant as promised, letting him eat his fill.
Fang Cheng ordered a full table without hesitation, then noticed Kanzaki Rin discreetly clutching her wallet with a pained expression.
After a moment’s thought, Fang Cheng quietly returned a plate of sweet-and-sour cucumbers.
Then he ordered three extra servings of grilled meat.
Her money troubles were none of his business.
After the meal, Kanzaki Rin drove Fang Cheng home.
Halfway there, she abruptly said, “Masumi’s actually a good person. I hope you two won’t clash.”
Fang Cheng propped his chin on one hand, gazing out the window.
Her words reminded him of Takeda Masumi’s post-shower “harassment” at the training ground earlier.
He snorted. “She’s nice to _you_, sure. Not so much to me.”
Takeda Masumi hadn’t suddenly developed a crush.
If Fang Cheng guessed right, she’d tried seducing him to test his character—vetting him for Kanzaki Rin.
She’d also misunderstood their relationship. He and Rin were merely allies of shared interests who otherwise grated on each other’s nerves.
Kanzaki Rin didn’t argue. After a pause, she continued, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll help me track other vampires.”
Fang Cheng turned. “This soon?”
“Yes. I’d planned more equipment purchases, but your training progress makes delay unnecessary.”
“What about school? I’ve missed three days already.”
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“You’re a vampire. Why obsess over school?”
Kanzaki Rin instinctively glanced at him.
Fang Cheng nearly vaulted from his seat. “Eyes on the road! Why’re you looking at me? DRIVE!”
Kanzaki Rin calmly refocused, swerving around an oncoming truck before merging into traffic.
Her relaxed demeanor starkly contrasted Fang Cheng’s white-knuckled grip on his seat.
“You still haven’t answered. Why care about school?”
Fang Cheng exhaled slowly, unclenching his hands. “If I lose my powers someday, I’ll need a diploma to find work. Rich kids like you wouldn’t get it.”
Kanzaki Rin stayed silent until finally murmuring, “Who lives without troubles?”
Her near-whisper would’ve been inaudible to normal ears. It sounded less like a reply than a private thought.
After dropping him off, Kanzaki Rin drove away, pausing to say, “I’ll handle school. You’ll graduate. Focus on our mission now.”
“Since you helped me, I won’t report your power abuse.”
“Hmph.”
Fang Cheng watched the disappearing taillights, suddenly realizing Kanzaki Rin carried her own hidden stories.
Though underage, she seemed to have weathered life’s hardships already – her mature thinking and polished social skills left no generation gap between her and Fang Cheng, the seasoned veteran.
Yet she lacked the youthful vigor typical of girls her age.
Girls should be more lively to be cute, he mused.
Returning home, Fang Cheng completed his three-hour daily exercise to gain 1 Stamina point, then opened his computer to study vampire documents.
For three days, he’d been memorizing every detail about vampires whenever he returned home.
These creatures would be his mortal enemies – no caution could be excessive.
Mid-study, Asaka Akihime sent numerous class notes through LINE.
Since learning Fang Cheng couldn’t attend school temporarily, she’d been sending meticulously organized classroom summaries every night.
Had she not explicitly rejected him earlier, even Fang Cheng might’ve mistaken her kindness for secret love – such dedication seemed extraordinary.
Though “nice people” often annoyed him, Asaka Akihime proved genuinely gentle.
Fang Cheng refrained from cheeky comments, quietly saving the tens of thousands of words she’d compiled over three days.
…
Dawn’s first light found Kanzaki Rin ringing his doorbell with pig’s blood in hand.
And vermicelli.
Clearly preferring pig’s blood stew over yesterday’s poorly-cleaned intestines.
Post-breakfast, their inaugural vampire hunt commenced.
Buckling up in the passenger seat, Fang Cheng asked, “Where in scorching Tokyo are we searching?”
“Scorching?”
“Passionately fiery.”
Ignoring his quip, Kanzaki Rin threw him a Tokyo metropolitan map before accelerating sharply.
Fang Cheng steadied himself against the sudden momentum, examining the route circling Tokyo from Edogawa Ward.
“These areas have frequent missing persons and mummified corpses,” Kanzaki Rin explained while driving. “Vampiric activity’s certain.”
Fang Cheng lowered the map. “Such vast territory. How will we pinpoint anything?”
Kanzaki Rin smirked. “Your nose, obviously. Hope your Advanced Smell outdoes a hound’s.”
Unfazed, Fang Cheng sniffed theatrically. “Did you fart in here earlier?”
Kanzaki Rin’s stony expression confirmed his corpse-acquired skill’s effectiveness.
“Analyzing your gas composition, last night you ate–”
“Enough!”
She refused to discuss flatulence chemistry.
Speeding through morning traffic, they reached Edogawa by noon. Without pause, they entered a shabby apartment complex where mummies had been found.
Kanzaki Rin slowed the car as Fang Cheng rolled down his window, his enhanced nostrils flaring.
Records stated higher vampires had keener smell. Ordinary ones detected scents within 500 meters. Fang Cheng’s corpse-derived power granted kilometer-range detection – enough to blanket multiple housing blocks.
The car snaked through narrow alleys while Fang Cheng filtered odors: perfume, gasoline, sweat, trash… then–
“Stop!”
Brakes screeched. “Found something?” Kanzaki Rin’s voice tightened with unexpected hope.
Fang Cheng wordlessly exited. She grabbed equipment and followed, eyes darting warily.
They pushed through crowds to a street stall.
“Five squid skewers, takoyaki, udon please,” Fang Cheng ordered, settling at the counter.
Kanzaki Rin stared dumbfounded. She desperately wanted to stun-gun his head – how could he eat now?
The owner gaped at her beauty.
“What’re you staring at?” she snapped, fury finding outlet.
“Same order for me.”