A vampire I'm acquainted with moved into my neighborhood recently.
Bottled blood isn't that bad once you get used to it.
I'd prefer to suck it out of a young girl, though.
Ellie, have you ever considered that it's rude to empty out
Smooth O Rich AB Light A
someone's fridge like this?
You're right.
I need to stop being a burden to you.
Tasty B
I mean, I don't mind, as long as it's not all the time...
All right, then I'm going to go out hunting!
Wait.
Why?
You've been asleep for a hundred years.
I'm worried that you might not be ready for the present.
Episode 5
Vampire Cooking
It'll be fine.
I won't overdo it.
This is a peaceful city.
If someone started biting people, it would be a huge deal.
I'm just going to start ordering enough blood for you online, too.
You can buy it with that?
Yeah.
But then all the fun of finding just the right girl is gone.
Depending on my mood, I choose based on the color of their hair,
or the color of their skin, or their personality...
You can pick your favorites when shopping online, too.
But those aren't cute.
Grumpy
I'll just pick something for you, then.
Do you have any preference for a certain blood type or flavor?
What's most important is the face!
Then how about this "Beauty's Blood"?
Beauty's Blood
We've taken special care to control the diet and sleep schedule of the most beautiful people for several months before using a specially developed extraction method to maintain the highest quality. Then, we deliver each bottle to you using state of the art temperature control!!
That exists?
You can buy pretty much anything online.
There's no need to go out in the middle of the day.
If you need anything, I can just order it together with my stuff.
That reminds me. It's convenient to have a fridge to keep
the blood cool, and a microwave to heat it up in.
Sophie...
You're being so nice. Thank you.
Having you cause a scene in the neighborhood
or turn into ash is just that much worse.
Oh, this "Innocent Idol" flavor sounds really good!
Utterly Lacks Self-Awareness
What?! The stuff you ordered yesterday is already here?
That really is convenient.
What a great age!
I'm happy for you!
Seeing how simple it is makes me want to shop more and more!
I'd like to buy a TV, and I'd like to try one of those mobile phones.
Maybe I'll learn how to use a computer, too.
I did make a mess of that before.
Ellie-chan's becoming a true child of this age.
If she keeps going like this, she might actually pull it off.
What's wrong?
Is this enough to pay for it, or do I need more?
Maybe you should get a sense of how money works
before you move on to computers.
Hinata's here.
Heya!
So that's Sophie's friend?
Yeah, this is Ellie-chan.
She's a vampire, just like Sophie-chan.
I'm Natsuki Hinata. It's nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
This girl looks pretty tasty. Seems like the healthy type.
Stop looking at my friends like that.
Thanks for having me.
We're having a slumber party tonight.
Want to join, Ellie-chan?
We'll stay up late watching movies and chatting.
That sounds like fun.
I think she'll get along just fine with them.
It's Ellie-chan, huh?
I love children!
There, there.
You're so adorable.
And so small, you could be our little sister!
Who are you calling a child?
I'm over 450 years old!
R-Really? I thought you were younger than Sophie.
What was that?
You think you can say whatever you want just because you've got boobs?!
So impertinent!
S-S-Stop it!
What did you do to get them this big?
I didn't get this big because I wanted to!
How do you like this?! And this! And this! And this!
She made her cry.
You didn't have to make her cry.
Go apologize to Hinata.
I'm not crying.
Excuse me?! She was rude to me first!
But there was no reason to get that mad!
Only children get this mad about being called a child!
What did you say?!
Now, now...
Hinata-chan, why don't you apologize to Ellie-chan?
She didn't mean to hurt you, so you can still make up.
But...
I'm going home!
Hinata-chan!
Hinata-chan...
Whatever.
Hinata-chan...
She was looking forward to us all hanging out together.
I don't care.
Ellie, you're not a child, you know.
I guess we have no choice.
We shouldn't make a young girl walk around alone at this hour.
We're going after her.
Ellie-chan!
Hurry up or I'm leaving you behind.
Sure!
I don't see her anywhere.
That's so strange.
This is the way she would take to walk home.
I was wondering, though, why did you get so upset?
I was pretty surprised.
Back when I was human,
I was really looking forward to becoming a grown-up.
My mother was very beautiful,
and I thought that one day, I'd be like that, too.
But I never had the chance.
Ellie-chan...
Having someone tall with actual breasts treat me like a child
just made me snap.
I see...
If only I could've been a human for four more years...
I bet I would've had a nice body and grown taller, too.
Well, I think you're really cute and wonderful the way you are right now!
You look like a doll!
Y-You think so?
Thank you.
You have very weird taste, though.
Weird?!
Hey, isn't that Hinata?
You're right! It's Hinata-chan!
That girl said she's over 450 years old.
She's spent hundreds of years in the body of a child.
Maybe it's something that really bothers her.
I said something insensitive.
But she said things I'm sensitive about, too.
Natsuki's built like a dude, but she's got pretty big boobs.
She's sensitive about it because her classmates made fun of her in middle school
They don't suit you.
Shut up!
I called her a child, but I guess I'm not any different.
I was too proud to apologize.
Hinata-chan!
Watch out!
Huh?
Looks like I made it.
You're not hurt, are you?
E-Ellie...
Thank goodness!
Wh-Why are you crying?
Hinata's fine.
Th-Thank you.
Why did you help me, though?
I said something awful to you.
Because I'm an adult.
I came to own up to what I did and apologize.
I'm sorry for how I acted earlier.
It wasn't very mature of me.
Besides, having big boobs is a good thing.
It's nothing to be ashamed of.
You might be short, but you're an excellent older sister.
It was wrong of me to treat you like a child.
As long as you get it, that's enough.
You'd better not call me small again, though.
Sorry! Sorry!
Say it once and make it count!
So did they make up?
I wonder...
After that, the four of us had a slumber party.
It looks like Ellie's integrated somehow,
so a peaceful life seems plausible.
Water...
What's that sound?
Oh, it's you, Ellie.
Getting a late-night snack?
No.
It's a monster!
That's not a nice thing to say.
Putting blood on your face is good for your skin.
Is everything okay?
What happened?
Modern people are so skillful!
They can even sleep standing up.
Looks like life's going to be even more rowdy than before.
Sophie, that fridge thing that came to my house doesn't get cold at all.
Did you plug it in?
What do you mean?
Thank you, Sophie!
I'll call you if I need anything else.
Jeez...
She even made me help set up her other appliances.
It takes quite a bit longer for it to get dark now.
I guess it's already that time of year.
Oh, isn't that Mori-san from next door?
Let me help you.
Oh, Sophie-chan. Thank you!
I've gotten so exhausted that I just can't move.
I see.
You can't move?
Excuse me.
Sophie-chan, you're much stronger than you look.
This is normal for a vampire.
My daughter is bringing my grandchild over tomorrow.
That's why I was thinking I'd go shopping and surprise them
with a bunch of special delicious dishes!
Then I ended up buying way too much.
So it makes humans happy when you make them food?
That's right!
Tomorrow, I'm really going all-out.
There's going to be beef stroganoff, a gratin,
roast beef, paella, salt-grilled sea bream,
and ohagi and pie and tarts and bavarois and...
Can they actually eat all that?
This braid looks so cute on you!
I should cook something for Akari, too.
She's always helping me out.
You're being so sweet today. I love it!
She said she was going out tomorrow, so I can wake up early,
and while she's out...
That was close. I almost went back to sleep.
I'll be back soon!
Yes.
I bet she'll be so shocked when she comes home and sees all the food I made.
What's wrong, Akari?
Did you forget something?
No, but you're actually up early today, so maybe I should just cancel my trip.
Today is the last day for this doll exhibit I wanted to see.
But I don't want to be away from you!
Just go already.
And don't come back too early.
You're so cold!
All right.
Thanks for coming over to help me, Hinata.
It sounded like fun.
I appreciate the help.
Unfortunately, I'm not particularly good at cooking,
so I don't know how much help I'll be.
I've only ever made curry and fried rice.
I figured you could help me by telling me what kind of foods
Akari likes and doesn't like.
Well, sure! Ask me anything about Akari!
Her favorite foods, how she picks her utensils, her favorite clothing style,
what kind of underwear she wears, what kind of socks she likes...
Ask me anything!
That sounds promising.
You even know about her underwear and socks, huh?
W-Well, since we're both girls, it's normal to see each other
in underwear when we're changing for PE!
And socks are always in plain sight!
True.
She averted her eyes!
I bought a whole bunch of ingredients online.
Wow, some of this stuff is pretty unusual.
I looked up a lot of things online.
I worked hard on this.
A few of these things aren't even food!
You know, dirt isn't edible.
What on earth are you planning on feeding Akari?
Shock
A long time ago, I read in a book that soil is rich in minerals.
That may be so, but at least around here, we don't eat it.
You even bought these?
I know that humans don't eat nails.
Everyone knows that.
Then why are they here with the ingredients?
The nails are for making stock!
By using the nails to make a soup rich in iron,
you can supply nutrients that many people tend to lack!
Uh, it's going to smell like iron.
A soup that smells like iron...
That sounds good.
Only to vampires.
I see.
Why don't we go shopping, then?
Could you pick out some of Akari's favorite foods?
I'm fine with doing that, but are you?
It's still daytime.
It's fine.
For going to the local supermarket, a parasol is all I need.
You don't look so good.
Don't force yourself.
It's really sunny today.
I'm f-fine.
I just need to rest a bit in the shade and I'll recover, I think.
S-So this is it.
Seriously? From one berry hitting you?
We made it home somehow.
It must be hard for humans, having to shop for different
ingredients every day, then having to prepare them.
You think so?
Isn't it harder to not get sick of drinking blood every day?
I've got type A, type B, low fat...
High in platelets...
Darjeeling flavor...
Burgundy flavor...
Mocha flavor...
Cuvée...
American...
Traditional Chinese medicine blend....
I have so many flavors, I never get sick of it.
They all look the same, though.
Strawberry Daifuku
What's this?
Strawberry daifuku!
Those have been Akari's favorite since forever.
Really?
That means if I put Akari's favorite, these strawberry daifuku,
into humans' favorite rice balls,
it'll create the ultimate delicacy!
Don't!
But combining bread with yakisoba and croquettes is considered good.
Why are strawberry daifuku in rice balls no good?
I can't really explain it. I just know it's wrong!
I see.
Well, here's what I made.
Sophie, this is not food.
So it didn't turn out edible...
This is harder than I thought.
What do you even want to make?
What's your plan?
I was thinking something healthy, something tasty,
and something unusual.
Despite being so vague that you can't even picture it,
you sure have high aspirations.
Making something unique is fine and all,
but it's safer for beginners to make things according to a recipe.
Tasty Recipes
I see.
It's really nice that they put in the exact ingredients and amounts.
Salt...
A little?
As needed?
Skin?
Mushy?
How many grams is "as needed"?
What do they mean by "skin"?
What kind of state is this "mushy" of "boiling until mushy"?
Looks like it's another failure.
Don't be too hard on yourself!
The food we eat is different from yours, and you don't get many opportunities to cook.
You did manage to make rice balls before, right?
Yes.
Cooking rice in a rice cooker, shaping that into forms,
and arranging them on a plate is something I can do.
Then why don't you try to put a spin on something
that you know you can do?
Something I can do?
Yeah!
Japanese Rice
Western Rice
Rice Balls
Rice with Nori
Rice with Egg
Rice Porridge
A Table Full of White Rice
I guess that might not work.
Yeah.
I just wanted to make her something special so she'd be happy.
I never imagined cooking was this hard.
Just make something simple, and don't try so hard. It'll turn out fine.
But...
It'll be fine.
It doesn't have to be a fancy meal.
Just knowing you were thinking of her will be enough to make her happy.
It's so delicious!
Thank you, Sophie-chan!
You're right.
I could always teach you how to make any of the dishes I can make.
Could I ask you to do that?
I'd like to have a soup and a dessert, too.
Your choices are either curry or fried rice.
All you have to do for curry is cut up the ingredients and stew them.
It flew all the way over there?
A-Anyway, the carrots and potatoes are done,
so next is the onion.
Why am I crying?
I'm starting to wonder if she can actually do this...
Okay, everything's in the pot, so now we just...
What if I add some strawberry daifuku as a secret ingredient?
Strawberry Daifuku
Don't try to think outside the box!
Strawberry Daifuku
The last thing is this.
It smells like garlic!
Hey, watch where you point that thing!
Garlic
I guess the ingredients do list garlic.
But if we don't put this in, it won't be curry.
Wait one second.
Put it on low...
Now I'm fine.
Let's continue.
That's not what you wear to make curry!
All right. We added the roux.
Is it curry now?
Not yet.
We only just put it in.
What about now?
Not yet.
Now?
No, not yet.
Why is it taking so long?
I thought we used the roux so it would be done quickly.
Can't you wait ten minutes?!
Minutes
Seconds
Start Stop
Okay, it's done!
Now, put it on the rice.
Now it'll finally be...
There!
It's done!
It looks so... normal, though.
Just be glad it looks normal.
Stop complaining.
I'm home!
Oh, something smells good!
Welcome back.
Akari, I tried to cook something.
Oh, wow, this is amazing!
Sophie-chan really made this for me?
I'm so happy!
I'll treasure this to the end of my days!
Just eat it before it gets cold!
H-How is it?
Delicious!
R-Really?
If it's inedible, you don't have to force yourself.
It's not at all! It really is delicious!
Really?
I'm glad to hear it.
Why are you so far away?
Are you blushing?
Actually, that's the...
Hey, Sophie, that microwave thing is sparking and... uh...
It smells like garlic!
Episode 6
Interview with the Vampire