The Vampire Genius of Academy City

Sometimes in life, we face unavoidable crises.

These crises might be overcome with abilities accumulated throughout life, or they might be natural disasters beyond one's control.

Unavoidable crises always feel unfair to people, but in the former case, we can say, "It's somewhat better."

The former case is at least a problem that can be overcome by one's own hands, making it relatively better than the latter case, in which one is helplessly swept away.

"......"

The sudden reason I'm presenting this theory is because my current situation falls into the latter category.

"This is driving me crazy."

In a dark semi-basement where even sunlight is unwelcome and no light enters,

I looked down at a girl who had fainted and was lying on the bed.

Her pink hair, blooming like cherry blossoms, was spread like thread across the white bed sheet.

The girl's aquamarine eyes were hidden by her eyelids, making it impossible to confirm their shape, but judging from her beautiful appearance that seemed sculpted, one could infer they must be like jewels.

Beyond what I could see with my naked eyes, I also knew this girl's name and identity.

Han Cheong-ah, 17 years old.

Student of Class 1-A at Cuvette Special High School for Ability Users.

Not particularly bright but a hard worker with middle-ranking grades.

Her manner of speech is always serious, but she often commits eccentric, fourth-dimensional acts, giving her a puppy-like gap that contrasts with her impression of being a cold beauty.

The reason I know Han Cheong-ah's information by heart like a stalker is simple.

She was the title heroine of the visual novel "Red Ark," for which I was the original artist.

It was none other than I who breathed life into her, who was initially conceived in text and characters.

That's why I also knew that the current situation was quite screwed up.

[Time is 22:00. The meeting place is the usual dock. Bring the superhuman safely as promised.]

The phone placed on the cheap table lit up.

I didn't respond to the message and just quietly looked down at Han Cheong-ah.

With complicated feelings, I unconsciously looked at the mirror.

The mirror didn't reflect my familiar appearance but rather the image of a cheap villain character destined to die in the prologue.

The villain's name was Baek Do-hyun.

A vampire hiding in this huge academy city, an extra villain who would be caught while transporting the kidnapped Han Cheong-ah and ultimately meet his fate with a pierced heart.

It seemed I had transmigrated into a vampire who was about to die.

***

Red Ark is a game that a friend and I created together.

The game is set in a world where superhumans, monsters called "Dimensional Species," and entities called "Ghosts" are in conflict. It's a visual novel with a "light novel" feel popular in Japan in the early 2000s, where the protagonist overcomes crises happening in an academy city called "Ark."

As a co-developer of Red Ark, if I were to evaluate the game:

It has chunnibyou settings that you would see in light novels from the early to mid-2000s, and three charming heroines who like the protagonist.

In short, Red Ark is a typical dating sim featuring a seemingly powerless protagonist who secretly hides his strength as a joker, surrounded by a dark story.

My friend handled most of the work for Red Ark—scenario, direction, graphics, script, programming, music, etc.—while I only handled character design and illustrations, so my position as a co-developer was somewhat ambiguous.

But since my activity name was prominently displayed alongside my friend's real name in the development team title, I suppose it's fine to call myself a co-developer.

Anyway, we made the game because my friend once suggested to me, "Let's make a dating sim with the feel of light novels from the early 2000s!"

Since I was just a free illustrator (unemployed) who only uploaded drawings to Patreon and Fanbox, there was no reason to refuse my friend's interesting proposal.

And so we began developing the game.

My role in game development was the artwork.

Drawing character CGs and illustrations for scenes that needed emphasis.

I was worried whether I, who had only uploaded female character adult content on drawing submission sites, could properly illustrate various scenes needed for the game, but...

Fortunately, creating work other than adult content for the first time was enjoyable, and my friend's response was good, so I remember drawing with pleasure.

Like the artwork, the rest of the development also progressed smoothly.

My friend and I were able to complete the game in about half a year after starting development.

After promising my friend to have a beer together while watching the game launch tomorrow, I had closed my eyes, but...

When I woke from a deep sleep, I somehow became a character in Red Ark.

In front of my eyes was the beautiful girl I had drawn, collapsed in a faint, and I had become the villain who had knocked her unconscious and kidnapped her.

"......"

Anyone would see it as unrealistic, but I had already absorbed too much information to dismiss it as a dream.

My five senses—sight, smell, hearing, and so on—desperately told me this was reality, not a dream.

So, what do I do now?

The denial of reality reached a somewhat concluding stage after thirty minutes of being aware of my transmigration.

Whether I liked it or not, I had to decide my next "action" as if this were reality, and postponement was not allowed, given the situation.

The current time was 21:30.

As the co-developer of Red Ark who roughly knew the original content, I was aware that my fate would be determined in 30 minutes.

The character I'm currently possessing, Baek Do-hyun, is an extra minor character belonging to an evil organization called the "21st Century Secret Society."

He's a device that gets consumed to signal the beginning of the story. He kidnaps the title heroine, Han Cheong-ah, and is discovered by the protagonist while transporting her to the meeting place, thus entangling him in the incident.

According to the original story, 30 minutes from now, the villain Baek Do-hyun, whom I've possessed, will be discovered by the protagonist Kim Si-hoo while heading to the dock with the unconscious Han Cheong-ah.

After easily subduing Kim Si-hoo and attempting to kill him while showing off the vampire's power, he is suddenly killed by a heroine named "Yu Byeol-ha."

He's an extra villain who meets a modest end and doesn't appear in Red Ark anymore after that.

"Haah..."

I let out a small sigh.

They say even if you enter a tiger's den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.

Since childhood, I have been abnormally quick to adapt to situations.

When my family went bankrupt, when my parents divorced, when the cryptocurrency I invested in plummeted, rather than despairing and lamenting my situation, I chose to improve it.

It was the same now.

Even if the current situation was a natural disaster beyond my control, fleeing to a shelter was my responsibility.

I took a deep breath and clenched my fist.

Alright, I had to survive somehow.

Even for an extra villain who exits in the prologue, there must be various ways to survive.

So, I decided to act on a thought that came to me on the spot.

Unlike the original Baek Do-hyun, I shook the unconscious Han Cheong-ah's shoulder to wake her up.

"......"

After a moment, she opened her eyes on the bed.

She seemed quite perplexed by the current situation, looking around the dark semi-basement with unfocused eyes before finally looking at me.

I smiled reassuringly at her and opened my mouth.

"Don't worry. I'm your kidnapper."