What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?.

Iver tilted his head, blinked his large red eyes, and gave me an innocent look of confusion.

"No, we don't look that different from each other..." Ash, who was ten times her age, shook his head sheepishly. "Besides, she's only 24, she's not old at all..."

"How could that be! Normal teenagers should be married by now, and you are indeed younger."

"...Never mind." He didn't want to argue about medieval ideas, so he just stared at the vampire loli in front of him with a headache expression: "I won't comment on your taste in bedding, but why did you come in here too?"

"What are you talking about? Didn't we agree last time that I would follow the customs of your hometown and warm your bed when we met again?"

As she spoke, Iverai quickly slipped into bed, then rested her chin on her hand, lay on her side, and patted the empty space next to her. Her face was slightly flushed with shyness as she urged, "Hurry up and get in, I'm all warm now."

Chapter Thirty-One: A Unique Bed Warmer, A Sincere Vampire, and the Strongest Enemy?

Delicious... no, it's a pretty blonde loli sitting on her bed, patting the sheets happily with her little hands, urging her on eagerly.

That appearance, in every sense, is enough to stir the heart.

If it were someone with a unique orientation, they probably wouldn't have been able to suppress their inner impulses.

However, Ash was different because... he felt that the scene in front of him was strangely familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that what the other party was doing was exactly the same as his own behavior in the past.

Recalling those jokes he'd made to Ivy, only to firmly refuse, now that she'd actually made them a reality, Ash was honestly a little scared, and even subconsciously took two steps back.

"You..."

"Don't be shy, come on up!"

"no....."

"It's nothing~ I'm just warming your bed, I definitely won't do anything weird!"

Iveria continued to urge him on enthusiastically, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry, her cheeks flushed.

Her face looked especially delicate even in the dim light.

Ah, that sounds just like what I said! But what did I end up doing? Oh well, it's better not to think about it—although I was shamefully tempted, my actions after making that promise made Ash really not want to go up there.

If he goes up there and Iveria acts recklessly, it will make him feel like he's fallen into his own trap.

Seeing Ash standing motionless, Iveriai playfully rolled around on the bed, showing off its spaciousness, and added:

"Look, this bed is so big. I've already warmed up a large part of it for you. Don't let my good intentions as your senior go to waste."

"No... Iver, thinking about it carefully, this doesn't seem right, does it?" Ash rubbed his throbbing temples with a strange expression. "If I remember correctly, you're a vampire, an undead, so you shouldn't have body temperature, right?"

“Who says you can’t warm a bed if you don’t have body heat?” Iver’s natural rebuttal left Ash dumbfounded: “…Wait, do you want to listen to what you’re saying?”

"Don't underestimate humans! Didn't you say that yourself?"

"I said it! But you're a vampire!"

"I've said it before, I was a human being too, isn't that enough? Hard work always pays off, and nothing is impossible in this world."

"That's true! That's true! But..."

What's going on? What's wrong with my mood right now? I always thought what I said was ridiculous, but how did this guy manage to say something even more ridiculous than mine? And he's been using this method against me all along? Is he planning to hold onto this weakness and use it against me for the rest of my life? — His own nonsense is now being used against him by someone else, leaving him completely bewildered and speechless.

But the girl on the bed sat up, hugged her knees, rested her chin on her knees, and stared unblinkingly at Ash, saying in a childish voice with a hint of regret:

"What do you mean, 'but'? Ash, you don't even believe what you said anymore? You're the one who made me believe in the possibilities of humanity, right? If that's the case, then believe me."

"You..."

What to do? This is completely inexplicable? How did we end up back on this topic again? He was speechless, realizing that his explanations were utterly ineffective against Iverie.

Just as he was at his wit's end, the other person patted the empty seat next to him again:

"Seeing is believing. How will you know if it's real or fake if you don't try it? At least touch it first and see what happens, right?"

"...Okay, then I'll confirm it..."

Feeling that this was going to go on forever, he could only hesitantly step forward, reach out and touch the bed sheet, preparing to let the facts speak for themselves.

Almost naturally, it was chilly inside, offering absolutely no warmth.

But before he could say anything, he suddenly felt a tremendous force coming from the side.

Of course... this immense strength is for ordinary people, but he was playing the role of an ordinary person in front of Iveria before. It would be rather awkward if he were to display strength beyond that of an ordinary person now.

So he was forced to play the role of an ordinary person.

..............................

Forced to play the role of an ordinary person, Ash was caught off guard when he was betrayed by what felt like a comrade's betrayal. Unable to resist the vampire loli's immense strength, he instantly lost his balance.

In a dizzying moment, he fell backward onto the soft yet cold red bedding, his face filled with surprise and bewilderment.

Iverai had somehow straddled his waist, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, a sly and triumphant smile on her face, her large, crimson eyes gleaming strangely in the dim light.

"Humans are so weak, so we have to be careful of monsters that aren't human. Even though vampires aren't known for their physical strength, they're still much stronger than humans. Ash, consider this a lesson learned today?"

"...What happened to the promised bed warming?"

"Think about it carefully, warming the bed doesn't necessarily mean making the bed warm. If you smell carefully, can you also discover something?"

Iver, who was lying on top of him, looked at him smugly, like a child showing off a new toy.

Ash glanced around, not noticing anything else strange; the bedding was still ice-cold, but...

"...It smells nice..."

"Does this make you feel warmer?"

"...What kind of person do you take me for?"

The faint fragrance lingering on the bed was exactly the same as the loli on his body, but he couldn't admit that the fragrance made him hot, otherwise... what would that mean?

"Don't be shy~" Iveria blinked, seemingly enjoying Ash's slightly embarrassed look: "This is my own scent! How about it, do you like it?"

"...Compared to this."

"What?" Iver tilted her head curiously, her innocent appearance seemingly not understanding what Ash was trying to say, but the mischievous glint in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

But Ash didn't give her another chance. He suddenly exerted his strength, flipped over to the side, and skillfully grabbed the vampire loli's small hand on his body, and pulled her away suddenly.

Caught off guard, Iverie lost control of her position, which had been straddling his waist, and fell to the side.

Before she could even gasp, Ash stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace, gently placing her on the bed and turning her into his pillow.

Completely unprepared for Ash's move, Iveriai froze for a moment, then a shy blush spread across her cheeks:

"What...what are you doing?"

"What if I said I prefer normal temperature to fragrance?"

“…I don’t have that kind of thing…” Upon hearing this, Ivel’s lips pursed, looking somewhat aggrieved.

Ash, however, just smiled helplessly, reached out and pinched her cheek, and said with a laugh, "Okay, okay, I'm not teasing you anymore, I was just joking."

"....real?"

"Well...it tastes good, I think it's alright?" He lowered his head, his nose brushing against the blonde hair of the little girl in his arms.

A rather unique cool fragrance, mixed with a faint sweet scent from the bedding, creates an indescribable, subtle experience as breaths intertwine.

This immediately brought a smile back to Iver's face, who had been somewhat worried: "My 'bed warming' service is indeed quite good, isn't it?"

"...Let's put that aside for now, but you said at the beginning that you wouldn't do anything strange, so what's going on now?"

Although the situation has reversed, and the once-powerful vampire has become a docile cushion, Ash still pinches Iver's face and pretends to be serious as he questions her.

From a positional standpoint, he clearly had the upper hand, but morally, Iverai felt very wrong, and he lowered his head in embarrassment, muttering softly, "Even so... I'm trying my best to endure it."

"...I feel like I've heard that phrase somewhere before?"

　 "—Is it that Holy Princess?!"

He had barely muttered a word when Iverai excitedly raised his head, pointing the finger at the person in the next room: "I knew it, that woman had ill intentions!"

"...You're just as bad, you have absolutely no right to talk about Miss Karko, do you?"

Since he was the one who said those words, Ash, feeling insulted, couldn't help but complain.

“It’s different! I really won’t do anything weird—at least not now.”

"I have a feeling that my situation is quite dangerous right now."

"Really! Trust me! I absolutely won't do anything weird before you agree! And I'm scared to sleep alone in a strange place, you wouldn't be so cruel as to kick me out, right?"

His simple teasing remark made Iveria nervously grab his collar with both small hands, her crimson eyes fixed on him: "And... while other things are hard to say, I'm serious about this, please believe me, because... because! I really like you!"

"This... is really sudden?" Ash was taken aback by the abrupt remark, and his grip on her loosened slightly.

"No, that's not true! I know you might be surprised right now, and you might think I'm a bit of a shock, but when you were protecting me, I've always... always liked you a lot!"

Iver looked at him with red, swollen eyes, barely suppressing her shame. She wrapped her arms tightly around Ash, as if afraid he would run away.

She knew this was the perfect moment, because after knowing each other for so long, this was the first time Ash had been so proactive. If she didn't strike while the iron was hot, she would definitely cry if she missed this opportunity.

..............................

The girl's face was flushed, and her crimson eyes seemed to hold an indescribable heat, making one feel as if they were about to be burned.

Even Ash seemed a little lost, gently patting her hair: "Um... I'm so happy, aren't I?"

"Really? -- So you like me too?!" Instantly, a huge smile appeared on Iver's face.

This made him realize something was wrong, and he quickly said, "No... I'm happy, but normally it takes time to like someone, right? Although I do think you're very cute, isn't this a bit too fast?"

"It's okay~! Feelings can be cultivated slowly later! Anyway... how about a kiss first? Hey? Is that okay? You said it yourself, even vampires are okay, that's definitely not a lie, right?"

Iver became excited and spoke very quickly, like a machine gun. As she spoke, she pouted her pink lips and leaned closer to Ash.

Their eagerness seemed to be an expression of wanting to release all their emotions in this moment.

This gave Ash a real headache. He never expected that Iverie, who was so small, would have such an impatient personality.

I was just wondering how to respond to her sudden confession, and now she's asking for a kiss?

"No...no matter what, isn't this a bit too hasty?" Ash said, trying to shrink his head back, but found that Iveria was holding him tightly, and a normal human could not move at all.

"What's wrong with that~" Iver pouted, shaking Ash with a dissatisfied look: "You just touched my hair and said you were happy! Now you can't even give me a kiss? Are you lying to me?"

As she spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry. Combined with her tender and cute face, even though Ash felt he hadn't done anything wrong, he still felt a strange sense of guilt.

"No... How could I possibly lie..."