#Episode 72
Todd let out a series of sighs, shaking his head from side to side.
“But just staying still like this makes me feel stifled and irritated. I get anxious, overthink everything… Is this what resting is supposed to be like? What’s so good about it?”
“…How exactly were you resting?”
“I was lying in bed.”
“Are you tired?”
“No?”
Todd tilted his head in confusion, as if he had no idea what was being asked of him.
His plump, healthy-looking cheeks and his bright, sparkling eyes made him look full of energy, no matter how you saw it.
To drive his point home, Todd added one more thing to Vasha’s question.
“You told me to rest.”
‘Don’t tell me…’
Vasha gulped. She didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to think Todd was that clueless.
‘Does he not know what it means to rest?’
She hoped Todd was just messing with her. But the golden glow of Todd’s eyes, quietly gazing at her with genuine curiosity, made it clear he was being serious.
There was no choice but to accept the truth.
Todd doesn’t know how to rest — no, he doesn’t know how to play!
‘Come to think of it, it’s not like he ever had friends, anyway…’
Teaching someone how to rest? It was a mountain of a task, and the road ahead seemed endless.
But there was no way around it. Leaving him like this wasn’t an option either.
‘I guess I’ll have to teach him.’
Once she resolved to do so, a small sense of pride filled her.
Since arriving in this world, Vasha had constantly been the one learning from Todd. Now, she had a chance to teach Todd something herself, and that excited her.
‘Besides, knowing how to play is useful too… Yeah. Instead of just telling him to stop training, I should introduce him to something so fun he can’t resist it. After all, I’m a vampire who lived in a world where modern society constantly pushed entertainment and dopamine-based activities on us…’
Vasha cleared her throat a couple of times, puffing herself up like she was about to give a lecture. Then, she slowly began to explain as if teaching Todd a life lesson.
“Alright, listen. When you’re resting, you should…”
***
“…Is it fun playing alone like this?”
“………….”
Under Todd’s cold stare, Vasha fell silent.
Trying to enjoy oneself in a world with no games, no phones, and no gadgets was no easy feat, especially when you were all alone.
But Vasha wasn’t ready to give up.
‘In the end, it’s all about dopamine! The principle’s the same as gambling! Casinos use cards to play games, so maybe if I introduce him to card games…’
It just so happened that Vasha had asked Laurus for a deck of cards ahead of time, thinking it might come in handy.
Feeling confident, Vasha took Todd to her room and pulled out the deck of cards.
And that… was her critical mistake.
Who would have played cards with Vasha?
The only thing Vasha knew was how to play alone.
In other words, every card game Vasha knew was a solo game.
FreeCell? Spider? Klondike? Matching pairs?
If it was Solitaire, Vasha had mastered every variation. But those games didn’t spark dopamine like she wanted.
“At the end of the day, isn’t it just a way to kill time alone?”
“Ugh.”
Vasha clutched her chest as if she’d been stabbed in the heart.
It was then that she realized the truth.
‘Right… I never had friends either…’
But Vasha didn’t want to accept that fact, so she desperately tried to deny it.
“J-Just a more fun way to pass the time, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh.”
Todd lazily flicked the cards between his fingers. It was obvious his interest was plummeting fast.
At this rate, Todd would end up as a bloodless, emotionless, cold-hearted revenge-seeker who didn’t understand the need for rest or the joy of play…
That would be a disaster!
Looking at it now, it seemed Todd had no interest in playing alone.
Thinking back on Todd’s personality, it was clear he was highly competitive and disliked wasting time. Solitaire was a poor choice from the beginning.
‘This kind of solo card game is only fun for people like me who have too much free time as a vampire…’
But the idea of triggering Todd’s competitiveness sparked hope in Vasha’s mind.
Vasha quickly tried to think of another game.
But, whether it was due to panic or a genuine lack of knowledge, nothing useful came to mind.
‘I can’t believe it… I don’t even know any two-player games…’
Vasha clicked her tongue. But if she admitted that she didn’t know how to play either, Todd would mock her, saying, ‘You don’t know how to rest properly either, and yet you told me to rest?’
‘If he goes as far as to say resting is pointless, that would be even worse…’
A shiver ran down Vasha’s spine. No, she couldn’t let that happen! She racked her brain for ideas.
‘A two-player game… Something for two people…’
After scraping through the depths of her memory, Vasha finally remembered the chessboard that Laurus had packed along with the deck of cards.
‘…Chess! Right, there’s chess!’
Fortunately, she remembered the rules of chess. While the chess pieces in this world were slightly different from what she knew, they were still similar enough to play.
‘So much for chasing dopamine-driven modern activities… Here I am, relying on an ancient game like chess.’
With a sigh of relief, Vasha pulled out the chessboard and set up the pieces.
“Do you know chess? Chess?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a game where you move these pieces on the black-and-white board and try to capture your opponent’s pieces. It’s fun, trust me.”
“What’s so fun about moving wooden pieces around?”
Todd frowned, clearly skeptical.
“Just try it once. Please?”
Vasha pulled Todd along as if begging him to play. It felt like being an aunt pleading with her nephew to play with her, or like a pet owner desperately coaxing their pet to play together.
Lowering herself completely to appease Todd, Vasha’s efforts seemed to pay off. Todd, feeling a sense of superiority, raised his chin and replied in a condescending tone.
“Just once. If it’s not fun, I’m done.”
“Alright!”
***
“Checkmate!”
“Damn it, one more round!”
Vasha’s plan hit the mark perfectly. At first, Todd looked uninterested, but as the game went on, he stared at the board without blinking.
When he finally lost, Todd threw a tantrum and demanded a rematch. Vasha calmly gathered the pieces, smirking mischievously.
“Heh heh heh… I always give it my all, no matter who the opponent is… even if it’s a kid.”
“Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!”
And so, another round began.
“Damn it! I was so close to winning!”
“This is the difference between your level and mine.”
“One more game!”
Todd’s competitive spirit burned brighter than ever. He showed no signs of backing down. This time, he didn’t even wait for Vasha to finish speaking before hurriedly urging her to set up the pieces.
One round. Two rounds. Three rounds.
“Just one more game.”
“How many times have you said that now…”
By this point, Vasha was exhausted. Dark circles formed under her eyes after playing all night long with Todd. Outside, the sky was already beginning to brighten. Rising from her seat, Vasha walked over to the window and drew the curtains to block out the morning light.
“Time to sleep. It’s way too late now.”
“Just one more game. I swear it’ll be quick this time.”
The phrase ‘Late learners forget the time’ fit Todd perfectly.
Vasha, with a weary expression, tried to persuade Todd, who stubbornly insisted on playing ‘just one more game.’
“You need to get enough sleep if you want to grow strong and healthy.”
“…….….”
Todd, who had been begging like a baby bird chirping for food, suddenly fell silent, pursing his lips.
“We can play again on our day off. Or even tomorrow after the day’s tasks are done.”
At Vasha’s coaxing, Todd pouted with a disgruntled expression but didn’t argue any further. He stood up from his seat without a word.
Compared to the past, when Todd would argue back ten times for every one thing Vasha said, this was a monumental improvement.
Surprised by Todd’s obedient attitude, Vasha held out her hand, offering to walk him to his room.
Memories flashed in her mind of how Todd had once swatted away his hand, mocking her as if to say, ‘What, do you think I’m a baby who can’t even walk by himself?’
Back when they first arrived at the Renfield mansion, Todd had been the one to offer his hand for an escort. But then, out of nowhere, he’d started avoiding Vasha’s touch, and it had been bugging her ever since.
‘Was it right after Albert escorted me? I have no idea why he started acting that way.’
But maybe it was because his mind was too preoccupied with the game this time. Todd accepted Vasha’s hand without any resistance.
Holding back the urge to get emotional, Vasha casually grabbed Todd’s hand and stepped into the hallway. Together, the two of them walked side by side in the shadows, where the dim glow of dawn’s first light couldn’t reach.
