"Dements... that’s what we’re called." Ayaka cut right to the chase. "We belong to the fourth Hybrid type which is more resilient and balanced compared to the other three. However, this gives us a short fuse, a fitting exchange for our power, if I may say."

"No one knows about this, only a handful of people. The only reason why I started looking into this topic was after meeting Kazuichi. I thought I was the only one but as it turned out... there’s a handful of us." Ayaka then jerked a thumb at Suzu and the lady on the gurney. "Who would’ve thought that four of us would gather in the same room though? In any case, that’s the general gist of it."

"Ayaka, have you ever been bitten by other Hybrids? I thought that one bite from a different type would increase the chances of becoming a mindless infected." Tris asked since she clearly recalled Kazuichi being bitten by two different types on two different occasions.

"To the first three types yes, but as for us Dements, no. We’re a different kind of breed. Hybrid bites are ineffective against us since the virus in our body is compatible with the other three. Then again, if we were overwhelmed by bites, I doubt we’d survive. We’re somewhat immune, but we’re not exactly immortal either."

...

In the end, Hinokami lost about nine hundred million, and that only included the money he burned from trying to compete with Kazuichi. At the end of the day, he didn’t gain anything from it, just another enemy that he shouldn’t have provoked.

Also, it should be mentioned that most of his guards were also eliminated from this life, and all that came down to a bowl of rice since they had the gall to interrupt the meal that Kazuichi’s group had.

Half an hour later, the auction came to an end, and it was an expected auction for the auctioneer since he earned a lot from commission. Adding to that, he also sold everything and he didn’t receive any complaint from the client. Well, there was one complaint regarding the lady with the mysterious blood, but he didn’t take it to heart.

After all, the client did explicitly mention that the auctioneer should decide her worth. It would have been much easier if she was a slave, but she was basically useless aside from her blood which no one trusted since she was on a hospital bed.

"Well, she’s going to die soon anyway, it’s not like her blood’s that worth it when I could just get more like her." The man smirked as he got his fair share of millions before heading out of the auction. Once again, the manager of the auction asked him to provide more blood for the next auction, and he promised with confidence that he’d be present.

...

A dimly lit room with a flickering light bulb could be seen, its dampened mossed walls bleaker than the future of the entrapped lady. Struggle as she might, she couldn’t get out of the shackles that strictly bound her. It had been two months since she was captured... no, more like two months since she was purposefully infected.

Honestly, she had no idea what the outside world looked like anymore. From the moment she wakes up to the moment she retires into slumber, she is greeted with the same four corners of her prison.

Then the auction came, and for the first time after her ’turning’, she was rolled out of her room into the auction...

... Only to be sold so they could once again utilize her blood and earn as much profit off of her. Good riddance.

She knew she was dying, and she could tell that her hour of death was closing in by the second. Even then, between her waning consciousness, she hoped that she’d get a second chance at life, living it to the fullest despite being an infected.

Although her consciousness drifted, she was more or less aware that someone had paid her ransom, and now she was free— or rather, under new jurisdiction. Clueless as to what her new master had in store for her, she only hoped that it wouldn’t be worse than her previous experiences.

That’s it. She didn’t ask for anything more. As long as she could live, and that her torture was kept in the bare minimum, she could endure it... or so that’s what she prayed for. At this point, she couldn’t ask for anything more since doing so would just make her dream more impossible and far-fetched. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

...

When her eyes once again fluttered open, she noticed that the same old ceiling that greeted her was different this time around. It was lower, that’s for sure, but its brightness couldn’t even compare to her previous prison. Somehow, the warmth of the sunset enveloped her, giving her life and a somewhat peaceful feeling that she hoped would last.

That momentary feeling made her close her eyes tightly shut. She wanted this comfort to last forever, but sadly, that wasn’t going to happen.

On her forearm, she felt a needle stuck to her, and even though she felt better, she knew what the needle was for. They were finally going to drain her of her blood, and then she would be discarded in the streets, eaten by the infected, and left for dead.

"She’s awake. She’s awake." Ayaka mentioned as everyone gathered around her. "How are you feeling?"

The lady had no idea what to make of the purple-haired girl so she just nodded her head. Right now, she was looking for her master, the black-haired guy whom she saw first when she temporarily became conscious a couple of minutes ago.

That’s when she saw him sitting on one side of the bed with a blond-haired girl. They were looking at another girl on the bed. This girl, unusually, had the same scent as her, and it made her feel nervous.

"Oh, she’s awake," Kazuichi commented. "Hold on. Suzu, after we grab a bite I’m going to give you my blood."

Upon saying that, Kazuichi approached the lady and sat at her bedside. She was still clueless as to what was going on, but since Kazuichi felt like the strongest of the bunch, she deemed him her master.

"W-where am I? What happened?" She asked. "Are you the one who bought me from the auction? Master?"

"Eh?!" Kazuichi let out, surprised that the girl addressed him like that even though he wasn’t the one who offered the bid during the auction. Technically he freed her, but it was Ayaka who initiated everything.