Bastien was a few inches taller than Jules, and his shoulders were a little broader. But overall, they were very similar in their build. And just like Jules, Bastien was a handsome man; he had clean-cut features and crystal clear eyes that twinkled with mirth, messy dark-blonde hair and tanned skin. However, Jules could tell his current appearance had been tampered with. Not to make him more good-looking, but to make him less attractive.

Usually, supernatural beings that could transform into a human form had an appearance that seemed out of this world, the kind that bewitched humans. Though Bastien was indeed handsome, it wasn’t to the point of making people lose their minds—it just made horny teenage girls squeal, like Annabelle.

“So, that’s your brother?” Iris asked with a discreet touch of disdain in her voice. “I thought he was older.”

“But he’s quite old. I mean, he’s almost in his thirties!”

“…Mind you, I’m in my late twenties.”

“You’re still old.”

“How about going inside?” Bastien interrupted, nodding toward the entrance. “Iris told me you wanted to ride all the roller coasters today, so we better get going.”

“Yeah, you’re right!” Annabelle flashed him a bright smile before spinning on her heels, sprinting toward the ticket counter.

Looking at his sister’s back, Jules couldn’t help but let out a barely audible sigh. She turned fifteen today, yet she still acted like a little kid, picking fights with him and whatnot. Since Annabelle first learned to talk, she couldn’t let one minute pass without throwing a jab at him, save for when she was eating.

It made him wonder if she would ever grow up.

“So, where’s my ‘thanks for distracting my annoying little sister’?” A husky voice asked, snapping Jules out of his thoughts.

At one point, Bastien had closed the distance between them, now standing right behind him. Jules could feel the man’s breath brushing against the tip of his ear, making the corner of his eyes twitch.

“…”

Not bothering to answer back, Jules followed his sister to the counter and paid for everyone’s ticket. Except for Bastien. That guy could pay for himself, and if he didn’t have enough money and had to stay outside, it would be even better.

Unfortunately, that man wasn’t quite penniless and quickly got his ticket, a premium one to boot.

***

Annabelle was a ball of energy, bouncing left and right; she looked like a bolt of lightning as she went from one rollercoaster to another. In contrast, the teenagers running after her seemed out of breath, especially Melody. Unlike her friends, she was short and not very athletic. Still, she kept up with her friends’ pace without complaining even once, her cheeks flushed red.

As for Jules, well, he sat on a bench and watched over the girls from afar. He was just too tired to run about. And he also didn’t want to. Anyway, his sister was having enough fun with her friends as it is, so there was no need to add the brother to the equation.

“Here,” said Bastien, who was handing him a beer. “A drink won’t do you bad, y’know?”

Jules lowered his eyes to glance at the beverage but didn’t take it.

“Come on, don’t pull that face! I swear I didn’t poison it.”

Exasperation welled up in his chest as Jules snatched the beer, hoping that it would shut up the man. However, Bastien still didn’t move an inch and stubbornly stood before him, just like a goddamn statue. 

Jules eventually gave in and slowly brought the beer to his lips, taking a sip under the man’s watchful eyes. He hadn’t noticed it until he drank, but he was indeed dying of thirst. And just as expected, the cold beer felt refreshing as it went down his throat, making his tense muscles relaxed a little.  

“See? What did I tell you?”

Turning his head sideways, Jules blatantly ignored the man, who didn’t seem to mind it much anyway. Instead, Bastien sat on the bench beside him with a hearty laugh. For whatever reason, that human-looking thing seemed to have lots of fun.  

“…Wouldn’t you have preferred to stay with the girls?” Jules asked, his eyes locked on his little sister.

“’Cause you would let me?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“That’s what I thought.” Bastien shot a knowing glance at Jules, adding with a bit of schadenfreude, “Your kind is too uptight. Don’t you ever get tired of being cautious of everyone?”

“I wouldn’t have to if demons weren’t strolling about in broad daylight.”

“Touché.”

Then, there was a moment of silence. But it wasn’t awkward, nor did it feel forced. Not saying anything simply felt like the right thing to do, and so both fell quiet. 

“So. How’s your nose?” Jules asked after a while, a touch of mischief in his voice.

Bastien’s smile stiffened at those words, and soon after, his shoulders dropped as he let out a wry laugh that almost sounded like a whine. That question poked at where it hurt.

“It feels as if it’s about to fall off, to be frank.”

“No kidding. I’m surprised you’re not puking your guts out.”

“Come on, I’m not a kid! I won’t throw up for this much.”

“Uh-huh.”

“…I did pay the toilets a visit when I bought the beers,” Bastien admitted before burying his face in his hands. “You’ve got no idea how terrible this place smells!”

“Of course I don’t. I’m human.”

“I just noticed, but you’re the kind to rub salt into the wound, aren’t you?”

“Who knows.”

“…”

Jules peered at the man, a slight smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. Bastien’s crestfallen expression was quite amusing; it made him want to tease him, though he refrained in the end. Jules knew just how awful it must be for him, so he decided to stop twisting the knife. For the time being, at least.

There was a reason why supernatural beings that could take on a human form didn’t linger in areas crowded with people. Although many fed on humans, not every human was considered a delicacy, quite the contrary, actually. Only a few selected individuals smelled sweet enough to be enticing, and the rest stank.

Crowds were thus terrible for these types of supernatural beings. Or, in other words, these oh-so-great higher beings had a delicate palate and a sensitive nose.

Rituals that require sacrificing pure and beautiful maidens hadn’t come out of nowhere, after all.

“Can I ask you something?” Jules said, tapping on his beer.

“Hm?”

“Does your sister know what you are?”

“…Why do you ask?”

“Because she’s been glaring at me pretty hard.”

As if to emphasize his point, Jules tilted his head toward the next roller coaster the girls had laid their eyes on, drawing the man’s attention to his sister.

Standing in the middle of a waiting line, Iris kept glancing back over her shoulder, her eyes murderous. If looks could kill, Jules would have long been buried six feet under.

“I suppose that she thinks all priests can exorcise your kind,” he huffed.

“…And we both know that’s not the case,” Bastien laughed. “Are you even a real priest to begin with?”

“What do you think?”

“Hm, definitely not.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve never seen a priest as attractive as you before.”

“…” Jules pulled a ‘I’m so done with this shit’ kind of face.

Seeing this, Bastien couldn’t help but burst out laughing. His laughs were loud and boisterous, the kind that made other people smile in return, consciously or not. His good mood was infectious, and soon, Jules found himself chuckling in spite of himself.

This man wasn’t quite what he had expected.

“And you? Does your sister know? About your real job, I mean.”

“No, she doesn’t, and I intend to keep it that way.”

Long ago, Annabelle asked why he was always out at night and he answered with the first thing that crossed his mind; that is to say, that he was a priest. Back then, he told her that he oversaw the night Mass, which was why he left in the evening and only came back at the early hours of the day. He also told her that he helped with gardening in the morning, explaining why he often returned home covered in mud.

Little Annabelle swallowed the lies with a smile and a nod. Later, she didn’t think much of it and never tried to figure out whether night Masses were a thing or not. She didn’t know how a church was run; well, Jules was as clueless as her in that matter but pretended to know anyway.

“But seriously… A priest. Couldn’t you think of a better lie?”

“Shut up,” Jules grunted, bringing the beer to his lips. “And you, teaching your sister to be more subtle wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“She’s usually very well-behaved. After all, I don’t usually hang out with priests.  It’s just… She tends to act a little overprotective, sorry about that.”

“Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that for your sake.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Oh please, don’t play dumb. It’s faint, but there is a non-human smell lingering on her.”

At those words, Bastien choked on his beer, spitting it all over his pants. He stared at Jules with disbelief, a bit as if he was looking at a freak, even forgetting to wipe off the beer rolling down his chin.

“Isn’t your nose a little too keen even for a hunter?” Bastien squinted, adding in a cautious tone, “You’re sure you’re human?”

“What do I smell like to you?”

“…Human.”

“Then I’m human.”

As Bastien was about to point out how absurd that answer was, Annabelle popped before them, grinning. Iris stood just beside her, glaring down at Jules, who pretended not to notice it.

As for Melody, well, she was following suit, dragging her tired body toward them. Her face was as pale as a sheet, but she didn’t ask to take a break, too stubborn or perhaps too shy to admit she couldn’t keep up anymore.

“You’re coming on the next roller coaster with us,” Annabelle demanded, pointing at the highest roller coaster there was in the entire amusement park. Melody’s face paled even more, if that was possible. “You can’t just sit and do nothing when we’re out celebrating my birthday.”

“I’m not doing nothing. I’m drinking beer, if you haven’t noticed,” Jules replied, shaking the said beer under his sister’s nose. “And I’m also chitchatting. Shouldn’t that count as doing something?”

“No, it doesn’t!” Annabelle snorted before adding in a mocking tone, “Don’t tell me, you’re afraid?”

Jules sighed before eventually giving in, knowing that his sister wouldn’t let the matter go. He stood up and threw the almost finished beer into the trash bin, and said with a deadpan face, “Just this once, got it?”

“Yes! We’re so getting a picture!”

“....Fine.”

Giggling, Annabelle spun on her heels and dragged her two friends toward the waiting line, confident her brother would follow. And Jules indeed did, though he didn’t run and walked instead.

Bastien also complied, following along behind Jules.

“I’ve been wanting to ask, but aren’t you going to report me?” 

Jules glanced at the man from the corner of his eyes, then smirked. Slowly, he opened that pretty mouth of his and said:  

“Why should I? It’s not working hours.”