Princesssss!!

Ikue was thankful in some ways this was her only class today, she'd spent all of last night studying and had eventually fallen asleep doing so. She had a test coming up in the next few days, and like all of her tests she planned on passing it!

For now though, she sat in a large lecture hall taking notes as the instructor went about the lesson. There were a good many other students, the class being quite big, and other than the instructor everyone was busy with note taking or listening to the lesson.

Alwin was rightfully lost! He had showed up to see Princess, only to find Princess out. He had pouted around her home for a bit before opening a portal and leaving to the streets. There he had played for a bit before pouting more, wishing to see Princess and unable to! He wanted delicious things and Riichi was busy in the one hoard room today reorganizing since Sis had recently brought in some new items.

He was free for hoooours!

But he hadn't sensed Princess anywhere!

However in his moping and hopeless filled wandering, he had picked up a signal. A signal for Princess! Laughing happily, he carried his keyboard into the building and began calling her name as he did so despite all the looks and murmurs. "Priiiiiiiiiiinceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeess~!"

Where was she? In this direction...

Almost overrrr~

Ikue was a bit pleased to look at the time on her phone, glad to see it was almost time for the class to be dismissed. The instructor was usually good on that, so she didn't have any worries about staying overtime.

There was still time left though, so she needed to-

...

That faint noise...was that...that word, and voice...

"Eh....?" Her head looked towards the direction the commotion was coming from, her ears picking up on the faint murmurings about it from the people in the room.

It...It couldn't be...

Princess must be in THIS room! Alwin's senses were not used to exacting details required to find a specific place and ignoring the weird people who were bothering him and staring, he BURST INTO FINALLY THE FINAL ROOM WHERE HIS PRINCESS AWAITED!

Rushing in, he ignored the person at the front of the room near him and instead waved furiously. "PRINCESS~! I Found youuuu~"

His braid wagged almost like a tail as he sparkled all over the place. He had found Princess!

It was!

H...H...How!? Ikue let out a squeak as Alwin suddenly burst into the room, his eyes going straight to her as he began waving, ignoring the instructor and other students...which now also had their eyes on her...

Aha...Ahaha...

Another squeak, her face began burning as she quickly gathered her things and rushed down to Alwin, taking him by the hand and bolting from the room. Aaa! Ignore the talking!

She stopped running when they were in an empty area, her breathing a bit hard from running so much. H...How had he found her!? Aaah...People would be talking for weeks... She'd definitely need to apologize to the instructor later! Aaa....

"A...Alwin h-how...?"

Alwin had no idea the chaos he was causing and leaving in his wake, just happy to see Princess. He waved at her as she noticed him, the sparkles and braid wagging getting stronger as she then ran right at him. Did she want hugs?!

His arms held out for hugs, he was instead surprised as Princess dragged him out of the room and far away at a dead run. This was fun too and he laughed the whole time as his braid trailed behind him, and finally Princess slowed and halted. She was breathing hard though and he frowned, shaking his head and not even winded in the slightest. "Princess are you...you okay? I found you by feeling out your energy! You are a stronger people, so it wasn't too hard since I had been right close to you! I'm not very good..."

He blushed, he was ashamed of his lack of skill in that department.

He'd...felt out her energy? That...That was a thing? Well...she had noticed people seemed to have their own different...signatures of sorts...if she focused really hard. So that's how...

"I-I'm okay, just...just ran just now so I'm a bit winded." She wasn't used to running in sudden bursts like that, plus she'd been in a flustered panic as well. She was still flustered! He'd just...found her and come to her class and had called her...

Aaa...

"Oh! Then I shall carry Princess and let her rest." Content with his words, he gave himself a nod of satisfaction and then promptly bent over and scooped up the woman with a bright sparkling grin. Alwin carried her and his keyboard with absolute ease, no sign of any strain at all.

"You shall rest in my arms! We can go back to your home and I can try more things, yes? This is a good plan, yes Princess?" He stared down at her as he began walking, looking for her approval rather obviously.

He would what?

He planned on doing wha-

A flustered squeak escaped Ikue as Alwin gathered her up in his arms, her hands immediately grasping him to steady herself. She...She was gonna die... Her face would burn off! She would suffer third degree burns on her face and she'd die from it being too red!

Go home? H-Home, yes... That would be good...

She gave a small nod; "Y-Yeah, we can go back to my place..."

Ikue liked to squeak much like a tiny adorable animal and Alwin hummed a happy tune as he carried her along. She was holding him so she must be pleased! He had pleased Princess!

Not only had he pleased Princess but she had thought his idea sound!? Ah such a good day! Alwin laughed happily and picked up his pace as he hurried along the street despite the looks he got for being tall, foreign and carrying a woman in his arms. "I shall take you home then!... Where is it? Hm, I might have to garganta into it then..."

Knowing better than to open the portal in a busy area, he began moving somewhere more quiet to open it up.

She was dead flustered, Ikue could hardly react as Alwin went about leaving her college's building and out to the streets. No doubt they were getting looks, lots of looks and did nothing but add to her fluster.

Where...?

G-Garganta? That was... What did he mean by that? Garganta was... Wait, did he mean that portal thing he'd left through last time!? Was...Was that safe!? "Th-That...That's that portal thing? That...That's safe?" She could at least manage to get that out. It was a big concern!

Ah! An alleyway, he had learned more terms while he had been gone and used the travel guides as references as well as pictures! Alwin turned down it and the garganta appeared ahead of them as he smiled down at Ikue happily. "Very safe! Just do not let me go or drop your bag. If I remember right it is the nothingness between the realms~ So its not very good to fall."

He nodded and stepped inside onto his platform of energy, beginning to walk without hesitation. "I know lots of things about that! Sis has lots more information on that stuff than the human's world."

The nothingness between realms... So if she let go that...that was it. Ikue definitely did as asked and clung to Alwin at his words. She would not let go nor would she drop her bag. She would not let go at all!

"I-I won't let go!" She replied quickly; he said it was perfectly safe, just...not to let go...

"Good! Losing Princess would be...be...." Alwin's eyes watered, her couldn't imagine losing her! Princess was a precious friend and the other side of the portal opened into her home. He stepped out and moved towards the couch, setting her down on it before also placing his keyboard on the ground.

His eyes still watered as he kneeled next to the couch, staring at Princess in worry. "Princess will not leave me, yes? She will be Princess and not go away...?"

As Alwin trailed off Ikue looked up at him, were his eyes watering? He was that upset over the thought? She...She was holding on though! She'd definitely not let go! She was not going to fall and die at all!

That would be a really scary way to go...

She wouldn't think about it!

When they exited the portal and entered her apartment, she let out a small breath of relief. Hooomeee~! She was homeee...

"Hm?" That... He seemed worried about... "I-I promise, I'm not going anywhere!"

She definitely wasn't going anywhere! She did not plan on dying or moving from here at all! She would be here!

Alwin's smile was bright again and his eyes stopped their vicious watering, disappearing as if it never existed. Instead he pulled her into a hug again and nuzzled her. "I will trust Princess to keep herself safe and here! I worried earlier when I did not see you here, but then I remembered that I met you outside, so you must go outside at times!"

"But as long as this is your home I can find you I think, so I shall not worry." More happy laughs sounded from the always happy man.

"A-Ah...I was...was at school, I have lessons to go to and study so that's why I wasn't here." Ikue answered after she'd gotten over the short moment of flustered shock as she was pulled into another hug. She returned the embrace much like she had last time. "The last time I was buying books, so I was at a bookstore..."

S-Speaking of stores and going out... She'd gotten the gift she'd told herself she'd get! With the money he'd told her to keep! It was a big book of music scores, it had old, new, and even scores from a lot of video games in it so it was definitely heavy with all sorts of hopefully new things! She knew he liked music, but the last thing he read apparently was from 2008, this had a lot of things that were from the years after!

"I-I got you a present! That bag over there, in the comfy chair over there, it's in that!" Ikue said, glancing over to the bag that held the rather large book.

"That was school?!" Alwin had read about them before! This was so exciting, he had experienced a school! His braid wagging, he pulled away from the hug and bounced on his heels. "Can I go back and see it again? A school~ A schoool with people who do things! And bookstores. I've never been in a bookstore either. I bet they have lots of books on things and music and aaaaaah~ Princess is so wonderful, showing me all this."

He stopped dead as Ikue spoke though. He didn't move for a brief moment before a happy laugh sounded and be bounded over to the comfy chair where a bag was sitting. It was for him!? "A present~ Aaah thank you thank you!"

He reached inside with no preamble and pulled out the large book filled with...music... all...kinds...

The vampire fell to his knees, opening the book and just became unaware of the world around him as he intensely began began reading the scores and descriptions given. His focus narrowed and his eyes became rather intense, much different than his usual happy and light-hearted nature.

"Y-Yeah, I'm a college student so aha, we were just at my college campus." Ikue answered, Alwin hadn't known it was a school and...he was definitely excited. Could he come back there though... W-Well, nothing was stopping him...

She watched as Alwin stopped dead once she'd mentioned the gift, and smiled when she heard a laugh from him before he reached the chair. He...seemed really serious all of a sudden as he flipped through the pages.

...He was...really looking through it intently...

Did that mean he liked it...?

"College?!" Ikue's words finally hit him, Alwin looking up from his staring and devouring of the musical scores to be...disbelieving. He wasn't sure, but he did not think she was that old. Was she?

Standing up, he closed the book and held it to his chest as if it was a precious treasure, before moving that much closer to Ikue as his head tilted from side to side. He was examining her in a new light, she was not....not young?

"But... where is your chest?" Did not girls gain them as they got older?

Alwin seemed...shocked? She...She didn't look that young did she!? Ikue... She was twenty, she was of drinking age even! She was not a teenager or high schooler anymore! A full adult!

She blinked as he neared her, watching as he tilted his head from side to side...examining her?

"Eep!" A squeak followed Alwin's words, her arms coming up a bit as if to cover her chest. "I-I...N-Not all girls get b-b-big ones! B-Besides my dress is tight so th-they just look a bit smaller!"

Her words came out quick as her face began burning, h...had he not seen women with smaller chests before!?

"I see...? I see..." Alwin listened to Ikue as he nodded thoughtfully, kneeling before her on the couch. He reached out to take her hand, holding it to his lips as he sighed softly. "My Princess, I have been mistreating you. You are not a princess, but a Queen or Empress then. Please forgive me!"

Tears in his eyes, lower lip quivering he looked up as if he had done Ikue some great horrible fault for treating her as a princess when she was in fact not and was older!

Q-Queen!? Empress!?

Wh-Wh... Again, Ikue feared she die of third degree burns on her face at this rate. A-At least...the chest mishap was...somewhat explained... Maybe.

"I-It's fine." She answered, he...he didn't need to apologize for the princess thing, it was okay. She hadn't seen it as mistreating her at all.

As if to attempt to reassure him that it was alright, despite her stuttering, she squeezed his hand in return and gave a small smile though it was a little sheepish.

"All right Princess! It is fine if I still refer to you as such? You will be Empress of my heart, but it does not roll off the tongue as sweet I find..." Alwin's smile somehow brightened as Ikue squeezed his hand though it quickly turned quizzical. His head tilted from side to side much like before as he finally noticed something.

"Ah! Princess~ Question! Why do you blush so much? The red of your face is blushing, yes? Or is it something else..." His worry over tasting things put aside for the moment, Alwin focused on this instead. Ikue was always red faced and he wondered what caused such a reactions.

"Y-Yes it's blushing, and... W-Well, I just...I'm easily flustered so when people say...say nice or r-really sweet things to me, o-or things that are meant to be really good, I get flustered and I can't help blushing..."

Sweet comments, nice comments, those caused her to become flustered...

"I-I also get this way when I'm embarrassed, but most of this is just because I'm flustered. Being flustered isn't...bad or anything like being embarrassed..."