Blood Blockade Battlefront belongs to Yasuhiro Nightow.
Daily Life with a Monster Girl belongs to Okayado.
I own neither of them.

The day of the welfare check finally came. Zed who wore his new businessman suit with shortened arm had waited in front of MON's HQ. Ten minutes later, a black car pulled in. The driver was Miss Smith.

"Good morning, Zed-kun~." Smith greeted as she smiled. "Sorry… I got overslept. Ehehehe…"

"It's really amazing that you are only late for a minute." Zed remarked as he entered the car and took the seat beside her. "Are we going to Kurus-sama's home directly?"

"Hmm… Firstly, we'll come over to the nearest police department to take some reports about liminal criminal case. Next, we'll go to the municipal to hand over another report. And then…"

Zed patiently heard all the items mentioned by Smith about their destinations. It seemed that from the start, Kimihito's matter was not the top priority.

"...Then we'll visit Darling-kun and have Centorea fill this form." Smith said as she showed a thick form for exchange rules and agreement.

"Then, shall we go? We've taken 10 minutes just for this talk." Zed reprimanded.

"Alright. Let's go…" replied Smith as she turned on her car.

It was around 11 am and all the matters had finished, save Kimihito's. When Smith's car passed a park, she saw the said guy was going out with a centaur. No mistaking, they were Kimihito and Centorea. That would save the time.

"Ara ara… Isn't that Darling-kun?" Smith grinned as she slowed down her car. "Oh, he's with Centorea! What a nice timing!"

"So, he's the man? Should we see him, Smith-san?" Zed asked as he perked his head up to get a better look of the man.

"Well. I think it's a must because…"

A moment later, a red-tailed lamia fell from the sky, followed by a blue-feathered harpy. The next moment, they seemed to be quarreling about something and Kimihito was in the middle, pulled by each of them one by one. The scene was comedic but alarming at the same time. Seeing such dangerous display, Zed couldn't stay still and immediately slammed open the door. He should save Kimihito.

"...He always gets tangled in a dangerous situation…" muttered Smith as she looked at Zed from her seat.

When Zed had been in front of Smith's car, the situation became more dangerous for Kimihito. The bragging between the three liminals was going to turn to a real fight where the lamia took a fighting stance, the centaur drew her sword and the harpy raised her claws. Safety comes first. Without any second thought, Zed ran towards the arena and pulled Kimihito using his blood strand.

"Miia, Cerea, Papi! STOP! UWOOOH…." Suddenly Kimihito found himself on Zed's arms, being held like a bride. "Who…? HEEEEHH!"

"Darling!" "Master!" "Master!" The girls screamed.

"Miss Miia, Miss Shianus and Miss Papi! You almost violated the law of Cultural Exchange Program, Act Two which states that bringing physical harm to human is prohibited. You might be deported if you do that!" Zed warned as he was still holding Kimihito.

"Grr… How dare you take my Darling!" Miia clenched her fist out of rage.

"You take Master from Papi!" Papi bellowed as she landed on the ground.

"The nerve of you to take my master whom I have pledge my allegiance to!" Centorea said with anger and swung her sword aside. "I shall protect my master! TAKE THIS, BLUE DEVIL!"

Zed dropped Kimihito and used his Shinatobe Blood Battle Style to form his trident as Centorea charged towards him. Centorea gasped the moment her sword's blade clashed with Zed's trident. The force of the impact was strong enough to make both the centaur and the hetero-morph nearly tumbled back.

"What is that!? Impossible!" Centorea exclaimed as she looked at Zed's trident.

"As expected from centaur race." Zed took a lancer fighting stance. "You are strong!"

"Eh?" Kimihito only stared at the scene before him as Papi and Miia hung their jaws.

"Thou demand a fight?" Zed taunted as he spun his trident. "Then I shall give thou one. Now come, with all thy courage, Battle Maiden!"

"Oh my God… That was more awesome than a film! Good job, Zed!" Smith walked towards the commotion nonchalantly to interrupt the battle as she clapped her hands. "Good morning, everyone. And how are you, Darling-kun~!"

"Smith-san?" Kimihito tilted his head as he gave an incredulous stare. "Actually, what the hell is happening!? And who's this… guy?"

Smith chuckled as she stood beside Zed and patted his shoulder. "Ahahaha… Do you really want to know who he is~?"

Miia slithered towards Zed and frowned. She looked at the figure of the hetero-morph from head to toe and couldn't figure out what he is. Zed stiffened and clenched his trident as her dilated pupils scanned him.

"What are you?" Miia put her hands on her hips as she frowned. "And why you snatched Darli– Guuh..."

Centorea's butt slapped Miia aside. She sheathed her sword and stood in a manner of a knight. Seeing no hostile intention, Zed let his trident to disappear. However, Zed had just realized that her appearance was too much to bear for him. If his nose had nostrils, they would surely bleed profusely. 'Oh God! What kind of creature did you make?' Zed thought as his vision was filled with Centorea's most outstanding assets. 'This is not good for my mental health.'

"Peace. Name thyself, knight! I mean no harm." Centorea's expression softened. "And would thou like to elaborate about the crimson trident of yours!?"

'Ohh… Now, why this feels like a TV show?' Kimihito mused as he cringed at the scene of how Centorea faced Zed.

"Very well. My name is Zed O'Brien and I work under Miss Smith." Zed bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. And I am so sorry for grabbing you harshly, Kimihito Kurusu-sama."

"Oh. That's a great help. I should be grateful for your quick action, O'Brien-san." Kimihito smiled sheepishly as he scratch the back of his head.

"Hehehe… What do you think about my new assistant?" Smith snickered as she pushed up her glasses. "He's cool, right?"

"A-assistant…?" Kimihito gave a puzzled look as Miia and Centorea glanced at each other upon knowing the revelation.

"HEEEEHHH!"

Smith, Zed, Kimihito and the other girls were already in the living room of Kurusu family's house. While Centorea was filing the form, Kimihito and Miia were asking many things about Zed. Smith took her time by enjoying Kimihito's homemade coffee.

"I see… So, you are an artificial merman." Miia nodded as she wagged her snake tail. "But, what do you mean by artificial?"

"Miia, Zed is a hybrid between human and fish through genetic engineering." Kimihito answered as he raised his index finger. "So actually, who is the one who…Hmm, what should I say…?"

"The one who made me?" Zed continued the question nonchalantly. "Well. The one who made me was a vampire lord."

"Vam-vam-vampire!?" Miia stuttered as she grimaced. "Do-do you mean the blood-sucking monster like in the legends?"

"Vampire?" Kimihito also couldn't believe what he heard and got a confirmation by a nod from Zed.

"You didn't hear it wrong. I am an experiment result of a vampire." Zed then took a sip of his tea.

"Wow. That's just like in movies. I myself even haven't had the time to dig into your profile, Zed-kun." Smith then sipped her coffee. "Such amazing backstory!"

"I think that's because you are lazy." Zed deadpanned.

Felt like being hit with a hammer, Smith spat her coffee. "BUUUUHHH!"

"Just kidding." Zed responded absent-mindedly.

Centorea was intrigued by Zed's backstory. But what really intrigued her was the fact that Zed seemed to know some ethics of knight. That was odd for a layman like him. And the weirdest thing was how Zed possessed the magic to generate a weapon at his will.

"Lord O'Brien." Centorea called as she gathered the paper bundle. "If I may ask, how thou acquire the skill in knighthood? And thou hath answered my question not about thy weapon."

"Dame Shianus. I just happened to stumble on voluminous books and the master who brought me to this world had a strong desire to share his vast knowledge he got during his long life in this world. Knighthood was among the knowledge he shared to me." Zed explained as he looked at Centorea onto her eyes, while trying his best to not look at her most eye-catching feature.

"Do you mean that it was because you read so many books and the vampire lord taught you many things?" Kimihito summed up Zed's explanation as he cupped his chin.

"Precisely." Zed nodded.

Centorea dropped her jaw. She never thought that Zed was just a bookworm who could mimic a knight. It was totally disappointing to know that he was just some sort of con artist who ripped off his lines and imitate anything from the books he read.

"Huh…? Then why should you talk like Cerea!?" Miia clenched her fist as she frowned out of annoyance.

"Because it was fun." Zed replied as he put his stoic face.

"And about thy weapon?" Centorea inquired with demanding tone.

Zed glanced at Smith who gave him a slight shake of her head. "Unfortunately, I may not bring thee any enlightenment about that matter."

"Is it a secret?" Kimihito asked for another confirmation.

"Yes. That's a secret~." Smith smirked as she darted her gaze to Kimihito and Miia.

Centorea pursed her lips. That was more disappointing to know that Zed wasn't allowed to share any information about his magical trident. Thus, she resorted to the last thing she could thought if she wanted to get a better look at Zed's capability.

"Then, I demand thou a match!" Cerea pointed her finger at Zed. "We will continue our bout this morning."

Zed took a short glance at Smith and got a slight nod. "I accept thy challenge, Dame Shianus. Name the place and time for our match!"

"In front of my master's abode, tomorrow morning!" Centorea answered with so much pride in her tone.

"It is a deal!" replied Zed shortly.

"HEEHH…! Are you going to fight him, Cerea!?" Kimihito was startled as Miia gasped.

"Unfortunately, yes. My pride as a warrior doesn't allow me to let another warrior go without any fight against me."

Kimihito and Miia sighed as Smith giggled. For Kimihito and Miia, it was bothersome if the centaur find a worthy opponent. Smith on the other hand gave the permission to Zed for such thing in order he could get a better picture about the Cultural Exchange Program.

As Centorea continued to fill the form, Papi who didn't get at all what the people were talking about came and sat beside Zed. She looked at the hetero-morph with puzzled look.

"Who are you?" asked the blue-feathered harpy.

'Oh, another poor species. Harpies mostly had problem with short term and working memories.' Zed looked at Papi with pitying stare.

"I'm Zed. You are Papi, right?" Zed replied as he smiled.

"Zed? So, does Zed want to become Papi's friend?" Papi inquired as she smiled.

Zed was nearly taken aback. It was so touching that there was someone who asked him to become his friend. Back in Hellsalem's Lot, to get more acquaintance was nearly impossible. Let alone someone who could be called friend. Only people from Libra who considered him as a friend. The rest, was just like what his master had said. He would be alone and alienated. Papi's question and her innocent smile almost made him cry.

"O… Of course. I want to become your friend."

"Yay…" Papi grabbed Zed's hand excitedly and pulled it. "So, do you want to play games with Papi."

"Ehehehe…" Zed let out an awkward chuckle. "Sorry, Papi. I'm not good at games."

"Papi, Zed-san is very busy." Kimihito chimed in. "He helps Miss Smith. He doesn't have the time to play with you."

"Aww… But Papi wants to play with Zed..." Papi whimpered.

Zed chuckled and put his hand on Papi's head. "Don't worry, Papi. If I have the time, I will play with you."

"Really!?" Papi asked with starry eyes.

Zed nodded as he patted Papi's head. The harpy hugged the hetero-morphed in return, out of joy.

"Wow. He's like a father, huh?" Miia commented as she stared at Zed.

"He must be a really kind guy." Kimihito added.

'Heheheh… Sometimes, you're sarcastic. But it really does worth the effort to take you under my wing! Sasuga… Zed-kun!' Smith mused as she took another sip of her coffee while looking at Zed who was chatting with Papi and Centorea.

Smith had come back home before the dinner while Zed stayed at Kurusu's household. Before leaving, she only said to the new-recruit to guard Kimihito for the night since it's part of the job. Zed actually wanted to know the reason, but Smith only said that such thing was necessary as a part of the procedure. Moreover, Kimihito didn't protest. Hearing such answer, Zed just complied and decided to do her order.

When the day went dark, Zed's primal instinct screamed that something terrible would happen. After the dinner, his uneasiness got stronger. He didn't know what kind of feeling it was, but it felt like he was being chased by a predator.

Although he had been welcomed by Kimihito to stay for the night and the girls seemed to enjoy his company, he felt a strong foul force which tried to push him out from the abode. It made him totally on edge. He decided to take some fresh air at the balcony. To his horror, he saw full moon. Now, he realized why Smith ordered him to guard Kimihito.

Based on what he heard from the vampire prince, animals instinct became sharper during full moon. They would become more aggressive and brutal. To add the horror, he just read from a book about liminal behavior which stated that most liminals, especially reptile, avian and mammals would get a surge of energy which drive them into carnal activity during the peak of the moon cycle. As he came into such realization, Zed should come with a plan to defend Kimihito at all cost. It was 21:30 already, so he should rush to see the guy before it was too late.

"Kurusu-sama…!" Zed called as he ran to find Kimihito.

Kimihito who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom heard Zed's voice. He opened the door and saw the hetero-morph was running towards him. In response, Zed skidded to stop and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Ogh, Zwed-shan. Whash ish ishd?" Kimihito spoke with foamy mouth.

Zed tilted his head to right and and left to see whether there was anyone who saw them in that corridor. He saw no one, so he shoved Kimihito back to the bathroom. He followed the guy and shut the door afterwards.

"Firstly, don't get me wrong. I'm not a gay." Zed spoke as he pushed Kimihito to the tap. "And please gurgle. I want to talk to you."

Kimihito gurgled and sighed. "So, why do you come in with me here!?"

"I'm so sorry. I think this is the best place to talk in private." Zed replied and cleared his throat. "Well, after Smith-san told you about interspecies marriage, it seems that she also missed another important thing. A very important one actually."

Kimihito knitted his brows. "And what's that?"

"Tonight would be very dangerous because it's full moon."

Kimihito widened his eyes. He also just realized that during such night, liminals might lose control. His face became very pale when he knew about that.

"S-so… You're assigned by Smith-san to guard me!?" Kimihito asked and answered by a nod from Zed. "And don't tell me that you're also affected by full moon!?"

"As far as I'm on land, I'm okay. And of course if I'm into you, I would do that earlier." Zed replied as he put his hand on Kimihito's shoulder to calm him.

"So, what should I do?" Kimihito inquired as he looked at Zed in panic.

"You must–"

"Darling!" Miia banged the bathroom's door. "Why you take so long time in there?"

"Oh no! What should I–" Kimihito's voice was cut by Zed who covered his mouth.

"Shh.. Calm down. Come out like nothing happened. I will hide behind the door and follow you in a jiffy." Zed spoke reassuringly and got a nod from Kimihito.

Kimihito and Zed tiptoed toward the door. The master of the house stood in front of the door while the guest leaned onto the wall beside it. The moment Kimihito turned the door handle, Miia rushed in and crashed onto Kimihito, tumbling him down on the floor. Zed took the chance to slip out by jumping over the door. When he was outside, he just stood at the corridor to wait Darling-kun.

"Oooh… Darling! Are you alright!?" Miia grabbed Kimihito and helped him to stand. "I'm so sorry..."

"I'm okay, Miia. Now, please excuse me. See you tomorrow!" Kimihito wormed his way out. "Don't forget to brush your teeth, Miia!"

Miia only put a puzzled look at Darling-kun who seemed to run from her.

"Why Darling ran from me? Is there something?" Miia muttered as she slithered to close the door.

Kimihito arrived in his bedroom safely. Fortunately, he didn't see Centorea and Papi along his way to his room. Before he took the stair up to his bedroom, Zed had said that he would stand a night-guard. The hetero-morph would tap his door twice when he had started his duty. What Kimihito just needed to do was sleep and leave the matter to Zed. Darling felt relieved that Zed was a dependable guy. As he laid down on his bed, he only hoped that the hetero-morph wouldn't harm the girls. For moment, he thought about the prospect of interspecies marriage. Yet, he was too sleepy to think about it.

Kimihito who was dozing off suddenly heard the taps. Now, he could sleep soundly.

Meanwhile, Zed who stood in front of Kimihito's bedroom door had prepared his trident. In the darkness, he waited patiently for the incoming predators as he sat in meditation style. Soon enough, two red glowing eyes came into his vision.

'Time to do the job..." Zed mused as he held his trident tighter while preparing his special choker move, Reverse Fish Bowl.

Kimihito opened his eyes and saw the dim sun ray had entered his room. When he glanced at his beloved alarm clock, he just realized that he woke up half an hour earlier than normal. He really got a good night rest. He got up and yawned. It felt so peaceful. Yet, it seemed that something was off.

'So peaceful…' Kimihito came out from his bed as he stared around his room while thinking about the odd thing. 'Peaceful… Wait a second! Something's not right… Oh damn! Zed-san!'

Frantically, he unlocked his door and rushed out, only to find nothing was wrong. He ran down stair and everything was in order. He checked the living room and to his surprise, he saw the girls were asleep on the couches. More surprisingly, he saw Zed in tattered shirt, sitting cross-legged while leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Good morning, Kurusu-sama." Zed greeted with a weak voice.

"Z-zed…" Kimihito ran towards Zed. "W-what happened!?"

"Last night was a little bit rough." Zed remarked as he massaged the back of his head.

"D-did the girls…?"

"Yeah. They tried to sneak to your room, so I should knock them out before they went any further." Zed explained with a very tired tone.

Kimihito was at lost. Zed had proven himself to be a very dedicated bodyguard. As the master of the household, he should thank Zed.

"I… I… Zed-san… I don't know how should I thank you. I'm so grateful. You… get injured?"

"Don't worry. It's just scratches on my cloths." Zed said as he tucked his black jacket and shirt. "I'm more than glad that you can have a good sleep."

"I see..." Kimihito smiled. "By the way, how did you knocked them out?"

"I smothered Miia and Centorea when they approached the stair. As of Papi, I was a little bit careless that her claws tore my shirt."

"Zed-san… Really… Thank you very much." Kimihito put his hands on Zed's shoulders. "Would you like to have something in return? Maybe, can I make a breakfast for you? Or, if you would, you can sleep in my room."

"Well. I just need your bathroom. I want to change the water inside my breathing device." Zed replied the kind offer as he tapped his respiratory apparatus.

"Oh… Surely you can–"

"Darling~… is that you?" Miia called with lazy tone as her eyes flickered to see everything around her. "Hey… Why I sleep here? And.. Huh? Cerea and Papi?"

Her reptilian eyes darted around and saw her Darling was still placing his hands on Zed's shoulder like they were doing something. Kimihito and Zed who saw her could only gulp.

"M-m-miia… It's unlike what you think!" Kimihito stuttered as he shot his hand forward in defense.

"We-we can explain…!" Zed added in panic as he stood.

Miia stood straight and whipped her tail onto the floor. "Damn you, fish! So you come here to seduce my Darling!?"

Centorea suddenly got up when she heard Miia's growl. "Miia, what happened to Master!?"

"That fish tried to take Darling for himself." Miia replied with flaring wrath as she looked at Kimihito and Zed who cowered in front of the kitchen counter.

"WHAT!" Centorea screamed as she stood. "I NEVER KNOW THAT YOU WILL DRAG MY MASTER TO FALL INTO THE DISGRACE OF SUCH AWFUL DEED! HELL AWAITS YOU!"

'Oh… So, it's round two already? Fortunately, Papi's still knocked out.' Zed mused as the he prepared his weapon while Miia and Centorea charged toward him. 'I'm tired, but this job is a real kick! Bring me all you've got!'

And that morning, Kimihito's house was shaking really hard. The master of the house never knew that his abode would turn into a battlefield.

Author's Note

Hope you like it… See you next time. ;-)