The manga-inspired novel nobody asked for, but was written anyway.As Benimaru and Aaron prepare to leave Benson City to go to Beni's dream school, Vermillion University, Aaron's ex-girlfriend, Laurelie, shoves odd ideas into Benimaru and Aaron's heads. It was Beni or her, she said to Aaron, so Aaron chose Beni. Aaron always chooses Beni. Have the fangirls of their long-time bromance seen something the two men have ignored all along?Reeling from these realizations, it becomes apparent that Benimaru's stepsister, Alex, and her roommates are a trio of odd ducks. Tenseiga and Tetsuya bicker constantly, dropping phrases like "e;idiot dragon"e; and "e;stupid fox"e; with Tetsuya mentioning how "e;mortals find their behavior weird"e; as if the two aren't obviously human themselves.Despite being a workaholic, Alex is always warm and open with Beni and Aaron, insisting they live with her while they're at Vermillion. So it was a bit of a surprise when she said they could go anywhere but the left wing on the second floor with cold precision. As if she warned that death itself awaited anyone who entered that space.Then Benimaru has a run-in with extended family members with unnaturally colored eyes and dangerous auras. One of them has his sights on Beni like a meal, which has Aaron on edge.Benimaru was worried about surviving the semester, but sometimes he wonders if he and Aaron will make it to next week.Approx. 44,281 words
