▪	RELEASED BY:		TOKYOPOP
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		YUNA KAGESAKI / TOHRU KAI
		▪	FORMAT:		ENGLISH / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		NR
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		09/11/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		10/19/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		KATIE GALLANT

Kenta is the only human that Karin trusts with her secret.  So, when she takes on a three day babysitting job, Kenta is dragged along to protect her.  Their employer promises sixty thousand yen each in return for their services, but will it be enough in the end? In CHIBI VAMPIRE The Novel VOLUME 3, Karin’s patience and imagination are put to the limit.

In the lead, stumbling her way through another adventure is Karin Maaka.  Karin’s family is not ordinary, in fact, their a clan of nocturnal vampires.  But Karin is “defective”; instead of sucking the blood of her victims, her body generates too much blood and she must inject those she bites or risk releasing the blood by means of a nosebleed.  Her nosebleeds are worse when she is around people who are unhappy.  Always in the background is Kenta Usui, her schoolmate and best friend.  He found out about her secret by accident but has sworn to keep it from everyone, and he often helps her out by coming up with excuses for her nosebleeds.  Kira Matsumiya is the young charge of Shougo Tachikake.  The depth of their relationship is a mystery, but he is a very devoted caregiver towards her.  The other two girls hired to entertain Kira for the weekend include Mayumi Oosaki, a curvy college girl who changed after being bit by Karin, and Shouko Seki, a high school student like Karin.

Once, when Karin trips while carrying a plate of food at the restaurant where she works, a plate of hot curry lands on Tachikake.  Kira instantly invites Karin to her summer home as a payment for wrecking her servant’s suit.  Karin’s blood is reacting to an underlying loneliness in Karin, and she tries to keep her distance, but some things are bound to happen when you on a small island.  The “summer home” is actually a mansion complete with hidden wall panels, and secret compartments.  When the other girls go missing, Karin decides to do some investigating on her own.  What she comes up with may seem crazy, but given the evidence, anything is possible.  The clues to the truth are there, but the ending will still surprise you just as it surprises Karin.  And in the end, it may be her “defect” quality of having a nosebleed that saves her from spilling her secret.  Meanwhile, is Kenta in league with whoever is kidnapping the other girls, or is there some secret love affair going on to make him do extra jobs for a bigger cheque?

CHIBI VAMPIRE The Novel VOLUME 3 proves to be a great addition to the manga, and a tribute to Yuna Kagesaki’s artwork.  Even though it is a side story, and does not follow the manga’s timeline, it is a wonderful novel full of laughs and second guesses.

Extra features artwork by Yuna Kagesaki drawn specifically for this story, and a note from the author after the story.

IN SMMARY:
One mansion. Three girls hired to entertain a middle school rich girl. For anyone else, it would be a normal weekend, but for Karin, nothing is ever normal. Luckily Kenta is there to keep her out of trouble. Unless, he is the reason she’s getting into trouble in the first place.