Chapter 11: How to End a Long Day
“Ahhh, that was delicious!”
“You—You defiled me…”
Sitting sideways on the bed, Hikari Mikoto licked her lips in satisfaction. In stark contrast, I sat wrapped in the sheets, quietly mourning my dignity.
“…That’s pretty rude, you know, Yousuke.”
She grumbled, seemingly a bit hurt by my reaction—but I didn’t even have the energy to be mad.
The bloodsucking session from my childhood friend had lasted a good ten minutes. And the one-sided embrace had continued the whole time.
…Her body may be slim and delicate, but there’s no doubt about it—she’s a girl.
More than once, I’d been seized by the urge to pull her closer, to fully enjoy that softness—even knowing it was still Hikari on the inside.
What kept me from giving in was the thought I’d just had before it started: How am I going to interact with Hikari from now on?
I want to stay by her side as a same-gender friend, nothing more. That’s why I can’t let myself do anything weird that might hurt her.
“…Why couldn’t you just go for the arm? Blood’s blood, right? It shouldn’t matter where you suck it from.”
Still, my cheeks were burning. Trying to shake the awkwardness, I sat up and asked her. I ended up sitting right beside her on the bed.
“Hmm… it’s not that simple,” she replied. “Like I said earlier—the reason I suck blood is for the magic power in it. The closer to the brain, the better the quality and taste.”
So apparently, her earlier choice was just her giving in to vampire instincts. That means she didn’t really mean anything by it… but still.
“…From now on, sucking from the neck is banned. Stick to the arm.”
If this happened every time, my nerves wouldn’t survive. I made sure to say it firmly.
She pouted, lips tightening with a stubborn “grr” sound.
Then came the indignant grumble: “Ugh… you coward…”
I guess the neck really is something special for her. Still, she didn’t seem like she’d push it. With clear reluctance, she gave a small nod.
“Glad you understand.”
“…Well, I am only here thanks to you, Yousuke. I’d never do something you seriously hate. I mean it—I’ll never forget the good food, the warm bed, and what your dad and everyone else did for me.”
“That’s sweet and all, but… don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?”
“Nope. I thought I’d have to hole up deep in the mountains until I figured things out.”
“The mountains?”
“Yeah. Some really remote area where no one ever goes. I was planning to survive by feeding on bears and monkeys or something.”
I—I see.
Her words answered a question that had been nagging at me this whole time.
Why can she just sink her teeth into a guy—me, specifically—without hesitation?
We’d grown up together like siblings, and even if she had no other choice, there should be some sense of discomfort. If I were in her shoes, I’d want out of that situation as fast as possible. The reason I even offered my arm in the first place was to make it feel less awful for both of us.
But now, it all made sense.
—Her point of comparison was wild animals.
Hairy, filthy, probably crawling with fleas—creatures like that. Compared to them, I must seem downright pleasant. No wonder she doesn’t mind biting me.
“Still… monkeys and bears, huh.”
The image popped into my head uninvited: that silver-haired girl sitting beside me now, all smiles, clamping down on a monkey with her teeth while chasing a terrified bear through the forest.
…A pretty intense scene, honestly.
“…You’re not thinking something stupid, are you?”
“No, not exactly…”
Was it instinct, or just sharp intuition? She tried to press me about it, but I kept a blank face and let it slide.
Not that it fooled her—Hikari kept glaring at me like she saw right through it.
“Just so you know, I can do more than just healing magic, okay? Starting a fire is easy, and with a bit of improvisation, I can even generate electricity. I wasn’t actually planning to live like a caveman the way you were imagining.”
She said that, then suddenly looked like something had occurred to her.
“Wait… if I think about it, wouldn’t that have been paradise? No tests, no school, just peace…”
“Hey, come on…”
In her defense, Hikari’s not bad at studying—she’s just the kind of person who can do it but finds it unbearably annoying. Proof of that is, she’d been the one tutoring me before exams.
Still, that’s just plain lazy.
I let out a soft, helpless laugh. But that reminded me of something.
“By the way… what are you going to do about school, Hikari?”
“Ah, right…”
Since she disappeared, Hikari never graduated from middle school. And now that she’s changed her appearance—and even her gender—going back probably isn’t even an option anymore.
If you ask me, she should go back to school. Not just for the studying, but to meet new people, build a new life.
But she didn’t seem too bothered.
“…Well, whatever. I’m sure it’ll work itself out somehow. Besides, I’m okay with how things are now.”
With that, she flopped backward onto the bed with a soft thump.
“…I guess we’ll figure all that out later, with Mom and everyone. It’s still summer break for now.”
“Though there’s only, like, two weeks left, y’know. By the way, Yousuke—have you been doing your homework properly?”
“…Don’t bring up things I’ve been trying to forget.”
“Yikes, rough. Not that it’s my problem anymore… good luck!”
As I grimaced in pain, she grinned and flashed a full row of white teeth, giving me a big thumbs-up.
“Easy for you to say…”
“Ahaha! Nighty-night!”
She let out another good laugh, then stood up and left the room.
…As soon as I was alone, the room suddenly felt empty.
It wasn’t like it had ever felt too big before or anything.
“…Guess I’ll sleep.”
So with that muttered to myself, I finally crawled into bed for the night.
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