Chapter 19: How to Give Blood Outdoors

"...Seriously, what the hell were you thinking? Saying something that misleading in front of the whole class?"

After the entrance ceremony, during afterschool.

Still seated at my desk, I glared sideways at my best friend sitting next to me.

"‘Misleading’ is such a cruel word... I mean, it was my first time, and it was with Yosuke, on a bed, and there was so much blood..."

"Okay, that sounds totally suggestive, but for the record, I was the one who got attacked and I was the one bleeding, alright? And we only slept in the same room because back in elementary school, you used to stay over at my place!"

I frowned as Mikoto Hikari fake-sobbed with a dramatic yoyoyo.

Good thing we waited until the school was basically empty before having this conversation.

Our reputation’s already fragile enough, and if anyone overheard this conversation, who knows what kind of rumors would spread.

"Muu, you’re no fun. I actually put some real thought into all this, you know?"

Puffing out her cheeks, Hikari protested.

What the hell does she mean by that?

After that incident, it became break time, but everyone just kept glancing at Hikari from a distance.

Even though she’s a new transfer student, not one person tried to talk to her.

At the very least, it’s hard to see how her standing in class didn’t plummet after all that.

"Well... I admit, I didn’t expect you to catch that much heat for it, so I do feel kinda bad about that..."

...What came next were even more whispers behind my back.

"We finally get a cute new girl in the class..."

"Why does it have to be someone like Nitta..."

"Even though I was supposed to be her soulmate!"

...Okay, that last one might’ve been off-base, but yeah, the guys didn’t hold back.

It felt like sitting on a bed of nails. The whole day was just painfully awkward.

"But there’s a proper reason for all this. So, okay?"

Seeing how anxious I was about the future of my school life, Hikari gave me a sheepish little grin and stuck her tongue out.

...A reason, huh?

If it turns out to be something really stupid, I swear I’m gonna let her have it.

With that decision made, I motioned for her to continue.

"In short, I want you to be my cover."

"Cover?"

"Yeah. I mean, look at me—I’m an ultra-pretty girl right now. You think so too, right, Yosuke?"

Hikari shamelessly praised her own looks.

I almost rolled my eyes at her, but... well, yeah. Most of the guys were clearly captivated by her, and there’s no denying it.

"To a pack of starving teenage wolves, I must look like a walking roast chicken with green onions. If I’m ‘single,’ there’s no way they’ll just leave me alone, right?"

Odd analogy aside, I got what she meant.

What Hikari wanted was a situation where, at least on the surface, she wasn’t single.

In other words...

"You want people to think we’re dating... is that it?"

"Yup, exactly! I mean, it’d be one thing if it were girls, but if the guys start looking at me that way, I’ll totally freak out. You get that, right, Yosuke?"

If you’re asking whether I understand or not—yeah, I get it.

To those guys, Hikari looks like the opposite sex.

But to Hikari, they are still the same sex.

Not to mention, she probably still has trauma from being attacked by that male vampire.

There’s no way she could respond to any romantic feelings like that.

So she’s just trying to set up some preemptive defenses.

That’s what this is really about.

And in that case, I—who already have a reputation as a delinquent—am the perfect decoy.

"...Still..."

"Besides, I never know when I’ll suddenly need blood. If it happens, wouldn’t it be way less suspicious if we sneak out together? Like... right now, for example."

"...Huh?"

While I was still hesitating, Hikari extended the back of her hand toward the sunlight streaming in from the window.

With a faint sizzle, part of her pale skin darkened and looked burnt.

"The only time I got blood since coming back here was that first day. For the past two weeks, I’ve been staying out of the light, so I was okay. But I guess I’ve hit my limit."

"You okay?"

It looked pretty painful, but she wrapped herself up in the curtain to avoid the sun and nodded.

Apparently, if she can just replenish her magic, even a wound like that will heal instantly.

...Well, in that case, I guess there’s no helping it.

I had promised to give her blood, and since we were finally attending the same school, I did want to help her out if she was ever in trouble.

It wasn’t like we could just stay here until sunset, either.

“But seriously, try to make it quick, okay?”

If someone saw us, there’d be no way to explain it away.

After giving her that warning, I shut my eyes and held out my arm—just like last time—

—And in conclusion, Hikari didn’t bite where I expected this time either.

Well, to be fair, she did go for my arm, technically. So she was keeping her word, sort of.

But what she actually sank her fangs into was, of all places, my index finger.

She knelt down on the floor, cupped my hand gently between both of hers, and softly brought my finger to her lips.

Even so, compared to an area with arteries, it was probably harder to draw blood.

Now and then, her tongue slid over the wound, slowly, slowly—lapping again and again like a kitten nursing milk.

...There wasn’t any pain.

Like I guessed before, she probably used some kind of magic to dull my sense of touch.

But aside from that, every other sensation came through loud and clear—

The almost burning heat of her mouth, the tender sweep of her tongue gliding over my fingertip.

The ticklish warmth of her breath as it hit my skin.

And the wet, obscene little licking sounds echoing in my ears—picha picha—were impossible to ignore.

Even so, I held out for what felt like several minutes.

It took longer than last time, but eventually, she seemed satisfied.

Hikari’s soft pink lips pulled away from my fingertip, leaving behind a thin string of saliva stretching between us.

And then—

“Fuuuh…”

A heated sigh escaped her lips.

That, paired with her upward glance—innocent face tinted ever so slightly with something seductive—made me instinctively avert my eyes.

“...Ehehe, surprised you?”

Hikari gave me a smug smile, like a kid proud of pulling off a prank.

“...Just so you know, I’m not looking for surprises when it comes to bloodsucking.”

“But hey, don’t you think this way it’s easier to make up an excuse if someone does see us?”

I imagined it for a second.

Getting bitten on the arm, on the neck, and... now, having my finger in someone’s mouth.

…Yeah, no matter how you slice it, the scene’s still a total disaster.

Maybe the finger’s slightly better than getting my neck bitten, but still.

Feels like taking this too seriously is just asking for mental damage.

And sure enough, Hikari was grinning smugly the whole time.

Then, as our eyes met, she grabbed onto the hem of my shirt and murmured—

“...I told you, right? ‘As long as I’m with Yosuke, I’ll enjoy any school.’ That hasn’t changed, you know?”

She smiled.