He was so handsome.
This was Artoria's very first impression of the boy who looked to be about her age. She swore to herself this wasn't just some fleeting infatuation; there was a genuine, inexplicable sense of comfort emanating from him.
It was as if... they were "of the same kind."
But speaking of which—
The girl's gaze cautiously explored his form. Why wasn't he wearing anything? And... Why was he covered in wounds? He looked as if he had just escaped from a thorn bush.
"Hey, are you alright?" Artoria asked tentatively.
No response.
The girl reached out a hand and poked his cheek. Still no response.
A terrible thought instantly popped into Artoria's mind. Could it be... He's dead?
She looked up at the starry sky from which he had fallen, her expression growing complicated. It would certainly make sense...
Falling from such a height, a normal person would have been turned into meat paste, right? This boy might look fine on the outside, but his insides were probably completely destroyed. In that case, should she find a place to bury him? Or should she try to save him?
Just as Artoria's left and right brain were at war with each other, a ripple spread across the lake's surface.
It was the boy's finger. It had twitched.
"Thirsty..." "So thirsty..."
Confirming that she hadn't misheard, Artoria quickly responded. "Are you okay?" "Thirsty..." he repeated. "So thirsty..."
"Eh?" Artoria hesitated for a moment before turning and running back towards the lake behind her. Although it was the same spot where she had just been bathing, it was the only source of water nearby. Saving him was the priority.
Whether or not this counted as her bathwater was a discussion for another time!
"Here!" Having folded a large leaf into a makeshift cup, Artoria hurried back to his side with a good amount of water. "Here, drink this—"
Gulp. Gulp. The girl carefully poured the water into his mouth. That should do it, right? Artoria waited with a nervous expression.
But after a mouthful of water, the boy didn't seem to have swallowed any of it. "Not this..." "This isn't what I want..."
Artoria was a bit stunned. Could it be... he recognized that this was her bathwater? No, no! The girl shook her head. How is that even possible! It must be for some other reason! But what could it be...
Before Artoria could figure out what was going on, the boy abruptly sat up. "Hey, are you alright now?" As soon as Artoria spoke, she felt a ravenous gaze fall upon her. In that instant, she realized something.
In her rush to save him— She still hadn't put her clothes back on!
"Please, calm down!" Artoria cried out, covering her chest with her hands. "If you don't, I'll scream for help!" But it all seemed useless. The boy lunged toward her.
In a single motion, he tackled her onto the grassy shore of the lake. "He's so strong—" Pinned by her wrists, Artoria found she couldn't resist at all. She began to regret her earlier kindness.
"No—" "You can't do this—" Although the boy's appearance had, strangely enough, landed squarely in Artoria's "strike zone" of preferences, this suffocating, oppressive feeling was not what she wanted at all.
"So thirsty..." "I'm so thirsty..." the boy murmured before lowering his head.
"NOO!" Artoria shrieked. But she quickly realized the situation was different from what she had imagined.
True, he had shown a ferocious side, he had crossed a line, and he was overpowering her without any room for argument. But he wasn't trying to act on that kind of carnal desire.
He was simply— Just as he said, acting out of "thirst," licking at whatever his lips could touch.
Instinct.
The word flashed through Artoria's mind. This was behavior driven purely by bodily instinct. The blushing girl looked at the boy buried in front of her and, without further hesitation, asked: "Um... what is it that you want to drink?"
"..." The boy raised his head, his eyes meeting Artoria's. "I don't know." "But..." "I'm so thirsty..."
"..." Artoria was now in a difficult position.
He just kept crying that he was thirsty but couldn't express what he wanted to drink. And what was worse—Artoria realized that after getting no further answer from her, he had started to "work" again. His sharp teeth scraped against her like a saw.
The skin broke...
Before the girl had time to think any further, the boy's teeth had already pierced her skin. Artoria began to panic.
If her initial good impression of him had allowed her to maintain some semblance of reason, now, it was pure terror. Was he any different from a wild beast?!
But very quickly, she realized the situation was, once again, not what she thought. He was indeed doing something indecent. But the blood flowing from her wound seemed to make him less agitated, less restless.
Artoria suddenly had a realization. Instinct drove him to want to suckle. But because he couldn't do that, he was using her blood as a substitute.
Having reached a conclusion that explained the current situation, Artoria's courage grew a little. "Slowly now, you don't have to rush." "I'll wait for you..."
How strange. She had no idea why she would say something like that. Perhaps it was kindness, or maybe some other reason. But regardless, if she comforted him like this, he probably wouldn't do anything more reckless, right?
Still, who on earth taught him to do things this way? It's so barbaric!
Fortunately, the blood-drinking didn't last for long. Soon, with the faint taste of blood on his lips, the boy lifted his head. His eyes were completely different from before.
"Delicious." "You taste amazing."
"..."
Although being complimented by the opposite sex under these circumstances felt strange no matter how you looked at it, Artoria could sense that he spoke those words with a tone of gratitude.
"I-Is that so?" "Thank you for the compliment."
What am I even saying! Artoria, having replied subconsciously, wanted to slap herself. She quickly added: "So, can you let go of me now?"
"..."
The boy got up, allowing the girl to get up as well. The fact that they were both stark naked made the air incredibly awkward—at least, that's how Artoria felt. I need to change the subject!
"Follow me back for now," Artoria said, picking up her clothes from the side, her face flushed red. "It looks like you're seriously injured."
"Mm, okay."