Chapter 15 – Girl Sleeping in the Well (1)
The first words of the girl who remembers me as the smell of blood were shocking. Even so, I raised my hand and put Haru’s face aside without showing any embarrassment.
“It’s not like that. I never intended to do that in the first place.”
“Yes? But I thought the intention was obvious. Wasn’t it because you were trying to flirt with a pretty blind junior that you kept taking swordsmanship classes with no popularity or prospects?”
“In the first place, I chose you first because I was your senior, but does that make sense?”
“Is it like that?”
Haru opened her mouth as if she had heard it for the first time. We never talked to each other much, but we were always exhausted when we talked to this blind girl. There was literally nothing to see, so there was no hesitation in the choice of words.
That’s why we often went to class alone, but we didn’t talk much. I mixed swords instead. That was the reason why Haru was more familiar with the smell of blood than my voice.
After all, blood is thicker than water. An old adage has been twisted this way.
“Anyway, aren’t you here to eat? I have no reason to think other than that.”
“Why do you think that way?”
“Because everyone else came to do that.”
“Well, if you think about it, that’s a good reasoning.”
With just that one word, I could roughly guess what was going to happen. Haru is a smart guy, so as soon asheheard her explode, she must have run straight down to her basement. The basement must have always been dark, so she would have been a favorable environment for the blind. Even though it was impossible to identify friends, it was the best place to hold out.
A blind swordsman with a sword in the dark. Just imagining it is horrific.
“But didn’t you think that you would have come to help? But you are my only junior. You might have come to protect me.”
“It may be so. He is a senior who ran barefoot for his juniors in this desperate situation. There is a romance of its own.”
“Thank you for understanding. Then…”
“…I’ll take the hoobae I saved like that to a safe house and care for him until the world is destroyed, and then he’ll naturally sprout love and attack me. In the end, it’s true that he came to eat.”
“…”
At this point, I wondered if it was polite to just attack him. Or if you’re tired of talking nonsense, just leave it. One day, as if he had noticed such a sign, he belatedly smiled and said.
“You wouldn’t just leave behind a blind junior just because you joked, right?
“But after thinking about it for a while, there’s no justification for taking you. What’s the point of making another mouth for me to feed here?”
“You need a dog to watch over the house. It’s blind, so it can’t run away. It can’t steal.”
“The place is already full. Unfortunately.”
“Then I keep the watchdog. How about that?”
“Well…”
It was meant to be a joke, but I thought about it a little more seriously. If you think about it, it wasn’t wrong. Saya would take care of herself, but it would be difficult for him to drive out intruders by force. I really thought I needed a dog to protect the housekeeper.
It may not have been to the extent of giving him a pattern, but he had enough loyalty to take him if he was the only junior.
“That’s fine. Let’s get out of here for now.”
“I’m glad. I love you, senior.”
“Don’t take the word I love you lightly.”
I stood up, lightly ignoring Haru’s outstretched hand. Then he picked up the sword that fell on the floor.
“Anyway, how did you know I really ran barefoot?”
“Because there were hardly any footsteps.”
“You noticed it well. So take off your shoes too. I’m going to get out quietly.”
“Is it still night? That might work.”
I put the sweaty shoes of the day into my bag and looked out the door. At the top of the stairs there were still small noises running towards each other. I guess now is the time to leave.
“Can you run?”
“Yes. Are you holding hands? It’s my first time holding a man’s hand.”
“What are you doing by sealing each other’s hands? Listen to my footsteps and follow me. I’m the only one barefoot here.”
“Or can’t you just hit the back of the head against the wall right now? Then you can smell your blood and chase after him.”
Hearing the sharp joke, I was already beginning to regret my decision. However, I couldn’t take back the words I had spat out now. Like Lena can’t undo what happened today.
…
He wasn’t conscious of it, but it seemed that the previous incident had left a fairly deep scar.
I ran forward as hard as I could to shake off the rest of her wounds. Haru also followed me late as a refutator. I ran through the darkness with a blind girl who was led by the smell of blood. The night of slaughter that didn’t greet the dawn deepened like that.
“Ha…Ha…Huh…”
“Huh… Ugh… I think I got some flesh in my mouth. I don’t know who it is.”
“It’s mine. He suddenly bit you.”
“I don’t know if it’ll comfort you, but it was delicious. It’s chewy.”
“Under…”
After struggling through the long night, what we encountered was the bitter autumn wind. Pebbles are stuck in the soles of bare feet without socks. Blood drips from the unwashed face. In the meantime, fatigue pressed down on my eyes as I walked down a road without a single light, carrying my junior who was weak. When I went back, I felt like I was going to collapse on the bed.
“Has it come yet? I’m tired and hungry.”
“We’re almost there. Maybe.”
“On a day like today, I want to eat something sweet. Like a cake topped with whipped cream.”
“There is no such thing.”
“Then, shall we go back and retrieve it? If we search around Miss Lena’s dorm, it might come out.”
“Shut up. Please shut up.”
It seemed like it had been a long time since I cursed at someone to listen to me directly. She couldn’t tell if she was that tired or if the blind man on her back was so annoying.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I saw a severed wrist at the end of my field of vision. Haru also sniffed to see if he had smelled it and posted a belated report.
“Senior. I don’t know if you know, but there’s a smell of rotting corpses nearby. You should be careful.”
“It’s the smell in my room. I put my wrist in front of the door as a warning.”
“Oh my God. I hope I’m not collecting them.”
“And don’t be surprised there’s someone else inside.”
Actually, it is Saya who should be warned. I stood at the door with a tinge of fear. And I called her name as quietly as possible.
“Saya. I’m here.”
“Ah…Wait…!”
Soon, a beautiful voice and light footsteps pounded on the floor from inside. Somehow, just listening to it made me feel at ease. As soon as Saya came out the door and saw me, her eyes widened like her rabbit.
“Oh my God… What’s going on, Lope?”
“Can I go in and explain?”
“Yeah. Sorry. Come in quickly.”
“Thank you.”
I thanked him from the bottom of my heart and went inside. The scent of Saya that filled her room pleasantly moistened the tip of her nose, but her head started pounding at the thought of explaining what happened today.
In the end, I couldn’t bear the stress that came, so I almost threw the day I was carrying on my back. She hoped to be shocked, but she sat down effortlessly, perfectly demonstrating the fall technique she had learned in her class. Then, as if nothing had happened, she jumped up and greeted Saya.
“Oh my God. Hello, Saya-san. My name is Haru. As I heard, you are a very beautiful person.”
“Yes? Ah… I…”
“You don’t have to pay attention. He’s my junior who took swordsmanship lessons together. He’s blind as he sees.”
“It was a secret, but you’re doing too much.”
Haru pouted her lips as if he was genuinely sorry. But then she put on a mischievous look and sniffed her nose towards her Saya.
“But your voice is really pretty. Who is it?”
“Saya. Classmate.”
“Did you have any friends?”
“It’s okay, just wash up and come back. I’ve collected water in one corner of the bathroom.”
“Yes? But… Evil!”
Before Haru could even open her mouth, I grabbed her by the back and dragged her toward the bathroom. Then he opened the door and threw it inside.
“You can do it yourself? Should I help you?”
“No, I don’t have to do that…Don’t you give me food?”
“Wash up and come out to eat.”
I thought it was too much for myself, but the fatigue reached its peak and I couldn’t show any consideration. After confirming the sound of pouring water from the bathroom, I staggered toward the bed.
As I threw my body onto the soft sheet, the accumulated fatigue came in an instant. If I closed my eyes like this, I felt like I would fall asleep. Saya looked at me like that and quietly sat down on the corner of the bed.
“It’s okay?”
“…More or less.”
“Is it okay to leave that child alone like that?”
“I’ll take care of myself. Don’t worry.”
“Yes…”
Saya, dissatisfied with my answer, cast a worried look toward the bathroom. No matter how you think about it, he was an overly kind elf to be stuck in a world like this.
“But don’t you think we need to pay more attention? He said he can’t see.”
“He’s a kid who knows how to take care of himself. It’s okay.”
“I know, but…The way they treat you seems so different. You treated me a lot more kindly than that.”
“That’s it…”
I tried to reply nonchalantly, but I soon lost my words. Looking at Saya’s pure eyes, I felt like I was speechless for some reason.
“Because things are a little different with you.”
“Is that so? Is the situation different from mine?”
“What…”
“Or is there a reason you’re just being nice to me?”
“…”
“…”
Fatigue hit her again, and she shut her mouth. For whatever reason, Saya also looked troubled for some reason. The white bed sheets rustled under that little touch and was sucked in.
The atmosphere was awkward, so I unconsciously scratched her nose. Then Saya pointed at my hand in a startled voice.
“Lope. Aren’t your hands bleeding?”
“Ah.”
Is it the knife scar from before? When he took off his glove, blood was flowing from the wound he had made to prove his identity to Haru. I thought I had taken care of it, but it seemed that the wound had opened in the process of escaping.
“It’s a small cut. It will heal tomorrow, so don’t worry.”
“What the hell happened today?”
“It’s too long to say.”
“Would you like to give me a hand? I’ll take care of it.”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded, and Saya carefully held his hand as if embracing a child. When the skin as soft as petals touched his skin, his shoulders twitched involuntarily. The body heat that passed through him penetrated his face as it was.
“You cut yourself a lot, but doesn’t it hurt?”
“Yes.”
“If you leave it like this, it might get worse.”
“It’s okay. That much.”
She responded indifferently, but I couldn’t bear to talk to her face to face. I felt ashamed for no reason at the sight of a blonde elf looking at me while stretching my hand.
However, as I turned away from her gaze, the touch of her fingers tapping her palm was particularly special. Are the elves’ hands so soft? It seemed that if I closed my eyes, I could even feel the shape of my fingerprints.
So, when her moist lips landed on her wound, it was almost like jumping out of bed in astonishment.
“Sah…Saya?”
“Ah…Sorry. Were you surprised?”
“What are you doing?”
“That is…”
Saya blushed like a child caught doing something bad. It must have been an illusion, but the traces of the kiss still seemed to remain on her palm.
“Saliva has a disinfecting effect, so I thought I’d give it a go. Did you feel bad?”
“No. But…Human saliva doesn’t have that effect. Could it be that of an elf?”
“Human beings can’t do it. I didn’t know. Anyway, the only thing I can do is this… If it doesn’t bother you, I want to help you like this. Is it okay?
“What…”
I had to refuse, but I just couldn’t. I just averted her gaze and Saya took it as a sign of her permission and bowed her head back into her palm.
Soon, her lips touched her wound again and her moist tongue settled down. Then he began to gently brush her skin between the wounds.
“…”
“Well…”
“…”
“…Ugh.”
“Oh, sorry. Are you sick?”
“No it’s okay.”
She wasn’t sick It’s just that electricity pulsates through all the nerves in her body. Every time her tongue touched the palm of her hand, moist and warm bodily fluids flowed, and the sound of her skin clinging to her skin assaulted her ears. It felt like putting my tongue directly into my ear and sucking it out.
However, if she twitched her fingers, it was as if she would be able to grab Saya’s small face with one hand. Her index finger kept touching her cheek, and the soft feel of it bothered me so much.
In the meantime, there was no forget-me-not scent from the saliva. It just smelled like pheromone that made me feel strange like any other human being. But that made the atmosphere even more bizarre.
It seemed that if I continued like this, I would not be able to hold back the surging desire. Contrary to my heart’s desire, I shrank my hand a little and said.
“There you go. You can stop now.”
“Are you okay? Aren’t you sick?”
“Yeah. It’s really okay.”
“Then…”
I hurriedly removed my hand and clenched my fist tightly. Even so, I felt I had to suppress the urge to smell it.
In the meantime, Saya looked around my body to see if she was worried. I deliberately asked a question to distract her.
“Rather than that, buy it. Were you okay today? I was late without a word.”
“Huh? I’m fine. I’m used to being alone.”
“I see. Didn’t anyone come?”
“None. Except for one.”
“…What?”
Unexpected answers to questions thrown without thinking. In an instant, the afterglow that remained in the palm of my hand cooled down.
“Who came? When?”
“It was… I’m not sure what time it was. I think it was around evening. A person wandered in front of the door and just went back.”
“Did you just go back after pacing around?”
“Yeah. I was going to ask who it was, but I thought I’d find out who was inside…So I just kept quiet. Did I do something wrong?”
“It’s not like that. Did you see who it was? Did you hear a voice?”
“I think he came and called your name. He also said his name. But it was so small that I couldn’t hear it well. I could barely hear the last letter…”
Saya bit her lip softly as if in agony. Then she barely answered in an uncertain voice.
“I think it was a name that ended in ka… I think it was a voice I heard a lot at the school gate when I was in the academy. Do you know who it is?”