He's so handsome.
This was Artoria's immediate first impression of the boy before her, who seemed to be around her age.
She swore it wasn't just his looks; there was something that brought a truly indescribable sense of comfort from him.
It was as if... they were "the same kind."
However-
Her gaze carefully roamed over him.
Why wasn't he wearing anything?
And...
He was covered in injuries.
It was as if he'd just stumbled out of 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.
An unpleasant thought suddenly entered Artoria's mind.
Could he be... dead?
She looked up at the starry sky from which he had fallen, her expression growing complicated.
It did make sense... falling from so high, a normal person would have been smashed to a pulp, right?
This boy probably looked fine on the outside, but his insides were likely completely destroyed.
In that case, should she find a place to bury him?
Or should she try to save him?
Just as Artoria was debating with herself, a ripple spread across the lake's surface.
It was the boy's finger. It had twitched.
"Thirsty..."
"So thirsty..."
Confirming she hadn't misheard, Artoria quickly responded.
"Are you okay?"
"T-Thirsty..."
"Eh?"
Artoria hesitated for a moment before turning and running back towards the lake behind her.
As for whether this counted as her giving him her bathwater, that was a discussion for a later time!
"Here!"
Having fashioned a cup out of a large leaf and filled it with water, Artoria hurried back to his side.
"Here, drink-"
Gulp, gulp.
The girl carefully poured the water into his mouth.
This should be enough, right?
Artoria waited with a nervous expression.
But after a single mouthful, the boy didn't seem to drink any of it.
"Not this..."
"This isn't what I want..."
Artoria was dumbfounded.
Could it be...
He recognized that this was her bathwater?
No, no!
The girl shook her head.
How is that even possible!
There must be another reason!
But, what could it be...
Before Artoria could figure out what was going on, the boy suddenly shot up into a sitting position.
"Eh, are you alright now?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Artoria felt a gaze upon her.
In that instant, she suddenly realized something.
Because she was in such a rush to save him-
She hadn't put her clothes back on!
"Please, calm down!" Artoria cried, covering her chest with her hands. "If you don't, I'll scream for help!"
But it all seemed to be useless.
The boy lunged toward her.
In an instant, he had tackled her, pinning her to the grassy shore.
"So strong-!?"
With her hands pinned down, Artoria found she couldn't resist at all.
A part of her began to regret her earlier kindness.
"Don't-"
"You can't do this-"
While he was, admittedly, her type, this suffocating, oppressive feeling was not what she wanted at all.
"So thirsty..."
"I'm so thirsty..." the boy repeated, lowering his head.
"No!!?" Artoria screamed.
But she quickly realized the situation wasn't what she had imagined.
Admittedly, he was indeed acting fiercely, had clearly crossed a line, and possessed an inexplicable presence that allowed for no argument.
However, his actions didn't seem to be driven by that kind of carnal desire.
Instead-
Just as he'd said, he was simply licking whatever his lips could touch out of "thirst."
Instinct.
The word flashed through Artoria's mind.
This was an action that he did only because of pure instinct.
Her face bright red, the girl looked down at him, his head buried against her, and hesitated no longer:
"Um—"
"What is it you actually want to drink?"
"..."
The boy lifted his head, his eyes meeting Artoria's.
"I don't know."
"But..."
"I'm so thirsty..."
"..."
Artoria was at a loss.
He just kept crying that he was thirsty but couldn't explain what he wanted to drink.
To make matters worse-
Artoria realized that, having received no further answer from her, he buried his head and went back to it.
His sharp teeth scraped against her like a saw.
The skin broke...
Before the girl had time to think, the boy's teeth had already pierced her skin.
Artoria began to panic.
If she was able to maintain her composure before thanks to the slight good impression she had of him, now it was pure terror.
Was there any difference between him and a wild beast?!
But very quickly, the girl realized the situation wasn't what she had imagined.
He was indeed doing something indecent.
But the blood he was taking from her seemed to calm his violent restlessness.
Artoria suddenly understood.
It was instinct, a desire to consume.
But because he couldn't bring himself to do anything bad, he had chosen her blood as a substitute.
Having reached a conclusion that explained the current situation, Artoria's courage grew a little.
"Take your time, you don't have to rush."
"I'll wait for you..."
How strange.
She had no idea why she was saying such a thing.
Perhaps it was kindness, or maybe some other reason.
But in any case, if she comforted him like this, he probably wouldn't do anything more reckless, right?
Still, who on earth taught him to do that? Isn't this too... savage?
Fortunately, this drawing of blood didn't last for too 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."
"..."
No matter how she looked at it, being complimented by a boy on something like this felt incredibly strange, but Artoria could sense that he was saying it with a tone of genuine gratitude.
"I-Is that so?"
"Thank you for the compliment."
What in the world am I saying?!
Artoria, having replied on instinct, wanted to slap herself.
She quickly added:
"So, can you let me go now?"
"..."
The boy got up, allowing the girl to get up as well.
The two of them, now standing completely bare before each other, made the air thick with embarrassment- or at least, that's how Artoria felt.
She had to change the subject!
"Let's... go back to my place first." Artoria said, grabbing her clothes from the ground, her face flushing a deep red. "It looks like you're seriously injured."
"Mm, I understand."