Again, Hikigaya Hachiman Gets the Wrong Idea (End)

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I didn't get the time to wonder how we were going to not let the games go to waste as Kiss-Shot was busy lecturing me on how I should use my bone to skewer them. I watched in fascination and silent horror when her bone stuck out of her arm. She casually pulled it out, not minding the few drops of blood falling to the ground. Then, she put it on her shoulder while posing like a stuck-up thug.

"Just say that you need a weapon in your mind and then look at your arm. It will naturally stick out," she said casually.

"As if it was that convenient…" I trailed off as my bone was sticking out of my arm, much to my horror.

Kiss-Shot encouraged me to pull the bone out and I did it with bated breath. Surprisingly, it didn't feel hurt. It was slightly uncomfortable but something that I would get used to quickly. To put it into perspective, it was as if putting on a new pair of underwear. Not the best analogy, but you should get what I meant.

"Then, we are ready to skewer our food," Kiss-Shot exclaimed. "Ah, before that, I'll teach you how to skin and gut them."

Wordlessly following her, we found ourselves on the bank of the river soon. After a short masterclass in the art of skinning and gutting, I immediately practiced what I learned. I skinned each one of the games easily, of course, with my nails. I was getting curious about how sturdy my nails were, but I was not too eager to find out. Knowing they were sharp enough to kill with ease was enough for now.

When everything was properly skinned and cleaned, we returned to the camp. Then, we skewered each one of the games with my bones. We did it quickly as it was not a hard task to begin with. After gathering some dry wood, I was about to prepare the primitive way of setting it on fire when Kiss-Shot approached me.

"You can produce fire with your power."

"Are we also a Dragon?"

"No, but we can breathe fire like one if we want." Gesturing at the dry wood stacked on the ground, Kiss-Shot continued, "Imagine you had a fireball in your hand and when you see it appear, throw it on the wood."

"It can't be that simple, right…." Again, I trailed off as I found a fireball in my hand after doing what was instructed. "Aren't we overpowered?"

"Hmph! Rejoice that you became my thrall. Other Vampires are not this good."

Idly noting how proud Kiss-Shot was of herself, I brought one of the skewered games and then spit-roasted it. I watched as the burning wood crackled and the meat cooked slowly as it was exposed to the fire. I was thinking of making a cup of coffee when I felt Kiss-Shot's hand on my shoulder. Looking up from my comfortable sitting position, I found her gesturing her head toward a more secluded part of the forest.

I stood up and wordlessly followed after her. We walked quite deep into the forest before stopping. Then, without saying anything, she thrust her flattened hand at my chest. Surprised, I put my arm before me defensively. To my horror, her hand pierced through my arm effortlessly. My blood splashed through the ground and I noticed she widened her eyes. She wasn't shocked that she hurt, however, as her attention was focused on my blood.

You still like it, huh?

I jumped back in alarm and cringed lightly as I pulled my arm. I could feel her hand slipping out of my hand and I would need quite some time to get used to the sensation. Thankfully, I didn't feel much pain. It still hurt but not something that I couldn't handle. My attention went back to her and I found her licking the blood that was on her fingers in ecstasy. I gulped as she looked at me with crazed eyes.

Thud!

Before I knew it, I was already on the ground. Kiss-Shot was on top of me, tearing my T-shirt eagerly. I couldn't do anything as she sank her teeth into my neck. I tried to push her off me but it only caused her to grind her groin on mine. I couldn't even get properly embarrassed by how quickly my masculinity pillar stood as I was quickly losing consciousness.

I don't think Vampires should drink each other's blood. It's called cannibalism, you know?

When I regained consciousness, I immediately scurried away from the sheepish Kiss-Shot. She looked extremely guilty but I felt so violated that I instinctively covered my exposed upper body when she looked at me. She looked slightly hurt by my action but didn't comment on it. She was well aware of her mistake and understood my reaction.

I turned my gaze away and looked at the deer currently being spit-roasted. We were back at the camp. The sky was already dark—I was already out for hours—but it still puzzled me how Kiss-Shot had spit-roasted three deers while I was out. Attributing it to her Vampire power later, I focused on the more important matter. Are we going to eat all of these? I think one is more than enough for both of us, Kiss-Shot.

Sighing after some time, I stood up before walking to our tent. I rummaged through my bag and fished out a new T-shirt to cover my body. I went still for a couple of seconds thinking about what Kiss-Shot had done to me. As wrong as it felt, I couldn't be mad at her for long. She didn't harm after all. Still, I felt violated. Sighing for the umpteenth time today, I decided to forgive her and talk to her about what she just did to me.

You ought to ask for consent before you do it!

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[Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade's POV]

When he didn't come out of the tent, my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I immediately reflected on my actions and loathed myself. Not only had I taken his humanity away but also violated him. Sucking another Vampire's blood was not strange at all but something that you shouldn't do carelessly. After all, it was the same as marking your significant other. He was already mine when he became my thrall but not in that way!

I clutched my head in frustration and frantically thought about what I should do to make up to him. I was forced to calm down when I heard a rustling from the tent. He came out of the tent in a new T-shirt, still as nonchalant as ever. He looked at me and then ushered me to the fire. I silently followed his lead and sat down before it. I was dreading what he would do next when he handed me a slice of the roasted deer on a plate that he brought.

My heart calmed down slightly and I ate the offered meat in silence. It tasted delicious, which was as expected. I didn't hone my cooking skills for two centuries for nothing. Of course, it soon tasted bland when he didn't join me eating. He was merely staring at me contemplatively, unsettling me greatly as an old memory resurfaced.

"I once had a human friend who didn't mind my identity," I began, not knowing why I was even doing it. "His name was Shishirui Seishirou, a warrior who followed wherever his heart led him. He was one of the first Vampire hunters and a good one at that. What differed him from the others was that he understood the Vampire's life. He didn't go out of his way to hunt Vampires who peacefully coexisted with humans. He only killed unruly Vampires."

He quirked an eyebrow but didn't say a word. He nodded his head, giving me the green light to continue my story.

"One day, a powerful Vampire who yearned for my blood attacked his village. That Vampire wanted to find me through him. Of course, Seishirou fought his hardest. By the time I got there, the Vampire was close to his death's door, however…" I gulped as a painful memory resurfaced. "The only remaining part of Seishirou was his hand which was still grasping his sword. I killed the Vampire in rage and took Seishirou's hand with me. Then, I made the stupidest choice in my life: I revived him as a Vampire."

Smiling self-deprecatingly, I looked at him, my thrall, Hikigaya Hachiman. "He exposed himself to the sunlight and burned himself to death upon finding out that he had become a Vampire. My selfishness had cost me a friend and I still can't get rid of the guilt."

Silence engulfed us as I finished my story. I dreaded what would happen next but felt oddly light after letting that out. The wood crackled and I soon found myself entranced by it. I needed something to distract me from the moment.

"Don't worry; I won't be like him," he remarked calmly, causing my eyes to widen. "Unlike him, I don't have the pride to maintain. I would do my best to survive as a cockroach if that was the fate forced upon me. Also, I don't resent you." He hesitated a little bit before adding, "Just…when you want to do that sort of thing, tell me about it first, okay?"

Dumbfounded, I let my mouth gape ungraciously. "Do you even know what you are talking about?"

"Honestly, no. Just don't make me second guess myself and accept it as is."

I pondered for a few seconds before nodding my head. I opened my mouth and pulled out Kokorowatari—Seishirou's sword. He looked at me warily as I handed him Kokorowatari but accepted it nonetheless. Inspecting it a little bit, he then looked at me in understanding.

"You don't need to present me anything just to be friends with me."

He didn't get me at all.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal AsheCrow