Chapter 48
‘As expected, you were here.’
The moment lunchtime arrived, I went straight to the cafeteria to see Lisa.
But she was nowhere to be found.
However, through both the game and spending a month living alongside her, I had come to understand her personality quite well.
‘She must be skipping lunch and hiding somewhere to avoid meeting me.’
That much was easy to guess. From the start, there were only a few places Lisa could be alone during lunchtime.
So, I packed some food for her and came straight to the Disciplinary Committee room.
Because this was the only place she could be by herself.
“Gideon, why are you here? I told you to come back in a few days, didn’t I?”
“Yes, that’s true. But there’s something I need to discuss with you urgently, Lisa.”
“Something to discuss?”
“I heard something from Lady Layla this morning.”
I sat beside Lisa and placed the food I brought on the desk.
But before I could say anything else, Lisa leaned forward with her mouth slightly open, her face nearing my neck.
I stayed still, and soon she blinked in surprise and pulled back.
‘I guess I’ll have to be ready for Lisa to bite me from time to time.’
Well, I had already accepted that risk the first time she bit me anyway.
I just needed to be careful not to get bitten on the neck again.
Lately, she had kept biting that same spot, and it was starting to feel like the skin there wouldn’t survive much longer.
“I heard we might go on the school trip as early as next week.”
“…What?”
Lisa tilted her head at my words, her eyes asking what nonsense I was talking about.
So I explained the situation.
Basically, the school had decided to move up the trip schedule to cover up the recent Academy Monster Escape Incident.
“Wait a second.”
Lisa took out a crystal sphere from her pocket and contacted someone.
A few minutes later, she nodded after receiving a reply.
“I just asked the Student Council President about it. You’re right. The school trip has been moved up.”
“Then, we should start preparing accordingly.”
“Yes, we should.”
Lisa spoke with a serious expression.
“We’ll need to help with student supervision, check for any dangerous items, and make sure no wild animals or monsters attack during travel to the destination…”
“We can start preparing for that today. There’s still a little time left before the trip, so let’s work on it together.”
“Yeah… together… together…”
Lisa trailed off and gave me a subtle glance.
Then she shook her head.
“No. Gideon, I’ll handle this myself. I’ll do it alone, so you can just rest.”
“Lady Lisa, I’m part of the same Disciplinary Committee as you. And a large event like the school trip will be difficult to manage alone.”
“I can handle it alone. Anyway, thanks for letting me know about the schedule change. You should go back now and have your lunch—”
“Lady Lisa, if you wish… you can drink my blood anytime.”
I smiled faintly as I looked at her.
“……”
“I was prepared for it since the first time you bit me.”
“…No. This isn’t right. Gideon, the more I drink your blood, the more obsessed I might become with you. I don’t want my obsession to ruin your talent.”
“Lady Lisa, I’ve already considered that. So please don’t worry. No matter what you do to me, I’ll keep moving forward toward my goal.”
That wasn’t just empty reassurance.
No matter what Lisa did to me, I was determined to keep going toward my objective.
‘Of course, some nobles might pick a fight with me for being close to Lisa… but that’s hardly an issue.’
Noble provocation could be dealt with, just as I’d always done before.
And while this wasn’t a game, I could still use the knowledge I gained from it to find solutions.
With that in mind…
“There’s no need to overthink this. We can just treat each other as we always do.”
“…As we always do?”
“Yes. Let’s go back to how we were before, and whenever you need it, I’ll offer you my blood.”
I wasn’t sure if that was the right line, since I’d never actually had my blood sucked before, but I tried to say it as naturally as possible.
“So, I’ll give you my blood, and you’ll help me get closer to my goal. We’ll help each other.”
Lisa was the type to see through lies instantly.
So I didn’t lie — I spoke honestly.
“If you drink my blood often enough, you might eventually get used to it, and maybe… you’ll really go back to how you were before.”
“You really… have no idea what kind of state I’m in right now, do you?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
I looked at Lisa, puzzled.
Now that I noticed, her breathing was slightly heavier than before.
And in her blue eyes, a faint shade of red had begun to appear.
“Are you all right?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I am. But Gideon— you really meant it? That you’ll let me drink your blood anytime I need?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And you think you can keep treating me the same way… even while I drink from you?”
“Yes, I believe I can.”
“Haa… haa… then let’s see if that’s true.”
“Uh?”
Lisa suddenly pushed me down to the floor.
My Predictive Counter Skill didn’t activate — meaning she didn’t intend to harm me…
“Can you really treat someone like me… like it’s nothing?”
Lisa pinned me down and climbed on top of me.
At that moment, she looked… like a starving beast.
But my answer had already been decided.
“Yes. I can.”
I had already prepared myself for Lisa to act like this and had thought about how to respond.
So, I smiled and looked up at her.
“By the way, you look hungry… would you like to eat?”
I undid a few buttons on my uniform jacket.
“If you wish, you may drink my blood.”
* * *
‘She’s beautiful… just too beautiful.’
Lisa, sitting on top of Gideon, breathed roughly.
Even she could tell that she wasn’t in her right mind at the moment.
‘…I want him.’
Without realizing it, Lisa reached out her hand toward Gideon’s face.
From the moment Gideon stepped into the Disciplinary Committee room, Lisa had done everything she could to suppress her instincts.
But the more time passed, the harder it became to control herself. And when Gideon told her she could drink his blood whenever she wanted, the thread of her reason snapped.
‘I want to make everything about him mine. Make him my possession, leave my mark on him.’
She wanted to bite every inch of his body, leaving her traces everywhere.
She was clearly not in her right mind, yet Gideon didn’t show even a hint of surprise.
Instead, he gave a faint smile.
“If you wish, you may… drink my blood.”
As he said that, Gideon loosened his uniform jacket slightly.
“But if possible, I’d appreciate it if you bit my shoulder this time instead of my neck. You’ve bitten my neck so often that,maybe after it heals completely, you could…”
“Haa, haa, haa…”
Lisa touched Gideon’s shoulder as she stared at him.
But what drew her attention even more than his neck or shoulder were his lips.
For some reason, she wanted to bite them.
“…Lady Lisa?”
“Don’t move.”
Lisa leaned in, bringing her face closer to his.
When their noses brushed, Gideon’s eyes flickered in mild surprise.
“Just… stay still.”
“Weren’t you after my blood?”
“It’s not only your blood that I want.”
Lisa stared at his lips.
Then, surrendering herself to her instincts, she leaned closer to do what she wanted—
“…No. No, no. Get a hold of yourself. This isn’t right.”
In an instant, Lisa’s reason returned.
She shook her head, quickly stood up, and pulled a bottle filled with red liquid from her bag.
Then she downed the entire thing in one go.
“Lady Lisa?”
“Huff, huff, huff…”
“That didn’t look like animal blood… Was it human blood? Did you bring it from the House Balmuth estate?”
“Yes, that’s right. I brought it from home yesterday.”
Lisa placed the empty bottle back into her bag and slowly calmed her breathing.
Drinking the blood helped her mind clear bit by bit.
‘I really lose control without realizing it…’
Lisa had heard many stories about her ancestors, so she knew well enough.
The first taste of human blood and the obsession toward the one whose blood they drank.
At first, they only desired the blood.
But as time passed, they came to crave the person’s body.
And eventually, they would fall in love completely.
‘And they used their ducal authority and power to force that person to love them back…’
Lisa didn’t want that.
She believed that love forced by one side’s dominance and obsession wasn’t true love.
Love should come from both hearts, not just one that was what Lisa believed.
‘Even if I feel this way, Gideon probably doesn’t have any feelings for me. I shouldn’t complicate his heart or hold him back.’
Lisa had already made up her mind.
After gathering her thoughts, she spoke again.
“I’m sorry about what just happened, Gideon.”
“Eh? Oh, it’s all right.”
“I’ll make sure something like that never happens again. And like you said, I’ll try to act normal… to live normally again.”
“Does that mean you’ll drink my blood and—”
“No, I won’t drink your blood. Ever.”
Lisa’s expression was firm.
“If I keep drinking your blood, I’ll eventually become dependent on it. Then things like what just happened will keep happening again. I won’t let that happen. I won’t tie you down like that. I just want to help you… as your senior.”
“…Understood.”
Gideon had things he wanted to say, but for now, he just nodded.
‘So… she really doesn’t like me that much, huh.’
It felt like Lisa had drawn a clear line between us.
She didn’t plan to love me, but since I was a precious junior, she’d help me as a “senior.”
That was the kind of atmosphere between us.
Of course, from my perspective, that was easier to deal with…
‘Though honestly, I doubt it’ll last long.’
Something told me that in a few months—or even just a few days—she’d end up craving my blood again.
Still, if Lisa wanted to help me purely as a senior, there was no reason for me to refuse.
“Gideon, you’re free after class today, right?”
“Yes? Oh, yes, I am.”
As I was lost in thought, Lisa, now more composed, spoke again.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing serious. There’s just somewhere I want you to come with me.”
Lisa sat down at her desk and glanced at the half-cooked meat I had brought.
She must’ve still been hungry.
“Hmm… after class, I’m planning to meet the Student Council President. You should come with me. You’ll be working with me during the school trip anyway, so it’s better for you to hear the discussion firsthand.”
“The Student Council President…? Hmm, understood.”
The Student Council President of Lysquare Academy…
I didn’t think I’d meet her this soon.
The tired, yet amusing senior I’d only heard rumors about for several reasons, I was looking forward to meeting her.
“Gideon, I can eat this meat, right?”
“Heh, yes, please do.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“To be honest, I just found it… cute.”
“…Since you were honest, I’ll let it slide.”
Lisa replied with a blank expression, then began eating the meat I brought.
I sat beside her and ate my sandwich.
Every now and then, I could feel her eyes glancing at my neck… and at my lips.
But I ignored it and focused on eating.