Perhaps he was charmed by the unique powers of a legendary vampire, or perhaps his sympathy was stirred by her beauty. It could have been a momentary impulse, or an unbearable pang of pity upon hearing her cry that she didn't want to die... Araragi Koyomi was indeed a youth with a gloomy exterior but a kind heart. This was truly something he would do.
Besides, before these three "spacemen" appeared, he had already bid a silent farewell to his family and sisters when he stepped toward the heavily injured vampire.
Had they not appeared, he would likely be dead by now, his blood drained dry. Tomorrow morning, when his body was discovered, his sisters would shed tears of disbelief.
But his ritualistic self-sacrifice had been interrupted.
Was it too late to run now?
No matter how he looked at it, Araragi was certain he was just an ordinary human boy with no special abilities, unrelated to the supernatural for his entire life. If he chose to run, the vampire over there would surely be a more attractive target than him, right?
"Don't even think about running~" Putting aside her quarrel with Jibril, Think looked up at the human boy. Her narrow eyes crinkled slightly, giving her an oppressive aura. "You're coming with us."
As a translucent soul, transcending both race and law, Think issued a statement like a police officer.
Araragi Koyomi and the unnamed blonde vampire—under arrest on the spot.
Sū ěr felt as if he had been asleep for a very long time.
Time was a blur, but upon waking, he felt as if every bone in his body had been removed. He was so limp he couldn't even perform the simple task of clenching his fist. He had no strength left, only a marrow-deep sense of exhaustion—and a slight thirst.
The moment that thought surfaced, a translucent glass was brought to his face, the clear liquid inside sloshing gently.
"You want a drink, right?"
Sū ěr didn't know how to describe Think at this moment. The Flügel—no, the Elf—seemed like a different person. It sounded strange, but Sū ěr felt that describing her as "overflowing with maternal radiance" was the only way... she was gentle. Too gentle.
Softly lifting his upper body so he could lean against her, Think tenderly pressed the cup to his lips, feeding him water bit by bit. Her control was perfect, pausing the moment he had enough for a mouthful, patiently waiting for him to swallow before continuing.
What kind of imperial treatment is this?
He couldn't help but mock himself internally. But in the next second, Sū ěr suddenly realized what he had forgotten—where was Jibril?!
Living only with Think for over a decade, including the years after crossing worlds, had almost made him forget the fact that Jibril had also crossed over and was now by his side.
"Mmph, cough! Mmm-ph!!"
He wanted to move the cup aside to ask where the pink-haired Flügel was. However, the moment that intent manifested, the arm and hand supporting his neck and body abandoned their gentleness. They locked onto his neck like an iron vise, and the water cup was shoved against his lips again—though with much less accuracy this time.
Sū ěr nearly choked to death on the water being forced down his throat.
This sudden, jarring shift seemed to bring a spark of strength to his frail body. At the very least, he felt he could now clench his hand into a fist using his own strength... so where was Jibril?!
Hey! You didn't finish off the Flügel, did you?!
Sū ěr gaze turned frantic. However, an excited voice drifting into the room in the next second allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"This is delicious! This is great!"
It was Jibril voice. But the sound that followed the Flügel's exclamation left Sū ěr confused.
"Ah, ahahaha, yes, the snacks from this shop are indeed quite good. My sisters like them too."
Eh?
Whose voice was that?
A boy's voice, maybe sixteen or seventeen. And it was a man he didn't recognize... wait, where am I?
Finally clearing the fog of his post-awakening stupor, Sū ěr realized the room he was in was not the one he and Think had rented after forging fake IDs and household registers. The furniture and decor were completely alien—or rather, it looked more like a long-abandoned, dilapidated building.
This was definitely not his home.
Sū ěr began to wonder if he had been asleep for decades. Come to think of it, sleeping for decades due to soul damage was quite normal. Longevity wasn't an issue for him anymore; his only fear was what an uncontrolled Think and Jibril might have done to this human society they cared nothing about while he was out.
All sorts of wild thoughts sprouted in Sū ěr mind. He didn't have to wait long before Jibril turned the corner and appeared before him.
"Ah! You're awake?"
Her mouth was likely full of the snacks she'd just mentioned, making her speech a bit muffled. However, the pink-haired Flügel swallowed them in a few gulps and dashed to Sū ěr side in a blink—and then she got angry.
Jibril could tell at a glance that this "Stupid Weed" was provoking her. Setting aside the deliberately provocative smile, Think had waited for Jibril to arrive before using her finger to wipe a drop of water from the corner of Sū ěr mouth, then slowly licked her fingertip.
A ghost who doesn't even have a physical body—what the hell are you licking?!!
"My apologies~ You didn't quite make it for the moment he woke up~"
"You sent me away on purpose!!"
She snapped. Jibril absolutely snapped. The snacks she was holding were immediately hurled at Think face, though Think easily tilted her head to dodge the childish attack.
"You definitely sensed he was about to wake up and sent me away! Your soul is linked to his!" The loli-fied Jibril pointed a finger at Think, shouting aggressively.
"How could that be? Don't be silly. Weren't you the one who said you were going to deal with those eyesores? When that human offered to buy you snacks as a 'thank you,' you went off happily. You can't blame me for that... ah, right, of course~ Heh~ After all, that's just how Flügels are~"
Think had opened fire with a full-blown "Generalization Attack."