All the forwards want me all to themselves - Chapter 7

Threads of curiosity invaded a corner of Nagi Seishiro’s heart, intertwining and growing alongside the frustration previously ignited by Isagi Yoichi.

Meanwhile, Icarus was equally excited.

Nagi Seishiro was exactly as he had imagined a magnificent genius!

Unlike Itoshi Rin, who was clearly someone who had trained relentlessly with incredibly high standards, Nagi Seishiro only needed a tiny bit of effort for his talent to bloom. It was like a tree stump that had been dormant all winter; the moment it touched spring, it grew rapidly and burst into beautiful flowers.

Playing soccer with Nagi provided a continuous stream of inspiration, and Icarus believed the other boy felt the same. The once listless, “dead fish” eyes of the white-haired boy were now swirling with deep intensity.

As the ball-launching machine finished its round, it was time for a halftime break.

Icarus panted slightly, a question suddenly popping into his mind.

How did Nagi Seishiro undergo such a personality change? Where did that lazy, slacking Miffy-chan go? Who gave this kid a shot of adrenaline?

But Icarus couldn’t exactly walk up and say: “Nagi, I noticed you’re full of drive today. Usually, I see you on the monitors fishing for three days and drying nets for two; today the sun must have risen from the west.”

That would make him look like a creep who watches people through cameras all day.

Icarus looked away guiltily.

While the primary function of those cameras was to ensure everyone’s safety, from another perspective as someone with the same authority as Ego Jinpachi, there were indeed no secrets in any corner of Blue Lock. But it was best not to let Nagi know that.

“Here it comes.”

Nagi gave a soft prompt. Icarus’s gaze sharpened. Without turning his body, he used the strength of his ankle to trap the ball, then pivoted halfway for a shot.

The two began another round of competition. It wasn’t until this set ended that Icarus felt his vision begin to flicker and darken.

Ah, crap. I’m still sick. If he didn’t get back soon, Ewan would find out.

Icarus looked at his teammate and prepared to say goodbye. “I’m going back—”

Before he could finish, the world began to spin. His legs gave way, and he stumbled, only to be caught by Nagi.

“Are you okay?” Nagi asked hesitantly.

Icarus didn’t feel okay at all. He felt as if he were being tossed between a furnace and an ice cellar. The sensation of being caught between fire and ice was miserable, and he couldn’t help but let out a low gasp.

“Take me” back to the dorms.

“Which dorm building are you in?” Nagi looked down at the boy’s flushed face and asked softly. “I should take you to the infirmary.”

The doctor is right here; going to the infirmary won’t help.

Icarus twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to retort, but his head spun again. Does a fever really have this much power?

Whether it was a psychological effect or not, Icarus felt a strange sensation his teeth were itchy.

It was as if a predator were growing new fangs, and the gums couldn’t adapt to the itch of rapid growth. The tip of his tongue swept across his slightly pointed canines; the sharp edge nicked his tongue, and the taste of blood spread through his mouth.

Icarus realized he was starting to get hungry.

Watching the boy with labored breathing, dilated pupils, and flushed cheeks, Nagi thought for a moment and decided to take him to the infirmary.

What a pain.

Nagi had originally wanted to leave this person behind, but for some reason acting on a strange impulse, he reached out to the black-haired youth on the ground.

Just this once, Nagi thought.

In his dazed state, Icarus felt himself being hoisted onto someone’s back.

The boy who had just finished exercising was warm, and heat radiated continuously from the point where they touched. He could smell the scent of the grass from the pitch on Nagi, but there was also a unique scent.

What is that?

His hearing suddenly became incredibly acute. Icarus could clearly hear Nagi’s steady heartbeat and the sound of blood flowing through every vessel in his body.

So hot.

Icarus unconsciously opened his mouth, slowly exhaling hot air in an attempt to soothe his dizzy brain. But it seemed useless.

Looking at the fair skin of the nape of the neck in front of him, Icarus felt his teeth itch intensely.

No, why do I want to bite people the moment I see them? This is too weird.

Icarus struggled with his instincts.

Nagi didn’t notice the inner turmoil of the person on his back. From the corner of his eye, he could see a small black braid hanging down on the left, but the person was being quiet.

Did he faint?

Nagi quickened his pace, leaving the brightly lit pitch for a dim corridor. For some reason, the motion sensors in this section didn’t trigger the lights, leaving the long hallway illuminated only by the faint glow from the pitch at the end.

The darkness of the corridor seemed to nourish thoughts that breed in the shadows. In the silence, the sound of a heartbeat and the swallowing of saliva became very obvious.

“Are you awake?” Nagi noticed a slight movement. “If you’re awake, walk by yourself.”

Although the boy didn’t look sturdy, he wasn’t light. Usually, Nagi was the one being carried by Mikage Reo; he was a bit surprised at himself for carrying this black-haired boy on a whim.

“Mmph…”

Icarus couldn’t hear clearly what was being said. He only knew that even in the dark, that pale neck was shining brilliantly, making his teeth ache.

Sensing that the hands supporting him were about to let go, Icarus hurriedly wrapped his arms tighter around Nagi’s neck. In his haste, he surged forward a bit too hard, and his lips brushed against a patch of warm skin.

Icarus: ?!

Icarus: No, seriously, this smells too good. I can’t hold back.

Heaven knows why he thought Nagi’s neck smelled so fragrant. Maybe he used a special body wash.

Losing his grip on reality, Icarus quietly revealed his newly grown fangs and, under the cover of darkness, secretly took a bite.

Nagi:?

Feeling the strange sensation on his neck, Nagi’s grip suddenly gave way.

Having only managed to nick the skin without getting a full meal, Icarus was thrown to the floor, stunned. He lay sprawled on the ground, looking up dizzily at Nagi, who was now clutching his neck with a look of pure confusion.

“What are you doing?”

Through the haze, Icarus seemed to hear a question. It wasn’t quite an interrogation—it was more a mix of disbelief, a hint of annoyance, and an emotion that was hard to identify.

“I didn’t do anything”

Icarus struggled to sit up. He looked up, eyes wide, attempting to bluff his way through.

Nagi looked at the liar with a complicated expression. That sensation on his neck calling it an “accident” would be pushing it. Does someone just bite people for no reason?

Although he hadn’t actually had much blood taken just a graze, Nagi felt a sense of crisis, as if he were being targeted by a predator.

“Whatever…”

Nagi turned to leave, but he felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down and met a pair of eyes that had suddenly turned crimson.

“Give it to me,” the boy said.

Nagi’s brain felt as though it had been struck by a heavy blow, turning sluggish and chaotic. Unconsciously, he knelt down, obediently presenting the most accessible part of himself to the person before him.

For some reason, Nagi felt strangely elated, strangely excited.

Driven by instinct, Icarus had used part of his vampire abilities, which rapidly drained his mental energy. He was now famished. Seeing the person who was about to leave suddenly kneel down and offer a delicious neck, he opened his mouth in satisfaction.

Chomp!

So delicious!

The small fangs easily pierced the white-haired boy’s skin. Icarus buried himself in the side of Nagi’s neck, narrowing his eyes as he savored the taste.

It was sweet, with a hint of tranquil lemon tea.

So good! It’s addictive!

Icarus drank with intoxication. The blood turned into a warm current, gradually filling his limbs. His complexion began to redden, and the aftereffects of the fever faded, replaced by a different kind of lightheadedness.

Is he “carb-crashing”? No, “blood-crashing”?

The unrestrained vampire greedily took the blood of the person beneath him, failing to notice Nagi’s increasingly pale face.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

A flash of bright blond hair appeared in the darkness. Ewan, his green eyes glowing faintly, stepped in and forcibly separated the two.

“Eh…” Icarus, not yet satisfied, smacked his lips in discontent.

“Lord Icarus, if you keep drinking, you’ll never be able to drink from him again,” Ewan whispered, trying to reason with him.

Icarus frowned and thought for a moment. Looking at Nagi, whose pupils were dilated and unfocused, he nodded reluctantly.

“Fine. Let me finish up.”

Ewan watched as Icarus leaned in and carefully licked the two puncture wounds on Nagi’s neck. He savored the taste for a moment, then licked again to help accelerate the healing of the wound.

Indeed, from the moment he took his first sip of blood, memories recorded in his genes told Icarus what to do how to drink, how to soothe the victim while drinking, and how to help stop the bleeding afterward.

Everything he needed to know was there.

Ewan silently watched Icarus’s lips, which were stained even redder by the blood. He didn’t stop him, merely waiting patiently as Icarus clumsily finished the “closing work.”

A young master of the Cecil family had the right to choose whatever they wanted, even if the “source” wasn’t from a noble vampire lineage.

Seeing Icarus finally stop, Ewan knelt and gathered the full, sleepy boy into his arms. His green eyes glanced toward the nearest security camera.

“Ego, take care of this.”

Ewan carried Icarus away without looking back, leaving only a dazed and unconscious Nagi Seishiro in the hallway.

Behind the monitor, Ego Jinpachi let out a helpless sigh.

“You’ve really given me a difficult problem to solve.