All the forwards want me all to themselves - Chapter 9

The same pitch, the same white-haired boy.

Icarus had run into Nagi Seishiro yet again.

This “salted fish” hadn’t just performed a miraculous recovery; he had practically jumped up and swum two laps! Was Isagi Yoichi’s influence on Nagi really that massive? Nagi was actually skipping sleep to come here and play soccer!

Icarus was stunned, but then he happily joined his soccer-playing companion.

Playing with Nagi was like doodling freely on a blank sheet of paper with a fellow master; the mutual inspiration they sparked made Icarus feel incredibly joyful. Most importantly, unlike Shidou Ryusei, Nagi didn’t get all “touchy-feely” when his excitement peaked; he had an excellent sense of boundaries.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Nagi remained faint and unresponsive. He didn’t demand an explanation for being bitten, nor did he walk away in disgust, which made Icarus feel quite relieved.

Icarus decided that if Nagi ever ended up in his hands, he would give him priority treatment and he wouldn’t charge him a dime.

The two didn’t even exchange a greeting. Icarus charged straight ahead, timing his steps to intercept Nagi’s ball, but the latter hooked and kicked it, keeping it firmly under control.

Oh, interesting.

Icarus’s eyes lit up, and he began to carefully plot his offensive.

Thus began a competition without gunpowder. Icarus kept his eyes glued to the soccer ball spinning nimbly at Nagi’s feet. The ball seemed glued to Nagi, staying perfectly within his range of control.

Icarus wasn’t in a hurry. He stared at the rolling ball, composed and calm. His sharp dynamic vision caught a half-second stall in Nagi’s movement, and he lunged to intercept.

Nagi’s gaze froze, shifting from the ball to Icarus’s face.

Those black eyes were currently shimmering with light, and the small braid by his cheek danced joyfully with his movements.

Nagi felt a strange sensation in his heart. It was somewhat similar to what he felt when looking at Isagi Yoichi, yet different. Aside from competitiveness, there was something else mixed in.

Nagi, in a rare moment, found himself distracted during practice until he heard the other boy speak.

“Dazing off while playing with me won’t do.”

Icarus suddenly accelerated, turning with the ball in an attempt to bypass Nagi. For a split second, Nagi was indeed bypassed, but he quickly caught up using his height advantage and impressive reaction speed.

“Heh, now we’re talking,” Icarus laughed. Moments before Nagi could cut him off, he struck. A beautiful dipping shot a “falling leaf” ball evaded Nagi’s sliding tackle and successfully hit the net.

“Goal!!”

the mechanical voice of the stadium announced.

Watching that beautiful shot, Nagi puffed out his cheeks slightly. “Again,” he said.

Icarus naturally welcomed it. Now it was his turn to control the ball while Nagi attempted to steal it. Using his 190cm frame, Nagi pressed forward, using his size to limit Icarus’s movement before his foot began to itch to steal the ball.

Icarus performed a turn to dissipate the pressure, smoothly evading Nagi with the ball. With a precise glide of his foot, he avoided Nagi’s second attempt at a steal.

So stable!

Nagi felt himself sweating. He could no longer hear the sounds around him; his concentration became hyper-focused, and a storm-like vortex began to swirl in his eyes.

The other’s movements suddenly seemed to slow down. In a single moment, Nagi saw the slight shift in Icarus’s toes. Sensing the timing, he lunged forward.

A successful steal!

Feeling the familiar touch of the ball under his control, Nagi took a step left to stabilize himself from the steal and fired a direct shot with his right foot.

“That was a beautiful goal,” Icarus said enthusiastically. “Again.”

On the next ball, Icarus went on the offensive. He struck with the inside of his arch, sending a beautiful “banana ball” curve around Nagi to score.

Nagi’s eyes lit up. The “giant Miffy-chan” wanted to try it too.

An arched shot, strikingly similar to Icarus’s banana ball, flew toward the net. It struck the post and bounced far away.

“It feels like it’s missing something,” Nagi murmured.

“Yeah, I wonder what it’s missing~” Icarus chimed in mischievously.

Looking at the giant bunny-like boy staring at him silently, Icarus couldn’t help but curl his lips. “I’m not telling you~”

It was rare to see Nagi looking slightly defeated; Icarus wanted to savor the moment.

Nagi was silent for a moment, then suddenly pulled down a corner of his training jersey at the neck.

“Here. You tell me, and I’ll give this to you.”

Icarus: Wait, this “give this to you” can’t be what I think it is, right?

Under the black-haired youth’s shocked gaze, Nagi tilted his head. “You don’t want it?”

Nagi’s logic was simple: Being bitten = tuition fee = banana ball skill.

Two sips of blood in exchange for a useful shooting skill was a solid profit. Besides, blood is renewable.

Nagi had no idea what his gesture meant to a vampire. Coincidentally, Icarus hadn’t been raised as a pure-blood from childhood and only had a half-baked understanding himself. Two people with no idea what they were doing came together and happily struck a deal.

“This shot is very hard to learn. Once won’t be enough,” Icarus said, feigning seriousness.

“Until I’ve learned it, you can have it whenever you want,” Nagi said, revealing his trump card.

Oh ho. I can work with that.

The familiar scent of lemon tea blood seemed to well up in his mouth again, and Icarus’s throat moved. But he quelled his inner excitement, deciding to handle business first.

After carefully explaining the mechanics of the banana ball to Nagi, Icarus let him try it on his own, stepping in to correct errors in his power delivery.

It must be said that Nagi was truly a genius. Even though he didn’t replicate it perfectly on the first try, with Icarus’s guidance, he had learned about seventy to eighty percent of it by the end of the night.

Wait, does that mean this shot can only string him along for two days? Icarus sighed deeply at Nagi’s progress, feeling a bit of regret.

As the clock on the wall finished a full rotation, Icarus felt a wave of sleepiness. He let out a deep yawn. “Pay up. I’m going back to rest.”

Nagi obediently stopped his shooting practice. He made a move to pull off his shirt, startling Icarus into snapping his half-closed eyes wide open.

“That’s not necessary!”

Holding back the hand trying to strip, Nagi tilted his head.

“Ahem, no need to take off your top,” Icarus said with the poise of someone critiquing his food. “It’s easier to bite if you just pull the collar down a bit.”

Nagi shifted his hand from his hem to his collar. He pulled the fabric down at the side of his neck, revealing a wide expanse of fair, smooth skin.

Right there!

Icarus didn’t notice his dark pupils were quietly being tinged with red.

The new fangs in his mouth began to itch. Icarus couldn’t help but swallow and slowly leaned forward.

Forward… wait, why is there still a distance?

Icarus glared at the 190cm bunny-boy with a look of deep resentment. “Squat down.”

Nagi obeyed, and Icarus nodded in satisfaction. Yes, much easier to reach now.

As slightly cool breath fanned against his neck, Nagi shuddered, a sense of crisis emerging. Before he could call for a stop, a warm sensation hit his neck.

His heart jumped, followed immediately by the sting of teeth piercing his skin.

It didn’t hurt it felt like a small insect bite, but the pain quickly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, scalp-numbing pleasure.

Nagi’s breathing became rapid, his pupils dilated, and his fair skin was flushed with red. His brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer; the only thing he could hear was the joyful sound of his own blood flowing.

So this is what it feels like…

Nagi, being sucked for the first time while fully conscious, felt a deep sense of shock.

On the other side, Icarus also drinking while conscious for the first time experienced an indescribable happiness. It was as if someone who had been diligently eating health food for years was suddenly fed a bag of spicy snacks; his taste buds, stimulated by the “industrial food,” were screaming with excitement and pleasure.

If Ewan were here, he would have told Icarus that over countless years of evolution, vampires had developed the ability to release neurotoxins through their fangs to make their prey feel pleasure. This experience is mutual, designed to give the vampire a better dining experience.

After all, no one wants to eat while the food is crying and making a scene.

But Ewan wasn’t here. In the empty stadium, there was only a lonely “Miffy-chan” and a very happy vampire.

Icarus had his fill of the lemon-flavored Nagi Seishiro. Feeling the heavy sense of satisfaction in his stomach, he narrowed his eyes happily.

“Hey, that’s enough, right?”

Nagi struggled to pull himself back from the euphoric state. His slight protest startled the entranced Icarus.

Right, I have to follow the principle of renewable food.

Icarus reluctantly pulled away. Seeing the droplets of blood remaining on the fair skin, he licked them up repeatedly, treasuring every last bit of his meal.

Being suddenly licked, Nagi felt for a moment like he was a giant popsicle being carefully savored.

“Alright, how do you feel?” Icarus asked with concern.

He had stopped quite early this time, letting go when he wasn’t even thirty percent full. Icarus was practically moved by his own self-control.

Standing up from his half-squat, Nagi’s vision suddenly went black, and he swayed on unsteady feet. Icarus quickly steadied him.

Nagi didn’t look at him again. Maintaining his dazed posture, he walked toward the dark tunnel of the pitch on weak legs.

Icarus restrained himself and kept his distance. He was afraid that if he entered the dim tunnel, he would pounce on the boy and take another huge gulp.

Distance creates beauty and effectively curbs the appetite.

Clutching his stomach, which was still growling slightly, Icarus waited a moment before finally heading back to his room.

Maybe next time I should talk to Ego Jinpachi and add some blood-replenishing red dates to Nagi’s menu, Icarus thought guiltily.