Chapter 97: Rabbit Meat

Because of what happened in the past, Arisu hesitated when Kazuichi went out to hunt. The last time they were separated, she didn't catch wind of him for weeks until Jurou finally gave her the heads up. And right now, the same thing happened and a small portion of her mind told her that he won't come back again.

That's why when Kazuichi finally emerged from the blanket of rain, Arisu felt genuinely relieved. She teared up when Kazuichi returned to their makeshift shelter, all drenched while holding two rabbits on the ears.

Apparently, Albrecht actually found another rabbit on his way out and he hunted it down easily. Then again, he figured out that one rabbit wouldn't be enough for the four of them so the second rabbit was a godsend.

"Here, I made sure to not let it bleed out so you can drink the blood. It's still warm, I just hunted it down two minutes ago." Kazuichi commented as he handed Arisu one of the rabbits.

Without further ado, he too started drinking the blood from the rabbit. This was one of the weirdest things that transformed in their lives as Hybrida. If they don't consume blood, the instinctual urge of biting someone would reoccur and they'd be forced to hunt down an uninfected.

In a way, they were similar to the mindless infected with the only difference of having consciousness and the right to control their primal urges. It may look unethical, and in a way downright disgusting, but they had to make do with animal blood if they were to survive as a Hybrid.

In a gentle manner, Arisu slowly lifted the rabbit, slitting its neck before she started sucking on it. The slurping sound she made was so distracting that Kazuichi couldn't even solely focus on his rabbit. Little did he know that he also sounds like that whenever he drinks straight from the animal.

Nonetheless, Kazuichi was surprised that Arisu looked so refined when she drank blood from the rabbit. Unbeknownst to him, there were children in the Kazuichi shelter who were close to Arisu, that's why she couldn't afford to look feral in front of them.

She did her best in creating an image that befitted a stronghold leader and she went to great lengths just to procure that image. There was even one phase when she had to drink blood in front of a mirror, just so she could see herself.

After all, whenever Hybrids drink blood, their innate Hybrid self would come out. This would cause them to have extremely bloodshot eyes as well as bloodthirst to seep from their bodies.

"Wow, where did you learn to drink like that?" Kazuichi asked, amazed. He had never seen a Hybrid drink like that before, probably because he rarely drank blood whenever there was a Hybrid nearby.

"I practiced in front of the mirror. It's hard to control it though especially when the blood is fresh." Arisu explained, gently wiping the smear of blood on her lips and cheeks before setting the rabbit aside. With her hunger satiated, she could finally relax a little bit— just a little since his sense of smell was still affected by the pouring rain.

"Oh, great idea," Kazuichi muttered to himself as he consciously drank the blood of his own rabbit. He tried to act like Arisu but he ended up looking like an idiot.

Arisu had to suppress her urge to laugh when she saw how Kazuichi was trying too hard.

With the rabbits drained of blood, Arisu and Kazuichi dressed the meat together so they could cook it while waiting for Amaya and Tris to wake up. They were too deep in their sleep but Kazuichi knew that they'd stir from their slumber the moment they smelled cooked meat.

It didn't take long before Arisu and Kazuichi dressed the meat and cut it into pieces. As Hybrids, they had to work on their hunting and meat preparation skills. At this point, the two of them were expert butchers, and they were even more efficient since they worked together.

The crackles of the flames played a chorus with the silence that filled the room as Arisu and Kazuichi silently watched the writhing flames. There were small conversations here and there but the majority of the time, there was silence.

It was a good silence though since the two of them enjoyed each other's company in silence. To be fair, Arisu was still overwhelmed that she was with Kazuichi right now. He was her savior. If it weren't for him, she would've died if he didn't take her in, fed and clothed her. Despite being a shut-in, he went out of his way to let him in.

"I can't wait to get to the Kazuichi Stronghold." Kazuichi related out of nowhere with a warm smile on his face. This was the first time Arisu saw him so relaxed that it warmed her up inside.

And with that, the rabbit meat was finally cooked. Kazuichi pulled out soy sauce from his bag, pouring some of it on his before taking a bite. He handed the magic condiment to Arisu who did the same.

"Me too, you'll be surprised," Arisu commented, licking her lips since the rabbit meat tasted so good. "Also, I kept the house clean, made sure to check the water source every day, clean the entire area of Hybrids and infected... The house still looked the same when you left it. I took care of it as much as I could in hopes that you'll return."

An exhale left Kazuichi's mouth. He had no idea how to put his gratitude into words. After all, there were plenty of chances where Arisu could've done it differently, but she went out of her way to preserve his house, not to mention improve it for the benefit of the created stronghold.

While they were having their sweet moment together, Amaya woke up and she immediately sensed the romantic atmosphere that encompassed the place. She hurriedly woke up her sister, but her sister just won't budge.

"Oh, you're awake," Kazuichi greeted, handing her a piece of rabbit meat on a stick.

Since Amaya couldn't do anything regarding her sister, she conceded and obliged Kazuichi's offer. Instead of resuming her wake-up nudges to her sister, she sat on Kazuichi's lap, creating a barrier between him and Arisu. It was very effective.

With Arisu's enhanced olfactory sense, she immediately smelled what Arisu was doing. She chuckled in response, finding it cute that Amaya was trying to hog Kazuichi all to herself.