Chapter 4 "Lust and Desire"

 The next day, Yuri woke up and found that her body was only covered with a cloak.

“Oh my god!”

She hugged herself and looked at North, only to see Mikhail holding her clothes.

The man, who washed her clothes, blinked his eyes while looking at her.

“W-What did you do? D-Did you just take off my clothes?” Yuri asked in a bewildered voice.

With a calm demeanor, Mikhail explained, "Your clothes were dirty and wet."

Yuri was taken aback and protested, "But it's not appropriate for a man like you to remove my clothes without my consent."

Mikhail's gaze lingered on her body, making Yuri feel self-conscious and embarrassed.

“W-What?” she asked.

“Your body is different from mine,” he said.

“Huh?”

“So different,” he added, hanging her clothes on a tall rock.

Yuri was perplexed by Mikhail's assertion that his body was dissimilar to hers. While it is widely accepted that men and women possess distinct physical characteristics, it appeared that Mikhail had only recently come to this realization.

“I am a female human,” she uttered.

“I know,” he said without looking back at her.

“If you knew, why were you surprised that we look so different? Well, aside from the fact that you don’t look like a pure human at all.”

Mikhail stared at her and answered, “It’s my first time seeing a woman.”

Yuri was really curious how this man really lived so far. He seemed so innocent and curious about many things.

‘He also knew my language,’ Yuri thought.

“We’re near the Ever-Green Pack. Wear your clothes once they are dried, and we’ll continue to walk,” Mikhail informed.

Shortly thereafter, once Yuri's garments had fully dried, she donned them once more. Without hesitation, Mikhail hoisted her up onto his back once again.

“I can walk on my own,” Yuri said.

Mikhail shook his head.

“No. Your ankle is still not good.”

Yuri glanced down at her ankle, which was swathed in a makeshift bandage fashioned from a scrap of Mikhail's clothing.

As she did so, a niggling thought occurred to her: ‘Wasn't Mikhail who had been injured the first time we crossed paths?’

 She couldn't help but wonder what had become of his wounds.

‘How did he seem to be walking without any difficulty now?’

“What about your injury then?” she asked, leaning closer to his ear.

Turning red, Mikhail stopped walking for a moment. He took a deep breath, taking a moment to collect himself before forging ahead.

“My body is quick to recover from injuries. It heals faster than humans,” he explained.

Yuri was utterly astonished. She had always believed that such stories only existed in the pages of fantasy books.

"Can you tell me how you sustained those injuries? Did someone assault you?" she inquired once more.

Driven by her curiosity, Yuri leaned in closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mikhail's face. However, her movement behind him only made things worse for him. With each passing moment, he could feel her bre*sts pressing against his back, causing him to endure even more discomfort – It was a feeling he had for the first time.

“Why are you not answering? You do have many secrets, do you?” Yuri uttered.

Mikhail gulped and said, “Wild beasts attacked me in the forest. But that’s normal for me.”

Yuri felt a twinge of pity for Mikhail.

She struggled to comprehend his identity and why he roamed the forest alone.

However, she empathized with the torment of enduring hardships in a cruel world. Yuri knew all too well the struggles of surviving a miserable life.

Wordless, Yuri once peeked at Mikhail’s face.

Chase was handsome, but he was gorgeous by human standards. He had the looks, stature, and lean body everyone might have thought he was a movie star.

But Mikhail was unrealistically handsome. Maybe because of the light color of his hair?

Mikhail seemed as tall as Chase, and he had a slender body line at first glance, but as she was being carried by him now, she found that he was pretty muscular.

‘Now that I observe his body, his shoulders are broad.’

Curious about his body size, Yuri embraced him tightly.

“Nyil…!”

“Ahhh!”

As soon as she wrapped her arms around him, Mikhail suddenly let go of her in surprise!

Yuri fell to the ground, wincing. She looked up and saw Mikhail’s face turning red.  

“Nyil ijo qae vaufx!” he gasped in an unrecognizable language.

Confused about why he suddenly got mad, Yuri asked, “What’s wrong? What did I do?”

“Your body,” he said. “It’s different. I am not accustomed to having contact with it.”

With a frown, Yuri responded, “Shouldn’t you be more embarrassed when you kissed me before?”

“Kiss?”

“Yes. Kiss. When you put your lips on me while giving me the medicine.”

Mikhail looked downward as if thinking hard.

“Don’t tell me that was your first kiss?” she asked.

Mikhail looked back at her, a hint of embarrassment on his face. "Well, it was my first kiss to a female," he admitted.

Yuri's amusement grew. "So, you've kissed a guy before?" she teased.

Mikhail shook his head. "No, I haven't," he replied, his discomfort evident.

Yuri couldn't resist pushing further. "Then what's the big deal?" she prodded.

Mikhail sighed, feeling a bit frustrated. "I don't know, it just felt weird,"

Yuri pursed her lips and decided to listen more.

“When I'm near you, my heart races with excitement. Normally, we don't like humans, but your scent is so pleasant. And your body gives me a strange sensation that I can't explain,” Mikhail explained.

The expression on his face looked like he was really mesmerized by her.

‘Is it because this is the first time he sees a female?’ Yuri wondered.

Flashing a mischievous grin, she teased him, asking, "What's this weird feeling you're getting?"

“This and that. It’s weird.”

"Could you elaborate on that?" she inquired.

With a solemn expression, Mikhail lowered himself to her level and locked eyes with her. "When you're near me, I feel an irresistible urge to draw you in and taste you."

Yuri's playful grin faded as she realized the tables had turned. What started as harmless teasing had now transformed into a seductive encounter with Mikhail taking the lead.

“Uhmm, excuse me, but I was just wondering... do you eat humans?” she asked, just in case.

Mikhail shook his head. “It’s not like that. I mean, I felt the urge to caress every inch of your body, to taste your sweet skin with my tongue, and to kiss you from head to toe.”

Yuri's heart raced as she felt a heat spreading through her body. Her lower abdomen pulsed with desire.

“I don’t even exactly know why. So, don’t do that again,” he said.

“Do what?”

“Pressing your body closer to mine.”

Yuri was keenly aware of the emotions that were stirring within Mikhail. It was unmistakable - lust and desire for the opposite sex.

 However, she was uncertain whether sharing her observations with someone like him was appropriate.

‘After all, he appeared to be more innocent than I had expected,’ she added inside her head.

“Sorry for suddenly letting you go,” he said, offering his hand. “I’ll carry you again. Hold my hand.”

“Mikhail.”

“Hmm?”

“If you want to know more about those feelings, I can help you.”