When I opened my bud, it was morning.
Right in front of my eyes was the Little Witch, entangled in my vines.
"Good morning, Alraune."
It seemed she couldn't escape from my vines.
She was tangled up in a total mess.
Before I knew it, I'd gone and bound her tight.
She was so soft and warm that I must've turned her into my body pillow without thinking.
Well, she was holding me too, so we'd basically been body pillows for each other.
When I tried to move my vines, she let out a shy little sound.
"That tickles..."
"Sorry."
What to do?
The vines were twisted together so intricately, they wouldn't come undone easily.
This situation wasn't ideal, to put it mildly.
I took a calm look at us.
A plant monster in the forest binding a girl with its vines—and its victim.
From the outside, I looked like an outrageous monster attacking a young girl!
And my own appearance was that of a young girl too.
What would anyone think of this—?!
To fix this crisis, I started untangling the vines like solving a puzzle ring.
Each time they wriggled, a sweet little noise escaped her lips.
She was clearly holding back the tickles.
Sweat beaded on her skin at the same time.
Maybe I'd overheated her, so I hurried to loosen them.
But she only squirmed more, sweat trickling down her forehead.
Still, I carefully unwound the tight coils.
With every vine that slipped free, more of her skin-colored form came into view.
It felt like I was doing something illicit.
I glanced at her clothes, drying on a nearby branch.
Those were all her clothes—which meant exactly that.
No, it's fine. Nothing shady here.
I'm just untangling the vines around the Little Witch.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Besides, mentally, I'm the big sister here.
These kinds of moments must happen when you're caring for a little sister, right?
I never had one in my previous life, so who knows.
Alrighty, big sis is gonna power through!
But big sis hit a wall right away.
"Ah, this might be impossible."
There was a complex and bizarre knot—one I couldn't even fathom how it formed.
Big sis failed...
My vines couldn't undo it any further...
"Sorry, can't... untangle."
"Then no choice. We'll spend the day like this."
Unlike my deflation, she didn't seem fazed at all.
Wasn't that a bit too laid-back?
We're supposed to live like this, tangled with me and my vines?
She's still all wrapped up?
"If you think of Alraune's vines as clothes, it's no problem."
She looked pretty wild-child now, but was she really okay with that?
And she'd made no effort to untangle herself since the start.
She'd just watched me work. Why?
Well, no helping it.
Moving around might loosen them eventually, so we'd stick together till then.
—Huh?
I just noticed: while asleep, I'd drooled nectar from my mouth.
How embarrassing...
Drooling in my sleep at this age? So unladylike.
Though my looks are young girl, so maybe okay.
But this mouthfeel...
Something off about it.
Not like my usual mornings.
I barely drooled waking up, even this past year.
As I puzzled, I spotted her sucking her finger.
She seems so composed usually, but kids will be kids.
If a 10-year-old Little Witch can't quit finger-sucking, my drool's downright cute.
Yeah, good enough.
While she licked her finger so thoroughly, I made breakfast apples for her.
Oddly, she didn't want nectar this morning.
Grateful she wasn't hooked.
Perverts can stay that orphan boy and Bear-papa.
"Here, Alraune's breakfast."
She pulled some grass from her dried clothes.
She'd gathered it in the forest yesterday while I was lost, apparently.
She knows my plant generation, and unfamiliar plants like this help.
Looks like a Sundew.
Saw something similar in the Plant Encyclopedia back in my high school girl era.
Sundews are insectivorous plants, like me.
Anyway, gratefully accepted.
I munched the Sundew-like plant, eyeing her.
She chomped my apple heartily.
Apples and nectar alone? Her diet's a disaster.
Gotta get stamina-building food in her!
"Let's... go find... food."
"We have apples and nectar, so fine."
"Not... enough."
Held her body yesterday—too skinny.
Growing age; needs more good eats.
Big sis worries.
"What kind of food?"
Fruit and nectar's unbalanced.
Forest easy-grab? Protein.
Meat's best.
"Catch... animals, eat... meat."
"Like that one?"
"...That?"
She pointed into the trees.
There: a big mottled giant frog monster.
The frog-type monster Flurtfrosch.
Pattern matched the frog-san from the river yesterday.
My Frog Prince savior.
Never thought it'd seek me out again.
"We were finally alone in a good spot, and now a frog ruins it..."
She eyed it warily.
Right—she didn't know it might've saved me.
I struggled to explain carefully: this frog possibly rescued my Alraune from the river.
"This frog... saved my Alraune..."
Huh? Her face hardened more.
Why?
Less thanks, more hostility?
It approached.
The giant frog loomed blankly.
Kinda scary.
A prince should be kinder—no warmth here.
More like a robot, emotionless toward prey.
Steps away, its mouth gaped.
Tongue lashed out.
Instant.
I was snared on the frog's tongue.
Hieee!?
"Alraune!?"
Panic in her voice.
We were one body and soul now.
Both tongue fodder.
Realization hit.
No prince.
Just a ravenous wild monster frog.
We were both slimed on its tongue.
She worse: vines then tongue.
Double capture.
Sticky frog mucilage dripped.
Gross.
Its raw large mouth loomed huge.
Bucket-bound, unrooted—easy drag-in.
Then I saw: blue flower-like object in its mouth.
Flower inside...?
Plant-eating frog maybe.
Not food then?
Herbivorous frog-san?
Likes living flowers too.
Am I its favorite type...?
Big me before? Handled easy.
Now young girl.
Eaten side.
N-no.
Don't wanna be frog food—!!