I’m the Plant Monster Young Girl Alraune.
After I defeated the Frog Monster, a Fairy-san tumbled out of its mouth.
Why was a fairy inside a frog...?
Maybe it had been eaten by the frog.
A little girl emerging from a frog—it was just like the Fairy Tale of Thumbelina from my Previous Life Japan.
Thumbelina was a tiny girl born from a tulip.
But a frog kidnapped her and tried to force her into marriage.
If things were playing out like the fairy tale, then I'd just rescued Fairy-san from her abductor.
Or rather, born from a tulip—didn't that make Thumbelina flower-born too?
It felt strangely similar to me as an Alraune, stirring up a sense of kinship.
At any rate, this Thumbelina-like fairy was surely the frog's victim.
She was slathered in frog's saliva and all slimy, but was she okay?
"Ugee..."
Fairy-san groaned and flopped onto the ground.
She seemed to be frothing at the mouth.
Or rather, with all that froth, she looked on the brink of death.
No way... had she inhaled my poison...?
Wh-what should I do?
I was about to poison the frog and this fairy too!
I never meant to kill some random fairy I didn't know.
I-I had to save her!
I snagged Fairy-san with a vine and reeled her toward me.
At the same time, I latched onto another vine and coated it with nectar.
My nectar with recovery medicine should have a detoxification effect.
If I could get her to drink it, Fairy-san's life would be saved.
But the collapsed fairy couldn't lick it herself. Of course not.
Was there a way to get the nectar inside her?
My flash of inspiration: mouth-to-mouth.
Like artificial respiration—if I fed her the nectar that way, she might pull through.
Conveniently, I'm a young girl.
I could press my lips to the doll-sized Fairy-san.
As I brought her close to my face, the Little Witch asked, "What are you doing?"
"With mouth-to-mouth, the detoxification nectar—I'll make her drink it."
"............No. I'll do it, so put out the nectar."
The Little Witch snatched Fairy-san from me.
Fine, I'll do as she says. I dripped a generous glob of nectar onto the Little Witch's hand.
She pried open the fairy's mouth with her fingers.
Then poured the pooled nectar from her palm straight down the fairy's throat.
Fairy-san must not have been fully out, because she started gulping it down.
After a bit, she coughed, "Kehok."
Looks like the detoxification worked in time.
Fairy-san opened her eyes and stared back and forth between me and the Little Witch.
"Why is that Alraune right in front of me...?"
From her words, it seemed like she knew me somehow.
But I had no fairy friends, and I'd never even seen one before.
As her awareness sharpened, she recovered enough to talk properly.
"You two... helped me...?"
"That's right. Who are you?"
"I'm, as you can see, the beautiful fairy of the forest."
So this Thumbelina really was a fairy.
Incredible—my first fairy sighting!
But why was she inside the frog?
Maybe kidnapped just like Thumbelina.
"Why, were you, inside the frog?"
"Because I got eaten while helping you."
While helping me?
What did that mean?
"I've been watching you two since yesterday. A talking Alraune and a flying human—way too interesting... no, suspicious."
With that, Fairy-san spread her wings and flew up.
Her tiny body began to glow.
I recognized this light.
The firefly from what I thought was last night's dream.
And the faint glow I'd spotted earlier in the river.
That light's true source was this fairy.
"I've never seen a talking Alraune before. Couldn't just ignore you, so I used magic to control the water flow—guided you from the pond to the river, pulled you out. So be grateful!"
Fairy-san puffed out her chest with smug pride.
Small body, big attitude.
"But I got too focused on pulling the Alraune from the river and ended up eaten by the nearby Frog Monster. Thought I was goner, but you saved me—so my instincts were spot on."
So the help in the river came from Fairy-san, not the frog.
If she'd hauled me out, I owed her proper thanks.
"You helped me—thank you."
"Even steven. We're square now."
Fairy-san brushed her hands, adding that she appreciated our save too.
"I'm the fairy Kiri. So what are you doing way out here in the forest depths?"
I explained to Fairy-san that we'd lost our home and moved here together.
But midway through, I noticed something.
The Little Witch hadn't said a peep since earlier.
She'd been silently eyeing the fairy from behind me.
Was the Little Witch shy?
She'd mentioned hating humans, so probably.
Undeterred, Fairy-san chattered on to the silent Little Witch.
"Living in a danger zone like this? You're nuts! Monsters'll eat you by tomorrow!"
This area was a nest of ferocious monsters, Fairy-san said.
No wonder all the tough carnivores kept showing up.
"For living, go to the east side of the forest. That's where I hang out normally—way safer, guaranteed."
East side—toward the Tower City, maybe.
More chance of people, but I couldn't risk the Little Witch any further.
"Sadly, I've got business, so I can't escort you to safety. Would've been nice to babysit, but no can do. Good luck fending for yourselves!"
Fairy-san brushed us off coldly.
Fair enough.
Lifedebt settled, we were strangers again.
What now?
Follow her advice and head east?
As I mulled it over, the Little Witch tugged gently at my petals.
"I agree this place is dangerous. For now, I'm all for moving."
She'd sensed the forest's peril too.
Still, we were new here—no lay of the land.
Trekking clear to the east side would be a haul.
As I groaned "Uhn," Fairy-san zipped right up to my face.
She peered intently at my eyes.
"For some reason, looking into the Alraune's eyes makes my body itch all over."
She hugged her arms like she was holding back.
The Little Witch sometimes stared at my eyes while begging for nectar.
Did my eyes have some nectar-craving magic?
No mirror meant no clue about them.
Oh yeah—this fairy had drunk my nectar earlier.
Unconscious for detox, but her body might remember the taste.
Anyway, opportunity time.
I latched onto a vine and slathered it thick with nectar.
Fairy-san gulped visibly at my golden glowing nectar.
"Fairy-san, I'll give you this nectar—so will you grant my request?"
Nectar in trade for an East Forest escort.
She must love sweets.
Her urgency to lick it was obvious.
Drool was dripping from her mouth, after all.
"What's wrong with me? Since seeing that nectar, my body throbs—I crave licking it so bad."
"Want nectar?"
"Wh-what do I do. Maybe... I do...!"
She'd bitten my invisible hook.
"Then, exchange condition: take us to the East Forest."
"That's it?"
"And show us a livable spot—that's enough."
"Deal!"
Vine to hand—high-five sealed.
Negotiation done!
I offered her the nectar vine.
She perori'd a taste.
Then two licks, three—lapping it eagerly.
For her tiny size, the thick vine's nectar was a chore, but she polished it off.
She really took to it.
Or maybe fairies were just sweet-loving by nature.
Post-nectar, she kept stealing glances at my eyes.
Like a lovestruck maiden.
A first-love girl, eyes drifting to her crush.
Whatever—Fairy-san was our guide now.
I'm a genius!
"Please guide us to a safe spot."
"I know this forest inside out. Leave it to me!"
She thumped her little chest.
"But my add-on condition: once we're safe in the East Forest, more Alraune nectar."
"............Got it."
What had I done?
Something huge, probably.
Another nectar lover on the tally...
"Alraune, I want nectar too."
Fairy-san set her off—the Little Witch joined the demand.
Double nectar duty for me.
I'm no nectar machine!
The urge to gripe was strong.
Keep adding seekers, and I'd dry up from overuse.
Terrifying.
Bad vibes rising, I latched on and slathered another vine thick with nectar.