I’m an Alraune, a plant monster child.
And right now, several of my vines are burning.


Do I let the flames reduce me to ash?
Or do I self-pollinate, turn into a seed, and make an emergency escape using the Banksia’s ability?

After some thought, I found a third option.


The small stone Fairy-san threw earlier.
It was actually a plant disguised as a stone.
I remember seeing it in a plant encyclopedia during my past life as a high school girl.


This thing that looks unmistakably like a round little rock is actually a succulent called a lithops.

Because they look so much like stones, they’re also commonly known as “living stones.”
If I remember right, they’re distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, in places like South Africa and Namibia.


Lithops camouflage themselves as stones to avoid being eaten by animals.
But that is not the only interesting thing about them. Believe it or not, even though they’re plants, lithops actually molt.
Just like a cicada nymph breaking out of its shell to emerge, the plant pushes new leaves up from between its pair of existing leaves.


I extended a vine to the cheeks of the little witch, who was still clinging to me.
With her eyes swollen with tears, she looked back at me with an anxious expression.


“I won’t… die… so don’t… worry.”

“Really, Alraune?”

“It’s okay… We’ll always be… together.”


To reassure the little witch, I gently patted her head with a vine.

Honestly, having such a crybaby little sister makes life as her older sister pretty exhausting.
I can’t even relax and burn in peace—I’d be too worried leaving her alone like this.


I swallowed the lithops using my lower mouth.
This should let me molt.

Still, molting like a lithops alone might not be enough to escape the fire.
But I have another plant ability I only obtained recently.
That’s right, the eucalyptus!


Thinking about the lithops reminded me that eucalyptus trees can do something similar.
Because their leaves burn easily, eucalyptus trees often experience fires, so they have something like a built-in fire survival manual.

The inner bark of a eucalyptus tree does not burn easily, but the outer bark is extremely flammable.
So when fire reaches the tree, the outer bark peels away, preventing the flames from spreading inward.


If I combine the lithops’ molting with the properties of the eucalyptus bark, I might just be able to escape the flames.


Luckily, only my vines are burning.
If I sever the vine tips that are on fire and adjust my molting so that only the parts close to my bulb remain, I might survive.

With that decided, it was time to act.


I thrusted my head upward, as if stretching my body.
Normally, as a pistil, I wouldn’t molt.
But I am both a plant and a monster.
I should be able to shed my entire body, from my human body to my vines.

Visualizing the molting of lithops and the peeling bark of eucalyptus trees, I activated my power.


My head pushed through something like a thin membrane.
The skin on my head splits into two halves and peeled away.

Cheeks, chest, stomach, waist, flower crown, leaves, bulb followed one by one as my skin separated.
Then, from inside the vines, glossy new vines emerge.

The molt was complete. The burnt tips were gone, leaving only the shorter sections near me.


The burning vine skins peeled away from my body and fell to the ground, roaring as they continued to burn.
Finally, I am protected from the flames.


I did it!
I really did it!

After having my life threatened by fire time and time again, I finally found a way to fight back!
Now I won’t be as afraid of flames like I used to be.
And somehow, shedding my old skin seems to have done wonders. My skin feels amazing.


“Alraune!”

The little witch leaped into my arms.
She really is still a kid, getting this excited.

She rubbed her face against my cheek, saying she was glad I was alive.
For a while, I held her tight in my vines’ embrace.

After she finished expressing her joy over me surviving, I turned my gaze to the burning vine skins.
The immediate danger is over.
Now all that is left is to make good use of this fire.

I gathered dry leaves and branches from nearby and threw them into the flames.

Little by little, the fire grew until it was strong enough to be called a proper campfire.
With that, the fire-starting process is complete.


“Alraune, thank you!”

The little witch spoke calmly, as if her earlier panic had never happened.


“I’m so happy that Alraune is lighting a fire for me.”


The little witch gently patted my head.

Ah… this feels blissful. The soothing touch after a job well done warms my heart.
It felt so good that I almost let a little nectar drip from my mouth.


“Since you worked so hard to start the fire, I, as your big sister, have to do my best too.”


──Wait?
Does that mean she still doesn’t see me as her older sister yet??
I was the one comforting her when she was crying just a moment ago… so why?!


The little witch, noticing my gaze, gently stroked my head again.
Even though she’s small, I can feel her warm, big-sisterly affection for me—like an older sister’s pride for a little sister who’s worked so hard.


Being petted like this made me want to act like a child, clinging to her, while another part of me, knowing I should behave as the responsible older sister, scolded myself to act more mature.
But the battle in my heart was over almost before it began.


Having lived alone in the forest for a year, I was weak to human touch. I hugged the little witch with my vines, letting myself act childishly.
Today, my big sister duties are on hold.

D-Don’t get the wrong idea!
I am her older sister. But today, I’m just playing along with the little witch’s antics and pretending to be her little sister!
Please don’t misunderstand.


Meanwhile, the little witch, having boosted her older-sister powers, had, at some point, grown a look of determination on her face.
She stared at me before taking a deep, deliberate breath, as if making up her mind.

“I’ve decided. I’m going to the town to do some shopping.”


Huh? Shopping?
Little witch, what are you talking about all of a sudden??


“Now that we can start a fire, if we have a pot, we can cook. And if we can cook, meals will be even more fun.”


She held some dried meat over the campfire and took a big bite once it was lightly roasted.
Now that we can start fires, maybe she wants to start using it for more than just warmth.


As for me, I’ve never cooked a day in my life back when I was the duke’s daughter. I had a little experience as a high schooler, but as a carnivorous plant, I usually just swallowed my prey whole. Cooking isn’t really necessary for me.


“I want more than just cooking tools. There are some other things I need for daily life too.”

“But… the town is full of humans… right?”

“I don’t like humans. But for me, a human, to live in the forest, I need their tools.”


That’s true. All we have right now is a bucket.
Maybe it’s finally time to get some proper tools.
Alright, I’ll help with anything the little witch wants.


But listen, little witch…
Even if we go to town, we don’t have any money.
How exactly are you planning to buy a pot?


“To shop… we need money… That means we have to work.”

I wonder if a ten-year-old little witch could really work in a town she’s never been to.
I was a noble, so I don’t really know much about things like that. Hmm… I’m not sure.


“It’s okay. I have a brilliant idea.”

Suddenly, the little witch shoved her finger into my mouth.

W-What the!?
That was way too sudden! I couldn’t react!


“Alraune’s nectar is incredibly delicious. I’d love to keep it all to myself, but… sharing it with someone else isn’t such a bad feeling, I guess.”

Being praised for being tasty makes me happy.
But when it comes to my nectar, things haven’t gone so well in the past.
After all, I’ve ended up creating quite a few nectar-obsessed addicts.


“Alraune is mine. So that means your nectar is mine too, right?”

I do remember us discussing something like that initially.
Does that mean… no way…!

“I’m going to sell Alraune’s nectar.”


I was so shocked by those words, I just stood there dumbfounded, nectar dripping from my mouth.


It seems… my nectar is going to be sold

***

Author’s Note:

Thank you for reading.

Next Time: My Nectar… Is Going to Be Sold


TL’s Note:

Here’s a living stone (species: Lithops dorotheae)