Yaritsukai to, Kuroneko

Chapter 26

“N…here, ah, you!”

“You’re awake?”

I approach the now awake Yui.



“Do-don’t come any closer, ita, why are you here…”

Her forehead is wrinkled; she seems to be in pain.

This is what happens when you push yourself even when it hurts.

I place a finger on her lips.

-shhi, I tell her to be quiet.

Yui sees my finger and looking at my face stops talking.

“Good, listen to what I say quietly. Your foot, if you move it forcibly does it hurt?”

Yui nods.

“Now, I’ll explain the situation. First, the injury to your foot is from you fall from a cliff. A rock was imbedded in your stomach, and you also had a fever, so, you have been unconscious until now.”

Then I separate my finger from Yui’s lips.

“I-”

“-By the way, didn’t I jump from the cliff top and save you? So, your so called savior is this guy.”

Like a high-pressure salesman I talk.

“I am. But, you don’t need to express you grat.i.tude.”

Yui responds with an upset face.

I will help you even if you hate it. I do it because I like it.

“There is no need for thanks.”

“…what kind of thing?”

Her expression does not change very much, but she looks suspicious.

“It’s because I look you. Now rest in bed.”

Hearing me Yui’s eyebrows lower and she frowns slightly.

Seeing that I continue talking.

“So, I will nurse you until you recover with the head of this house.”

Hearing what I say, she smiles.

“You, are you stupid?”

“Ah, I’m stupid. Why did I help you after the last time? Because I have a question and want to continue the conversation.”

“Ask me.”

“…First of all, it’s about this place…the forest here is shrouded in thick fog. But, you can relax. For some reason there no monsters here. We’re now in a house on a slightly elevated hill.”

Yui then looks around the room.

I continue talking without minding it.

“…So, after you pa.s.sed out I wandered around the forest filled with thick fog. Luckily I happened to tumble across someone living here and they agreed to help.”

“I see…”

“By the way, I told the husband of the couple living here that you and I are lovers.”

“Wh-wh-why…”

She seems to have become upset.

Ma, that is how it is. I try to remind her.

“You helped me, a professional killer. Why would you do something like that?”

“Well, even if you ask…”

“Do you understand?”

A little forceful, I glare at her and talk.

“…I…I don’t mind it.”

I do not know if my influence worked, but Yui seems to understand.

And at that moment, the master of the house walks in wearing a robe.

“Ah, your lover-san has come around.”

“Aah, uh, ya!”

Speaking lively I hug Yui.

I rest my cheek on her head too.

Her cheeks seem to be a bit red, is it a coincidence?

It looks like she is acting prope

rly.

“Haha, good, good. It looks like lover-san is able to eat now, but since she should stay in bed I’ll bring something to eat.”

“Ah, if it’s alright I’ll bring it.”

“Is that so? Then, please.”

After Danna-san lowers his head slightly he returns to the other room.

“Then, I’ll bring you something to eat.”

She stays quiet with her head down.

Ma, her att.i.tude is cold but I think she will eat.

I go to the next room to get food.

Rollo follows next to me as well.

The “noh mask” wife is in the next room, her posture is strait as a ruler, she is standing to the wide holding a wooden pedestal. (TL: Okay, creepy spooky.)

A wooden bowl and spoon are placed on the platter and the bowl is filled with a white soup. An appetizing smell is coming from the steaming bowl.

The smell is making me hungry.

But, the lady rather than the cooking.

The purple flower looks nice on the beautiful woman, but…

Her expression does not change, it is strange.

I am also curious about the forehead mark on the bald Danna…

This woman is far too unnatural.

The Danna pretending to not notice the woman’s behavior is odd as well.

After the noh mask wife pushes the meal into my chest she withdraws.

I stand there and receive it in silence, but I am growing increasingly interested in her wooden behavior.

Rollo begins to squint her eyes and gather her legs beneath her like she is going to chase after the wife’ retreating figure.

The cat seems to sense “something” about the wife.

She is definitely suspicious, but I should bring this food to Yui now.

I take the food to the room Yui is waiting in. She seems to be trying to move her body a little, and when I bring in the meal she smiles.

I place the meal on the bed.

“Sorry. But, it’s until the day after tomorrow. After that much time has pa.s.sed…my foot will be healed.”

She should recover soon.

The potion was really effective.

“…Ah, understood. Then, would Yui like me to feed her?”

“Iii, the shoulder wound is okay. I can already use my arm.”

“Is that so, then I’ll go get my own food. I’d also like to ask about the area around here.”

I go to the next room and the Danna-san and noh mask wife and sitting on straw cushions near the hearth with meals in wooden bowls in one hand.

Seeming to have been enticed by the smell, Rollo is sniffing around the kitchen area before walking over to the side of the hearth.

“You journey. It’s not much but please sit down and eat. I also prepared something for the cat. Here you go.”

The meal I am given seems to be the same as Yui’s meal.

In the big iron pan in the center of the hearth there are root vegetables like potatoes simmering. It looks heavy and appetizing.

I accept Danna’s offer and take a seat on one of the free straw cushions.

I comfortably sit cross legged.

“Then thanks, itadakimasu. Rollo, you’ll eat too?”

“Nnnnnn.”

She climbed onto my knee and making a weird sound in her throat seems to want to eat.

“Theta, get another serving.”

Danna-san gives her wife an order.

His wife expressionlessly takes out another wooden bowl for the soup.

And, taking a ladle she scoops out some of the soup from the pot over the hearth and pours it into the bowl.

“Thanks.”

There is a strange tension.

Bringing the wooden bowl to my mouth I break of a portion of one of the potatoes and put the spoon in my mouth.

Hot, hot. Although I feel uneasy, this soup is delicious. (TL: Shuya is weak to food.)

I quickly consume the think white soup filled with potatoes and white leaves.

Although Rollo’s soup is hot too she laps the soup up with her tongue just fun.

Even though she is a cat her tongue does not seem sensitive to heat.

The Danna opens his mouth and exposes his white teeth.

“Traveler-san, you seem to be okay with the meal. I apologize for Theta’s bluntness.”

“No, no, she is a beautiful person.” (TL: Nah man, as long as she’s hot it’s all good -Shuya)

His wife Theta’s expression changes for the first time.

She laughs awkwardly.

It is hard to describe, but I got gooseb.u.mps all over my skin after seeing her smile with that beautiful body.

The reason is because the purple flower ornament in her hair is not very human.

She is just like a “doll”…

“Traveler, before you wandered into the magic fog and got lost, where were you going?”

“…Hector.”

“I think that is southwest from here. It is difficult to tell because of the fog, but if you head west you should be able to find the highway.”

“Is that so. Good.”

Answering casually, Danna-san winks at his wife.

Then, Theta-san suddenly stands up in the room that has fallen completely silent, and goes to another room on the other side of the kitchen. (TL: Okay, this is really creepy. She defs a zombie corpse.)

“Oya, Theta already seems to be full. She went back inside because she felt satisfied. Please eat much of the remaining potatoes as you want.”

“Yes. Itadakimasu.”

I continue diligently eating the potatoes while I watch Danna-san’s back recede further inside.

This white leaf is good, but my tongue is a little tingly.

Ma, since this is the first proper meal I have had in a while I will eat it.

I wolf down what is left in the pan.

Eating eating.

Should I go check on Yui now? Feeling satisfied I return Rollo to my shoulder and go back to the storage shed.

Once I returned Yui has also finished eating and is resting.

“…Looks like she ate. She should recover well.”

Everything seems fine.

Good, good.

“…You’re here…”

I open my mouth while smiling wryly.

“Don’t worry about it. Right now you are my lover. Since you finished eating I’ll take the tray.”

“T, thank you.”

Rollo comes down from my shoulder and curls up next to Yui’s side like she is anxious about her. Her small face turns to Yui’s hand and she licks the back of one of her fingers.

Ah, Yui expressed her grat.i.tude.

At least she seems to have become obedient.

Fufu, I chuckle to myself…now, I guess I’ll clean up.

I pick up the tray with the empty dishes and carry it to the nearby kitchen.

In the big kitchen there’s a cutting board on the counter next to a sack of flower, bottles of oil, vegetables, and a barrel in which potatoes are piled up.

Below there is water jug, an earthen oven built on the floor, and a heavy iron pot is already there.

Several different frying pans are leaned up again the nearby wall.

Should I put the dishes in the big jug…?

While I a hesitating about where to put the dishes in someone else’s house I hear a voice from the bac room. (TL: Don’t investigate. This is how bad things happen.)

“Master, the remaining mana is below 30%.” (TL: Master is in English.) Activation limit approaching.”

“Understood. I will supply some now.”

A moment pa.s.ses…

“…How’s that?”

“40% of Mana restoration completed…55% of Mana…restoration completed.” (TL: Fill me up, master.)

“Ku, I’ll stop here. This is the limit of my Mana…”

“I am sorry, Master.”

They seem to be using some kind of magic.

“Because I can take that Mana recovery potion, I’m fine. But, I’m still inexperienced. Despite the Magic technology being similar to the Magic Wogan Doll, it is difficult for me to synchronize my mind with the ‘Spirit Absorption."”

“No, master is a genius. You made me, and even led Sabido by the nose.”

“I won’t fall behind the Magic Clan. I was ousted from the clan, but I am an owner of a demon emblem mark. I am the eldest son of the Gustave Family. I am also the successor of the skill handed down generation to generation in my family. The people with the secret enchanting type skill amongst magic craftsman are few.”

“Yes. Master’s skill cannot be imitated by others.”

“That’s right. It’s probably because of my younger sister in the clan. Although the Magic Wogan Doll is made, despite this there are probably a ma.s.sive amount of people that possess the required magic ore casting skill

“Master’s family? I have not met them.”

“Ah, it’s in the past. I have you now, so I don’t need anything else.”

“Yes. Master. I am happy.”

It seems like they’re flirting.

But what is this related to the magic clan?

“However, if I was the maker of the magic wogan doll I might be able to use it on you…”

“But, Wogans are sc.r.a.p iron after all. Unlike me, the master must always be nearby, it will only function if it is supplied.” (TL: The master here is 主人 or “shujin” which can mean head of household, proprietor, employer, or master, depending on the context. It feels more possessive.)

“That’s right, the strong point is Theta’s magic essence conversion ratio. If the core of a berbaky and oil of a chimera to ragazer powder and the scales of an ancient dragon…”

“Yes. Surely, if it is that then output will rise 85%.”

“Ma, it will take time to collect those items. Right now there are two ‘souls’ that can be used. So let’s be patient. Theta’s magic essence tolerance should increase markedly if I incorporate those. I can’t wait.”

“The soul sacrifice, that young man, is always looking at me.”

“Yeah. I cannot allow those eyes. But, Theta is a beautiful woman. A young man like that will get all wound up.”

What…

“Hai.”

“But, the young man and woman are important sacrifices and will give power to your ‘Spirit Absorption.’ It is important that they remain healthy so the two souls can be safely transfer to ‘here.’ Because, first they are paralyzed. About this time…the medicine should be taking affect and they will be collapsing.”

“Hai. Master.”

Spirit Absorption? Paralysis? These are really dangerous words…

This time is a dangerous magician.

Right now we are suckers coming along just begging to be parted from their money? (TL: 鴨がねぎを背負って来る)

That explains why this person lives in such a remote place. We should run away quickly.

Ah, Yui…I hurry to the nearby room.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”

“d.a.m.n it. We already ate the meal; the man here seems to be a dangerous magician. I overheard them talking about “souls” and “sacrifice” and giving us paralyzing medicine. We need to escape fast, can you more?”

“Ah, my…ah, my arm is numb…”

The paralysis is already setting in.

“Rollo, go outside and be prepared to fight at any moment.”

“Nya.”

Rollo responds and then vigorously runs outside.

“Gu, so, sorry. Numbness…”

I should have been more careful.

“Mou, the medicine is already taking affect.”

“…You, are you okay? I can move my mouth…but my arms are shaking, and there’s no strength in my legs…although this feels kind of funny…it must be a special narcotic…”

“I’m fine. I just move the food…I didn’t eat it.”

“There’s no helping it now.”

“Understood. Let’s leave here first. I’ll carry you.”

I carry Yui.

“Kya!”

“What is it lover? I’ll help. Don’t worry.”

Yui nods and falls quiet.

“Oya…are you going somewhere?”

c.r.a.p, we were caught. I must deceive him.

“Ah, Yui wants to go outside for a little while, feel the wind, look at the stars…”

“Is that so, ha, I guess our lies are mutually transparent. I can’t let you leave like this. Theta. Block the exit.”

“Yes. Master.”

She came too. Theta is blocking the warehouse’s exit.

“Rollo!”

At my signal, Rollo springs on Theta.

“-W, what?”

The bald old man cries out behind me, but I’ll ignore him for now.

I hold onto Yui and rush outside. I run to where the popob.u.mu is.

I put Yui of the popob.u.mu’s saddle a bit roughly.

“Run ahead like this.”

Then I should slap the popob.u.mu’s rear.

“Wait.”

Yui calls out.

Is she worried? But I must hurry.

“It’s all right. Believe in me. I will not let them kill you. I’m also worried about the forest, but that couple comes first. Hurry up and escape on the popob.u.mu. I will call you back right away once I kill the couple.”

“Wait, you absolutely can’t die. If you do I will kill you-”

I ignore Yui and slap the popob.u.mu’s rear.

With her on top of the saddle the popob.u.mu takes off and disappears into the darkness.

It shouldn’t go too far.

…It will return when I call for it.

Now, I will return.

I return to the shed where Rollo is fighting.

When I run up the short hill to the front of the hut Rollo and Theta are in the middle of an intense fight.

The jacket around Theta’s shoulder is torn and black blood is pouring from her right shoulder. But, her quick movements show that she isn’t bothered by the injury.

Seeing the figure receiving, I am rooted to the spot.

Theta’s arm transformed to a point like a sword. When the word arm collides intensely with Rollo’s feeler swords they make a hard sound as they are repelled and the collide again. They have each other in check. The purple flower ornament in Theta’s hair is shaking as she moves around.

Rollo shows a glimpse of the divine beast.

Powerful, throbbing limbs. Four claws scratch the ground and a cloud of dust rises.

Sharpened claws swing at Theta’s feet. Theta receives a big cut above her knee, but doesn’t seem to feel any pain. She quickly counter attacks with her sword arms and tarts running after Rollo. Rollo calms down and dexterously avoids Theta’s attack.

Theta runs after Rollo who runs away.

The fight shifts from the entrance of the hut into a large garden.

I can see the fight from the little light leaking out of the shed, since it is night outside, when the fight shifts to a dark place, I can no longer see the fighting figures of Theta and Rollo, I can only hear the sound of a bone sword colliding with a sword.

I activate and ensure my vision.

The fight between Rollo and Theta seems to be equal.

There,

“What on earth are you?”

The bald man approaches shouting with a torch in his hand.

“No, what, you mean…”

“You ate a lot of the food with the special medicine in it. Yet you can still more easily…Are you not human?”

“Whaaaat?” (TL: Whaaaat? Pft, watch chu talkin’ ’bout man.)

Ma, he is right.

“Besides, that black beast injured my wife, Theta.”

What? This old skin head in a robe…

His expression gradually changes.

Did too much blood rise to his head? And then did I anger him?

“Theta, that? Your wife…isn’t she just a doll?” (TL: That wasn’t a smart thing to say, Shuya.)

When the skin head man hears my provocation his face distorts and a blood vessel on his face pops out. It attracts attention to the unchanging mark on his forehead…he leans his head forward, and bares his teeth with a growing light of insanity.

“Aaaaah? What did you say!?  My wife Theta, isn’t a doll!!”

He speaks in a rough voice while spitting saliva.

“Is that so. Then that means, Theta isn’t human.”

“Joke later-”

The bald skin head man mutters angrily and throws his torch into the nearby garden.

A small light source is created in the darkness.

The light of the torch casts the bald man in creepy shadows.

The right hand of the bald man is held out, and touches a fingertip to a ring on his left hand. At that moment, the ring reacts.

The helmeted black skull ring shines, flickering between black and red as two strings appear from its eye sockets. The threads extend into the ground, and the ground it touches suddenly begins to melt? Before long the ground begins to make a sound like boiling lava and the air begins to fill with a black and red smoke.

What appears from the smoking ground is two skeletons, one of red bones and the other of black bones.

He summoned these guys, skeleton knights.

The skeletons are only made of bones, but their formed ribs are large and their forms look like a soldier or knight. They have a long sword that shines with a black l.u.s.ter in one hand and a shield in the other.

The two skeleton knights seem conscious.

Though their bones creak, they move to protect the skin head who summoned them.

-I look with magic observing eye.

They seem to have come from the ring.

The ring contains mana. The thread coming from the ring seems to be mana.

They are connected to the skeletons. There also seem to be rings that hold mana on his other fingers, shining faintly.

The bald man is wearing a lot of magic tool rings.

As I am looking a strong voice comes from behind the bone knights.

“…Bone knights, protect me and attack when you see a chance! I don’t care if his soul isn’t captured!”

As the bald skin head man issues out his order with a burning heart he appears before one of the bone knights, letting his robe billow.

He turns a hand to me and points. N, he’s storing mana in his hand? From a ring shaped like a beast a fireball is suddenly created.

-Swiftly.

I quickly drop down and the fire ball flies over my head. The fire ball hits the ground where I was and explodes. The darkness suddenly becomes bright.

That moment- A blade of mana comes from a different ring? But it flies. I hurry and swing down the black spear at the mana blade. The mana blade is broken by the black spear, divided-the wind blade goes to the left and right. A trace of a sword cut marks to ground to the left and right and a cloud of dust is kicked up.

Yes. I was able to cut the mana blade.

“What!? To move so fast, to see the wind blade in this dark night…you, after all you aren’t an ordinary person. Perhaps the guild?”

So it really was a wind blade.

Because it shines with magic observing eye I can still see it at night.

Besides, what guild?

“…No, I’m just a traveler.”

Unlike the question that appeared in my heart, I answer normally.

“Fu, maa-”

Ue, another fire ball.

Like that, I continue avoiding flying fireb.a.l.l.s and wind blades.

He shoots the magic continuously so I have to be careful.

They are endless. I move and knock down wind blades.

Since it has come to this should I use ? The bald man saw that I stopped moving, and thinking it is a chance, the corners of his mouth lift in a smile.

He holds up a different ring.

Then with a *pika* and a blinding light and intense pain runs through my body like my heart is freezing.

Ita- There’s a rumbling sound in my ears and the smell of burnt meat flesh reaches my nose.

I am also surrounded by smoke. There is a black scar spread from my stomach to my chest.

It buuurns, that guy, he used lightning this time. Too fast, all the rings on his hand seems to be magic rings.

Not needing an aria is too inconvenient.

Indeed, I can smell my flesh burning…

Making a crackling sound, some of the leather clothing has been burned to cinders, and part of my body seared black is visible.

But, despite how it looks, the condition of the burn was healed in an instant.

Only the black tiger leather jacket I received from Shisho is intact.

“I did it, I did it, I did it. Pitch black.”

The bald man is hopping from foot to foot turning about in a dance. (TL: Okay, now he just seems sad and pathetic.)

His face is pale, and because his lips are discolored abnormally red, with the corners of his mouth pulled back he looks just like a clown.

This man is a crazy bald clown.

Without delay- I yell out.

In response the robe wearing man’s expression collapses and he lets out an ugly “Uiiiii!”

I will kill him with one blow.

I eagerly thrust out my black spear.

-A metallic sound.

My stab is blocked by a shield. The shield the black bone knight is using.

“-Ooh, quickly, bone knight!”

The bald man cries out as his expression shifts.

As he recovers he puts on a weird smile while he spits out saliva.

I smile back.

Decent reflexes- I move to the next action while thinking such praise. First, I activate .

I make a fist with “distorted mana hand” and hit the red bone knight.

With the red bone knight unable to hold up its sword after the sudden blow from the mana fist it retreats.

I activate on my left hand at the same time- the chain first goes for the black bone knight that prevented my stab with its excellent reflexes.

The black bone knight cannot keep up with the chain’s speed.

The chain drills through the black bone knight’s jaw faster than a bullet, shattering it.

Like that, I change the trajectory to smash through the head of the black bone knight and then destroy the neck and spine one after the other.

On the other hand, the red bone knight struck by the big mana fist from has an indent in its chest, touching one knee it is downed.

Big mana fist. It is strong.

The red bone knight with the caved in chest somehow rises, and approaches while holding its shield.

I send the Kukri sword to such a red bone knight.

But, since the red bone knight was injured so much already, I turn it into training and hold the kukri sword with .

I swing I move the kukri sword over to the red bone knight with a shaky sword attack.

The red bone knight holds up its shield and it turns into a defensive fight.

Now then. Without overlooking the gab in its defense I point the black spear at its lower body and fire of !

The twisting black blade penetrates through the thick foot bone, destroying it. -Next I destroy the thigh bone. Then I destroy the back bone followed by the sternum.

The red bone knight immediately collapses. Its knees give out and it falls to the ground.

Furthermore, the chain that destroyed the black bone knight goes around and around to the red bone knight and penetrates its head. (TL: This is what I wanted to see the chain do. I feel really satisfied.)

I crush the bones into pieces.

The kukri sword, together with the chain and spear smash all of the red bone knight’s bones with synchronized attacks.

Finally, the bones pieces are crush and strewn about.

After having beaten the bone knights in only several seconds the bald man raises a frightened voice, and with a dumfounded expression his teeth chatter.

That face, I am going to punch it.

I ran at such a bald man.

Leading with my left shoulder, I hold the black spear in my right hand and deliver a shoulder tackle with a shout.

“Hiia.”

As expected, the bald man is a magician. Raising a ring with a scream he releases a fireball to counter attack.

While advancing I use to break through the middle of the fire ball with the black spear.

I dispel the fireball by destroying its core with thrusting.

To the bald man, from the fireball he just released, my left shoulder appears.

-It is over with this.

Once again, taking strong steps, I at the chest of the bald man.

That moment, “-Master,” Theta leaps in from the side to the bald man.

The sound of meat tearing echoes out, and together through Theta’s back, I go through the heart of the bald man.

The two skewered people fall down like marionettes with their string cut.

“Ma, st, er…”

“Shi, shi, Theta…gufu.”

He is trying to talk but blood over flows from his mouth.

“…So. Zoru. D, dear…it’s enough.”

Then, the purple flower next to Theta’s ear falls next to Zoru’s face.

“This violet?”

“Gua, th, that’s right. A purple flower…eh, w, well, remember, Theta?”

The Zoru that is spitting up blood opens his eyes wide when he sees the face of his wife, Theta.

“Oh well…fufu, maybe this is the whim of G.o.d?”

“It’s you. It’s you…Theta. Her beauty is one that doesn’t fade away like a purple flower…” (TL: I really pity these two.)

“Zoru always says that, you gave me the violet…” (TL: They should also be really dead, not having their final words.)

Are you serious?

I sneak around and look at Theta’s face.

Then, the face of Theta which had looked like a doll face had turned into the face of a really beautiful woman.

Ooh, that’s amazing.

Theta has had her chest penetrate by the black spear, yet she is smiling without showing any signs of pain, looking over her husband Zoru affectionately.

From the wound in her chest, black blood flows out unceasingly.

The black blood pours down the black spear then over Zoru’s robe and mixes with his in the mud, at last the black blood even ran down the affectionate eyes.

Theta’s black tears mix together the tears on Zoru’s cheeks, the darkening tears flow over his cheeks, along the ground, and finally dyes the fallen violet black. (TL: Oh.)

“…Theta. I wanted…gu.”

Blood pours out of Zoru’s mouth again.

“Zoru.”

Theta shakes her head to Zoru’s words.

To bring her body closer to her husband’s, she pushes herself along the black spear stuck in her chest, so that they may hug while each other’s blood pools.

When Zoru is hugged by Theta, and evil spirit slips out, and his insane expression changes to a gentle one.

“Zoru. Remember how we always strolled along the riverside of the Haym?”

“Ah…I remember well.”

“Fufu, me too. …my last moments are good.”

Theta drops her neck, and closes her eyes weakly.

As blood flows from Zoru’s mouth, he blinks gently, and looks at me.

“Theta. -There is…more…traveling.”

Patching together those words…he dies with his eyes still open.

He died…

Rollo also seems to have noticed and turns her red eyes questioningly.

After a short moment, while trudging along feeling empty, she rubs face head against by head, back and forth.

Ah, Yui…

Taking care of Rollo under my feet, I return to the place where I separated from Yui.

Whistling, I look for the popob.u.mu.

I whistle over and over again and search.

Then the popob.u.mu returns while snorting “bubobubo”

“Yui! Are you all right?”

“…I’m okay. My body is numb and I can’t move…but you’re all right.”

“N? Were you worried about me?”

“Baka…if you’re like that, should I kill you?”

Again, she says something like that.

She needs punishment, I sentence her to a bottom ma.s.sage. (TL: No, stahp, my feelings aren’t ready.)

“Kya, he, hentai!”

“Hahaha, when you say something like that, aren’t you supposed to say I can never be a bride?”

Her face turns beet-red.

“Yui, your body shivers when I hold you.”

“Aan. Baka.”

It might be a result of the battle ending, but I repeatedly rub and ma.s.sage Yui’s b.u.t.tock. Pulling myself together, I ask about how she is feeling.

“Which remind me, Yui’s important swords. I left them here. I made sure to recover them.”

“Un…”

“Well then, take a rest, I’ll take care of the bodies in the garden.”

“Understood.”

I take all of the valuable rings from the corpse’s fingers.

There was no ring with the water attribute, but there was a ring with the darkness attribute.

I will test this ring later.

I dig a hole in the ground, and make a simple grave for Zoru and Theta.

I put a ring on the gravestone, and place the violet dyed black with blood as an offering.

Even though I killed you…

Seeing these two at the end affect my heart some.

I go to my knees, and pray j.a.panese style.