“Alaya, do you want to eat that?”
“Alaya, how about this one?”
In Danting City, two figures—one tall, one short—walked down the street. The petite girl chatted animatedly with the taller young woman beside her. Though her social skills were limited, and she couldn’t manage sophisticated conversation, she kept asking Alaya if she wanted anything from the nearby stalls.
“Really, big sis, there’s no need… Didn’t we just eat? I’m honestly full!”
Alaya felt somewhat helpless in the face of the girl’s excessive enthusiasm. Initially, she had assumed Aino was a monster walking among humans, disguising herself as a normal person to better carry out her killings. Keeping Alaya around might have been because she was intrigued by a sorceress’s strange powers, or perhaps it was just a whim. Alaya knew that many chaotic beings acted on impulse, without any order or code.
But after several days, Alaya hadn’t noticed any abnormal or violent behavior from her. If it weren’t for the constant aura of evil and bloodlust surrounding the girl, Alaya might have thought she was just an ordinary young woman. Moreover, for some reason, Aino seemed to have taken a liking to her, subtly trying to get closer.
“Alaya, are you tired from walking? Do you want to go back or keep strolling for a bit?”
For some reason, Alaya couldn’t help but think that the outwardly cute Aino resembled the legendary tengu. That can’t be right; it doesn’t make sense, she thought. Though she was completely confused about the situation, as the saying goes, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Faced with Aino’s friendly attitude and the fact that she had rescued Alaya from the nest, Alaya couldn’t maintain her initial prickly demeanor.
“The way home is this way, Aino. That path will take us back to the theater again. Haven’t we already gone the wrong way once…”
“Uh, sorry…”
—
That night, the two of them went to bed as they had for the past few days. The fact that they shared a bed had happened very naturally, without any fuss.
“We’re sharing a room and sleeping in the same bed?”
“Yeah.”
Somehow, this slightly odd arrangement had been settled without issue. Aino finished washing up and got into bed first. Alaya waited until she was settled, then casually fiddled with her hair in front of the mirror before turning off the light. She lifted one side of the blanket and slid in, her graceful form bringing a slight chill. Aino quietly shifted a little to the side.
The bed was a single, so for them to avoid touching, at least one would have to lie on their side, pressed against the edge in an awkward position. Neither Aino nor Alaya was accustomed to that. So, they both lay stiffly on their backs, staring at the ceiling, their bodies slightly touching.
“Alaya,” Aino said in a muffled voice, “I have to go out for a bit tomorrow.”
“Should I wait for you here?”
“It’ll just be for a little while.”
“Oh.”
—
Today was the day she had agreed to meet with the demon.
Regarding the monster he had encountered that day, Parker had no idea how to deal with it. He had subtly asked around, inquiring about beings that could appear and disappear at will, killing with a mere gesture, but no one could give him a definite answer.
“When you encounter something like that, just run. If you can’t run, you’re as good as dead.”
“Why are you even thinking about such things?”
“They don’t understand how urgent the situation is! If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to…” Parker paced anxiously, his mind a tangled mess.
After a while:
“Where the hell is this place you’re talking about? Why have we walked so far?” Lipps complained impatiently. “Where the fuck are we?”
“We’re here, we’re here. This is it,” Parker replied with a forced smile, though his face, out of Lipps’s sight, was icy cold.
The wiry man was about to say something else when suddenly, an indescribable fear gripped his heart. His body was immobilized by an invisible force, unable to move even a finger. Unbeknownst to them, someone had appeared before them.
The terrifying girl materialized in an instant, her hand piercing straight through Lipps’s chest. Lipps was like a mouse caught in a trap, barely clinging to life, his body twitching uncontrollably. Parker also felt the fear, but he wasn’t paralyzed. Swallowing hard, he quietly stepped aside.
After a few initial spasms, Lipps went still. The girl seemed to relish the process, her hand even probing inside his chest. Then, before Parker’s eyes, she pulled out a bloody organ and put it into her mouth.
Parker’s pupils dilated in shock. This must be a demon, right?
“Mmm… hehe…” Aino felt refreshed, as if a long-suppressed urge had finally been released. It was like a carnivore who, after days of eating only cabbage, finally got to feast on a hearty barbecue. The pleasure was intoxicating.
Then, just like with Cassius before, Lipps’s body vanished in a swirl of red light. At the same time, Aino’s face showed satisfaction, a slight smile curling her lips, her cheeks even flushing slightly. If she were in her true form, this would be the massive black dragon swallowing Lipps whole. But to avoid drawing attention, Aino had to use some magic to “elegantly” consume him in her human form.
The wiry man she had just eaten was one of the troublemakers from Jess’s tavern. A dragon’s memory is always sharp. Anyway, anyone associated with such people couldn’t be good. Once she had eaten everyone around him, he’d have to find strangers, and when that happened, he’d be of no further use—and that would be his end.
Speaking of which, Aino didn’t even know the name of the man who brought her food. So, she turned and asked.
“What’s your name?”
Parker didn’t dare delay and quickly replied, “I’m called Parker.”
“Mm, same time next week.” After a pause, Aino added, “This time, the food you brought was better than last time. I hope you can bring even tastier food.”
Then, just like before, she vanished into thin air before Parker’s eyes. Standing there for a moment, making sure the monster had truly left, Parker let out a slow breath, his tense body finally relaxing.
Lipps was tastier than Keston? That was something Parker hadn’t expected. Because, in reality, Keston was a burly, muscular man, while Lipps was nicknamed “Skinny Monkey,” so thin you could hardly see any muscle on him. But Keston was just an ordinary person who worked out, whereas Lipps was an assassin-type adventurer. Parker had seen his abilities firsthand in past brawls.
“Does ‘tastiness’ not depend on the quality of the meat but on their strength? The stronger the person, the tastier they are?” Parker mused to himself. Since she had specifically mentioned it, if he didn’t bring her “tastier food” next time, would he be putting himself in danger?
What a hassle… He had gone to great lengths to distance himself from Keston’s disappearance, and now he didn’t know how to handle this one, or the next, or the one after that… Parker truly felt he had the worst luck.
—
TL notes;
– 伸手不打笑脸人: Translated as “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” an English idiom that captures the essence of not rejecting kindness, aligning with Alaya’s shift in attitude.
