Erica clutched her abdomen and let out a breath.
The beastly cries of the demons that seemed capable of tearing the world apart just minutes ago were no longer heard.
The top-tier monster that appeared as a single irregular, not through a gate, had also been annihilated.
Looking at the blood soaking the floor, Erica wore an empty expression.
Was that her blood, or the demon’s?
There was no one around her. No one to support her, no one to come nearer.
Today marked the seventh battle alone.
She leaned against the wall and coughed up blood.
It was red. And it hurt.
Her uniform was torn and disheveled. Her hair was stained and dirtied with unknown fluids and blood.
Thinking that if she didn’t get treatment soon, the pain would become severe, she tried to push herself off the ground but her waning energy didn’t allow it.
She lowered her head.
This was simply her life.
She was not one with convictions or great ambitions.
Under the penalty of guilt for not being able to protect her younger sister, she had mechanically gone through day after day, nothing more than an ordinary human.
She had held a cold sword far more times than she had held someone’s hand.
It had long been that one corner of the battlefield had become her territory.
Erica closed her eyes.
“Hey, I think that would look pretty on you!”
“Really? Should I try it on?”
She recalled the memory of watching lovers in the twilight with a distant gaze.
Love.
What would that feel like?
A hollow sigh mixed with the air around her.
She had never yearned for affection, so what was love to her?
As she pondered how many ribs might be broken, Erica grimaced in pain and stood up.
Today was the day to see Er. She hadn’t been able to contact her for a while due to being too busy.
Erica looked far away at the shadowy buildings.
It was a gray city.
A cold office. Piled reports. One cup of coffee.
The flickering black letters hurt her eyes. The overwhelmed mind was screaming since last night.
“How about taking a little break?”
“Don’t worry about it and just stay over there.”
“Where to?”
“It’d be nice if you could go completely outside the association.”
After a few seconds of silence, suddenly a sniffle was heard.
Why do they keep pretending to cry when they can’t even cry?
“I even brought coffee…”
“I hate Americano.”
“I brought café mocha!”
The owner of the seat next to her became cheerful.
Surely the seat next to hers was that of another hunter, but it had turned into Orly’s seat a few days ago.
“I don’t like sweet things.”
“You’ve had something sweet every time we went out together.”
That was true.
In fact, she liked sweet things.
Sweetness is the foundation of taste and a synonym for health. The glucose that is the source of sweetness is love and life.
She could not understand those who drank Americano.
Why do they like bitter flavors?
“…What else did you bring besides café mocha?”
“Americano!”
Of course.
“Never mind.”
“I brought something else! Caramel… what was it again?”
“Macchiato?”
“Yeah! Caramel macchiato!”
Orly tilted her head.
“The name is interesting. Is it Italian?”
After a few seconds of silence, Erica felt her brain spinning without her realizing it.
Her mouth began to twitch.
She tried to divert her attention to the report to hold back the words she nearly let out.
“What does caramel mean? What kind of coffee is this…?”
“It’s a coffee with caramel sauce added to latte macchiato.”
Her mouth could no longer contain itself.
Orly blinked.
“Macchiato means to stain or mark in Italian, and if spelled closer to the original it’s macchiato, but according to foreign word transcription rules, it’s makiato. Of course, caramel macchiato is a drink that doesn’t exist in Italy…”
Her brain spun abruptly and then stopped quickly. Her hands trembled and her mouth was blocked. She inadvertently turned her gaze to the side.
Orly smiled.
Ah.
How annoying.
“You know a lot! You’re smart! You really like sweet things…”
“Shut up.”
She felt her cheeks heat up and her heart trembled faintly.
Calm down. It’s just that she told me about the origin of coffee. It just happened that it was one of the coffees she liked.
In the first place, for answering her, Orly should have been grateful. Orly was a villain, and she was just trying to appease the villain who had joined the association.
Though she mixed in a lot of scorn and curses, that’s how it was.
“Well then, that… caramel macchi…”
“Macchiato.”
“Right! They say this one is delicious too!”
“How would someone who only drinks Americano know that…?”
Erica felt her thoughts stop. How did Orly know that she drinks Americano every day?
Just a few days ago, she had been a person who got cut by her weapon. And she received treatment.
And was praised for getting stronger, receiving something like a medicinal herb that supposedly was good for her health by fluke.
Sometimes they went out together, roaming the city.
What the heck is this?
“Hmm? The café staff told me.”
Erica washed her face with one hand.
“It’s obvious that you threatened them by saying you’d kill them if they didn’t talk.”
Orly shot her a glare, looking annoyed.
“What?”
“No, that’s not it. I just wore a hat and pretended to be someone else.”
She adjusted the coat she wore and pulled down the hat.
In clothing that was pulled up to her nose, only her eyes could be seen.
Is this a penguin or what.
“It’s obvious it’s you, Orly.”
“That’s just because you recognized me! If someone who doesn’t know me sees me, I just look like a passerby.”
A moment of silence fell. With only her eyes visible, Erica felt an unrecognizable sense of déjà vu.
It had always looked like that at the café.
Whenever she went out, she had to dress like this to avoid attracting attention.
During hostage situations she wielded blades, and then she pretended to be a good person then?
Orly let out a breath of frustration and took off her hat. Then she seemed to check if her hair was messy in the air mirror she created.
How does she manage that long hair?
Erica blinked.
What does it matter how she manages it? It’s none of my business. It seemed like her thoughts were wandering strangely; she must be very tired.
She craved coffee. She needed something sweet.
“So with this…”
Orly began placing coffee filled in bottles on her desk one by one.
“Drink this and get some strength.”
How on earth did she end up receiving support from such a person?
Erica diverted her gaze to the report without responding.
The coffee looked delicious.
As she focused for a while, the side next to her grew quiet. The office next to her was designed in a cubicle format, making it impossible to see unless someone dragged a chair over to the side like in the previous conversation.
Without realizing it, Erica glanced over the cubicle to see Orly was sleeping.
“Well, of course.”
For the past few days, the director had been subtly bringing up Orly and hinted at treating her well.
Erica understood the hidden meaning and nodded in agreement.
As it stands, there was no way to stop Orly from causing trouble.
The manpower issue was problematic, but it was also about the bizarre sudden increase in gates and irregularities with monsters.
The eradication of criminal groups had been completed a week ago through a joint operation with Orly, targeting several large organizations, but there remained dealings with the Awakened groups that could strike at any moment.
The association had to periodically send hunters, including herself, to show that we were amicable, and they needed to receive a reply indicating that the same went for them.
Holding formal exchanges involving the magical stones and information fell under that category.
When considering the seriousness, relationships with top-tier rankers were much more important. Most of them were widely known, hence they had large networks and possessed many things. If something were to go wrong, whole cities could be destroyed.
Some among them were still wanted, but fortunately, most seemed to cooperate with the association and the union department.
Her ranker position with a certain level of connections must have played a role.
However, in this apocalypse, the one the association and the union department were most concerned about was none other than the owner of the seat next to her.
Erica knew.
Orly probably had her eyes set on the entire current state.
The value held by the number one in the rankings was immense. The power and connections she possesses may be unimaginable even after a year of disappearing.
While she appeared to be satisfied with her daily life relying on the association, being the one who committed past massacres, it was entirely possible that she could lead the world to its end.
Due to the image it needed to present to the public, the association had no choice but to label Orly as wanted, but in reality, it was a relief that she was cooperative after the revelation that the silver-haired girl was Orly.
In light of this, Erica decided to confront reality.
It was true that she could not handle Orly.
All she could do right now was to go along with the peculiar antics Orly might commit.
Though there had been times when she narrowly escaped death, at least she could feel a little relieved knowing that Orly would save her.
Until an order came from the association to take her down, she’d just have to endure a bit longer.
Right.
Erica felt once again.
She was carrying more burdens than she had imagined.
Since joining the association and holding her head in turmoil, she would have accepted even more work if not for Orly.
Nothing had changed compared to the past. It was the same now, and it would continue to be so in the future.
Erica suddenly felt her body becoming weary.
And then she whispered softly.
Since admitting her sister into the hospital, this was something she had never uttered before.
“I’m tired.”
She placed her head on the desk and closed her eyes.
But what could she do about being tired?
She had never felt anything called happiness.
The only comfort was her younger sister’s smile, that was it.
She had lived with the constant reminder that grown-ups don’t complain.
Suddenly, a question arose in her mind.
What does it mean to be an adult?
If carrying so much baggage is a necessary future, then she didn’t want to become an adult.
What are pleasure and freedom?
When she opened her eyes, she saw the coffee in the bottle. Now that she looked closely, it seemed a bit luxurious.
“Café mocha… caramel macchi…”
It’s a coffee with caramel sauce added to latte macchiato.
“…”
Macchiato means to stain or mark in Italian—
You know a lot! You’re smart!
“No…”
Why had that sudden burst of embarrassment come? Did she really go as far as wanting to know that?
Anyway, what a strange person.
If she’s going to kill me, then do it. If you’re going to treat me well, then treat me well.
Are you going to help me get killed?
Madwoman.
She pulled her disheveled hair off the desk and sat up straight.
She opened the bottle labeled café mocha and poured it into her mouth.
It was sweet.
Thinking she’d check if Orly was still asleep, she leaned her head over to the side.
The madwoman was leaning against her chair with her eyes closed.
On the desk lay several materials and charts.
The Vampire’s Love. The Vampire’s Affection.
Was she studying her kind?
That’s intriguing.
She turned her gaze to face Orly.
Definitely, looking at her like this, she was beautiful.
Her skin was pale yet luminous white, and her hair looked like it had been brewed from moonlight itself.
As her gaze wanders to those long eyelashes, Orly’s eyes opened.
Her deep blue pupils shone gracefully.
Oh, this is bad.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…”
“I didn’t expect the first face I’d see upon waking to be yours.”
Once again, embarrassment washed over her. Erica decided to keep her mouth shut.
“Are you interested in my face?”
“No.”
“You can be honest. It is indeed beautiful.”
“No.”
Upon closer inspection, she wasn’t just a madwoman; she was a narcissistic madwoman.
Orly stared at her face intently. A moment of silence transpired, and Erica tried to turn her head away.
“Erica.”
“…What is it?”
“Let’s go somewhere.”
What? What crazy thing is she up to this time?
Of course, the answer was the same as always.
“I don’t want to.”
“You don’t have the right to refuse.”
Orly bit onto a knife.
Was she planning to take the entire building hostage?
“Ha.”
Erica followed Orly out, clutching her head.
Just when she was dead tired, she felt like she should just kill her.
Yeah, at the moment she tries something, just stab her with the sword.
Even if she begs for her life, just kill her.
As she entered the elevator, Erica promised herself to stab her in the heart even if she had to give a hundred bottles of café mocha.
Orly pressed for the 27th floor.
The top floor.
Just as doubts filled her mind about what she was trying to do, the doors opened, revealing the rooftop.
The rooftop was spacious. The dark night air settled down, feeling slightly chilly. A few small street lamps with light bulbs created a dreamy atmosphere.
“Erica.”
Orly walked ahead, spun around, and faced her. The currents swayed, and her dark blue eyes reflected the ripples.
“From now on, don’t think at all.”
The wind blew, and her body floated up.
“Uh, uh?”
As she felt her body lose control, her vision shifted abruptly. With no time to think of other thoughts, the vast black sky came into view. Countless stars confronted her.
And then it receded. Her body became rapidly cold and her heart plunged. Currents flowed through her body, and the surrounding buildings quickly rose.
“Eek?!”
She was falling. She was falling. This is dangerous. This is really dangerous. She would die. She would die. Oh, no.
A gentle voice rang in her ear.
“You won’t die.”
The swiftly changing scenery halted. The air calmed, and her body became warm. A soft sound of wind danced around her ears.
Her body stopped.
Erica faced a mirror in front of her.
She was floating in midair.
“This, this is dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous.”
She received an answer to her own unexpected exclamation. Turning her head around, she found Orly floating in midair, lying down.
Ah, it’s fixed. She couldn’t move at all.
Orly smiled slightly, looking down below. Erica unwittingly followed her gaze.
It was the night sky.
The multitude of colors blended urban lights welcomed her. The light pouring out from the buildings entwined and formed long streams of white.
Even the shadowy rivers reflected bits of light, as if they too were not exceptions, flooding the surface of the river.
The gigantic neon signs and the small lights following them filled the distance. The massive crimson bridge was drenched in moonlight, decorating a portion of the scenery.
Erica gazed blankly at the urban night view. It was a sight she could never see while inside those buildings. The position she was in, the currents, and this view.
Her heart raced.
The stars resting over the urban landscape welcomed her. The calmness and slight chill wrapped around her as if embracing her.
Without realizing it, Erica turned her head toward Orly. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on her.
Orly smiled.
“How is it? Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Crazy girl.”
Erica let out a hollow laugh.
