Vol 1 Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1 - The Suicidal Miht
Mi off in the distance The light unexpectedly entered her eyes, and she blinked several times
”Are you awake? Are you awake? Huirl”
Little by little, a voice filled her ears Its speech was broken, and it was very hard to understand
Huirl
Like a reflex, Mih slip out
”I'm not a hu to the voice of a dream
”Oh”
She then heard a rustling noise, like the wings of a bat
”Are you not going to screa I know the mannerisms of humans well”
”Screaainst her eyes, she repeated the word, like a parrot
”For not shrieking just fro me: I corasped the shape of its origin
However, the distance between the voice's origin and her sanpaku eyes was so ser than any of the huge surrounding tree trunks She took in the blackish-blue hue of its body, which obstructed her entire field of vision It had two straight wings like a bat, and its body looked somehow human, however its torso was extre two thin, prominent arms Two milky white horns stuck out froht across like a nutcracker In its mouth were a set of yellowed teeth, bethich protruded a red tongue The sheer redness of its mouth stood out quite flamboyantly It had a mane of hair like maize leaves, and its eyes were such that the direction in which they were pointing was i at them
It was certainly a frightening, fantastic figure However, Mimizuku did not think it was so scary She had never been scared of anything before
” Are you aher neck to the side ”I a the air
Mie in attitude, asked, ”Will you eat me?”
”I will not eat you” An instant reply
”A how disappointing” she tapered off
The beautiful creature she saw last night wouldn't eat her, and now thisto eat her, refused to do so as well
”Huirl Do you wish to be eaten?”
”Yes! Yes, I do! But hey! I'irl, I's into the air like a child having a tantrule ”Why? Why? Why won't you eat h skin several times in protest However, Mihtest Then, he arched his back, and suddenly flapped away
”Huh?”
Mimizuku watched as the monster's form became ht beca his wings, flew up into the sky He looked down at Mimizuku so that their eyes met Their conversation continued
”The Ieri in this forest never eat humans Even now, as you ask me to eat you, I refuse” Mimizuku suddenly went still Ieri She had heard that somewhere before Somewhere deep in her memory were humans who also called the , the monster could not h she understood the words, his accent e of some far-off country
Like words she had never heard before
”Why?”
It was because the monster was much smaller than Mimizuku, of course She would probably be far too er ht size to devour someone like her She asked this monster about him
”Because, because because You ht,” the monster responded ”I cannot associate with any person which the King of Night has let go of”
”King of Night?”
”Yes, the King of Night He who possesses the overnor of this forest”
His manner of speech betrayed deep reverence for the one who his words
”Oh, hirinned as she spoke Eyes like theit They had twinkled just like the real things Mimizuku could still remember
”What's with that guy?”
”He did not eat you?”
”Nope”
No matter how many times she had told him, he wouldn't eat her, so she eventually fell asleep at the roots of a nearby tree She was able to sleep well around
”If the case is that, then in this forest, this forest of night, there is no monster ill let you be eaten by them,” the monster declared
”I see” Mih In any case, if that big guy wouldn't eat her, then it didn't see to, either But that was bad She had gone through soall the way here
”Well then, I'et eaten by hi, Mimizuku tottered back and forth as she stood up But it see area with a nuested, and they were blue and nu from a branch
”What are you doing?”
”Eh, I think I'll sleep a little longer You don't mind, do you?”
”It is your choice, but”
The ht before Mimizuku's eyes
”Young lady, you are strange”
”Strange? Maybe I a lady' My name's Mimizuku”
”Mimizuku That is the name of a nocturnal bird”
”Yeah, that's right”
”It is a good name”
Mile Have I ever felt this happy? she thought to herself
”Mr Monster, what's your name?”
”——＊——”
”Huh? Sorry, can you say that again?”
”It is no use Hurasp the name of an Ieri”
”Well then what should I call you?”
”Call me whatever it is you like Do all humans name themselves after animals that they like?” The monster crossed his arms
”Um”
He's not a huht She pondered for a bit, but not too deeply, before she gave a cheeky grin and said,
”Okay, I got it How about 'Kuro'?”
”'Kuro'? The color of night” Kuro nodded His acceptance of the na, she raised the upper half of her body
”Mi your blood to flow out” Kuro reached out with his bottom-left arm and felt Mimizuku's cheek Mimizuku, covered in mud and cuts, simply responded with an ”Oh, is that so?” If she touched her wounds, bacteria would enter and definitely cause an infection She knew that ht
Grabbing onto a nearby branch, Kuro swung onto Mie; she couldn't feel his weight on her head at all
”Mimizuku”
”Hm?”
”These nuic spell?”
”Oh, those?” Mi out fros of her tawny hair were three numbers
”I'm number three hundred thirty two,” Mimizuku truthfully responded
”What does that mean?”
”It's my number”
”Okay But I do not understand” Kuro's response was also truthful
”Are you angry?”
”I ary, no,” Kuro answered quietly As ever, Mian to beat faster
Ae fro Kuro's words ords she had never heard before
Just a little strange
”Hey, Kuro, it's strange somehow”
”What is strange?”
”Why, are you being so nice to rass and the foliage The skin on the bottoher, even a pointed stone wouldn't have been able to cut them
”I am nice?” Kuro replied contrarily
”Yes! You're very nice,” Mi a hearty sled in the roots of a tree, and her footing became unsteady
”Gah!”
However, her face didn't hit the ground Just before i forward, rebounded like a spring, and tipped backward so much that it seemed like she would fall over the other way
”W-aah!”
She regained her posture in a hurry
Somehow, she had been saved She didn't really understand what had happened, but there was a sound like gru in her ears
”I believe such an action could be considered 'kind'” Kuro was laughing
”Just noas that you, Kuro?”
”Aye It was indeed!”
”Why?” Stopping her feet, eyes upturned, she looked at Kuro She could only see a bit of Kuro's wings in her field of vision
”Do I need a reason? I see, humans are those sorts of creatures” To those words, Mi careful not to jeopardize Kuro's balance
”I suppose Mimizuku does not understand the matters of people I would like to knohy as well If there is a certain way in which one ruhter It hurt her ears
Suddenly fluttering down from Mimizuku's head, Kuro appeared before her eyes and spoke
”I want knowledge”
”Knowledge?”
”I like to know things No matter how many books I read, I simply cannot demystify humans You are a human Thus, it would please me to observe you” Miht about Kuro's words
How does he read with eyes like that?
Whatever
Kuro wants to know about humans Mimizuku is a hu nice to me
Miroaned as she pondered
I think I'll stop saying to Kuro that I'm not a human
”Kuro! I get it! I understand! That's surprising”
”Hoho What has Mi to Mimizuku's head
”Even if I'm a human, there are still people ill accept e” She walked forward She lifted her feet with each step so as to not get the shackles above her feet caught in anything Fro
”I ae one” Kuro spoke with a brooding, ponderous tone
”Ehehe” Mihed
She felt very happy
The forest called ”The Forest of Night” ith foliage, and the drifts of leaves blowing in the windconvulsively Occasionally, a sound like a bird flapping its wings could be heard, but when Mimizuku looked up, no aniht she could hear the sound of so, but she could never see any other monsters anywhere
It was Kuro who volunteered to guide Mimizuku, ould have otheralked alone Mireat surprise at this, but she had no way of expressing her feelings in words
With Kuro on her head, she proceeded through the forest The shackles at her feetnoise as she walked
”There aren't many other monsters here, huh”
For a forest that was supposed to be full of ined it to be She let out a sigh
”It is because of the path you are taking,” Kuro said fro the day, Ieri do not usually come to the riverbank”
”I see”
As she walked along the side of the river, she swayed left and right Suddenly, she kneeled down and put her hands into the water Feeling the coldness of the running water, she rubbed her hands in it several times to wash them The forest ay flowed melancholically, and the water was incredibly transparent
Then, withouther face forward, Mimizuku splashed the river's water across her head
Kuro fluttered backward in a panic
”Mi, Mimizuku!”
”Ahh”
Mis
”Oh, sorry Kuro,” Mih, sweeping gestures ”Uugh, my face hurts!” Mimizuku scowled