Vol 1 Chapter 1 (2/2)
”What? But did you not drink water?”
”Yeah, I did”
”If the water is seeping into your wounds, maybe it would be best to scoop it out”
Miling because of weakenedwashed
”Hm?”
She squeezed it and let go several times
”Yeah”
Tilting her neck slightly to the side, Mimizuku suddenly stood up
”Alright Kuro! Let's go!”
Kuro mumbled an affirly forgetting about what they were just talking about, Mi else
”So, where is the 'King of Night?'”
”Straight along this way”
Kuro rustled his wings and looked at Mimizuku
”Do you really want to go to him, Mimizuku?”
”Do I really what?” Mi Kuro at all
”You said that he told you to leave If you expose yourself to his sight again, you can no longer consider yourself alive When you incite his outrage, you ht be turned to ash in an instant, or dissolved into water”
”Could I get eaten?”
Light filling her murky sanpaku eyes, Mimizuku truly wished that she would be eaten
Kuro stared at her ht arm
”It is your choice If that is what you want, then you o, Mimizuku If the opportunity arises If fate allows it, if the world allows it It ain”
”Aren't you going too, Kuro?”
Kuro laughed at Mimizuku's question
”I have not been called for”
Is that hoorks? Miht Maybe so
So he can't go if he isn't called upon I think I knohat he means Mimizuku smiled
”Well then, I'o”
The forest opened up its gaping green mouth However, Mimizuku didn't think it was scary Alone, she stepped forward into the forest
Leaving Kuro behind, Mily, her shackles ringing as she went She didn't find it disheartening that Kuro could not acco road to the forest all by herself All that time, Mimizuku wished to be alone
She walked forward, jangling her shackles When she arrived at a wall of vines entwined around soh thee, open area
”Waah” Mimizuku let out involuntarily
In the e, run down mansion However, that was a not what stole Mi, smoother and more beautiful than a crow's With a relaxed motion, it swayed upward
There, Miht for the first time
The strains of sunlight breaking through the crevices of greenery revealed the for”
Mierly, and her body shi+vered as if paralyzed It wasn't fear It wasn't trepidation She didn't know of those things The pathways of nerves in her brain had long since been rewired against those feelings
”Ah” Opening her mouth halfway, unable to utter a word, she simply let out a small sound
”Ah”
What do I say? What should I say?
That's right I have to tell him to eat me
She had to say it
”Why have you come?”
The King of Night's thin lips barely moved as he spun his cold words His voice was frank and sharp, like an unsheathed blade
Being stared at by those eyes, with that glare that would have frozen any norht jolt of surprise
Ohhh?
The eyes sparkled
They're silver
Just like the ht's eyes now glittered in that silvery white color
The color of the ht
It was different from how she remembered it, but not soelse Before her were surely the two sht as they had before
”So pretty”
She let out a little gasp Hearing it, the King of Night made an unpleasant scowl Complicated tattoo-like patterns extended from his eyes to his cheeks
It's beautiful, Miht
”Leave Go back to your own place Huirl” His words betrayed murderous intent
Even so, Mimizuku did not hesitate in her response
”I don't have any place to go back to,” she said loudly No one had raised his or her voice in opposition to the King of Night before
”I don't have any place to go back to Fro, I've never had a place I could call home!”
Because they would hit her Because they would do nothing to her but cause her pain Mimizuku wanted so much not to think of that place as home
Mimizuku wanted to think that it would be better to return to any place but that one
”Hey! Don't call me a human! I'm Mimizuku! My name's Mimizuku!” She yelled it out to the point that she became dizzy She was used to it by now, but she felt unsteady
Her knees gave way, and she fell kneeling onto the ground
”Hey, eat me”
Her vision gradually began to go gray Do I have to sleep? she thought She wanted to continue entreating the King to eat her, but her body wouldn't do as she told it to I have to sleep
Your body has sufferedto her
Ooooh This is strange I wish I could drink some water
”Please eat ht”
Mirass supinely, arms extended out The two midday moons looked toward her
”I beg you please eat me”
The shackles on her arround
Oh, those white ht's eyes are so beautiful, was all Mimizuku could think of as a drowsiness thatinto a swamp assailed her She closed her eyelids
No I want to openIt was strange Whenever she went to sleep, she would usually hope that she never woke up again
If I could just see those two ain
Feeling as though soently lifted her eyelids
The sky was red with the sunset Thedown from above
”Gyah!”
She unthinkingly croaked like a frog
Propping her upper body forward, she looked at the thing that had co it, her eyes almost literally popped out
There were chocolate-vines and cri other fresh fruits she had never seen before They all plopped down like afrom the sky in front of Mimizuku
She gaped and looked upward Flapping before her against the light red sky was Kuro He was at a distance where he see him
”Kuro!” Mimizuku yelled She then tried to
”Eh, ah, what's this?” Mi her
”Why, it is just what it looks like”
Kuro tossed a live fish into the air with both of his upper arms, cut its tail so that it was the saranate-like mouth He sed it whole, and then he spoke
”Might you be hungry? Mimizuku”
”Eh, eh, eh?”
Mimizuku was incredibly confused
”Hm? Are these mine?” She pointed to the fruits
”Yes I wonder if hurabbed a tree branch, and used it to spear a fish
He drew several circles in the air with it in a splendid fashi+on, and the fish was suddenly engulfed in flame Mimizuku was surprised and taken aback, but the fire just as soon grew calely, the tree branch didn't see the results, Kuro nodded, satisfied
”Here” He held the fish out to Mimizuku
”H-huh?”
She received it gratefully However, Mi, and she seemed to still be in a drea, she put the fish into her reedily devoured it The inside was somewhat rare, but the flavor didn't h for her
Have I eaten soht seemed to sweep over the back of her head
”TellMimizuku Does a dead fish not try to run away?” Kuro asked, rustling his wings Mimizuku listened as she ate the whole fish, all the way to the eyes, grinding the meat to shreds in her mouth
”Hey, Kuro Why are you here?” Mimizuku looked around the vicinity She was still in front of the King of Night's one off somewhere, as she couldn't see him anywhere
”Hmph,” Kuro responded He crossed his upper arms ”It is hard for me to say as well”
He then flew back up into the air and tapped on Mimizuku's head
”Fate has given you leave Was it nocturnal luminescence that allowed you to make it? Indeed, it is hard to say That is why I must ask you, Mimizuku”
Mimizuku blinked a few times
”Not discounting death, do you wish to remain here? Mimizuku”
”Eh, is it really alright if I stay?” Mimizuku spoke in a loud, joyful voice ”Hey, Kuro! Is it really alright for me to stay?”
”I will not proht be killed tomorrow Is that okay with you?”
Miround once again
Having eaten soto ache
”You know, Kuro” Mi as if singing
”My only happiness would coht,” said Mi happily
And then, the suicidal horned owl sighed gently
”Ah, I could die happily like that”
Mimizuku smiled
”Hht nod ”You are quite hed
Mihed cursorily
”Hey, Kuro”
”What? Mimizuku”
”The King of Night is beautiful, isn't he?” Mimizuku said happily
Kuro was unsure of how to respond
”Of course He is a king, after all”
Miain
The curtain of night spread across the forest of monsters
Oh, the King of Night's eyes have changed to gold, Mi her eyes at the heavens
So this is what happiness is like