c17 (1/2)

On the second floor of the bar, Ludmila was gazing at the moon while resting her body on the terrace’s handrails.

Emitting faint white light, a Whiteday’s moon.

Her hand that was holding a small gla.s.s was slightly shaking.

Her mind was filled with the scene from one – two hours ago.

The thick smell of blood still sticking to her nose.

The mountain of over a hundred corpses. The sea of red blood spreading underneath.

It was unbelievable.

Today wasn’t the first time Ludmila had killed a person.

However, she couldn’t believe it.

The existence of people who bathed in the backspurt of blood as they killed as if it were a daily occurence.

“Yo”

A voice called out to her from behind.

Startled, Ludmilla turned around.

There was s.h.i.+zuru wearing a friendly smile there.

However, the smile carried the fearful impression that accompanied him.

— How could he be so calm after killing people?

“… want something?”

Ludmila swallowed the question that suddenly came to mind and sourly asked.

“No, well, you disappeared from the party, so I thought you might be feeling sick”

Feeling sick.

Was the reason for that the alcohol, or was it the job just earlier.

Whichever one it was, Ludmila could not have known.

“Want some of these?”

He continued. It was an anti-intoxicant, or possibly a sedative.

As he was formally a physician, s.h.i.+zuru would have stocked on both, though without any medical knowledge, Ludmila had no way of knowing which was which.

In any case, s.h.i.+zuru was holding a small pill on his fingertips, offering it to Ludmila. Ludmila, however, shook her head.

“No need. I hate medicine”

“How childlike, so cute”

s.h.i.+zuru chuckled.

Ludmila was 18 years old, one year younger than s.h.i.+zuru. She was an adult, although just barely.

Therefore she felt just a touch of irritation at being treated as a child, but she did not feel like retorting.

Most of all, Ludmila herself, by her own words, thought the same way.

“How was the job today? I think the situation was a little different than the usual”

Putting the medicine away, he switched to another topic.

Ludmila felt just a little hesitant to reply, but she answered annoyedly.

“… Are you making fun of me? I barely get to do anything today, the other three besides us did most of the work, didn’t they?”

“Not three, but four, okay? Eliza and Beth don’t like to be lumped together”

“Like that matters at all”

“Eeeh…”

Being bluntly refused to, s.h.i.+zuru made a wry smile.

Thinking back, he was always like this.

He does not get enraged or sad.

His emotions and his body temperature did not waver even a single bit.

And until now, he had never made her feel that fact.

Ludmila thought he was nothing more than a simple, mild-mannered man.

―― just a simple man.

He wasn’t supposed to be fit for an a.s.sa.s.sin.

“You starting to dislike it?”

“… Eh?”

s.h.i.+zuru’s question came all too suddenly, and yet it hit the core of the matter, making Ludmila widen her eyes.

“Have you come to dislike this job?”

s.h.i.+zuru repeated the question to her.

He was neither condemning nor comforting her, but simply asking the question.

“Don’t … don’t make fun of me!”

After a short pause, Ludmila answered stiffly.

The corners of her eyes slanted upwards. Her lavender-purple colored, completely lightless eyes sharply pierced through s.h.i.+zuru.

She then stepped briskly up to him and grabbed him by the neck.

“There are things I must do even if it costs me my life! That’s why I joined Black Maria! That’s why I’ve always wanted to transfer to the fourth squad!”

Something she must do.

The tone of her voice as she said that was cold and hard, hinting at the strong will contained within.

Which was exactly why s.h.i.+zuru was even more deeply worried.

“… revenge, is it?”

“…!?”

A muttering filled with grief.

Hearing that, Ludmila’s eyes became even more wide, opening as far as they can go.

“H … how did … !?”