Chapter 15 They were Family (2/2)

[…………….]

[And so, we went on a rampage, drifting here and there as if to vent our anger. Fortunately, the wolf and I were both among the strong ones, and well, those days were certainly fun…… but in the end, no matter where we went, it didn’t change the way we treated others. Well, I should have known, we just turned into wounded beasts who bite on anyone we see, no matter who it is. It would be natural that we would be disliked wherever we may be.]

Acht-san bitterly smiled, as if he’s mocking himself at that time. The expression on his face is somehow sad, as if to say why his old self didn’t notice something so obvious, but I can’t seen any emotion like regret on his face.

The source of this content is light_novelworld_.c_om

[Everyone’s always looking at us like we’re trash. And then, we would lash out in frustration, become isolated from others, lash out again towards them, I ended up just repeating that stupidity again and again…… and before I knew it, I grew tired of it. I grew tired of the repeating, never-ending loop, so I changed, and did something even more stupid. But I screwed up, my partner and I fled for our lives to a ruins.]

[……………..]

[As my partner and I healed our battered bodies, I thought. In the end, what do we really want to do? What did we really want to acquire? And…… I found no answer. The more I thought about it, the colder and heavier my heart became…… It was as if the heat was drained out of my body. Isn’t that funny? In the end, I may look large, but we still have the minds of childish brats…… It took me over a hundred years to realize that I was just throwing a tantrum about things I didn’t like and I’m just a total retard.]

I didn’t know right away what to say. There was a wall in front of him called “difference” from the day he was born, he tried to go around it, but going through that route would only lead him to a dead end. It’s easy to put it in words. However, cheap words like that may not be able to express some of the feelings that Acht-san and his partner had.

[……That’s when I met Kuromu-sama. Honestly, it was the first time I felt that since I was born. With one look, I felt like my instinct, not my head, were being pressed down to yield in just an instant—- I was ready to die at that time. I will never win against her, the difference between us is so overwhelming that I can’t even be allowed to resist, nor am I allowed to speak. It’s just, ah, so this is where it ends. This high-level demon that appeared out of nowhere will be the “death itself” to us……]

[…………….]

[In a way, I thought it was a fitting end to us who have been a bunch of idiots for a long time. However, it didn’t happen. Kuromu-sama looked at us and laid out food that she took out of nowhere and said, “It must be something like fate that we met here. Come, eat with me.” with a childish smile on her face.]

[……I don’t know if I should say that’s like Kuro…… She too astounding.]

[Hahaha, that really makes me laugh! I mean, why wouldn’t I? Kuromu-sama is a high-ranking demon that’s far more powerful than us, you know? And yet, she talk as if we’re just her friends that she coincidentally met.]

I can’t help but laugh when the scene of the bewildered Acht-san and his partner after they saw Kuro’s absurd actions came into my mind.

The source of this content is light_novelworld_.c_om

[……It was the first time I felt it in my life. No sympathy, contempt nor hostility, just a pure smile and fond glances without any hidden intents…… Before I knew it, my partner and I were both crying as we eat. It felt warm—- it’s like our cold heart is held tightly in her warm embrace, Kuromu-sama’s smile was warm.]

[………….]

[And then, we naturally began to follow Kuromu-sama. She never looked down on us and treated us as if we’re equal. If something good happened to us, she was just as happy as us. If someone made fun of us, she would get really made for us. All of which made me inexplicably happy.]

Acht-san, speaking in a really happy voice, shifted his gaze to Kuro, who was talking to Ein-san.

[I don’t know much about it, but I heard that the others were going through a lot of stuff when they met Kuromu-sama. However, the one thing we had in common with the others is that we’re all charmed by Kuromu-sama.]

[…………….]

[My partner and I vowed our absolute loyalty to Kuromu-sama. If Kuromu-sama told us to die, we’ll gladly cut our own throats.]

Thereupon, Acht-san stops speaking and smiled after drinking his cup of alcohol in one go.

[Kuromu-sama is a high-ranking demon with incredible power. However, she doesn’t look down on anyone else…… Whether it’s Elder Sister Ein, Lord Sechs, Sister Raz, Neun, and of course, my partner and I, all of us think Kuromu-sama as our one and only absolute master. However, Kuromu-sama has never called us subordinates, attendants, members of her household, or anything like that. She’s calling us as her “family” and her “friends” as if it’s obvious. We’ve never been ordered to do anything and all Kuromu asked us are just “entrust” or “request”…… She’s treating us as equals from the bottom of her heart when we should have been following her on our own. Even Elder Sister Ein acting as her maid is just something she’s doing on her own.]

Kuro indeed called Acht-san and the others as her friends, and if I recalled correctly, she requested from her acquaintance to extend an invitation to me, she entrusted Ein-san about the preparations, and requested the others to bring ingredients. There certainly isn’t anything like a command among them.

The source of this content is light_novelworld_.c_om

That’s probably the best proof to Kuro that everyone is her family and there’s no hierarchy.

[The reason we’re all here with Kuromu-sama is simple. It’s because we truly love her who is more powerful than anyone else, yet kinder than anyone else…… Kuromu-sama’s wish is our wish, and Kuromu-sama’s smile is our best reward. And since Kuromu-sama calls us her family, then we would be her family even if we’re of different races.]

[That’s kind of nice. That kind of thing……]

[Oi oi, I’ve already told you, Kaito. Don’t act like we’re strangers, okay?]

[……Eh?]

[If you’re Kuromu-sama’s friend, then you’re also our friend. So you don’t have to speak so stiffly, you can also call me Acht too.]

[……I see, unn. Alright. Acht.]

[Ohh, that’s the spirit! Now, let’s have another drink!]

When I saw Acht with a smile on his face that reminded me of Kuro, I finally realized the true nature of the sense of security I had felt from Kuro.

Yes, Kuro sincerely thinks of me as her friend. It didn’t matter if I’m an otherworlder or I’m in a peculiar situation, her smile tells me that the Miyama Kaito in front of her, is her friend and equal. I guess that’s why I feel safe talking to Kuro and enjoyed being pushed around by her.

The source of this content is light_novelworld_.c_om

Thinking about this, I toast with my new “blue-skinned friend”.

Dear Mother, Father—– I have made a friend in another world. Their appearance may have been all over the place, but I’m sure—- They were family.