Volume 2
Chapter 14
I Asked
Translator : PolterGlast
"Who are
you?"
Upon hearing my
question, the person who resembled Kakyouin Runa looked taken aback.
"W-Who? You just
called my name. What? You mean to tell me that you forgot about it in that
instant?"
"..."
"No one else but
me, Kakyouin Runa. I'm from Japan, the same Earth as you, and I was a
16-year-old high school student at Private Baranomiya Academy. The only
daughter of the Kakyouin family."
"..."
"I know you very
well too. Kushina Mutou, seventeen years old. Your skills are [Super
Regeneration], [Eternal Youth], and [Grit: Indomitable Spirit]. Thanks to the
miraculous combination of these three, you have become an existence that can be
called immortal. You are also a rare existence with a complete heart, unlike
others, and you are meant to be with me."
"……………"
"We first met in
the [Forest of the Ultimate Calamity]. It was when you were fighting the Wind
Tiger. At that time, I was really shocked and angry."
Kakyouin-san continued
her story as if enjoying her memories───but I remained unresponsive. I just looked straight into her eyes and
smiled without saying anything.
"………"
"……………"
Since I didn't react,
Kakyouin-san finally shut her mouth. She looked at me with a troubled smile.
Silence fell.
I know───if I'm convinced that
someone is lying, I should say nothing except to point it out and just stare
intently at them.
When someone lies,
they feel a little guilty. The more accustomed someone is to lying, the more
they try to hide it, but when they are looked at like this without saying
anything, they become more and more agitated and eventually begin to doubt,
"Am I being found out?"
The person in front of
me is not Kakyouin-san. It's a fake who resembles her.
The fundamentals of a
person───unless something
extraordinary happens, they don't change easily.
But if the person in
front of me is Kakyouin-san, her fundamentals are too different.
She also has a lot of
information that Kakyouin-san wouldn't know... she's clearly someone else.
Convinced by my silent
gaze, Kakyouin-san sighed and shrugged.
"Haa... to think
I would be doubted by Kushina. You're really very thoughtful, even though you
seem to be thoughtless."
"..."
"………Yes, that's
right. I'm not Kakyouin Runa. But if you're asking if I'm a completely
different person, then that's not it either."
"……?"
"I mentioned two
names earlier. One is the [Primal God] Eletia, and the other is the name that
was just mentioned, Kakyouin Runa. So, if you ask if I'm Eletia, I would say
no."
Her words were as
elusive as clouds, and I couldn't understand what she was trying to say. I
tilted my head.
"I am Kakyouin
Runa but not entirely her, and I am Eletia but not entirely her as well. In
other words, we have assimilated. We have become one existence!"
""───！？""
If I take her words at
face value, then there are two existences mixed together in Kakyouin-san's body
right now? Is that even possible!?
Not only me, but
Chrisya-san behind me also looked surprised.
Ignoring our confusion───or rather, it's precisely
because of this timing, Kakyouin-san extended her hand to me and opened her
mouth.
"Now that I've
told you everything, I'll ask you again. Kushina, will you come with me? Come
with me, and I'll make sure you're happy. I'll provide you with endless days of
excitement. I'll always prepare a fierce opponent to stimulate your senses. If
you come with me, you can enjoy the best time forever. So, please! Come with
me! Kushina!"
"………"
I think about her
words.
To experience endless
happiness───that excitement, that
exhilaration, that dynamism. It's a very sweet temptation. If I could, I would
like to be with her.
But, I already have
two requests. To become Chrisya-san's kin and to protect Akana-san───those two. If I accept
her request, I'll have to give up those two.
To choose my own
happiness or to choose to avoid as much dissatisfaction as possible so that I
won't have any trouble later on. If I had to say which is the correct choice,
it would be───"
"Kakyouin-san"
"………"
"I'm sorry."
I chose the latter.
□□□
"Huh...?"
Kakyouin-san let out a
dumbfounded voice as if her expectations had been dashed.
Of course I would
refuse. After all, if I prioritized my own interests and disregarded other
people's feelings, it would come back to me as a great disadvantage later. So,
it's only natural to prioritize other people's opinions over my own interests.
I thought I had made that clear to Kakyouin-san...
Now, there are three
requests being made to me. To become Chrisya-san's kin, to protect Akana-san,
and to go with Kakyouin-san.
If I accepted
Kakyouin-san's request, I wouldn't be able to fulfill the other two. In other
words, I would end up antagonizing two people.
On the other hand, if
I didn't accept Kakyouin-san's request, I could continue to be Chrisya-san's
kin and still protect Akana-san along the way. That way, I would only have to
antagonize one person.
So, I'll refuse. If I
can avoid one potential future trouble, I can put my own interests on hold.
"W-What did you
say?... Kushina, why...?"
"I told you
before, I hate trouble. I already have two requests. If I accept your request,
I'll have to neglect those two. I can't take on two troubles at once. I'm
sorry."
"………"
Kakyouin-san lowered
her hand and opened her mouth. She looked a little down, so her expression was
hidden by her hair, but I'm sure she was disappointed.
I thought she might
say something resentful───but instead,
"……………Fufu,
fufufu... Aahaha!"
Contrary to my
expectations, Kakyouin-san laughed.
"It's a shame,
but I never intended to listen to your opinion anyway! If you won't come, I'll
take you by force! We can do that now!"
I was surprised by
Kakyouin-san's sudden change.
"Kushina... and
Chrisya too, I'll take you both to my [Underworld] together. You never had the
right to refuse from the very beginning."
"………"
It seems she doesn't
intend to listen to me at all.
"Sure, let's do
it. I has been curious about how strong you are, Kakyouin-san."
I smiled in response
to her declaration.
"I've been so
stressed out lately, having to think about nothing but serious stuff. So...
entertain me."
I lowered my waist,
pulled back my right elbow, and assumed a combat stance.
"Alright, just as
you wish, Kushina───I'll entertain
you!"
Kakyouin-san thrust
out her right hand, and mud in the form of tentacles emerged from the black mud
that had spread around her. It stretched out toward me.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
MaxKne
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
[Silver]
blue shooting
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Pristia
Anton Lim
corvo
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
