Chapter 66.6 Kaoru and Shin
Upon arriving on the ground, everything I saw was vibrant.
The colors stimulated my eyes, making me realize that the world was full of warm, natural colors. Humans in the living world also possessed many colors, completely different from the grayish-white souls I encountered after death.
These colorful hues made me hesitate, despite my initial desire to meet many humans.
I’d surely scare them with my darkness.
This thing called fruit is delicious, much tastier than corpses.
The unknown, unheard, unseen – everything was filled with new and fresh experiences.
Those mindless idiots thought that behind the door lay something more terrifying than the underworld. They’re such cowards!
This place is clearly so good!
There’s food without needing to hunt for it, and it’s so comfortable, with so many fun and delicious things. It’s so much better than that wretched place.
I never want to go back there again. From now on, I want to live in this world!
In this new world, I learned a lot of things and gradually got used to it after experiencing countless cycles of life and death. I traveled all over the place.
What is home? Home is where you find comfort. I claimed a mountain as my home.
Humans consider home the most important thing, no matter where they go. It’s just a place like that.
And I especially liked the environment of this mountain, so I decided to make it my home!
Sometimes, when I was in the mood, I would throw some food at them, though they would usually scatter in fright.
Some would run away, and sometimes I would just shoo them away.
But their reactions were amusing, so I continued this game.
As time passed and the fun of seeing them dwindle, fewer and fewer people appeared. Everything became boring.
How do humans describe this feeling? It feels like something is missing.
It’s so boring.
Thinking this, some more time passed.
Then, he appeared.
A wobbly little child, crying as he walked along the mountain path.
I watched him for a moment, and then I saw the small human squat on the ground and begin to wail.
Unable to bear the crying any longer, I instinctively let out a roar.
“You’ll die! If you cry any more, I’ll eat you!” I shouted angrily.
“Waaahhh!”
At first, I just wanted to make the little human shut up, so I appeared to scare him.
This method was very effective. When I appeared before humans before, they would immediately shut up and tremble with fear.
The child immediately stopped crying.
“What are you looking at!”
But unlike other humans, he wasn’t scared of me. Instead, he looked at me with curious eyes.
“Ah, big sister!”
His eyes became bright and sparkling. He was a child, after all.
Amazing. A human who isn’t afraid of me…
I was suddenly at a loss, unsure of what to do.
At this moment, the child reached out his hand to me. Looking at the hand extended towards me, I suddenly felt nervous and quickly retracted my hand. After swallowing, I nervously reached out and slowly grasped his hand.
The feeling of boredom vanished. Contact with this human sent a warmth that made my heart flutter.
The little one often cried over small things, and I found myself particularly liking those moments.
When we passed a small stream, the little one suddenly stopped and pointed at the stream, saying.
“You mean wash my body with water?… I saw humans do this, but I’m not human…”
“Big sister! You’re dirty!”
I felt a bit dejected.
But I can’t wear this anymore, or it would be a waste of a bath.
I found some large leaves nearby and simply made a grass skirt to tie around my waist.
I stood with my hands on my hips, chest puffed out, and said to the little one.
“How’s this! Am I clean now!”
“Big sister is so beautiful!”
“Huh? Beautiful? Me?”
“Mm, yes, like this.”
My face suddenly felt hot, and I wanted to hide.
“Mhm!”
“Really—why aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Afraid? Why?”
“I’m a monster!”
“Ah, yes! I eat people!”
…Ah, it feels like it’s been a while since I last ate a corpse.
“Will big sister eat me?”
“Uh, look, you’re so small; you wouldn’t even be enough to fill my teeth!”
“That’s great! Big sister isn’t going to eat me! Hee hee~”
“Even if you did fill my teeth! I’ll let you go then!”
What’s going on? Why is my mood so turbulent? Ugh, strange…
After spending a few more days with him, I heard rumors that humans were looking for a child.
He must have parents who were worried about him. It’s time to send him back. Later, I found a suitable opportunity and took him to a place.
He immediately hugged me and started crying, realizing it was time for us to part.
“Big sister, let’s… stay together, okay?”
He looked up at me with his eyes.
“I can’t… You have to go forward. That’s where you belong. Light Novel.
“Can we meet again?”
“Yes. I’ll always live here, so you can come find me anytime.”
Hearing my promise, the little one obediently walked forward.
As I watched him reunite with his family, I suddenly felt a reluctance to let him go. I wanted to keep him…
Never mind. It was just a transient encounter. I turned and saw him reunite with other humans.
A few more years passed, and the world became increasingly boring.
And for some reason, I started sleeping longer and longer, and I also developed a strong craving for meat.
My days were spent in a daze, having no idea what I was doing.
To be the first monster to die of boredom… how ridiculous.
That day, I was leaning against a tree, dozing off, when a strong sunlight shone through the leaves, blinding me. I instinctively tried to shield my eyes. Suddenly, something warm landed on my face. I reflexively wanted to…
So I opened my eyes.
What I saw was a face that often appeared in my dreams. He was standing there, smiling at me.
I sat up in surprise and bumped my head against his.
“Little one… is that you?”
He rubbed his forehead and stood up, holding back tears.
“My name is Oda Nobunaga. Who are you? You haven’t grown much, have you? You’re only as tall as my chest.”
“Ugh, you forgot?
Well, he was just a small child who had just learned to speak back then, so it’s normal for him to forget.
This feeling… it feels like my chest is being squeezed.
I lowered my head, feeling a bit angry. But I didn’t know what to be angry about. For a moment, a restless feeling filled my heart.
Just then, that face appeared before me again. His eyes darted around, and suddenly he grinned happily and said.
“Big sister! I’ve come to see you!”
I pounced on him angrily, and we tumbled on the grass, wrestling playfully. But actually, I was trying to hide my blushing cheeks and the tears in my eyes.
“It’s so good to see you again.”
The little one had certainly grown a lot and could speak fluently now.
“I’m not little anymore! I’ve grown up!”
“Hmph~ You’re still not as tall as me! You’re still a little one!”
“No, I’m not!”
I know this word, but I don’t know what it means.
It’s a kind of relationship between humans, not like family, but just as important as family. He said he wanted to be my friend.
“Fine, I guess I’ll reluctantly…
“If we’re going to be friends,
We need to know each other’s names, big sister. What’s your name?”
“My name is… It’s not my real name yet. Father said I can officially use this name after I come of age!”
“No! …Then, big sister, what’s your name?”
“I don’t have a name.”
“Huh? Big sister’s mom and dad didn’t give you a name?”
“I don’t have parents.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
Why are you making such a sad face?
“I’ll give you a name right away!”
“Hmm, let me think…”
Saying this, the little one crossed his arms and frowned, thinking hard.
By the time I was so bored I was about to fall asleep, he suddenly said.
“Got it! Your name is Kaoru Tsukiyose! From today on, we are friends!”
“My name?
My name, Kaoru…
He taught me how to write my name.
A thrill ran through my entire body, as if I had rediscovered myself.
Ah, this is… wonderful
“When that time comes, I’ll sneak some snacks for you, okay? You’ve probably never eaten them before, right?”
“They’re delicious!”
“Oh~ I’d love to try them~”
From then on, the days were no longer boring.
It was only because he was by my side.
“Here, have a snack.”
Even though you’re also a grown-up now, you’re still doted on by your older sister. The brat has finally grown up!
“Mm-hmm, not bad! You know how to dote on your older sister now.”
“Brat, what did you say!”
This kid! He’s only grown taller than me, and now he dares to talk back!
“Stop calling me a brat. I’m not the child who used to cry in your arms anymore. Besides, I even…
I don’t care! To me, you’re still a brat! Even in a hundred years, you’ll still be a brat!
“But… you’ve grown so beautiful…” I turned my face away, my cheeks feeling hot. I wonder if he noticed?
I just assumed he was envious of me and patted my chest, saying to myself, Light Novel.
“Of course. We monsters live a long time.”
“Heh, that’s truly enviable.”
“What’s so good about living a long time? It’s especially boring. Shin, aren’t you a castle lord? How imposing!”
You must have snuck out to find me, right? Those servants always think you’re just out to play…
I still feel a bit guilty.
“But, that time, it was indeed a little troublesome to come out to see you. Shin was always taught by his father to be sensible.”
“But you’re so good-looking; you really suit women’s… clothes! Everyone was shocked that day! Hee hee!”
“Cough… It’s not like I wanted to dress like this for you! Your previous attire was too revealing!”
“I don’t feel anything at all…”
But Shin said it looked good on him and even grew his hair out specifically for it. Although long hair is inconvenient…
Lying on his lap and sleeping is the happiest moment of the day.
The contact between our bodies, no matter how many times, sends a warm current into my heart.
“It’s still here, isn’t it? This flower crown you gave me, even though the flowers are withered. Would you like me to make you a new one?”
“I’m not throwing it away! It’s the first gift you ever gave me!”
“Is that so… then, I’ll give you another gift.”
My cheeks burned as he looked at me.
“Heh, you blushed just from a kiss on the cheek.”
“Um, y-y-y-you!”
“Um… call me again…”
I felt my voice getting smaller and smaller in front of him. I was becoming more and more at a disadvantage.
But this feeling wasn’t bad either… When our hands touched, the scenery, which had become tiresome, became complicated again. Holding his hand…
Humans are so strange.
No, perhaps it’s because Shin is by my side that I feel this way.
I want to experience all sorts of things with him. That must be—to this day—an irreplaceable experience that I’ve never felt before.
An experience.
I want to be with him forever, always together…
I am not worthy of being by his side.
