Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Chapter 5 - Promise
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After my dramatic reconciliation with Jenny,
We continued our journey in a slightly more amicable atmosphere.
But our temporary truce and the re-establishment of our hierarchical roles didn’t mean Jenny would obey my every command.
“Jenny, let’s go. Okay?”
“Mmm… I’m not finished eating yet…”
She whined, her grown-up body acting like a spoiled child. Since when had she become such a dainty eater?
I had regained my position as “Daddy.”
But Jenny seemed to be taking advantage of it, acting cute and affectionate, while simultaneously testing my patience and asserting her own independence.
She was a clever girl.
“Can you please eat faster? Hmm…?”
“Mmm…”
This presented a new challenge.
I had to rescue Isaac…
This planet wasn't a place to be left alone…
“Jenny, why don’t you just eat it on the way? Yes, let’s do that.”
“Ehh… I don’t want to…”
I was determined to get her moving.
We had already wasted too much time. I had to return for Isaac.
He was still weak,
And carrying a heavy load.
“Ah, Daddy’s asking you! Let’s eat on the way, okay?”
After much pleading, Jenny finally grinned, wagging her tail. She rubbed her cheek against my leg, her intentions clear.
“Hmm… if Daddy’s asking, I guess I have no choice…”
She was doing me a favor.
Children often engaged in these little power struggles with their parents, trying to gain an advantage.
“Okay, let’s go. Understand? Get up.”
“Okay! Don’t forget you owe me!”
Establishing our parent-child dynamic wasn't the end of it.
Parenting was a constant battle.
A relentless war…
“Now then-”
But my efforts were interrupted.
Jenny’s tail shot up, rigid, her body tense.
“Jenny?”
She had sensed something.
Were there other monsters nearby, besides the Blood Beasts? Or had some of them survived?
“Wh-what? What’s wrong?”
I felt a flicker of fear, but
With Jenny as my bodyguard, I felt a sense of confidence.
“…Ho!”
But the unfamiliar voice that reached our ears was strangely familiar,
“Wait a minute.”
“Juho!”
“Isaac…?”
I couldn't believe my ears. I ran towards the voice, leaving Jenny behind.
“Good heavens, Isaac!”
It hadn't taken long to find him.
He had come looking for us.
Carrying a rifle…
“Are you alright? Where’s that monster?!”
While I knew he was skilled with machinery, having often seen him interacting with the engineers,
Repairing a damaged rifle without any tools was an impressive feat.
“I’m fine. Calm down.”
I placed my hand over the rifle’s barrel, trying to reassure him.
“Get your hand off the barrel! You’ll lose a hand!”
My action seemed to agitate him further, but we were both relieved to be reunited.
“I told you to run. You’re so stubborn…”
“I’m glad you’re alive. So glad…”
A hug between men held a special significance. A bond of camaraderie, a shared relief at having survived.
But Jenny didn’t seem to appreciate the display of affection.
Her tail still raised, she slowly approached us, her movements predatory.
“…Wait, stay back. I’ll handle this. What is that monstrous female-?!”
“No! Wait! She’s n-not a monster! She’s… uh… she’s like a partner…!”
I stepped between them, mediating.
“Kyagh-!”
“A partner? Juho, snap out of it! Those things killed our crewmates.”
Jenny and Isaac faced each other, their weapons ready, neither willing to back down.
“Jenny, lower your tail! And stop showing your teeth! And Isaac, please lower your rifle. Jenny is different. Really…!”
I stood between them, sweating profusely, trying to reason with them.
They saw each other as monsters,
But I, caught in the middle, belonged to neither side.
We had to find a way to coexist.
Jenny and Isaac,
Despite their mutual distrust,
Trusted me.
“…Alright, everyone, calm down. I can handle this.”
Jenny’s tail and Isaac’s rifle lowered, touching the sticky ground.
Jenny moved behind me, wrapping her arms around me, her head peeking over my shoulder, baring her teeth at Isaac.
“Kyagh-!”
“Good heavens.”
She was heavy.
Perhaps it was because she had eaten so much and grown so quickly.
***
“So, this planet is infested with these… female monsters…”
“That’s about right.”
We left the cave and sat down on a large rock, taking a moment to talk.
Jenny was still clinging to me like a child. It was a little inconvenient, but sharing information with Isaac was more important.
He sat with his back straight, listening intently as I recounted my experiences.
The crash of the Paradise,
Dan’s death,
My encounter with the mermaids, my escape,
Meeting [him],
My struggles with the spiders, his self-sacrifice,
Meeting Alraune,
The fingers’ revelation,
The threat of the moon, the pursuit,
And,
Being captured by the Blood Beasts.
“What kind of… hellish place is this…?”
Isaac was still reeling from the information, even after I had finished my story.
“…You’ve been through a lot. Thank you for surviving.”
His eyes welled up as he realized the horrors I had endured.
Isaac felt responsible.
He probably saw me as a son.
He shouldn't feel guilty, but perhaps his long captivity had taken an emotional toll.
“So, you’re planning to go to the Paradise crash site?”
“Yes, but we have to retrieve Amy first. She’s waiting for me in a cave, just her head.”
Isaac’s expression darkened. He seemed afraid.
“…I see.”
He fidgeted with the ring on his left ring finger. I finally understood the source of his unease.
His wife had also been on the Paradise,
And she might still be alive, stranded somewhere on this planet.
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead. Let’s retrieve this… Amy first. An AI might be useful…”
But he remained rational.
He knew that rushing off to find his wife would be a suicide mission.
He was a sensible man, prioritizing our survival. I had to learn from him.
“…So, would you like to hear my plan?”
I would do my best to support his decision.
Every moment on this planet was a fight for survival,
A desperate struggle.
We had to be efficient, to plan our every move.
“Even if we retrieve Amy’s head, we’ll have to come back here. There’s a lake nearby, where Amy’s body is. As I mentioned earlier.”
The Blood Beast nest wasn't far from the Paradise crash site,
And it was relatively close to the mermaids’ lake.
Dan’s escape from the nest and his return to the Paradise suggested as much.
The mermaids’ lake was nearby.
We had to go there,
To retrieve Amy’s body.
“…Let’s get Amy’s body from the mermaids. We have two rifles, and Jenny can fight too. We can definitely overpower them.”
Based on my calculations, we had a significant advantage.
The mermaids wouldn't be able to withstand modern weaponry. And Jenny would be a formidable opponent.
“No! Fishies bad!”
But Jenny, surprisingly, objected.
“No water! Not going!”
I remembered the other creatures, similar to Jenny, who had abandoned Amy and me at the lake.
Perhaps the mermaids were more dangerous than I thought. But their behavior hadn't seemed particularly threatening…
“…How many chocolate bars will it take to convince you?”
“Lots and lots. And other things too!”
Jenny saw this as a negotiation.
But she wouldn't reveal her true desires.
She simply smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed.
“…It’s a secret. Daddy has to promise! Promise to do what Jenny asks!”
I had no choice but to accept her terms.
I had to reach the Paradise crash site as soon as possible.
For Isaac,
I had to go.
“…Alright, I promise. Happy now?”
***
Chapter 5 - Sunrise
End.
***