Americano (1)

During the group battle, Erika had seemed to struggle for a moment, but she didn't appear to have taken any particularly serious wounds.

Looked at another way, the several fights she'd already had with me must have been the truly taxing ones for her.

And as a result, her regeneration stat and recovery power — those two things blending with exquisite precision — would have been more than enough to raise her combat stats.

That was why I judged that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now was the right moment for her to withstand my mana. Though the aftereffects of battle and the residual strain from my bloodsucking would catch up with her soon enough.

Even as I entertained such quiet thoughts, she was still struggling, the girl held tight in her arms.

"Yes, yes. It's over. Please come to the front of the abandoned building. There's a patient."

Perhaps Erika was projecting her younger sister onto the girl she was holding. It might have been a meaningless thought.

But the way she treated this girl was nothing like how she'd dealt with the hostages she'd faced before. Simply because she was a pitiful girl, simply because she was hurt — she showed a wholly different quality of care.

Was that what something precious meant to Erika? Something I had given up on, but she had protected.

And that would go on being the driving force that let Erika stand against me.

Someday there would come a time to meet her.

That younger sister of hers, too.

After hanging up, Erika ran out of the abandoned building looking like a tangle of emotions. I wanted to say something, but I was a little afraid that speaking would only make her angrier.

But my mouth seemed to have disconnected from that part of myself.

"You don't have to worry so much. It's not a serious injury…"

"Didn't you hear me? I said shut your mouth."

"Sorry."

Well, that girl hadn't done anything wrong — she'd just been trembling and stabbed me, right?

And then she'd gotten caught up in Erika's and my lovers' quarrel, gotten her neck choked, and had her side ruptured by an explosion… yeah, that would hurt a bit.

Erika looked at me smiling faintly, then let out a sharp sigh and bit her lip.

"You."

"Hm?"

"You — I am going to kill you. Without fail."

Good mindset.

But it was still too early.

"If we just get to the Association…"

"No."

"…What did you say?"

"I said no."

Her eyes went cold.

"That is not something you get to choose."

"It is something I get to choose."

"Ha."

Erika swept her hair back once. In the distance, a black van could be seen approaching.

"You need treatment right now. The fact that you're even standing — I think that's amazing, you know? Your arm still isn't attached."

"Who are you to say something like that to me…"

The car wheels crushed the dirt path as it pulled up in front of us.

Erika stopped mid-sentence and handed the girl over to the woman in the car.

"It's urgent. Start treatment the moment you arrive. I'll stay behind."

The woman looked back and forth between me and Erika during a brief silence.

Yeah, you're thinking the same thing, aren't you? This doesn't make sense.

"Ha, but Lady Erika…"

"Please. I'll come a little later."

"…Yes."

I wish she'd tried harder to stop her.

The car crushed the path again, noise trailing behind it as it drove away.

Wind blew, and hair fluttered. Left alone in front of the collapsed abandoned building, she and I looked at each other after a moment of quiet.

"Take it out."

"What?"

"What else? Your weapon. That disgusting knife or whatever it is."

Haa — I couldn't stop the small sigh that escaped.

I'd tried so hard to treat her carefully. Every time I'd gone to meet Erika myself, kept her company, even treated her wounds.

And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a while going forward, I'd need to look after her health even more carefully.

"……"

The truth was, in one corner of my heart, I understood.

She had something I didn't possess.

For someone who constantly struggled and stood at the crossroads of return, not moving her body would have been the strange thing.

But what I faced was reality.

I couldn't help but worry.

She was the only one. The one I'd started to fall for.

I didn't know if this feeling was love. I didn't know if it was admiration either.

But that I wanted the best for her — that much was sincere.

And so I had no choice but to sigh once more.

At you, pointing your sword at me.

"Why are you just standing there? Are you scared? Why don't you put on that smile you always wear?"

"Erika."

"It's nice seeing that high-and-mighty face of yours all messed up. And it's only going to get worse from here."

The sword traced a curve toward me. I ducked to dodge and lightly pushed her with my knife.

And then the death throes that followed. Distortion and bewilderment, the aftershock of emotion and the trembling air.

"Uh, ah, ugh."

With a heave, Erika coughed up blood and collapsed to the floor as if crumpling, and with pupils that had lost their light, only an expression full of questions remained.

"W-what is this…"

Gradually, with a sinking voice, her eyes closed toward me as if falling shut.

"I think you know too. You've been pushing yourself too hard since this morning. Your arm hadn't even healed, and you went out on a group sweep."

It wasn't just the aftereffects of bloodsucking. It was because she'd been working her body so hard lately.

"You don't have to worry so much. If you just close your eyes for a moment and open them, you'll be at the hospital."

"…Just what are you…"

It must have been cruel to her, trying somehow to hold onto consciousness, but before long the eyes that had been looking at me closed calmly.

"Transfer — distance okay?"

Honestly, my arms hurt from carrying the princess. Let's piggyback her the rest of the way.

It was cozy. It was quiet.

It was far too nice.

The hospital room was clean and serene.

I should decorate my own place like this too.

Erika's rough treatment was finished. Currently, they were wrapping up the suturing.

The magic circle wrapped around her arm emitted a clear, refreshing tone as it sank into her skin. Beyond mere adhesion — it was at the level of melting in.

Blue light blended together, condensed into a ring shape at the suture site, then scattered into the air and vanished.

Done.

In a few hours, it would be fully attached.

"Thanks."

That too.

I hadn't done anything.

As I was drinking coffee from a paper cup, Erika opened her eyes with a groan.

"Hello again. We meet again."

A moment of silence.

"……Ha."

Crushing the blanket in her fist, Erika dry-washed her face with one hand, then leaned back against the wall with a hollow laugh.

A brief quiet settled in, and I carefully opened my mouth, gauging her mood.

"The treatment went well. The amputation suture is finished too. Now if you just wait a few hours…"

"What the hell is this."

I was reflected in eyes steeped in exhaustion.

"What kind of situation is this supposed to be? Why am I waking up here again?"

"Because your body wasn't well…"

"That's not what I mean."

A sigh.

After several seconds of silence, those red lips opened once more.

"You're a villain, and I've been opposing you this whole time. I've hurled curses at you, condemned you, pointed my blade at you."

"You have."

"What do you mean 'you have'? Do you not understand what our relationship is? This, this right now… Ha."

I tilted my head.

I dumped the paper cup into my mouth again. It was vending machine coffee, and I couldn't tell if it was particularly good.

"Why are you keeping me alive? Why treat me, and why treat me so kindly? A normal person wouldn't do that, would they?"

"Do you think I'm a normal person?"

"No, ha. Right, of course. You're not a normal person. You're trash. A beast that has no qualms about killing people."

That kind of bitch, yeah.

"I've already deserved to die any number of times. Sure, it's weird for me to say this myself, but you're stronger than me. You were stronger. Shouldn't every fight have ended with me dying?"

If it were a normal situation, if we were a normal villain and hero, if that was what justice was. If that was what the world was.

The natural course and the predetermined result.

It was clear that Erika's and my relationship would have ended with her death.

And I had thought so too.

I had thought that.

"What is this? Just be honest and say it. That you're just toying with me. That you just think of me as a fun toy to play with."

"Erika."

"Then I'll accept it. I'll play along until I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smash you to pieces."

I set down the paper cup and exhaled softly. She faced me, emptiness and exhaustion layered upon her.

She was still beautiful. Beautiful no matter what form she took.

If I could have you forever — if I could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have the righteous and compassionate you — how wonderful would that be.

"I'm just trying to grant your wish."

Truly.

"What on earth does that…"

"I'll help you."

Looking at her bewildered face, I smiled gently.

"So that you can kill me."

I forcibly pulled Bloody out from where she'd been peeking from my pocket.

I took Erika's hand and set her down on top of it.

The squishy texture would feel nice.

"I'm going to commit more killings going forward, and you'll have to investigate every time."

"……"

"Even finding me will be overwhelming. On top of that, you'll have to kill me."

Erika's hand fussed with Bloody. She seemed to like how it filled her grip tightly.

"So I'll be by your side every time. Meaning I'll engage you in combat."

It was like a proposal. Of course that wouldn't be bad either.

Though from the position of having a terminally ill lover, it might not be great.

"…Why on earth, why would you…"

"Because you're pretty."

In front of her, speechless, I emptied the paper cup and stood up. The chair scraped with a rattle, disturbing the quiet room's atmosphere.

"But not right now."

"Your body won't keep up for a while. You need to rest."

Bloody, having broken free of the restraint, slipped into my coat pocket. The little taps suggested she was annoyed.

"For the next few days, you'll rest like that and spend time with me. I'll also check if there's anything wrong with your body."

"What's supposed to be wrong with my body… Ah."

Remembered?

I drank a lot of your blood, after all.

"You don't get a say. You have to stay with me."

It might have been selfish desire. But it didn't matter.

It was a necessary process.

Before long I'd put her through the wringer again. Severely, beyond what she could endure.

So an intermediate rest was needed.

"Do you happen to have another café you like?"

To her, still looking at me without relaxing her expression, I smiled gently.