TPA 14

Chapter 14

A Night of Numbness (1)

As Misa was walking home, she realized someone was persistently tailing her.

The footsteps that continued to follow her all the way toward her house began to bother her, so she deliberately changed direction, heading away from home instead.

Criminals tended to attack in places with few people around, so this was a calculated move to lure her pursuer out.

And the moment she entered a deserted alley, the one following her finally revealed his true colors.

“Damn bitch!”

Misa deftly dodged the man lunging at her from behind, seized the wrist of the man holding a knife, and subdued him.

“What the hell—weren’t you arrested?”

The man who had been tailing Misa was someone she knew all too well.

“Because of you, I became a beggar overnight. My precious source of money got cut off.”

He was Rashur, who had worked as a butler and cook under Epicual.

After Epicual’s death severed his income, it seemed he had come all this way, harboring resentment and seeking revenge.

“It’s not my fault. You’re the one who sold your humanity for a few coins. Isn’t that right?”

“If only you hadn’t crawled into this—”

“Hey, who told you to come all the way to the capital and kidnap children?”

Instead of answering, Rashur swung his knife at her.

Misa dodged easily, then kicked his leg out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground.

“And I’m annoyed too, you know.”

“…Ghk.”

“I know your type very well. You get your kicks bullying people weaker than you. After killing people under Epicual, you started thinking you were something special, didn’t you?”

“…You bitch!”

“You probably thought you could kill me just by charging in here with a knife. But I’ve dealt with beastfolk far more vicious and faster than you. Your movements are slower than a snail—did you know that?”

“…”

“How does it feel to be the weak one you used to trample on?”

She was angry.

Angry that so many victims had fallen to such a stupid, ignorant man.

Misa roughly grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up. Despite his bulky body—nearly 100 kilograms—she lifted him effortlessly with one hand, displaying monstrous strength.

“You’re lucky you’re such a dumb idiot. You should’ve just run quietly. Instead, you come straight into my hands—how convenient. I get to pad my record too. Killing two birds with one stone.”

Rashur struggled and wildly swung his knife.

Annoyed, Misa grabbed his knife hand, kicked the blade away so it clattered to the ground, then twisted his wrist backward so he couldn’t use it anymore.

“Aaaargh!”

“Spare me the dramatics. Imagine how much pain the people you killed must have been in.”

Glaring coldly at the panting Rashur, Misa said,

“Be grateful you’re human.”

“…”

“If you were beastfolk, I’d have put a bullet through your throat just like Epicual.”

“…”

“Be thankful you’re a human protected by the law, you piece of trash.”

Misa began dragging Rashur along.

She intended to take him straight to a holding cell. She felt him thrashing in desperation, but ignored it.

An unarmed man—how much could he really do?

But that moment of carelessness led to an entirely unexpected situation.

With his remaining free hand, Rashur pulled a syringe from his inner pocket and tried to stab it into the back of Misa’s neck.

Snap—

With a sharp sound, a large hand caught Rashur’s wrist midair.

Sensing someone behind her, Misa turned around.

“That was a close one.”

The mysterious young gentleman lightly shook the syringe he had snatched away from Rashur.

“Are you all right?”

At the gentle, warm voice, Misa stared at him blankly, then nodded.

He was quite young.

Neatly dressed, with strikingly handsome features and a tall, well-built frame—everything about him fit together almost perfectly. Just like the first time she saw Wool, Misa felt a subtle, strange sensation coming from this man.

Perhaps it was simply because his looks were unusually striking.

The man casually snapped the syringe in half and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Then he separated Rashur from Misa.

From inside his coat, he pulled out something—a wanted poster with Rashur’s photo on it.

“So that’s why your face looked familiar. A wanted criminal, huh.”

“L-let go of me!”

Rashur struggled, and the man watched him with indifferent eyes before turning his gaze to Misa.

“I’ll hand him over to the Investigation Bureau.”

“Huh? Ah, there’s really no need for you to trouble yourself… I was on my way there myself.”

“I happened to be heading to the Bureau on business anyway.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Misa eyed him suspiciously.

For a moment, she wondered if he might be working with Rashur, but quickly dismissed the thought. Rashur’s reaction toward the man was closer to terror than familiarity.

She briefly wondered what could possibly frighten Rashur that much, but soon dropped the thought.

“Then I suppose I’ll see you again.”

The mysterious gentleman leisurely disappeared, taking Rashur with him.

Only then did Misa snap out of it and tilt her head in confusion.

“See you again?”

Was there really any reason they would meet again? It was their first encounter. He’d helped her briefly, sure—but that was all.

“What a strange guy.”

Brushing it off, she resumed walking.

Meanwhile, the young gentleman escorting Rashur toward the Investigation Bureau quietly changed direction, heading into a dark, secluded alley.

Though it looked as if he were holding Rashur lightly, his grip was incredibly strong.

Despite Rashur’s frantic struggles to escape, the man showed no sign of strain, walking calmly as if carrying something weightless.

After walking for a while, the man confirmed there was no one around and tossed Rashur onto a pile of trash.

Coughing violently, Rashur hurriedly tried to get up and run—but it was futile.

It felt as though something heavy was pressing him down, pinning his feet to the ground so he couldn’t move.

“W-what the hell! Why are you doing this to me?!”

The gentle, warm gentleman was gone.

When Rashur met the man’s coldly gleaming red eyes, he gasped and collapsed to the ground. His heart pounded violently, blood rushing as his face flushed with heat.

Cold sweat poured from his pores, and his hands, feet, and eyes trembled uncontrollably.

“There are many people who’d be troubled if you stayed alive.”

“S-spare me… please…”

“You sold out your own kind for money. Of course you’d leak information about Epicual to the Investigation Bureau. You’d cave to a bribe in no time, and with your loose mouth, I—or rather, we—could end up in trouble.”

“I-I won’t say anything! I swear I’ll keep it secret!”

Rashur screamed desperately, and the man replied calmly.

“Even if you’re handed over to the Bureau, you’ll die anyway.”

“…”

“The Emperor, who wants this incident buried more than anyone, won’t let you live.”

No matter what, he was destined to die.

Rashur’s eyes darted around wildly, then he suddenly began laughing like a madman. His past actions and the life he’d lived flashed before his eyes.

“Let’s finish this quickly. I’m busy, despite appearances.”

The moment the man finished speaking, a black beast lunged at Rashur and tore out his throat in a single bite.

After the crimson blood sprayed and settled, only silence remained.

Misa entered her house and stood still, staring blankly inside.

“What are you doing just standing there? Come in.”

“…What are you wearing?”

Wool stood there with an apron on, holding a ladle in one hand and a spatula in the other.

As if it were nothing unusual, he answered calmly.

“There’s nothing to do if I just stay inside.”

“You cleaned?”

“It was too filthy to live in.”

“I smell food. Did you cook too?”

There was no way he’d cook for himself.

Human food wouldn’t suit his tastes, and he didn’t need to eat to survive anyway—why would he bother?

“A woman being too skinny is an eyesore.”

Turning his head sharply, he replied gruffly.

Misa stared at him blankly, then burst into laughter.

“Wow, I’m touched. You cooked for me? Wow… you’re more considerate than you look.”

“It’d be troublesome if you keeled over and died while wasting away. You need to live as long as possible and stay by my side.”

“Die? Why so extreme?”

“If you keep eating like that, you’ll get sick and die young before you even grow old.”

So he had a surprisingly kind side.

Misa set down the bags she was carrying and headed into the kitchen. Cookbooks were scattered everywhere—ones she’d bought long ago, intending to cook for herself.

“Up until I got here, I was in a terrible mood. But now I feel good, like it’s a lie.”

“Why were you in a bad mood?”

“I was forced into leave.”

“Why?”

“How would I know what my superiors are thinking? Epicual was one of the Emperor’s close aides. If all this got out, it’d damage His Majesty’s prestige—something like that, I guess.”

Wool clicked his tongue as he stirred the stew.

“Humans never change.”

“But I don’t regret it. I believe I did the right thing.”

Wool stared at Misa, then slowly lowered his gaze.

Is that why she reminds me of her?

A human’s strong convictions drive life forward.

Those with weak—or nearly nonexistent—convictions, like Rashur, end up being swayed easily by their surroundings.

Lena, too, had been a human with strong convictions.

She’d had passion for her dreams, second to none. It wasn’t simply because she’d shown him kindness that he’d grown fond of her.

It was that unbending resolve, that firm way of thinking—it was admirable, attractive.

Misa and Lena looked nothing alike and had completely different personalities, but perhaps the reason they felt similar was because they were the same kind of human.

“Rock-solid convictions can ruin a person, sometimes.”

“…What?”

“Nothing.”

He couldn’t help but worry that one day, like Lena, this woman might also be consumed by her own beliefs.

“Wow, it smells amazing. It really smells good.”

As Misa leaned in close beside Wool to sniff the stew, he suddenly caught a faint scent and frowned.

He quickly set the ladle down and grabbed Misa by the wrist.

“W-what are you doing?”

“What have you been doing, coming back with this kind of smell on you?”

“Smell?”

Misa looked flustered as she sniffed herself, then tilted her head.

“I don’t really notice anything. What kind of smell?”

“The smell of a male.”

What? Male smell? Seriously?

“Why would I smell like a male? I’m not even a man. And didn’t I tell you to use polite expressions like ‘man’ and ‘woman’ instead of ‘male’ and ‘female’?”

Grinding his teeth, Wool ignored her complaints.

“I left my scent on you, and yet someone still marked you.”

“Marked me with what now?”

“I left pheromones on you—something beastfolk leave on a chosen mate.”

“Who did?”

“How would I know.”

“…Wait, pheromones? Beastfolk?”

Why did that man suddenly come to mind?

“Could that man be beastfolk…?”

“That man?”

Wool’s brow twitched slightly.

Despite having no reason to justify herself, Misa flusteredly began explaining.

“I ran into Rashur on the way home today.”

“And who’s that?”

“You know, the assistant who used to work under Epicual. The cook, or something.”

“Why’d you run into him here?”

“He was on the run, avoiding capture. He blamed me for ruining his life and attacked me.”

“He attacked you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m not stupid enough to get hurt by a loser like that. I beat him senseless. Anyway, I was dragging him to the Investigation Bureau when he pulled out a syringe and tried to stab me. That’s when a young gentleman showed up and helped.”

Just like when she’d met Wool, there’d been something strange about him.

But unlike Wool, he didn’t have any obvious physical traits that stood out.

“You’ve got that rare white hair and blue eyes, so I knew right away. But that guy… he just looked like a normal human. Still, thinking back, there was something odd about him.”

“So you foolishly exposed an opening and came back with this kind of mark.”

“How was I supposed to know about pheromones or marks? This is ridiculous.”

Wool looked at her with displeasure, then suddenly pulled her into his arms.

Startled, Misa struggled.

“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?!”

“Looks like my scent wasn’t strong enough. I’ll make sure it sticks this time.”

“W-wait, do you really have to go this far?”

“If I’m going to cover your whole body, I don’t have much choice.”

“T-this violates the contract!”

“We’re getting married anyway. What does it matter?”

At the word married, Misa’s eyes widened as she stammered.

“M-married? Are you insane? Who said I’d marry you? The contract clearly said you’d let me go once I found someone I loved and was ready to marry.”

“That’s right.”

“…”

“But that won’t happen.”

There it was—that overflowing arrogance, pouring out unchecked.

“Listen, you’re beastfolk, and we’re only bound by a contract. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“Humans and beastfolk can’t be together. You know that too, right?”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s common sense.”

He chuckled lightly at her words.

“The world isn’t made up of common sense alone.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You may not know this, but quite a few beastfolk have loved humans. It’s not impossible. What you call ‘common sense’ is just narrow-minded thinking created by humans.”

“Anyway, it’s never going to happen. Got it?”

After holding her for a long while, Wool finally let her go and replied coolly,

“That’s something time will tell.”

“Don’t do this again, okay?”

“Then don’t come back smelling like another man.”

“Like I did it on purpose!”

“I don’t like it.”

“…What?”

“The smell of another man on you—it bothers me.”

For some reason, his words made Misa’s face heat up.

Why? How?

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, she cleared her throat and turned away.

“I-I’m going out. Let’s have a drink.”

Rushing into the living room, Misa clutched her pounding heart and let out a sigh.

We’re not even real lovers—just bound by a contract… Why am I getting flustered over a single comment? Am I crazy?

It was only a contract.

A relationship formed out of necessity, an abnormal bond that could never be accepted by the world.

One day, it would end. It was only a temporary stop before she grew older, met someone she loved, and formed a normal family.

Love? Ridiculous.

There was no emotion that could cross the boundary between humans and beastfolk.

This feeling could not become real. They couldn’t grow any closer than necessary.

Get a grip.

She must never let things go too far—never create something irreversible.

Before it became unmanageable, she had to steel her heart.