TPA 16

Chapter 16

The Night of Numbness (3)

She had come out on impulse, but… there was really nothing to do.

“Now that I’m out, I’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do. Looking at it this way, I really feel like I’ve lived my life for nothing.”

After her mother died, she’d lived with blinders on, charging straight ahead.

She’d been obsessed with passing the hunter’s exam to join the Investigation Bureau, and once she became a hunter, she spent all her time chasing beastmen.

She lived in constant urgency, pursuing beastmen nonstop, so busy she never had the chance to look to the side.

She believed that if she kept hunting beastmen, she would eventually uncover the truth behind her mother’s death—and find the culprit who had done that to her.

“I really did live fiercely.”

What she’d traded for that fierceness might have been her youth—something you can only enjoy when you’re young.

Of course, at twenty-five she was still undeniably young enough to enjoy life, but she also knew that her future wouldn’t be all that different from her present.

She had more than once envied the lives of her peers—traveling with friends, going to school, dating—but even so, she’d only ever had one choice.

The moment her mother was murdered, her life changed, and so did her reason for living.

Until all of this ended, she couldn’t stop.

Having the leisure to look around was a luxury. Friends or lovers would only get in the way.

Misa picked up the pet food for Ul at the pet shop and smiled weakly.

“At times like this, I do feel a bit lonely. That’s why I hate days off.”

When she focused solely on work, she could forget stray thoughts.

But on days like this, when she rested, her mind filled with thoughts—so she usually tried not to take breaks at all.

If she had to live with someone, how nice would it be if it were a human her age—or at least the same species.

“How did my life end up like this? What’s so great about that guy that I’m dutifully buying his pet food and all… oh, my miserable fate.”

Grumbling, she opened the door of the pet shop—

And her head collided head-on with someone’s chest as they were coming in.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

The familiar voice made Misa slowly lift her head.

“You’re the one from back then…”

The man who had helped when she was dragging Rashur away.

His looks were striking enough that even a brief glance had etched him into her memory.

“Looks like you’re raising a dog.”

As he spoke casually, Misa stared at him blankly—then suddenly frowned and stepped back.

Why hadn’t she realized it right away back then?

The owner of the scent that drove Ul into a frenzy must be this man. Why didn’t I notice the moment I saw him? He has a similar vibe to Ul, yet I didn’t realize at all that he was a beastman.

Just as Ul had immediately sensed his scent, he must have sensed Ul’s as well.

“Could you step aside? You’re blocking the door.”

The sharpness in her lowered gaze clearly revealed her wariness and tension.

Watching her, Libido was reminded of a kitten bristling its fur in caution.

Being wary meant she had more or less noticed what he was—which likely meant the wolf with her had influenced that.

Judging by how the faintly concealed scent had been erased and replaced with a strong wolf scent, the wolf she lived with must have warned her.

Dangerous. Don’t get close.

“Judging by how guarded you are, it seems you’ve more or less figured me out.”

“……”

“You don’t need to be so tense. I didn’t come here to threaten you.”

“Then are you saying this meeting is just a coincidence?”

“It’s true that it’s an intentional meeting disguised as coincidence.”

He wore a refined smile, yet there was a sharp edge to it.

That was probably because Misa had already categorized him as dangerous.

“I just found you a little interesting.”

“……”

“I’m also slightly interested in the dog living at your place.”

“He’s not a dog. He’s a wolf.”

“Well, wolves are canines too.”

“Then what animal are you?”

“I’m a leopard.”

“Leopards are felines, so you’re basically a cat, then.”

Libido answered with nothing but a smile.

He’s not like ordinary beastmen. He’s the same kind as Ul. Maybe he’s far stronger—and far more dangerous—than any beastman I’ve met so far.

What could she possibly trust enough to follow him so easily?

But could she really escape from here? He wouldn’t let her go—of course he wouldn’t.

She had her gun, but would an attack even work?

Last time, when he’d approached right up close, she hadn’t sensed him at all. That meant he moved that fast.

“What do you want?”

“This isn’t the place to talk. I’d like to move somewhere else and have a relaxed conversation.”

What should she do?

Seeing her hesitate, Libido whispered coaxingly.

“I just want to talk to you. If you don’t trust me, we can even choose the Investigation Bureau as the location.”

“……”

“If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve done it right here. I don’t like dragging things out.”

He had a point.

Would it really be so bad to at least hear him out? She was curious about what he wanted to say.

In any case, a beastman who walked the streets so openly was clearly someone she’d need to keep an eye on.

“All right.”

Having made her decision, Misa followed Libido.

They arrived at a small café not far from the pet shop.

The moment he entered, the eyes of the people enjoying their coffee turned toward him all at once.

Even without knowing he was a beastman, their uniformly favorable reactions were telling. And Misa understood why.

Setting aside the fact that he was a beastman, his outward appearance alone was enough to win anyone’s favor.

After sitting down and ordering coffee, Misa asked him while trying to hide her tension.

“So, what do you want?”

At her question, he leaned back leisurely.

“Ah, right. What I want.”

A neat smile and calm eyes turned toward her as he idly played with his cup.

“I just wanted to talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“Just… various things.”

Without realizing it, Misa didn’t notice that he’d dropped the polite speech he’d been using and switched to casual speech.

“Are you messing with me?”

“No.”

He seemed to have decided to speak casually now.

“If you’re not joking, then what is it?”

“I just liked you, so I wanted to talk about you—about this and that.”

“……”

“I also found what happened with Epicureal interesting to watch.”

“…Who are you?”

“Libido.”

“I didn’t ask because I was curious about your name.”

“I don’t see the point in asking a question when you already know the answer.”

“……”

“You know at least that I’m not human.”

His calm admission that he was a beastman made Misa scoff in disbelief.

“You seemed able to see vital points.”

“……”

“I’m curious if that’s a unique ability born from pheromones.”

“How much do you know about me?”

“Quite a lot.”

“……”

“The youngest person to ever pass the hunter’s exam, and a rare female hunter.”

“……”

“Your track record is pretty impressive. I was surprised. With achievements like that, you should’ve stood out—so I wondered why you hadn’t.”

She didn’t care about achievements.

She hadn’t started this life to succeed.

“Then you must also know why I became a hunter.”

“Revenge.”

“Yes. I started this job with the sole conviction that I would exterminate filthy beastmen like you from this world.”

Libido silently looked at the woman in front of him.

Outwardly, she was ordinary—if anything, unremarkable.

She’d lived in poverty, apparently; perhaps because of that, her development seemed stunted, her face plain, lacking femininity—hardly an attractive person.

Yet somehow, I keep looking at her.

Compared to the women he’d met so far, she was an utterly ordinary human woman full of shortcomings, yet something about her kept drawing his interest.

What was it?

Staring at Misa’s face, he suddenly realized something and smiled, baring his white teeth.

“Bold ambition.”

His eyes were different.

He’d been wondering what made her so different from other women—and now he had his answer.

“Are you mocking me?”

“No. I genuinely think it’s impressive.”

Though his instincts told him to fear her, her gaze met his boldly, unwavering.

He didn’t need to talk more to understand. Her eyes were firm, like a zelkova tree rooted solidly in place.

Eyes filled with absolute confidence in her beliefs, without a shred of doubt.

“Your eyes are really beautiful.”

“What?”

“People with eyes like that are rare.”

She was different from other women.

Definitely different. With her… he felt certain he might finally obtain what he wanted.

“Enough with the nonsense. What kind of scheme are you running here?”

“A scheme?”

“You’re a beastman pretending to be human, sneaking among humans—what are you plotting?”

“Who knows. What am I doing?”

He didn’t know what he wanted, what he intended, or what he sought.

He’d simply drifted along, and when he came to his senses, he was here.

“You really are impossible to talk to.”

As Misa muttered, his gaze shifted to the side.

A sudden breeze stirred her short hair. Feeling a presence, Misa turned her head—and Libido moved his gaze leisurely, as if he’d been waiting.

“You’re late.”

An odd tension filled the air behind his words, as though he’d expected this situation.

The gazes of the two men locked intensely.

The pheromones emitted by beastmen weren’t just used to entice prey or mates.

The stronger the beastman, the denser the pheromones—and the pheromones of the two men glaring at each other now were clashing fiercely in a battle for dominance.

This was probably a first for both Ul and Libido.

They had been superior from birth, always reigning at the top.

They had never encountered someone who surpassed them—or even matched them.

Ul revealed his displeasure and pulled Misa behind him.

“Pretty hostile. There’s no need to be so wary. I’m not here to take her—yet.”

“Why circle around someone another’s already claimed?”

“You of all people should know why.”

Libido smiled lightly and whispered low.

“Because she’s the owner of the taboo.”

The same words Epicureal had spoken. Misa looked at the two men, confused.

“Wouldn’t any beastman naturally covet her?”

“With that much power and you’re still unsatisfied? Coveting her shows how excessive your greed is.”

“It’s not just about gaining power.”

He already had more power than he could handle.

If he had to name the real reason—

“It’s just personal interest.”

A bit of curiosity and fondness.

“I’d like you to drop that curiosity and interest.”

“……”

“They’re irritating.”

Ul’s pheromones surged intensely. Even so, Libido continued smiling unfazed.

“You’re the one who’s irritating.”

“……”

“I can’t stand not satisfying my curiosity. There’s something I absolutely have to confirm with her.”

The casual speech he used was rude—and at the same time, oppressively intimidating.

“Reel in your pheromones. They’re affecting the humans.”

At his words, Misa snapped out of it and looked around. People lay collapsed, limp. Only then did Ul withdraw his pheromones.

“As I said earlier, I didn’t come to do anything to her right now.”

“……”

“I came as a warning.”

“Take good care of her. Don’t let your guard down.”

“That’s my problem. Don’t interfere.”

“The moment other beastmen learn she’s the owner of the taboo, they’ll swarm her. Her scent has already started to change—so watch her carefully before it’s too late.”

How long he could hold out, though, was another matter.

Ul said nothing to the arrogant, rude advice.

Both men were adept at hiding their emotions. To an outsider, their exchange might even look peaceful.

Libido’s gaze shifted to Misa behind Ul.

A fresh smile curved his lips.

“Then, until next time. Cute little acorn miss.”

A-acorn miss?

“Who are you calling an acorn, you crazy cat!”

Misa snapped, and a quiet laugh slipped from Libido as he passed by.

After he left, Misa looked at the people lying around and sighed softly.

“Why did those people collapse?”

“They were briefly exposed to too much pheromone.”

“Pheromones affect humans too?”

“Yes.”

“Then why am I fine?”

“Because you’re no longer a normal human.”

“I’m not a normal human?”

“Let’s talk about it after we get home.”

Ul grabbed Misa’s hand and led her out of the café.

For some reason, his back looked angry.

“Are you mad?”

“You said you were going to meet a man, and the one you met wasn’t even human. It’s absurd.”

And not just any beastman.

He was a formidable—potentially extremely dangerous—individual.

Someone skilled enough to snuff out her life in an instant without effort.

If he’d been a low-intelligence brute, it might’ve been better—but unfortunately, the black panther lurking around her was one of the rare, exceptionally strong Successors among intelligent beastmen.

“I ran into him while buying your pet food. I already knew he was a beastman from you, and making a scene and provoking him wouldn’t have helped, so I just went along with what he wanted.”

“You did well not provoking him recklessly.”

“That’s because I knew he was on a completely different level from the beastmen I’ve dealt with so far.”

The ease with which he conversed, the way he mixed persuasion with threats—those weren’t things an ordinary beastman could even conceive.

He wandered the city naturally, indistinguishable from a human on the surface.

Probably because he could control his instincts and desires to some extent.

“When I met him, I felt the same pressure as when I met you. It was nothing like that idiot beastman who tried to kill me.”

It was an instinctive tension.

Her body understood—it wasn’t an opponent she could handle. Frustrating, but undeniable.

She let out a long sigh.

“Why is it that normal men never come my way, and instead I get stuck with—”

Beastmen, not even human.

Was her life cursed?

Maybe she should visit an astrologer and get her fortune read.

“More beastmen will approach you from now on.”

“Heh.”

At this rate, would she die without ever marrying, tangled up with beastmen all her life?

Shuddering, Misa felt goosebumps spread over her body.

“He’ll probably approach you again next time.”

“…Yeah.”

She felt exhausted.

Her heart pounded with anxious unease, like she was being chased by something. Trying to shake it off, she stuck close to Ul.

He glanced down at her briefly, then looked forward again as if nothing had happened.

“I used to not be afraid of beastmen, but lately… I’m a bit scared.”

Maybe because she’d been encountering beastmen far stronger than she ever imagined.

“So stop thinking nonsense and stay by my side.”

“Nonsense?”

“Thinking about marriage and breaking the contract.”

Misa snorted lightly.

“Marriage isn’t something you can just do because you want to, you know?”

“Is that so.”

“Marriage is only possible when complete love bears fruit. Nobles often have political marriages, but commoners like me don’t. Do you know how hard it is to meet your destined partner?”

“In my time, marriages for love were rare.”

“Well, a thousand years ago, most were arranged marriages, so that makes sense.”

“Marriage in this era seems complicated.”

“You think it’s like the old days? You have to meet someone you truly love to get married. It’s not an era where you marry blindly. That’s why marriage is even harder now—it’s not like the old days where marriages were rampant like indiscriminate mating.”

Ul seemed to half understand, half not.

Naturally—he’d lived in isolation from humans for so long. The time felt long even to him, but to humans it was an unimaginably vast span.

“Complicated.”

“Haven’t you ever loved someone? Even if arranged marriages were common back then, surely some people married for love?”

Ul’s expression stiffened abruptly.

Mulling over the word love, he let out a hollow laugh.

“I don’t know that crap. And I don’t want to.”

Misa couldn’t say anything and closed her mouth.

Because it was the first time she’d seen him look so sad.

The first time.

He’d always seemed cold, but now his eyes went beyond cold—into a bottomless loneliness.

Even though she’d only caught a fleeting glimpse of that emotion, her heart ached.

Why was it that today, his blue eyes looked even more frozen than usual?