By Zephyria 
The slums would naturally be filled with the starving and the poor, and the security there would be the worst. For people who had to find something to eat every day just to avoid starving to death, other people’s livestock would be nothing more than food.
“I, kept… saying no, not to do it… I kept telling them not to. I kept… telling them not to, I really kept telling them…”
“…”
The fist gripping my collar was trembling. Aska, who was crying with his whole body, looked up at me. His eyes were wide with surprise, and tears kept flowing.
“I…”
As if something else had come to mind, Aska, who had been moving his lips, said with a flustered expression.
“I think I ate someone.”
“…”
Was he saying that he had committed cannibalism, not just vampirism? Actually, whether he drank blood or ate people, it was all the same to me, so it wasn’t a very surprising fact.
“Back then… because they didn’t listen to me, I got really angry… suddenly… there were three of those men, and when I hit them…”
“Aska.”
I quietly watched Aska, who was confused, and called his name in a low voice.
“Calm down first. You don’t have to say everything today, so stop thinking about it and take a deep breath.”
Aska, who had been tearing at his hair, nodded blankly. Then he hugged my neck again and relaxed his body.
Aska, who repeated inhaling and exhaling deeply, muttered.
“I’m hungry after crying…”
Isn’t his recovery too fast? He was crying so much a while ago. I was thinking about whether I should give him some blood, but Aska sighed.
“So that’s what happened back then too.”
“What?”
“I killed those three men, and after that, my head hurt so much. Suddenly I was hungry, but there was nothing to eat… I think I could have just drunk blood, but I didn’t know that back then.”
So Aska had been suffering from hunger and thirst all this time? He might not have thought it was strange because starving in the slums was not a special occurrence.
“Back then, my eyes were really hot, and my body was weird, but I kept getting angry. So I was going to kill everyone. I wasn’t going to forgive anyone, I was just going to kill everyone I saw.”
“So you killed them all?”
“I was going to, but suddenly I was too tired, so I was resting for a while? I was crouching next to a tree, checking where people were by their scent, and suddenly a kid came and gave me bread.”
“So?”
At my question, Aska hesitated and continued.
“While I was eating it, it came to me…”
“What?”
“That these people hadn’t done anything wrong.”
“…”
It was amazing that he regained his reason in that situation with just a piece of bread. Is it because he’s a pig? He liked to eat so much…
When I stroked Aska’s hair, it tickled between my fingers.
“And a few days later, someone from the castle suddenly came looking for me.”
“Did they notice because you used your power while killing people? Or was it just a coincidence?”
“I don’t know.”
If Aska hadn’t killed those three men back then, we might not have met.
“So that’s why.”
Aska looked straight at me and said as if making an excuse. I tilted my head because I didn’t know what he meant, and Aska slightly avoided my gaze.
“Someone who looked similar to the kid who gave me bread… suddenly appeared, and I remembered. So my body moved before I could even tell you. Anyway, I’m sorry about that.”
“…”
Aska, who had apologized neatly, seemed to want to gloss over the situation like this. Was this long-winded past story all a setup?
Remembering how he was crying and confused, it didn’t seem intentional, but it was still unsettling. And because I had just heard such a story, it was a situation where it was ambiguous to get angry.
Suddenly annoyed, I frowned, and Aska added.
“I really didn’t run away. And I wasn’t trying to kill you. Why on earth did you think that? That’s ridiculous. Are you stupid? What would I do by killing you? Who would buy me yakitori if you died?”
“Don’t say any more, it’s annoying.”
I pushed Aska away and fell backward. I collapsed onto the bed with a thud and smelled dust. I frowned, and Aska slowly came down from on top of me and lay down next to me.
The bed in the single room was too narrow, so I pushed him with my elbow, but Aska didn’t budge.
“But why did you bleed so much earlier?”
“It’s because of you.”
“What did I do? You always blame everything on me. Is it my fault if the world ends?”
I shook my head at the childish words.
“Why me? I didn’t even hit you. Maybe, did a rock or something bounce off while you were hitting that person?”
Aska muttered, grumbling, as if he was still concerned. I sighed, grabbed Aska’s wrist, and lifted it.
“I cast the Sealing Magic. It seems like it was forcibly released when you used your ability or whatever it is. Magic that restricts or restrains the target originally has risks for the caster as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s because of you.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“It’s too narrow, get down.”
“I’m going to sleep too.”
“Who said you could sleep? Please move.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
As I kept pushing him with my arm, Aska pushed me back. What was absurd was that I was gradually being pushed back. I thought I was going to fall off to the side, so I eventually turned my back first.
In my head, I imagined Aska pushing my back and eventually knocking me off the bed. He was the kind of person who would do that, so I was nervous, but Aska was quiet.
After some more time passed, the middle of my back tickled. Aska scratched my back with his fingertips and asked.
“Does it still hurt?”
“…”
Listening to his worried voice only made me feel worse. Because when he acts like that, I can’t get angry anymore.
“I’m really sorry… I didn’t know it would turn out like this. Next time, even if my ancestors suddenly appear, I’ll talk to you first. And I won’t hit people…”
At those words, I turned around again and looked at Aska. Because he wasn’t lying straight but on his side, I didn’t feel as cramped as before.
“You can hit people. But you have to control your strength.”
“I can hit them?”
Aska tilted his head. Then he asked with a reluctant expression.
“But you don’t care even though I said I ate someone?”
“I have a question.”
“What is it? Ask me.”
“Did you eat them raw? Without washing them?”
If he lived in the slums, he must have been very dirty, and if he ate them without washing them, there might be a problem. I frowned at the thought, and Aska said in an absurd voice.
“Is that what’s important?”
“Then what’s important?”
“Eating people is what’s important.”
“You were just drinking my blood. It’s not that different. And that’s not what’s important, like I said before, you can hit people, but you have to control your strength.”
His strength wasn’t just strong, if he just hit someone and they exploded, controlling his strength was essential.
“I couldn’t say it because you were crying so much about killing people earlier, but if someone tries to kill you, you have to kill them first. Because that’s better than you getting hurt.”
“…”
Aska’s expression became ambiguous, as if he thought it made sense when he heard it. Aska nodded a few times.
“That doesn’t mean you can just kill anyone, it means it’s self-defense.”
Aska nodded again.
“Okay.”
Unlike when he was crying and making a fuss earlier, Aska readily agreed.
“Is there anything else you remember besides that?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Anyway, don’t use that thing that sucks people’s blood and dries them up as much as possible. Other people might freak out and think a monster has appeared.”
“As much as possible? Not don’t use it at all?”
This time, I nodded.
“You have to use it if you’re going to die. Because anything is better than you dying.”
“What if other people find out I’m a monster?”
“I’ll somehow take care of it.”
I don’t know what method I should use to take care of it, but I can think about it then. As I said, any situation is better than Aska dying.
“Suddenly I miss Grandma and Grandpa. And Fai and Kkoko too.”
Then Aska fidgeted a little, closed his eyes, and muttered. Maybe it was because the space was narrow, but he kept digging in, so I had no choice but to reach out and hug Aska.
“What’s Kkoko? The chicken your grandfather raised?”
“Yeah, I used to play with Fai and Kkoko.”
Dogs are one thing, but how do you play with a chicken? I suddenly wondered and imagined it. It was an imagination of a big dog and a chicken playing tag with Aska in a green field.
“You can raise anything you want later.”
I impulsively said that because I wanted to see that scene in person, and Aska suddenly raised his head. Aska urgently asked with rabbit-like surprised eyes.
“Can I raise a puppy?”
“You can have a chicken too.”
“Really? Me alone? You’re not raising one?”
Without even thinking about it, I shook my head with a reluctant expression.
“I’m already overwhelmed with one…”
“What? You’re raising a puppy?”
I didn’t answer, sighed, and closed my eyes.
“Where? Why are you the only one raising it? Hey, get up. Don’t sleep! It’s unfair, why don’t you show me! Show me too!”
Ignoring Aska, who was grabbing my collar and shaking me, I fell soundly asleep.