Chapter 41 - Kanata Asaragi

Ria Yumeno—a girl wearing a short black dress, fashionable knee socks, and with a black crown of roses on her head and black wings sprouting from her back—regained her consciousness in a dark room.

“Please! Stop Mom! Pant… Pant... A d-dream? N-no…”

Waking up sweaty and jumpy, she made a tired expression.

“Mom never loved me, it was always only my heart.”

Ria mumbled with tears in her eyes.

“Right. It’s good I escaped the castle, but after being attacked by a monster on the way and barely escaping alive… I somehow arrived here,”

She said and looked over her surroundings.

The place she was in right now was a small, awfully dirty room.

Nearby was an open fire with soup being made over it.

“I’m embarrased!”

“Pommie!”

Pomkichi came rushing into the room from the door.

Seeing the always foolish Pomkichi, Ria was relieved.

“I’m embarrassed!"

She wiped her tears and hugged Pomkichi tight.

After being betrayed by the mother she had always trusted, Pomkichi was now her sole source of comfort.

“We were saved by this child!”

“What?”

Pomkichi pointed at the corner of the room.

There sat a gloomy boy wearing a gray sweater.

Even though he had been sitting there the entire time, Ria hadn’t noticed him.

“A h-human!?”

Flustered, Ria picked up an iron pipe lying near her, and turned her vigilance on the boy.

“This is our benefactor, you know?”

“But a human, you know?”

“But our benefactor, you know?”

“But human!”

“But our benefactor!”

“But human!”

While Ria was arguing with Pomkichi, the boy shifted his blood red eyes to look down and stood up slowly.

“Don’t move! You can’t move from there!”

Ria said, and the boy stopped moving listlessly.

“It’s alright, Ria! This is a good human who gave me candy earlier! He’s like a prince from those picture books!”

Pomkichi said and jumped on the boy to sit on his back and hold on to his head.

“Pomkichi you idiot! Hurry and get away from him!”

“Like I say, it’s fine!”

Ria stared at the boy with caution for a while.

Then, judging that he wasn’t dangerous, she timidly approached him.

“Sorry for my caution. I apologize.”

“It’s fine.”

Ria said and held out her hand with an apologetic face.

The boy took her hand with a sigh.

“I managed to fool you, huh?”

“What?”

Grinning, Ria threw the boy on his back.

Then, she tied both of his hands with a nearby string.

“I caught you!”

“What!? You’re being rude to our benefactor!”

“Quiet!”

Ria tied up both Pomkichi and the boy.

Then, she slowly walked around the boy, observing him with caution.

The boy made a troubled expression and heaved a deep sigh.

Pomkichi, without looking troubled, had fun as he struggled in his bindings.

“Who are you!? Introduce yourself!”

“...Kanata Kisaragi.”

The boy—Kanata—said in a soft voice while looking down with sleepy eyes.

“It seems like you saved me and Pomkichi, but what are you planning? Even if you managed to trick Pomkichi, I won’t let you deceive me.”

“I-I’m not scheming at all.”

“Really now?”

Kanata said, averting his eyes when Ria drew near and glared at him.

He shuffled backwards to put more distance between their faces.

“Aren’t you averting your eyes because you’re guilty? It’s obvious that you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying… I can talk to people while looking them in the eye… Especially people like you…”

“Like me? What kind of person am I? Try telling me.”

Kanata’s face grew red, and he inadvertently glanced at Ria.

But he then hurriedly averted his gaze and turned his face.

“You’re strangee… With wings and your face is so close.”

“Is that… bad?”

“It’s not bad. I think it’s fine.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

“Haha, you’re making me shy.”

Ria, who had been frowning until now, gave a cute smile like that of an innocent girl.

Seeing that, Kanata somehow became happy.

“Uhm, I’m honestly not scheming anything. I’ve only been hiding here for the past few months, that’s all.”

“Hmm. Then let’s make a contract.”

“A contract?”

“Yes. Beings like me can make contracts with humans. The one who breaks the contract dies. I heard this from my mom, but I’ve also wanted to make one.”

“What kind of contract do you mean?”

Ria saw Kanata who looked frightened and made a devil-like smile.

“Kanata, I will help you. In return, you will help me.”

Ria was faintly trembling.

It’s because she had witnessed a lot of frightening things the past few hours.

“Wha—that’s impossible…”

“Is that so? Then, I’ll leave you behind.”

Offended, Ria started leaving the room.

“No way! At least help me!”

“W-wait! At any rate, just wait!”

“What?”

Having been grabbed, Ria glared at Pomkichi who was struggling again and Kanata who was anxious.

“That contract, let’s do it.”

“Alright. Then, I’ll bring you with me.”

“Phew.”

“Yay!”

“But, Pomkichi, not you.”

“Why!?”

After entering the contract with Kanata, Ria loosened his bindings.

Kanata touched his wrists and glanced at Ria.

“Uhm, what’s your name?”

“Alright! I’m the Benevlent Prince! Ria Yumeno!”

“...”

She striked a pose, and Kanata turned to Pomkichi with a troubled expression.

“I’m the Dead from Hell! Pomkichi!”

Pomkichi said, and Kanata grew even more troubled.

“You are Kanata Asaragi, right? Nice to meet you.”

“N-nice to meet you, too.”

Kanata shook Ria’s hand timidly.