Kiyotaka and Satella walked around the city together as they talked while walking.
Kiyotaka: [We should head to where your insignia was stolen.]
Satella nodded, but then she stopped for a second.
Satella: [Um Kiyotaka. Doesn't it look like that child is crying?]
Kiyotaka looked to see a young girl crying in the corner.
Kiyotaka: (If I'm trying to be a『Good Person』 I shouldn't leave a child crying in the corner.)
Kiyotaka sighed inwardly.
Kiyotaka: (Being kind is troublesome.)
Kiyotaka: [I suppose that she is. Maybe we should cheer her up?]
They walked over as the child was still crying.
Satella: [I'm sorry, I'm not the one you were looking for. So, what's the matter? Aren't your mom and dad with you?]
The child cried even louder, seemingly scared of Satella
Satella: [Um, uh... Don't cry... I won't do anything to you, alright?]
Kiyotaka noticed that the young girl didn't seem convinced and just kept crying as he considered the situation.
Kiyotaka: (Is the reputation of the 『Jealous Witch』 this bad? It looks like it's up to me... wait... how do you cheer up a child? Hm... Something amusing should do the trick. Their attention span is low, so something needs to distract them from their negative emotions.)
Kiyotaka stood straight and walked behind Satella.
Satella: [Eh? Kiyotaka?]
Kiyotaka: [Stay still, alright?]
Satella: [Don't do anything strange, okay?]
Kiyotaka: [Well, it is strange but... It's nothing bad.]
Satella nodded, staying still.
Kiyotaka: (I remember Kei doing this to me once.)
Kiyotaka put his hands over her head, imitating the movements of a bunny rabbit's ears. This, however, caused the child to cry even more. She seemed even more scared.
Kiyotaka: [Huh? I thought that would help.]
Kiyotaka: (Are rabbits a bad omen or something in this world? Let's archive that thought for now.)
Kiyotaka sighed.
Kiyotaka: [Well... what else?]
Kiyotaka pondered it for a second.
Kiyotaka: [Alright. I have a plan.]
Satella looked to him as the young girl still had tears in her eyes, but looked at Kiyotaka intently.
Kiyotaka: [Just watch closely, okay?]
Kiyotaka: (I guess that a "Magic" Trick will do the job. Ike had planned to do this at a party. Hirata found out and did it first to save him from the embarrassment. If it weren't for his popularity, it would have been the end of his social life. Actually, I think the girls thought it was cute, so it probably boosted his popularity.)
Kiyotaka then started doing the detaching thumb trick as the young girl looked amazed. He revealed his hand, but made sure she didn't find out the trick. She smiled brightly as she thought there was no deception and that it was real magic.
Kiyotaka: (I have no clue how people fall for things like this. It's just basic deception.)
Kiyotaka: [Looks like she's calmed down. Let's ask her about...]
Kiyotaka saw Satella sitting down, and he couldn't see her expression.
Kiyotaka: [Hm?]
She then got up, walking to him when her eyes had stars in them.
Satella: [How did you do that? What kind of magic was it?]
Kiyotaka's sweat dropped.
Kiyotaka: (Oh wow. Even though this is a world of magic, she's amazed by something like this?)
Kiyotaka: [Sorry, I can't tell you. It's a secret.]
Satella looked disappointed but relented.
Kiyotaka: (I have a feeling she'd give me a lot of trouble if I told her I tricked her with fake magic.)
Kiyotaka got on one knee, looking at the young girl.
Kiyotaka: [Are you alright?]
She nodded, and she wiped away her tears from her eyes.
Young Girl: [I got separated from mommy.]
Kiyotaka: [Oh. I see.]
Kiyotaka turned to Satella.
Kiyotaka: [Do we have the time to look for her parents, or do you want to keep looking for the insignia?]
Kiyotaka: (Let's test her response to this situation.)
Satella: [We'll help her.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: (It's not that the insignia isn't important. She just can't stand the thought of leaving this girl alone.)
Satella held her hand as they walked around looking for her mother.
Satella: [Hold her hand. It will make her feel safe.]
Kiyotaka: [Alright.]
Kiyotaka took her other hand as they walked together.
Kiyotaka: [You know. Since we're both holding her hands, I wonder if we look like a couple to the other people around.]
Satella: [Eh!?]
She blushed.
Satella: [Um, well, I don't want them to misunderstand but...]
Kiyotaka: [But you're prioritising this girl, right?]
Satella nodded as Kiyotaka compared the result to his first attempt at using this trick.
Kiyotaka: (Well, that worked better than with Horikita. I guess this should make our relationship a bit more friendly.)
The two walked together for a while with the girl in between them, when she rushed off towards a woman.
Young Girl: [Mommy!]
The young girl rushed over, hugging her mother.
Young Girl's Mother: [Thank you so much.]
Satella: [It's okay, but we're in a hurry, so we have to go.]
The woman nodded as Kiyotaka and Satella walked off.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
They arrived at the shop belonging to the Vendor Kiyotaka had met earlier.
Vendor: [You're back? Huh? Did you bring this little lady to pay for you?]
Satella: [Um... Kiyotaka. I don't have any money.]
Kiyotaka: (Of course she doesn't.)
Kiyotaka: [That's not it. I was hoping you would do me one more favour.]
Vendor: [Huh? Again? You serious?]
Kiyotaka: [We'll spread a good word about your shop.]
The Vendor sighed.
Vendor: [Fine. Fine. What do you want?]
Kiyotaka: [Did a girl with blond hair pass through here? If someone has paper, I can draw a picture.]
As he was handed a piece of paper and a quill, Kiyotaka drew a picture of the girl.
Satella: [Wow Kiyotaka! That's a reaaally good drawing.]
Kiyotaka: [Thank you.]
He showed the drawing to the vendor.
Kiyotaka: [So. Do you know her?]
Vendor: [Yeah, that's Felt. She lives in the slums. Don't know where, though.]
Satella: [Slums?]
The Vendor pointed in the direction when the mother and daughter from before arrived.
Young Girl's Mother: [Oh. It's you two. Thank you for earlier.]
Vendor: [Huh? You know these two broke losers?]
The young girl ran to the vendor, hugging him.
Young Girl's Mother: [She got lost earlier. They found her and helped her get back to me.]
The Vendor sighed.
Vendor: [Look. I'm sorry about before, okay? You don't have to talk about my shop. I'm returning the favour for you helping my daughter get back to my wife safely.]
Kiyotaka nodded.
The girl then turned to Satella, offering a flower pin.
Satella: [Huh?]
Young Girl's Mother: [Please accept it. It's her way of showing her gratitude.]
Satella smiled, nodding as she attached the pin to her dress, as the Young Girl smiled.
Kiyotaka: [Let's go.]
Satella nodded as they began walking towards the slums.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
They arrived at the slums as it was getting dark. They walked around when Puck seemed tired.
Satella: [Maybe someone would tell us if we ask.]
Kiyotaka: [And sell out one of their own?]
Satella: [I guess they wouldn't then.]
Then Puck yawned.
Puck: [Sorry, but I'm almost out of time.]
Kiyotaka: [Hm? Out of time?]
Puck: [Even though I have a cute appearance, I am still a spirit. It takes a lot of mana just to appear in physical form. So at night, I return to the crystal I was summoned from and prepare for the emergence of the sun. On average, I can stay awake from about nine to five.]
Kiyotaka: (That's interesting. That will be useful to know if I have to deal with spirits at some point in the future. Or maybe this is only for Puck, or the times are different for each one. Nevertheless, this is useful information.)
Satella: [We'll be fine without Puck. We can keep moving forward.]
Puck: [Yeah. But sorry... I'm at my limit...]
He started to fade away as he rested in Satella's hands.
Satella: [We'll handle things from here, so get some rest.]
Puck: [Don't do anything reckless. If it comes down to it, use the od to summon me again.]
Puck then turned to Kiyotaka.
Puck: [Alright. Try to take care of the rest, Kiyotaka.]
He then turned into several balls of green light that went up into the air and into the gem of Satella's dress.
Kiyotaka: [Asleep, huh? Well, while he's sleeping, we'll have to find a way to find Felt.]
Satella: [I'll ask the Lesser Spirits.]
Kiyotaka: [Lesser Spirits?]
Satella: [Lesser Spirits are beings that haven't yet become spirits yet. They grow over time, and when they gain strength and self-awareness, they become full spirits, like Puck.]
Kiyotaka: (So they're aware of other beings but not themselves? Maybe the action she's doing to gain information from them isn't actually "asking" but there isn't a term that describes the action, so it's called "asking". But if I take it at face value, it sounds like Satella would probably get along with them quite well since she's so concerned about other people, just like the spirits. Well, one of them is like that out of choice, and the other just can't think of themselves, but still.)
Some blue balls of light floated, appearing out of nowhere, and surrounded Satella. Kiyotaka, for a second, became enamoured by her beauty.
Kiyotaka: (She's really beautiful. I don't think I've ever seen a girl as beautiful as her. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if that's a high bar coming from me, since I'm not sure if the girls at Advanced Nurturing High School were the best of the best or if they were just normal. I don't really have much in my head to compare them to, unfortunately. Satella is definitely the most beautiful girl I've met, though.)
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Night had fallen as Kiyotaka and Satella walked towards their destination.
Satella: [It's getting lonelier and lonelier.]
Kiyotaka: [Well, it is nighttime. It's only natural that fewer people would be walking around. Also, these buildings look damaged.]
A man walked towards them as Kiyotaka waved to him.
Kiyotaka: [Sir. Does a girl named Felt live this way?]
Man: [Huh? Felt? Nothing that way but Old Man Rom's loot house. Haha. Did Felt steal something from you guys? Well, go and try to negotiate to get it back. Live strong.]
They parted ways as Kiyotaka and Satella walked over towards the loot house.
Satella: [Why do I have to pay money to get back something stolen from me?]
Kiyotaka: [Well. You have no money, so you'll have to threaten to tell the guards. She'll probably hand it over after that.]
Satella nodded.
Satella: [Um Kiyotaka?]
Kiyotaka: [Yes?]
Satella: [After this, I'd like to apologise to you about something.]
Kiyotaka: (Her name, huh?)
Kiyotaka nodded.
Kiyotaka: [Sure.]
Satella smiled.
Kiyotaka: [Let's head inside and see.]
Satella nodded. They entered the loot house with some caution.
Kiyotaka: (The door... it's open?)
Kiyotaka: [Keep your guard up.]
Satella: [Huh? Why?]
Kiyotaka: [There's a table over there that's not bolted down, and yet it wasn't used to barricade the door at night. Even if he's strong, I doubt he'd leave himself and his loot house undefended. Like this, anyone could just walk in, sneak around and steal something from him and leave.]
Satella: [Wait so...]
Kiyotaka: [Yes. He's likely still awake.]
They walked in.
Kiyotaka: [We don't mean any harm. We're only here to discuss something with you. Please do not attack us.]
Kiyotaka: (No response? Not good.)
Kiyotaka looked around as his eyes focused in the darkness, and then he took a step and felt it.
Kiyotaka: [The thickness of this liquid under my foot... It's blood!]
Satella: [Blood?]
Kiyotaka then saw an old man with long white eyebrows hunched over and leaning on a wall, blood was gushing from his mouth and neck and his right hand had been severed.
Kiyotaka: [You can't be serious.]
Kiyotaka jumped at Satella as he knocked her to the ground, as a slash whipped above them that was aimed at her gut.
Satella: [Eh!?]
???: [Oh dear. You found that? And you avoided my attack, too.]
Kiyotaka got up, grabbed Satella's hands, pulled her towards the door, and threw her through the doorway as he turned around and jumped back, dodging another slash.
???: [Oh wow. That's amazing. That's the second time already.]
Kiyotaka: (Damn it why can't I see her? Is she that fast?)
Satella: [Kiyotaka!]
Kiyotaka: [Stay outside. Do not come back inside. Call Puck now!]
???: [Aw? But it would be nice if she did come back inside.]
Kiyotaka saw a movement in the darkness as he dodged another slash by bending his back.
???: [You dodged again?]
Kiyotaka: (She's always aiming for my guts. Is it some kind of preference or just a front to get me to lower my guard?)
He then created more distance by doing a backflip from that position.
Kiyotaka: (She really is that fast, but she's also moving in the shadows. It shouldn't be possible to hide yourself that well.)
Kiyotaka jumped back, exiting the building.
Kiyotaka: [Satella! Where is Puck?]
He noticed rasped breaths as he turned around to see Satella healing her own wound on her stomach as she spat out some blood.
Kiyotaka: [What? But I thought I...]
Kiyotaka: (Looks like I'll have to buy some time for her to have the strength to summon Puck.)
???: [Come back inside. Let's have some fun.]
Kiyotaka: [I'm not really a fan of staying indoors all day. Why don't you come out and feel the moonlight instead?]
???: [Fine.]
The woman was tall with long black hair and was wearing a revealing dress as she stepped out holding two blades. One in each hand, seemingly designed for slashing but capable of thrusting attacks. With this, Kiyotaka was able to accurately assess the hopelessness of the situation.
Kiyotaka: (She's faster than me. She has weapons. My only support is severely injured. Her trump card is asleep, and I have no clue if he'll be as strong if awakened. I also have no idea how strong this enemy is. This has got to be the worst possible situation. I don't stand a chance.)
Kiyotaka: [Satella. Get out of here. Now!]
Satella: [What? No!]
She coughed up some blood as the woman charged at Kiyotaka, who jumped back in an attempt to dodge the attack.
Kiyotaka: (I dodged it. Everything is okay.)
Suddenly, he felt a warm liquid dripping from his stomach.
Kiyotaka: (What the? But I...)
He fell to the floor clutching his stomach.
Kiyotaka: [Damn it.]
Blood poured from his mouth as he attempted to keep his intestines in.
???: [Didn't notice? I managed to open up your belly as you jumped away. It's the one thing I excel at when using blades.]
She walked up to Satella, slashing her stomach as she fell to the floor dead. Then she walked over to Kiyotaka and crouched down.
???: [Just as I thought, your entrails have such an interesting shape to them and such a lovely colour too.]
Kiyotaka: (This woman... she predicted my evasion and adjusted her swing. If I were weaker than I am, she would have toyed with me, and then I would have stood a better chance, but right now... ugh... my intestines! Ugh!!!)
Kiyotaka spat up blood as a pool of it had formed surrounding him.
Kiyotaka: (Pain. Ugh! It's been so long. It hurts. It hurts!)
???: (Does it hurt? Are you suffering? In pain? Do you want to die?)
Kiyotaka: (Die? No...)
Kiyotaka: [Come... closer.]
???: [Hm? Alright. I can hear your cries of agony better that way.]
Kiyotaka held her hand.
???: [Oh? Are you scared? Want me to hold your hand?]
Suddenly, his grip tightened, and he used her hand to get the blade in her hand to stab her in the throat, effectively making her stab herself in the throat.
Kiyotaka: (If I die... so do you... I'm taking you with me... it hurts so much, but at least I killed her... This feeling. I've felt similar so many times, but it's been so long, and it's never gotten this bad. I was hoping to find some freedom in this world and maybe become a better person, but I suppose death is another kind of freedom, and this is a way for me to repay my sins... everything I did to the people who called me their friend.... and for leaving Ichika alone after saying to her that she was like a sister to me...)
Kiyotaka pondered his first thoughts after arriving in this world.
Kiyotaka: (Now that I think about it was terrible luck after all...)
Kiyotaka spat out more blood, unable to keep his intestines inside.
Kiyotaka: (It's so cold... my body temperature is lowering to a dangerous... oh... I'm dead.)
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Re:Birth ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Vendor: [Hey! Are you gonna buy one or not?]
Kiyotaka looked dizzy.
Kiyotaka: (What the...)
Vendor: [Hey, are you alright? You don't look so good.]
Kiyotaka: (... did I die and then come back?)
Kiyotaka fell to his knees and hands as he vomited out the food in his gut before falling onto his side.
Kiyotaka: (What is happening to me?)
Kiyotaka's eyes flickered as he slowly fell unconscious.
—————————————————————————————————————
To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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