March 29, 2050
Hiroshima, Japan
Present Day
"Gintoki?! Gintoki?! Have you seen my underwear?"
I quickly ran out of the bathroom and shouted those words at the guy seating cross-legged in front of a flat-screen television. He was poking his nose with his right pinky finger. As he heard my voice, he slowly turned his head and gave me a lazy look.
"What after all this time you finally decided to wear one?" He said to me while flicking the booger that he finally poked out of his nose.
"There are times when I wonder if you really do have brains or not. Of course, I wear underwear you twat! You bought me one a few days back."
"Said the so-called 'woman' who is currently standing stark naked." Gintoki retorted, "At least cover yourself with a towel or something."
With a sigh, I casually took one of the spare towels placed near the bathroom's entrance.
Then I started wiping the remaining droplets of water that was left on my body with the towel before covering my upper body.
Being a guy in his early adulthood, Gintoki has been wearing short tight underwear called boxers. These boxers have a length that's reaching my upper thigh. I kinda like his underwear compared to mine, which is usually fancy looking, and it just didn't match my style at all. I'm just borrowing one, for the time being, that is, until I eventually find my missing panties. Gintoki wouldn't even care that I often use his boxers as my substitute underwear. I'm not a pervert or anything!
After wearing his boxers, I opened one of his cabinets that was near the drawer and opened it. Now that I have something in my nether regions, I can now pick which clothes to wear decently, and an item caught my attention.
It was Gintoki's long sleeves. I actually like this one since it had a black and white design, and its upper body reaches my thighs. It's like an oversize long sleeve that was meant for larger-bulkier sized men. In the past, Gintoki told me that he actually uses this during freezing winters.
"Hatsu, don't you dare wear one of my ironed trousers because I am going to Yokosuka tomorrow morning!" Came Gintoki's low voice.
Ah, this is unfortunate. I was about to wear the said warm trousers but oh well.
I headed out of his room and poked my head towards the living room. Gintoki was no longer there. He must've gone somewhere without me even noticing, but I could still pick up his scent coming from the bathroom.
After picking up a non-ironed short from his drawer, I went to the living room and sat on his favorite couch. The flat-screen tv was still on, but the movie that he was watching has already ended with the screen showing the movie credits. Out of curiosity I went to the bathroom and placed my right hand on the door.
"mmmh"
I then pressed my hand on the wooden door and sent a single pulse. This pulse allows me to get a general idea of what this boy is doing on the other side. I actually have a psychic ability, you see.
"Oi, I felt that! Can't you just leave a person alone for a bit?!" Gintoki shouted furiously.
Gintoki himself is psychic too, and he is the only one I knew as of now who is a psychic like me. In reality, I could do many things other than sending a pulse through concrete or doors. But that does not matter right now.
"Are you seriously masturbating right now?!" I shouted in disbelief.
"Hatsu, what the fuck are you doing?! Leave me the fuck alone because I'm taking a shit right now!" Gintoki furiously shouted while throwing a water dipper towards the door.
I've read a magazine before stating that masturbating is a normal behavior when it comes to human boys. It is akin to...mmmh, let's just say when you finally caught that pesky human being after it alluded your capture then immediately devouring him...yes that kind of feeling.
"Hatsu, I swear to god leave me be! Go to the living room or something!" Shouted the man behind the door.
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Located two hundred meters away from Gintoki's apartment window
It was supposed to be one of the most manageable missions ever given to a freelance detective in the industry.
I mean, it was just a simple mission where you follow a certain suspicious-looking woman that the SS caught their fancy. What I did not expect, however, is the real identity of this woman.
Using my binoculars, I quietly observed the owner of the apartment room and his so-called freeloader. I've been watching them for two weeks now and have gathered sufficient intel about him and her.
According to the apartment building warden, the abyssal's nickname is Hatsu, it was a nickname given to her by Toshiki Gin. She is said to be very talkative with Toshiki's neighbors and would be sometimes spotted helping the elderly in the surrounding area. Little did the people that she helped knew that the person that they portrayed as cheerful, talkative, and kind was none other than the ones that attacked their own race—
Toshiki Gin or sometimes called Gintoki by, his close relatives, is an island-born Japanese citizen from Okinawa.
Gintoki, along with his mother, Toshiki Mutsu, were part of the last people that got out of Okinawa Island before it was overrun by the Abyssals. He had an older sister as well, named Toshiki Karen, who was twenty years old at that time. She, along with the other volunteers who chose to stay behind to protect the choppers was overrun before they could even board the last Chinook.
Gintoki continued on with his life together with his mother when they arrived in mainland Japan after a three-hour trip. They relocated themselves to their relative's home on Hiroshima and lived the rest of his life there until he entered college.
However, he decided to drop out of university that he was enrolled on, and decided to wait for his Draft Notice so that he could join the Armed Forces.
According to the warden of the apartment building, it has been a year, and Toshiki Gin has not yet received his draft notice.
The three-year plan that the government issued during the first years of the war was abolished since the people were considerably opposed with it. Not wanting another devastating revolt like the December Unitologist Revolt that happened after the abyssals attacked Okinawa. The new monarchist government decided to draft soldiers via the Draft Notice Recruitment Program.
The abyssal named Hatsu came out of Gintoki's room and approached the bathroom door. She had her hand placed underneath her chin. She was in deep thought while staring at the bathroom door. She then suddenly started knocking on the bathroom door where earlier I saw Gintoki entered. She yelled, but I couldn't lip-read her.
Hatsu stooped her shoulders and headed towards the living room where the LCD TV was broadcasting an anime drama.
The abyssal then decided to sit cross-legged in front of the television and watched the anime broadcast with an irritated look on her face.
The anime drama's title is Kimi no Iru Machi or in English: The town where you lived. I knew what the title was since my brother told me about it. He's a sucker when it comes to anime drama.
A few moments later, just as the drama reached its climax, Gintoki came out of the bathroom, appearing to have been recovering from his own climax. Dark eye bags were formed underneath his eyes as he approached the washbasin near the living room.
Gintoki then started talking to Hatsu, but it seems to me she was not in the mood to listen. The guy sighed as he revealed a pudding that he was hidden inside the padlocked refrigerator. Hatsu hastily stood up from the floor and parkoured her way towards Gintoki, who has removed the plastic cover of the pudding and put a spoon full of it into his mouth.
They appear to be fighting each other, trying to yank the pudding away from one party to the other. Then suddenly, Hatsu threw a right hook on Gintoki's face.
With a murderous gaze, Gintoki retaliated with a left hook, and at the same time, yanked the pudding from Hatsu's possession.
Hatsu recovered, and threw another hook on Gintoki's face, but he blocked it using his other hand. The two of them then starting wrestling into each other's clothing while at the same time throwing jabs and hooks on each other's faces.
It came to a point where Hatsu forcibly threw Gintoki onto the floor, face-first into the ground, crushing his body with a loud thud. Then she climbed on top of Gintoki's stomach and started beating the shit out of him.
Something inside me was telling me to retaliate. The human is being beaten into a pulp by an abyssal. I need to save him.
With that in mind, I lowered my binoculars and took the sniper rifle. With a quick motion, I chambered a 7.62 mm cartage into the gun's receiver and aligned the crosshairs of my scope on the abyssal's head.
Then the unexpected thing happened. From my perspective, it appears that the abyssal threw a headbutt but upon closer inspection.
She placed her forehead above of Gintoki's forehead. She had her hands pinning Gintoki's arms above his head. Hatsu then hoisted her forehead away from Gintoki before addressing him.
And just like that, the abyssal kissed the human on the lips.
I don't know why but I really felt—
"Disgusted"
The kiss was a prolonged one.
The abyssal finally decided to separate herself from the human's lips. She averted his gaze as the human stared at her with a rather calm look. The human was talking, he then reached his right hand into the abyssal's cheek. With a soft touch, the human placed his thumb on the abyssals pale lips.
The abyssal closed her eyes, and then a moment later.
She tore the human's thumb off from his hand.
Blood spilled out of the human's hand, where the thumb used to be. The blood painted the human's brown shirt as the abyssal savored the taste of the human's blood.
Instead of fear and hopelessness, the human did not fight back. He had the opportunity, he had the chance to push the abyssal off using his other hand, but he didn't do it.
All the while, his blood was being painted all around him.
I had my finger rested on the trigger, but I couldn't pull it. My instincts were telling me to pull the trigger, but something inside of me is preventing me.
She was an abyssal living together with a human, an abyssal wearing the human's personal clothes, an abyssal eating the same food as the human who cooked it, an abyssal who lived with a carefree life, an abyssal who kissed the human on the lips.
I watched the two of them as an observer. My hand trembled as I watched the abyssal licked the blood that was stained on the human's face.
I watched it unfolded through my scope.
I watched as the abyssal finished her meal.
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"Gintoki…" She said to me as she lowered her forehead to mine, "It's the day of the month already. I cannot hold it in any longer." She said to me in a very fleeting tone.
The one that I am talking about is the abyssal named Hatsu, who at the moment is sitting on my stomach...pinning me on the floor. I could feel her cold forehead pressed against mine. I could feel her warm breath as she breathed too.
It was a precarious situation, indeed. A normal human being would immediately assume that things are slowly getting risqué...if only she was a normal human being in the first place.
I am in no place to say that to her...
"Fine. You have twenty minutes…" I said to her.
I've been living with her close to a year now. I always wondered how I got into this position.
Her warm lips met with mine. It was just a simple kiss of affection, after all, Hatsu is a very affectionate...person...and I learned that the hard way.
As her lips separated with mine, she leaned backward and averted her eyes. I steeled myself for what's to come next. With my right hand, I extended it towards her right cheek. Slowly, I dragged my right thumb into her lips. At this point, there was no going back. I'm going to experience it again.
"Thanks….for—"
All those fifteen months of living together with an abyssal like her. I've learned four important things.
Firstly, she's a heavy eater.
Second, she's a powerful abyssal. More powerful than most abyssals that are known right now.
Third, she has no empathy towards human beings.
Lastly—
"—for the meal." She continued, before crunching my right thumb with her canine-like teeth.
—she needs human flesh to stay alive.
The pain soon followed as Hatsu's acid-like saliva burned the skin of my wound. Blood poured out as she held my right hand with her left hand. I grunted, preventing myself from screaming. I wouldn't want my neighbors to be shaken this late in the evening.
Hatsu was in a blissful mood as she gulped my devoured thumb. I leaned my head upward, and with my other hand, I placed it behind Hatsu's head and pulled her closer as I saw the exposed windows. I wouldn't want the civilians at the opposite building to see her this way.
"That's one part..." I said to her.
Hatsu nodded as she licks the spilling blood on my hand. I could feel her warm tongue tracing the blood flowing out of my wound.
She's not done yet. That I know, after all, I gave her twenty minutes to do this. I allowed her to eat a part of my body in that short period. And out of the twenty minutes that I promised, just a mere eight minutes was deducted.
"Can I take the ear this time?" Hatsu asked.
"…..Uh, could you please stick to the fingers?" I asked her with a cautious voice.
"But I've been eating your fingers for ten months now. I've already had enough eating your fingers." Hatsu complained, with my blood painted on her cheeks.
This woman…this abyssal…
"Fine, chew on my collar, but please don't break the bone" I responded to her steeling myself for the upcoming pain that was much worst than the previous one.
Slowly, Hatsu lifted her head from my chest and reached for my right collar.
With her slender fingers, she gently caressed on the muscles on my collar. She then leaned her head closer and took a deep bite.
The pain was horrendous. Unknowingly, I pressed Hatsu's head closer with my other hand that was placed behind her back. Hatsu let out a muffled moan as she ripped the muscle out of my collar.
A wail escaped my mouth as she started sucking the blood from my wound. Hatsu noticed this as she separated her lips from my collar and pressed it against my right ear.
With a soft whisper, she said, "I'm almost done. Stay awake a little longer, okay?" Before slowly devouring the muscles under my clavicle.
With my right hand, I wrapped it around Hatsu's lower body, pulling her closer. Why did I even give her a twenty-minute meal?!
Ah….this is bad….I am starting to lose consciousness. Alright….next time I'm not giving her a twenty-minute meal ever again.
Then I felt Hatsu's lips separating away from my collar. She had two of her fingers placed underneath my chin.
"Gintoki?! Oi, Gintoki!" Hatsu shouted, "I'm going to prepare the bath, so stay awake, you hear me?!"
Hastily, Hatsu ran towards the bathroom and flipped the light switch. With my left hand, I placed it on top of my right collar to stop the bleeding.
So twenty minutes have passed, huh? What another grueling experience, good thing Hatsu can keep her diet in check—
"Gintoki!" Hatsu kneeled next to me.
She then carried me with both hands towards the bathroom. On the bathtub, a green liquid that was luminous in nature could be seen prepared.
"Oh, don't you dare!" She cursed as she slowly placed me on the bathtub.
I could see my blood mixing with the green liquid. Letting out a sigh, I turned my eyes towards Hatsu, who was giving me a very concerned look.
"With that so much blood on your face….." I said to her.
"Shut-up, just rest and heal up. I've raided a facility in Yokosuka yesterday that was housing large amounts of Repair Formula for safekeeping." Hatsu said to me.
"Ahh… you've dirtied my long sleeves….I just washed and ironed those." I complained, letting out a light sigh.
Hatsu shook her head as she washed the blood off her face using the green fluid on the bathtub. I stared at her with my half-closed eyes. Hatsu stood up from her kneeling position and exited the bathroom, she then used the towel that was placed near the bathroom door to dry herself.
Ah, I have to clean the towels tomorrow too…
As I said that to myself, I watched Hatsu re-enter the bathroom and sat on the toilet. She gave me a warm smile as she rested her right hand on my head.
"Say….." I softly spoke, "How did we meet again?" I asked.
Hatsu had this look on her face. It was a look that I have seen before... I couldn't describe it, but I'm pretty sure that I've seen it before.
"Hahaha, I wonder as well…I kinda forgot too." She answered.
I guess it was pointless in the first place to ask her. I leaned my head into the bathtub's rim and slowly closed my eyes. Tomorrow morning or around seven in the morning, my wounds should regenerate thanks to the Repair Formula that Hatsu stole.
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One year ago
March 11, 2049
Hiroshima, Japan
I closed the door and picked up my trusty folding chair from the ground.
Today is March 11, 2049. It's been four years since Okinawa fell by the hands of the Abyssals. At that time, no one even knew what they were really called, the people just simply called them Abyssals, and everyone just went on with it.
Two years ago, the Armed Forces of Japan successfully reconquered the island. Specifically, the Imperial Japanese Navy, who at that time was just recovering from their losses they sustained at the Battle of Okinawa Sea a year before the invasion.
The IJN lost all of their carriers, two-thirds of their destroyers, and every single one of their missile guided cruisers. They were practically erased from the planet. It was a very devastating blow, but a year later, they retook Okinawa with the help of Admiral Goto's shipgirls.
These shipgirls...They could be described as humanoid soldiers that were armed with tools specifically manufactured to counter abyssals. To carry these tools, they wore these mechanical like kits that were attached on their backs and on these kits, oh boy, miniature cannons packing the same firepower as the original armament equipped on old warships. Think of a battleship, let's say, the likes Nagato for example. Those 410mm cannons of that old battleship were miniaturized and attached to a particular shipgirl's kit, however, despite its small size, a single round coming out of that cannon could flatten a building and eradicate the surroundings of that said building. It's still mindboggling how these girls were able to carry such powerful weapons and not go literally go deaf after shooting one round or drown due to the weight of those massive big guns, or go flying due to the powerful recoil.
To be honest, most of the shipgirls in the Navy are almost as tall as a basketball player.
Not much is revealed about them, only the fact that they are capable of destroying abyssals.
Mother, who was reenlisted in the IJN, won't even reveal a tiny bit of information about them. It bothers me that not a single video of them in action was shown to the public.
I mean, we already linked up with the Western World. They as well have shipgirls in their Navy. But seriously, not a single video?
Intelligence Agencies must've been working their asses off to prevent such leakage of information.
I let out a sigh as I unfolded my trusty folding chair and placed it on the sand. It was already afternoon when I finally arrived at the usual place. This usual place is located near an elevated ground just adjacent to the beach.
This said beach is just 500 meters away from my apartment. This place used to be a beach resort, but with the original owner no longer alive...Today, it's just a typical public beach that anyone can visit if you have free time.
Karen was the one who found this place back when I was still in middle school. We were visiting Grandpa at that time…..but unfortunately, Karen is no longer here in this world. She perished when we were evacuating from Okinawa. Volunteering to stay behind to hold off the abyssals that were storming the airport. I was with my mother at that time, barely conscious.
Every passenger plane has already left the airport at that time, and the ones that stayed behind were a couple of old military transport planes and Chinooks. Mother told me after we got out that she was given the privilege to evacuate her whole family, but...
"That idiot still stayed behind." I soft cursed.
Mother explained that Karen's makeshift platoon only manage to defend the barricade for about an hour before they were overrun. The Chinook was almost overwhelmed, she explained to me. It was because of Karen that we were able to escape...
I watched the sunset as I remembered my mother's words at that time. With a sigh, I leaned down and retrieved my cold coffee can from the ground and flipped the pin. I then took a sip and let out a loud Taaaah.
Whenever I do this, I feel like I am drinking beer. But in reality, I was just drinking coffee...reality can be frustrating at times.
I then rested my body on the backrest and stared at the yellowish sky.
"Ahhh, I wonder when will mother visit the apartment...I'm already low in necessities. When will she give me the money to buy food, huh?!" I shouted into deaf ears.
I doubt even Karen could answer that question. Ahh, don't you worry Onee-sama, I'll be following you very soon.
As I listened to the crashing waves, a flock of birds then descended on the dunes just ahead of me. No, it looked more like a swarm of crows has descended on that particular area.
My right eyebrow quickly rose…My curiosity has reached its peak.
I quickly stood up and jogged towards that particular area with my hand still gripped on my coffee.
"Shoo! Shoo!" I shouted at the crows that were picking their beaks on something.
"A bundle of seaweed?"
That's a copious amount of seaweed bundle I have ever seen in my entire life!
Using a stick I found nearby, I started poking at it until boredom kicked in. With a scoff, I stood up from my crouching position. But before I could walk away, I saw a pale white object sticking out of the bundled seaweed. I crouched down once more, placing my right hand on it while my other hand was holding the coffee can.
It was squishy….like it's made of fat...Nah, probably just a washed-off squishy object that was somehow bundled together with these seaweeds.
The more I squish on it, the more I realized…..that it was the same sensation...
My deadpan expression twitched as I lowered my coffee and began removing parts of the bundle one by one.
And then…I saw a plain white mole…..
No…
THAT IS NOT A MOLE BUT A FUCKING NIPPLE DAMMIT!
The realization struck me badly. What the hell is wrong with me!? Out of fear, I removed the other parts of the bundle that was near the….chest and discovered a hand.
THIS IS INDEED A PERSON! A FEMALE HUMAN BEING THAT WAS WRAPPED WITH SEAWEED AND WAS WASH ASHORE BY THE WAVES!
The said woman was wearing nothing. I realized that when I started removing the seaweed around the chest area, and as I move upward, I saw her face. My body instantly froze just by the mere sight of her face.
I saw her pale looking face with her eyes closed.. and her lips slowly skinning off.
What the hell?
What the hell?
Did I just molest a dead person?!
The more the realization dawned on me, the more my body trembled in fear. This is indeed a murder scene. That is if we throw away the fact that I molested a dead person. THIS IS A MURDER SCENE!
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and opened. It was not a hallucination, it was reality.
FUCK!
What the fuck am I going to do? Should I call the police? Wait!
Wait, wait, wait, wait...
If I notify the police now, wouldn't I be in question?
Why was I on this beach at this particular hour?
Why this late in the afternoon?
What was the reason for coming here on this beach?!
Should I just run away? Leave the body behind and let other people notify the authorities?
...
BUT I FUCKING TOUCHED HER BOSOM! GODDAMMIT MY FINGERPRINTS ARE ON THERE! THEY'LL TRACE ME IF I LEAVE HER BE!
There is no around this at all!
Out of options, there was one thing left to do.
"I have to bury her..." I said to myself.
With that said, I steeled myself and stared at the corpse once more. Her chest was still exposed, and it was bothering me, so I picked up some seaweed and covered it properly.
She was beautiful…she had white hair as well. Her eyebrows were as well white. Is she born with naturally white hair? It's a shame that she died young, and in this way too...
I gulped as I placed two of my right fingers at the woman's neck.
"—"
There's a pulse—
She has a pulse?!
When I realized that, I lowered my head near her mouth. I then turned my head to the side, allowing me to align my right ear above her mouth.
"She's breathing—"
I quickly removed the seaweed that I covered her chest with and removed my jacket. I then covered her chest with it before shifting closer to her.
"Did she drown?! No...she was breathing, so there's no need for a CPR." I muttered.
If she is undressed on her upper body then, that means that she must be undressed at the lower body as well. With that mentality, I did not remove the seaweed that was covering her lower body.
With both of my hands, I tried my best to dress her in my jacket, zipping it close. Covering her upper body is enough. After that, I then removed my belt and wrapped it around her hip where it is supposed to be located. With my legs crouched and supporting my body, I placed my hands underneath her neck and legs. I need to lift her to a clinic or something.
In this small town, there's only a single clinic, but it is two kilometers away.
I doubt I could carry her that long with such distance. I can't even ferry a water jug on two floors of my apartment building.
"At least I need to let her dry. I wouldn't want her to get cold."
She might be breathing now, but who knows what will happen next.
With a huff, I walked towards the road leading to my apartment.
I was lucky enough that it was already dusk, and the road towards my apartment was empty.
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I did what I could to dry her. I already removed the remaining seaweed on her lower body and wrapped it with a warm towel. I then put her on my bed and then placed a warm water bag underneath the sheets.
Ah, that's right, I need to buy medicine for her. Alright, there should be some yen left on my wallet.
I quickly ran out of my room and headed towards the ground floor using the nearby staircase since the elevator was busted.
My bicycle is also parked on the ground floor. After saying my greetings on the current female watcher, I then pedaled on a nearby department store to buy some inexpensive medicine.
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The scene where bombs dropped by miniature planes raining on top of my position came to me. They come to me like a swarm, surrounding me in a green hue. Blue and orange tracers lit my surroundings, and any moment now, I will be overwhelmed.
There are 13 of them in total. Those pesky destroyers were preventing my planes from doing anything at their capital ships. I've already lost my escorts too...
The blue abyss allures me…her lullaby entering my ears as armor-piercing rounds of my enemy landed around me.
They've been chasing me for weeks on end. One after another, they've destroyed my minions and tacitly put my back on the corner.
"This ends now!"
A shipgirl closed the distance between us. As I raised my guard, I watched her dashing forward with a jet black combat knife on her hand.
Her hair swayed as she moved closer in a blink of an eye, her purple clothes almost distorting as she came slowed down. Her brown eyes met mine, it was clouded in pure hatred towards me.
A wide smile could be seen on her fair-skinned face. I wonder where she got that confidence from.
After parrying her attacked, I raised my hand into the hair forming a knife-hand strike.
...No matter.
I will just cut her down, and that'll be one less shipgirl to worry abo—
"Gotcha"
I felt a faint dull pain coming from my stomach. Confused, I lowered my head and noticed a black object sticking out of my white blouse.
"How did you...!?" I gritted.
"No matter." A voice came from behind me.
Another strike came from behind, this time it was on my chest, piercing my heart.
Jet black blood spurted out of my mouth as I lost balance and fell into the surface of the ocean face first.
"This one gave us a nasty headache." Declared the brown-haired shipgirl.
I slowly turned my head to the side, where I noticed a shipgirl approaching the brown-haired woman with a stained knife on her hand.
"Tell your sister that we have successfully eliminated the empress." She ordered, before crouching down next to me.
I saw her pink hair swaying to the side as the wind blew past us.
"What a pity..."
I abruptly opened my eyes and found myself resting in an unknown place.
I felt warm….I was wrapped around with stuff that made me feel warm. I was dressed in clothes that I've never seen before.
Slowly I removed the material that was wrapped around my upper body and sat on an upright position. My head was still throbbing badly, and I felt thirsty too.
I needed something to quench my thirst….
I lowered my head and realized that there are white fabrics wrapped around my body. That is where I was previously shot by a shipgirl, I removed the white fabric and realized that my wound was closed by using a thin string.
I furrowed, realizing that I was clearly in a place where I don't belong. I belong in the—
"Wha—"
I turned my attention to the human being that just entered the room. His eyes fixated towards me. He was carrying something on his hand, it had the same color as my hair, but it was transparent.
He appears to be in shock. I could feel the faint vibration on the floor generated by his legs.
I could imagine the amount of fat and muscle on his legs just by feeling the vibration produced by those legs.
This man is a perfect meal for me.
Unknowingly saliva started dripping out of my mouth as I continue to watch him stare at me. He took a single step back, his lips quivering.
His lips were moving like he was saying something, but I couldn't understand him. Surprisingly he started walking towards me, still talking gibberish that I couldn't understand.
"Stop!" I shouted at him.
The man instantly froze, gave me a confused look, before continuing to move closer towards me.
Does this man not know fear towards me? Where is that fear that I felt when he saw me earlier?
With a click of my tongue, I partly materialized my saber and pointed it towards him.
The man was sweating heavily, of course, he would be. Who wouldn't feel threatened after being held back with a saber?
But then the man started moving towards me once more and stopped with just a few inches between us. Then, he placed his hand inside this transparent hanging object in his hand.
It was water…stashed inside a blue transparent container. I can tell its water, due to the stench but it was impure water. It was very different from the pure water that I have encountered in my lifetime...
The man extended the container to me. He was talking….he then tilted his head to the side and started doing something with it using his hand. He first rotates the object located at the top of the blue container.
"... . .-. . -..- / -.- - ..- / -.-. .- -. / ... .- ...- . / .. - .-.-.-" The man said, extending his hand towards me.
I couldn't understand him at all.
And then, he gestures something like, drinking, yes he was signaling me to drink it.
With my eyebrows furrowed, I lowered my saber and extended my hand towards this blue container. The man then made a wary smile as I slowly placed the blue container on my lips. My thirst was already intolerable that I didn't bother to waste time and just drank the water inside the blue container.
What an unusual taste it was….
I managed to gesture her to drink the water. The pharmacist at the department store told me to place the medicine inside a water bottle and let her drink it.
She's a humanoid abyssal...
That I instantly knew after I stitched her wound, which had a jet black blood oozing out of it.
She choked for a second before finally emptying the water bottle. She then crushed the water bottle with her right hand and dropped it on the floor.
She was still a bit hostile toward me. Trying to dissipate the hostility, I pointed my index finger towards me and said with a soft tone.
"Gintoki…..You—can—call—me—Gin—toki..."
The abyssal furrowed, closing her eyes after I spoke to her. With a sigh, she drops her saber, and while it fell, it slowly dissipates in the air, surrounded by orange-hued particles.
When she opened her eyes more, she pointed her index finger towards her chest and then spoke in a rather obscure language.
It was a language that I have never heard before. I recognize a lot of languages around the world since I am a literature student in college, and I have to memorize every single one of them as my Final Exam.
Well, that was before I dropped out of college.
Anyway, I wonder what she said to me. I tilted my head to the side, unable to comprehend her words.
She then let out a sigh and spoke slowly, imitating what I did in front of her as I state my name.
"aaa….ttttt….ssss…uuuuu…..hjjjjggg" She said.
I unknowingly blinked twice as I tried coming up with something after hearing what she said. I opened my mouth and pointed my index finger towards her.
"Ah, Hatsu…" I said.
The abyssal dropped her shoulders and tilted her head to the left. She had this look in her face saying that I got it wrong.
She repeated once more, but it was hopeless. I couldn't understand what she was saying.
After a couple of finger-pointing, I finally come up with a conclusion.
With my right index finger, I pointed it towards me and said Gintoki then pointed my index finger to her and said Hatsu.
The abyssal sighed as she placed her right hand on her face. She tried peeling it off out of annoyance but to no avail.
"Gintoki…." She pointed her left index finger towards me, "Hasst…..ssss…uuuuuu" She turned her index finger towards herself.
I shook my head and said, It's hopeless before pointing my index finger at her again, and said Hatsu.
The abyssal wailed as she scratched her head in frustration. After that, she lowered her head and dropped her shoulders.
Ah, this is bad.
She finally had enough and decided to just stop the conversation.
"Ha—"
"Gintoki?!"
Before I could open my mouth once more, a knock came from my apartment's entrance. The abyssal now named Hatsu widens her golden eyes towards me as she heard that voice.
Out of concern, I hurriedly ran towards her and grabbed the blanket that I used to warm her up and cover it partially over her head.
The abyssal was grunting, she must be complaining why I'm doing this. Since the two of us can't understand each other, the only thing I could do to make her quiet was to perform a gesture in which I placed my index finger in front of my lips and uttered—
"Shhhhh"
The abyssal had this confused look on her face, realizing the situation she gave me a nod before I completely covered her with the blanket.
"Gintoki? Are you home? I have the master key, so if you aren't home, I'm just gonna use it!"
The moment I was about to grab the doorknob, the door opened, revealing my mother in her officer's attire.
"Ah, mother. How are you?" I asked as I scratched the back of my head.
"Hmm? What's wrong? You've been acting formally. Could you get out of the way already? How long do you think you are going to keep your mother from entering your apartment?" She asked.
"Ah, oh, right..." I said as I paved the way for her.
Shit, I was not expecting the gods to grant my wish that quickly! Forget about it! I must do my best to prevent her from entering my room. I cannot have her see the abyssal that I somehow brought home!
"Man, today was a rough day." Mother announced as she placed the plastic bag hanging on her arm to the table.
"Eh? Did something bad happen?" I asked.
My mother nodded in confirmation. She then started revealing the contents of the plastic bag that she brought with her. Inside are one large beef cup noddle and a spicy-hot cup noodle.
"Admiral Goto's shipgirls just returned home yesterday in bad shape. A lot of them were badly damaged, and they even lost a shipgirl in the ensuing combat. Luckily for them, they were able to recover the sunken shipgirl." Mother states as she approached the water dispenser.
A close victory, huh? Furthermore, to be returning home with a sunken shipgirl, this is the first time I've heard of this.
"Well, sunken shipgirls aren't uncommon for the past four years. It happens pretty often." Mother added as she poured hot water on the cup noodle.
"Shipgirls are being sunk all the time?" I asked.
"Haaaa….it looks like there's no point in hiding it any more right?" Mother lethargically declared as she placed the noodle cup on the table and covered it with a bowl.
After that, she took some chopsticks from the utensils rack placed in the middle of the table.
"Mother, you can't mean."
"There are no such things as super soldiers, Gintoki." Mother muttered. "Even a tank has multiple weak spots, let alone a girl armed with cannons."
Mother shook her head as she removed the bowl that was placed on top of the steaming cup noodle. She then clasps her hands together and says, Thanks for the meal before slurping the noodle loudly.
"If we had superhuman soldiers in the first place, we would've won the war three years ago." Mother elaborated.
I could only shake my head in agreement.
"So, speaking about military stuff, about my draft notice..."
Mother only raised a finger towards me as she slurps the noodle out.
"Hey, I'm a Navy officer. Not a recruitment officer." Mother complained as she took another slurp.
"It's been a year already. When will the notice even arrive?"
"What do you mean by it's been a year already. You just passed your recruitment papers three months ago!"
Oh right. I passed my papers back in December.
"Oh right," I corrected myself.
Mother placed her right hand on her forehead as she heard my sentence. After that, she let out a sigh and then resumed slurping her noodles.
"Oh, by the way. I'm returning to Okinawa tomorrow. So I won't be staying here for long." She added.
Somehow, the atmosphere between us became heavy. It's been a while since we talked about that island. Even though it was retaken a few years prior, we never actually had the chance to talk about our previous home.
"So, you are finally going back, huh?" I said to her.
Mother had this troubled expression on her face when she heard my words. With a sigh, she placed the chopsticks on the table and sipped the noddle soup that was left inside the noodle cup.
"I'm going to be garrisoned there for the rest of the war…" She added, "Gintoki…will you be fine on your own? Grandpa and Grandmother aren't here anymore, you know? It's only you and me." She painfully spoke to me.
It pained me to hear her say that. After Grandpa and Grandma died due to natural reasons, we don't have any relatives left living in the mainland…after all, all of them perished back in Okinawa.
"Would you stop treating me like a kid already…. I'll be fine." I said as I turned my head towards her and gave her a warm smile, "Just make sure you'll come back alive, okay?"
Mother's half-opened her lips were trying to say something, but she didn't utter them. Instead, she only lowered her head and stood up, grabbed the empty noodle cup, and threw it at the trash bin.
She then gave me a warm embrace from the back.
"Gintoki…I'm sorry, our family became this way. Try your best on becoming something that you wanted, okay?" Mother softly muttered with a fleeting tone.
I closed my eyes and turned around to face her. I gave her my embrace as I listened to her sob, and with a sigh, I gently pushed her away.
"As I said, I'll be fine. Just make sure to send money home, or I might die from starvation here." I said in a joking manner.
Mother let out a soft chuckle as she slowly approached the apartment door. When she reached the genkan, she grabbed her shoes before turning around facing me. A worried expression was painted on her face, and the only thing that I could give her was a smile, and a wave…that is the least that I could give to my mother.
"Well, then…I'll be going now." She says as she wore her shoes and opened the door.
Before long, I was the only one on the cold corridor of my apartment. I stared on the brown wooden floor of my apartment, thinking about the body of my deceased sister.
I glanced at my hand and realized it was shaking badly. With my other hand, I placed it on top of it, hoping that the shaking would stop, but it only got worst.
"I'm going to be living alone….again….." I said softly.
At that moment, I heard a door opening behind me. I turned around and saw the abyssal that I brought home, peeking at the small slit on the door.
She was looking at me with those bright gold or yellow eyes. I wondered if she heard what mother and I were talking about. Well, not that it mattered since she couldn't even understand me.
Slowly I approached her and grabbed the doorknob. I then gently opened the door. The abyssal had the blanket that I used to cover her wrapped over her head like a shroud. She looked like a maiden this way.
"What?" I asked her.
The abyssal had a curious look on her face. She then pointed her finger at the door where my mother just exited a while ago.
"Oh…O-ka-san," I said to her slowly.
The abyssal tilted her head to the right, she then opened her lips slightly and said—
"Okaah-san"
She was imitating me. Though, I highly doubt that she understood what a mother is supposed to be.
Then my stomach abruptly rumbled. Ah, I must've forgotten that I haven't eaten since noon and it's already seven in the evening.
I dropped my shoulders and approached the living room where my mother left a spicy-hot cup noodle. I like spicy foods, whether it's covered in oil, soup, or rice.
I did the standard procedure on how to cook a cup noodle. Firstly, I opened the cup noddle's plastic cover right around the middle. After that, I removed the ingredients placed inside a small plastic bag out of the cup noodle. Next, I scattered the solid particles of the cup noodle and then followed it up by sprinkling the chilly powder all over it. After doing that, I headed towards the water dispenser and poured hot water on it, right around the brim. Lastly, I closed the half-opened plastic cover of the cup noddle and placed a bowl on top of it, letting the steam soften the solid noddle and letting the ingredients mix with the hot water. All the while, the abyssal continued observing me do this.
She still had my blanket covering her head. She was watching me intensely, which was giving me this unpleasant feeling.
"You—shouldn't stare at me like that. It kinda bothers me." I said.
The abyssal could only look at me with an unfazed expression.
Oh, I forgot she couldn't understand me.
With a sigh, I approached the television that was placed in the living room to distract her.
Using the remote controller, I switched on the television and started changing the channel.
The abyssal was startled….she was like a cat that was suddenly startled by its owner. I kinda felt bad for her. I crouched down and waved my hand at her gesturing her to come closer. She was a bit hesitant, but she still came closer.
She then moved next to me and watched the television with wonder. It must've been a new thing for her to see moving objects inside a flat-screen box. The abyssal squatted down on the floor and watched the broadcasting, she had her jaws hanging at the scene where James Bond jumped out of a chopper and rolled into the ground.
Ah, watching her with that expression as she watched the television made me forgot about the cup noodle!
I quickly stood up and placed the remote controller near the abyssal.
I then went towards the table and removed the bowl that I placed on top of the noddle cup.
"Phew, thank goodness it's not saggy."
And by saggy, I meant saggy to the point that the noodle is saggy like a bad spaghetti because of the absorbed water.
I then held my hands together and said Thanks for the meal before slurping on the noddles.
"Ah, it's hot…" I muttered as the slurping sound continued.
It only took me a couple of minutes until the spicy noodle cup was empty. Ah, that was a great meal….
I turned my head to the right and saw the abyssal paying close attention to me with her gold or yellow eyes. The hairs around my body stood up simultaneously as I could feel her aura engulfing me.
"Ah—Hahaha, I forgot to share…." No wait, that's not the point!
The abyssal let out a sigh as she walked back to the living room and sat crossed legged in front of the television. She was operating the remote control as well, managing to the change the channels as well as increasing and decreasing the volume.
To be honest, I was impressed.
As she was watching the television, I, on the other hand, walked towards the refrigerator and took a can of coffee mocha. Slowly I walked behind her and approached the couch that was placed on the opposite side of the flat screen T.V, basically facing it. I then sat on it and opened the coffee can.
I watched her from the back as she skipped-pass channel after channel, trying to locate something that might interest her.
Then she stopped at the channel where it was broadcasting a movie drama. It was a foreign movie titled Interstellar.
It's a movie about a pair of astronauts find a new home other than earth that was, in their timeline, dying because of human-made problems. It's a touching story—however, I've seen the movie many times already that it only made me feel tired.
I stretched out my back and placed the coffee can on top of a glass stand and slowly closed my eyes.
I did not expect to be entering deep sleep, almost instantaneously.
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I woke up, and it was basically morning. I did not expect to sleep that deep. I slowly leaned my head forward, feeling the stiffed muscles on my neck. Dammit, I shouldn't have slept on the couch I said to myself.
With my right hand, I rubbed my right eye socket and yawned for a good two seconds.
"Oi…" Called a deep female's voice.
Bewildered, I raised my head upwards and saw a girl standing in front of me. She appears to be glaring at me with her bright yellow eyes.
"Had a good night's sleep, didn't you?" She asked.
"Yeah didn't expect myself to sleep that deep," I responded.
Then it came to me. It came to me like a wrecking ball. The abyssal in front of me spoke in Japanese and not in broken Japanese but rather in fluent Japanese!
"Wha-How?!" I was taken aback that I was literally pressing my back against the backrest of the couch. I did not expect her to learn Japanese in just a single night!
"Since you already had a good night's rest, when will you prepare breakfast?" She asked as she leaned forward and asked me with a rather cold tone.
At that moment, right there.
Although it was a late realization for my part.
There's an abyssal freeloader in my apartment room.
Chapter End