/Komachi Perspective/
Unexpectedly, I wasn't bought by Kaibun.
It seems that a different person won the bid for me.
Kaibun is a man who arranges things around him when he bids on his favorite "pet."
As an unwritten rule, everyone has no choice but to follow him.
That's because Kaibun is a very dangerous magician named Meigus.
It is rumored that those who do not follow him will face severe retaliation, torture, and death.
Anyone who defies such a dangerous magician like Meigus is either a newcomer who knows nothing or a reckless fool.
I wait for the foolish new owner who won me in the auction room.
He probably won't be a long-term acquaintance since he'll likely be killed by Kaibun later.
Even so, I practice smiling so as not to offend my new owner.
As a slave, I wear only underwear.
That's for the person who bought me.
I'm sure it's a man.
So I decide to take off my underwear.
"It's okay. It's okay."
Encouraging myself, the person arrives.
"Hello. Wait, why are you naked?"
He's a clown-like man wearing flashy, bright red suits and sunglasses that cover half his face.
I don't sense any taste.
I find his hobby disgusting.
Surprisingly, he looks young.
How old is he? In his twenties... or maybe...
I hide my agitation and bow with a beautiful bow I practiced.
"Well, I wanted the new master to see all of me."
I make a smile I practiced a few times.
"Well, forget about it. Put your clothes on quickly. You'll catch a cold."
It was an unexpected answer.
What is this guy?
The man with the terrible taste hands me his jacket from his flashy suit as if telling me to put it on quickly.
"Thank you for your kindness."
I put on the jacket, making sure it covered my private parts.
"You're welcome."
The clown smiled.
"Um, I'm going to..."
As I spoke, the man interrupted me with an unbelievable statement.
"Well then, you're free to do as you please. Dismissed!"
He took out the contract for my purchase and the collar of ten years of servitude from his pocket and burned them on the spot.
"What are you doing?"
"What did you just do?"
"What's happening now?"
"Wait a minute, please!"
I called out to the man who was about to leave.
"What?"
He turned around, genuinely puzzled.
"Was that a joke?"
I asked hesitantly.
"Why would it be? I told you what I meant earlier."
I couldn't see his face, but I believe the man, who was probably around my age, said it with a smile.
"Oh, right. It was a debt, wasn't it? I paid it off for you. It's all settled."
No, that's not it.
"Well, not that. There was something else."
"Huh?"
I stole a glimpse of this man's "color."
"What is this...?"
I'd never seen anything like it.
A rainbow of colors mixed together too complex to describe as a single color.
And there were no animals in sight, only a hole.
A hole behind this man that I could only describe as childish if I said it was a black hole.
An abyss that seemed to suck everything in.
Something colorful and complicated was swirling around the hole.
That's the image I had in my mind.
I'd never met anyone like this before.
Is he even human to begin with? -
"What's wrong? Why did you suddenly go silent?"
The man sounded puzzled.
"Well, um, what should I do now?"
"I told you, you're free. Go home and get some rest. You can go to school tomorrow."
Fluttering his hand, the man with an indescribable form of existence cracked a joke and left the dressing room.
I clapped my hands and said, "Oh, I see. Got it. You don't know the way back home. It's late at night, isn't it? I'll take you there."
Wait, what?
The conversation was a bit awkward.
"Oh, um..."
"It's alright. It's alright. More importantly, do you have clothes with you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well then, if you put them on, we can say goodbye to this gloomy place."
"Okay, I'll change now."
"Okay, I'll wait outside."
The man said as he left the dressing room.
・
・
・
"Is this really... the end?" I stood in front of my house with the man who had escorted me.
"Well then, thanks for your hard work!" He spoke with a tone as if he had just finished a part-time job.
The man who was supposed to have won me in the auction waved from the taxi.
"Um, excuse me!" I called out to the man.
I couldn't help but stop him.
"Driver-san, please wait. What's wrong?"
"Here might not be the best place to..."
"Driver-san, please wait a moment. I'll be done soon."
The man politely bowed to the driver and came outside.
I took a distance from the taxi and there was something I needed to tell this man.
He had told me to live freely, but that was just a fleeting moment.
This man would be killed by Kaiun later on.
And I would be bought by Kaiun.
I think that was a momentary miracle.
So, as a thank you, I at least wanted to give this mysterious man a warning.
"Excuse me, sir..."
"I told you, I'm not your master."
The man had a bitter expression on his face, though it was hard to see.
"So what should I call you?"
"Hmm, my name... it's not Ah... let's go with Tom."
Fan? Tom? He must be lying, what is he talking about?
"Okay then, Mr. Tom."
"I wish you'd stop with the formalities," Tom said, scratching his head in frustration.
Ignoring his response, I continued speaking.
"You'll definitely be targeted later. You'll experience something terrible. Thank you for this brief moment in time. I don't know what your goal is, but... there are many things I want to ask you..."
There were many things I wanted to ask this mysterious man named Tom. I had no idea what his aim was. Even if he was a good person, he was too roundabout. I would feel more satisfied if he just came back and admitted that everything was a lie with a sly grin on his face.
"I thought I should at least give you a warning," said the man.
I felt a little heavy-hearted when I thought that this man was going to die.
"I know. Oh yeah, I know it very well. Even better than you do. It's Kaiun. I'm going to take care of him...knock him out from now on," Tom boasted in the same tone as always, as if making a light-hearted remark.
"What?!" It was unbelievable.
"What? It's okay. I'll eventually take down everything. Kaiun, the guy hiding behind the scenes, and all the demons lurking in this world. Definitely," the man continued with a fearless smile, exuding absolute confidence.
I didn't fully understand what he was saying, but it was probably something beyond my imagination.
"What are you talking about?" I felt like he was looking far beyond my imagination.
"For my dream," he said.
Dream? It was a word that had nothing to do with me so far.
"Do you have a dream? Anything is fine. If you don't, you'll eventually find it. I have something that I can't compromise for that dream," he said without hesitation.
His words were sincere. I thought it must be an unimaginable dream.
"Huh? Don't I have a dream?"
"....."
I couldn't answer that question. There was no way I could. Because my life was supposed to be closed off.
"Dreams...a reason to live? It's better to find them," Tom said.
"Yes...that's right," I could only manage to reply.
Tom continued, "Just live happily, that's all."
Tom spoke so naturally, as if it were an ordinary thing, but it was also something very precious.
"Good luck," I couldn't say anything else.
I didn't know if this man would live or die later on. But, for some reason, I felt like he would be okay.
"Thank you. Well then, I'll go take care of it. I won't appear in front of you anymore. Neither will Kain nor myself, of course. Well then," Tom said.
After saying goodbye, he got into a taxi and I bowed deeply as I watched his figure grow smaller and smaller.
"Oh, one more thing," Tom stopped.
"It's better to find your dreams. Yeah, it will give you the power to live. I hope you find your dreams," Tom said as he waved his hand behind him.
He left from in front of me.
"He's waiting up there."
Tom muttered that to himself as if speaking to someone else.
Dreams.
Purpose in life.
That's right.
I had forgotten about thinking about such things... to be advised by such a mysterious man.
·
·
·
"Tha... thank you."
I must have had a terrible expression.
As I looked down, the ground was blurred and I couldn't see it.