Sunday, October 2nd, 807
I'm still tossing in bed with my face buried in the pillow, and I have no intention of getting up. Yesterday was really tough, yet I knew it was something very dangerous. Well, every benefit comes with an equal risk; I certainly didn't take this risk without getting anything in return.
At some point, a foot lands on my face, and lazily, I move it with one hand.
Before even opening my eyes, I let out a big yawn. Whose foot is this?
I finally decide to leave the dream world and look at its owner: Kataleya, of course.
Right... I brought her here last night. But what time is it? Do I need to get up already? I grab my phone from the nightstand and notice it's only 11:30 AM. Seeing that it's still early, I decide to sleep a little longer.
....
1:30 PM
I open my eyes when I feel my cheeks being pinched. I move Kataleya's hand away and rub my face.
She's sitting on the bed and seems to be trembling. Maybe she's still intimidated by what she went through, or perhaps she's just adjusting to this change of events.
"Are you hungry?" I ask her to reassure her.
She nods.
"Okay, wait until I realize I'm still alive, and then I'll go get you something to eat."
This bed is so comfortable, and my eyelids are so heavy... I'll close my eyes and rest for a few more minutes.
Kataleya pinches my cheeks again.
"Yes, yes, I said I'll go now."
I reluctantly get up.
It's 2:30 PM...
How is it possible that time passes so quickly?
I rush to the bathroom. The refectory closes at 3, so if I hurry, I should make it.
After about ten minutes, I'm already ready.
"Don't go out, and if someone knocks, don't do anything. I'll be back within 15 minutes." I speak quickly, or I might be late.
She nods.
I walk towards the refectory, wearing the clean academy uniform. Now that I think about it, I should return the raincoat to the orphanage gatekeeper... I'll do it in the near future.
Once I reach my destination, I spot Koto among the seats, accompanied by others—one should be Yumiko, while the other is Kairi.
I pretend not to notice, uninterested in exchanging greetings. I randomly grab various foods and store them in my phone, then I pass it near a machine, and its audible signal indicates recognition, granting me access to a free meal as a cadet.
I swiftly escape the refectory, returning to the dormitory within fifteen minutes.
Upon reaching my room, I hear voices; Kataleya must have turned on the television. Entering slowly, I find her seated with an enthralled expression.
I place the basket on the furniture, and only then does she realize my presence, hurriedly turning off the TV.
"Why did you turn it off?" I speak while emptying the basket, but she remains silent.
I arrange everything on the table. Today's refectory offering is a peculiar pasta variant, resembling strange spaghetti, and I took also some meat—two portions of each.
"Come and eat. Sit here," I point to the chair on the right side of the table.
Seemingly uninterested, she remains on the armchair with a downcast look. I approach slowly to understand what she needs, but she averts her gaze.
I give her an inquisitive look. "What's wrong? Does something hurt?" I ask reassuringly. It's probably just disorientation; there shouldn't be a significant issue.
I see her trying to hide something behind her back. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be the TV remote.
"You can turn it on. Why are you so hesitant?" Did she think I'd be angry if I saw her watching TV?
She looks embarrassed. "Come on, let's eat first, okay? Cold spaghetti is terrible." Despite my kind words and the threat of eating cold food, she doesn't seem to budge. So, I put my hands around her waist and lift her easily, bringing her to the table.
"Now eat. The cutlery is right here."
I sit beside her and start eating; only after I've taken the first bite does she begin to eat as well. She seems as distrustful as a cat.
After a couple of minutes, I figure something out: these are definitely not spaghetti.
I put down the cutlery and mentally curse the day I was brought into this world.
Looking to my side, I see that Kataleya has also stopped eating, despite still being visibly hungry.
I correct myself: she's even more distrustful than a cat.
I resume eating; otherwise, she might die in front of me, and I have no intention of finding out if you can preserve a corpse on a cellphone.
....
3:00 PM
Currently, Kataleya has thrown herself on the armchair to watch TV. She probably has never seen one, so it piques her curiosity.
Considering she shouldn't know much about the world, it's better to place her in front of a TV. It's easier for a little girl like her to understand things than feeding her library books.
...
I dash to the bed to contemplate my next move.
Kataleya lived as an experimental subject for about ten years, making it a miracle she hasn't gone insane. Sure, she wants to die, but at least that's something sensible, given what she's been through.
Should I talk to the instructors? Even if I don't tell them the truth, they would surely conduct exams and discover the demon Lightning power within her.
For now, she'll stay with me, and the future will unfold. I should also take responsibility since I told her she would see the world outside that laboratory.
I wonder what Keze's reaction was when he realized we escaped...
By the way, in the end, everything went as I had hypothesized: something happened that brought me back to the academy.
I glance in the direction of that "something."
I rise from the bed and head in that direction.
Keze knows I'm a cadet, but he'll never dare come here to look for me, mainly because he doesn't know my name. However, he knows hers...
"How do you want to be called from now on? Kataleya is no longer safe." I ask abruptly.
She doesn't respond and continues watching TV, evidently not hearing me.
I approach and gently touch her cheek with my hand, noticing how thin she is.
Feeling my touch, she startles and clutches the remote tightly to her chest, as if I were trying to take it from her.
"Can you hear me now? I asked what name you prefer. Keze might come looking for you; it's better to call you something else." I repeat, now having her attention.
"Keze...?" She looks confused.
"Yeah, he's the one who tossed me into your cell. Anyway, what about Kata? No, no, I don't like it. How about Leya? Sounds nice." Now that I've mentioned it, Leya seems like a good name. So, in the end, I don't expect her response.
"Okay, okay, I've decided. I'll call you Leya from now on. Remember it too."
Upon hearing my words, she just nods and resumes watching TV.
Now I need to justify the madness I did yesterday. I grab one of the three bottles containing demon flesh, intending to sell it on the Black Market.
I enter the site and log in with my profile -After D. Ark-
Sales Section.
A message appears:
-WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SELL-
....
Seems quite easy.
-DEMON FLESH-
...
-SCAN THE OBJECT-
I bring the bottle close to the phone, and after a quick scan, it gets sucked inside.
-ANALYSIS IN PROGRESS...-
A few minutes pass.
-CONFIRMED ANALYSIS. DEMON FLESH IDENTIFIED. WITH AN ADDITIONAL 500,000 STARK, FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT ITS NATURE CAN BE PROVIDED. DO YOU ACCEPT TO PAY THE ADDITIONAL FEE?-
...
And with what money?
-NO-
-ENTER SELLING PRICE-
...
Demon flesh typically sells for around 20 million stark, but the price can go up if you know its nature. However, if I want immediate profit, I have to lower the price, considering the site administrator takes a 50% cut on the first purchase.
Well, that's okay; better not raise objections because the "Black Market" is too convenient.
Before selling the demon piece, I could try selling something cheaper, not giving him my money. The problem is that the administrator is still a human, not a machine. As soon as he realizes he's been tricked, he might not transfer the sale money and could even close my account. On the other hand, making him earn a good amount of money might get me closer to him and get me some favors.
-10 MILLION STARK-
I'd pocket "only" 5 million, but it's more than enough to start. Considering I have two more samples to sell.
The site also guarantees anonymity, so no one can find out who sold it.
....
4:00 PM
I receive a notification.
-ITEM SOLD. CREDIT RECEIVED-
"Uuh" It really went quickly.
I transfer the money from my account to my integrated bank account on the cellphone.
The stark is the official currency of this world, roughly equivalent to the US dollar.
So now I'm a millionaire! It's just a pity that I'm in a world where demons exist, and they don't distinguish between rich and poor. Now my main concern will be getting stronger and not dying at their hands.
In any case, I'll start spending some of this money. I'll buy lots of clothes, not just for me but also for Leya.
I go to the bathroom and start filling the tub.
"Leya, you need to take a bath. When you're clean, I'll give you new clothes!"
After a few minutes, I hear her voice.
"Eh? I don't want to." She responds with a displeased tone.
Still in the bathroom, I speak to her with a louder voice: "What don't you want? The clothes?"
She doesn't respond, so I go to her and find her huddled on the chair.
Oh God, what's the problem now?
"What's the problem?" I ask as I look into her eyes.
"I-I'm scared... I'm afraid of water..."
Ah...
Now that I think about it, would she die if she used her electric power in water? Nah... She's not a normal person anymore; at most, she'd faint.
I think...
"Do you want me to help you wash?" I've bathed my little cousin many times when he visited, so I have some experience.
"No, no! I'll do it myself!" She retorts, annoyed.
She rushes to the bathroom and closes the door.
"When you finish washing, feel free to use the bathrobe and towel you see there."
I hear her nod.
Okay, the playtime is over; now it's time for shopping.
I go to an online shopping site and order clothes for both me and Leya. She's probably fifteen or sixteen now, but given the horrible conditions she grew up in, she looks younger. I have to buy her smaller-sized clothes for now, and once she's healthier, I'll get her more.
Pants, shirts, skirts, outfits, shoes.
I've never bought so many things all at once before. The total cost should be around 2500 stark. Within five minutes, five boxes appear in the room. Oh, how I love technology; I can't fathom why others fear it.
I start organizing everything in the closets. Doubts creep in as I hang up each piece of clothing: How long will I keep her here?
After she recovers, I think I'll talk to Mary; maybe there's a chance to enroll her in this academy.
....
4:45 PM
She's still in the bathroom, which worries me given her electric nature.
"Everything okay in there?" I speak from the other side of the door, leaning my ear against it.
Instead of answering, she opens the door wearing my bathrobe.
"Pfft" I involuntarily laugh, seeing it's too big on her.
"Come here; let me dry your hair." I seat her on a chair and proceed to fix her tangled hair.
"Let me know if I hurt you with the brush or if the hairdryer is too hot."
Her hair is truly long and tangled, a war to untangle.
....
5:35 PM
I'm almost dead trying to make sense of her hair, and the thought of having to do it again scares me. Leya is now changing in the room, trying on her new clothes. Though she didn't say anything, I glimpsed a hint of a smile when I showed them to her.
Eventually, she'll stop hiding her emotions and open up; it's just a matter of time.
I've gotten rid of the boxes, internalizing them in my phone, thank God. Now, I sit in the armchair, finally free.
There will be a written test at the end of the month, and I must not fail if I want to stay in this academy. But on this, I feel quite confident, because the author took a lot of time to explain every facet related to demons clearly.
The real challenges will come with practical tests. Koto learned swordsmanship from a young age, mastering impressive techniques over the years. Meanwhile, I only know how to swing a sword.
I believe that to kill monsters, physical strength is more than enough; learning specific techniques is for winning battles against other warriors. That's why I intend to focus solely on increasing my physical strength.
From tomorrow, I'll start training at the academy gym and engage in physical exercises. I'll focus on the strength and speed of my strikes.
....
8:00 PM
Finally, it's dinner time, and I couldn't be happier now that I have money to ditch refectory food. I order two delicious pizzas with tomato and mozzarella from a cooking website, along with a couple of bottles of Coca-Cola. Oh yeah, they exist in this world too.
Within 5 minutes, they materialize on the table.
"It's ready! Come eat!" I shout with joy.
I'm too euphoric. It's been over five years since I've had pizza, and the drool starting to fall from my mouth can confirm it.
Meanwhile, Leya has already sat down at the table.
"What's this?" She asks with particular curiosity.
I take a seat.
"This..."
I open the box and am assaulted by the smells.
"...Is food fit for the gods."
Unable to contain myself, I take a small bite of a pizza slice.
A tear rolls down.
"W-Why are you crying?" Leya looks at me with concern.
I've already started eating and try to answer calmly.
"It's too... good... Try it... and you'll understand... too."
She takes a pizza slice in her hands.
Meanwhile, I grab my phone and snap a few pictures without her noticing. The first moment of eating pizza must always be immortalized.
She chews slowly, closing her eyes the whole time, until she opens them.
"Where's the pizza slice?" She asks, surprised.
"I know. I understand." All pizza enthusiasts know what she's going through.
She doesn't reply, so I assume she's realized where it went.
Within a quarter of an hour, we finish eating.
The best thing I've eaten since being in this world.
Leya also seems ecstatic; it's normal.
"Did you like it?" I ask her with a smile I couldn't hold back.
She looks at me with a bit of saliva at the corner of her mouth.
"And this is the classic one... There are so many variations that..."
I start drooling. But before I can let the saliva fall, I wipe it with a napkin.
We stay awake for a couple more hours to watch a TV program.
Inadvertently, my eye falls on Kataleya, making me reflect on our encounter. If I hadn't ended up in her cell, we would both be dead or worse... Was it just luck?
....
11:05 PM
I turn off the TV.
"Before going to bed, let's brush our teeth."
She nods and gets up from the armchair.
I had thought about buying her a bed, but we wouldn't have much space in the room, and my bed is big enough for both of us. Not to mention that she's a clandestine tenant, so if someone entered the room and saw two beds, it would be a bit problematic.
"Well, good night. Try not to move too much in your sleep. This morning you slapped me with your foot..." I speak with a sarcastic tone.
"S-Sorry... I'll be careful." She responds, scared, which demoralizes me a bit because she doesn't understand that I'm joking.
I turn off the lights and lie under the covers on one side of the bed, while Leya goes to the other side.
"So, are we now... a couple?" She speaks with an embarrassed tone.
"Eh?! How can you say something like that?" I reply with surprise, feeling my wrists getting colder.
"We live together, sleep together... In the TV, those who did that were..." Too much embarrassment prevents her from finishing the sentence.
Ah... here's the downside of TV series.
"Ah... Uhm... Consider me as a big brother. And we sleep together because we're poor." I reply while my head is almost melded with the pillow.
She remains silent for a bit.
"Big brother..." She said it with a sad tone. Oh damn, maybe I reminded her of that idiot Kronos.
Ah, enough... I don't want to start a conversation, I want to sleep.
"Ban... I want to trust you. It's just that..." Her tone sounds very concerned.
I stay silent to let her finish the sentence.
"...I just don't know why I want to. I still want to die... But I also feel the desire to be by your side..."
Her words, so straightforward, leave me astonished. But I don't reply and pretend to have already fallen asleep..."