章節 21: Chapter 21 - The Frightened, The Understanding, and The Idiot
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
["Speech Through Technology"]
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…
"Can you stop that?" I said as I began slouching further, my right elbow on the counter with my head held in my palm.
I was still technically behind the register, and with no customers, I don't think anyone would mind.
However, my relaxing time was cut short as Malo had repeatedly been using the "talk" gesture with her hand treading closer and closer to my face each time I ignored it.
I had fallen asleep midway through the story yesterday, and she really wanted to hear the end of it. I promised her that I would tell more of the story when we got home, but as it was now, she wasn't able to hold her curiosity.
Blinking once, I opened my eyes to see Malo in a semi-crouch—our heights matching—she proceeded to stare me down with her unblinking eyes.
Standing on the opposite side of the counter like a customer would, I saw her ears droop as she slowly crouched further down.
She only stopped when the bottom of her chin landed on the countertop. It looked as if someone said no to their dog while they were eating.
A slightly clawed hand came through the top of the counter and made another "talk" gesture, but this time very slowly.
I was half tempted to roll my eyes at the display of shameless begging.
"That won't work on me. Especially if you consider that I've mastered doing that as a kid." As I spoke, I watched Malo's slow gesture freeze in its tracks. "I already told you that I would tell you more of that story when we got home."
Malo began slowly falling back and grasping where her heart would be in her chest rather dramatically. As I watched the display with a blank expression, I blinked, and Malo reappeared in a chair in the restaurant.
Her head fully tilted to look at the restaurant ceiling while she leaned back in the chair that wasn't even really holding her.
"Come on, don't be like that." I tried cheering her up a bit. "You know how it would be if someone came in and saw me enthusiastically talking t—?!"
*Click*
My back instantly stiffened like a board, and I quickly turned around. I had been startled by a sudden opening of a door right as I was talking about how weird it would be to see me talking to myself.
From the break room walked an almost completely absent-minded Ashley. She looked as if she would die of depression.
Malo's head appeared in the corner of my vision, and I felt a light amount of weight pressed against my back.
"So... are you going to take out the trash or something, Ashley?" I said aloud awkwardly as I chanted to myself, 'Please tell me you didn't hear that.'
Ashley stood still for a couple of seconds, her gaze stuck to the floor right in front of her shoes.
"Yeah, I'm going to... take out the trash." She said, sounding rather resigned.
I nodded as I watched her walk away. Turning my head to Malo, Malo turned her head to me. We slowly looked toward where Ashley went and back at each other.
"You think she's being targeted by some creature?" Almost instantly, I received a nod from Malo. "I thought so too but wasn't sure enough to try and act."
For me, it was quite obvious the first day that some supernatural creature was troubling her, but I didn't know if I was being too paranoid.
'But the real question is...' I thought while placing the side of my fist against my lips. 'Will I risk my safety to save her?'
I've been through a lot since I was transported here. I've survived so far only because I put my head down and actively ignored things that would have killed me.
If I go to save her, that would be no different than being the one getting attacked because I wouldn't mind my business.
"Malo, check on her and see if it's actually a monster attacking her." I received another nod from Malo the second I finished speaking.
I then began rapidly blinking, Malo disappearing from my vision and reappearing ten seconds later.
"From one to ten, how monstrous does it look?" Malo paused for a second and then held up both hands and lifted nine fingers.
I cringed a smidge internally at the scale Malo gave it. Considering she wasn't human and wasn't sure about common sense, that thing was worse than I could imagine.
'Look on the bright side. Look on the bright side!' I told myself mentally.
"Is it supernatural?" I got another nod from Malo. "Of course it is."
"How many are there?" A single finger raised from Malo's hand. The likelihood of me making it out of this alive wasn't high.
"Is it bi-pedal or quadruped?"
Malo held up two fingers. I knew that meant it was a quadrupedal creature. It probably was best to assume it had extra limbs on top of that if it was an eldritch creature.
Thank God I didn't have to sit here assuming. I actually had the information. Thanks to Malo!
"Malo, does it have extra limbs besides four legs?" I got another nod from that and couldn't help but smile. Information on the enemy could be obtained so easily. "You don't know how much you change the game, Malo! You're a godsend; I don't think I would ever be able to give up!"
Malo was practically beaming from the compliment, even if her face was as blank as always. Her tail was going to and fro very quickly.
I punched my palm and mentally hyped myself up.
'But what if we didn't?' I felt slightly uncertain with that passing thought. 'What if we let it happen and mind our business?'
The cautiousness in me held me back a bit. It was right. If I didn't do this, I could turn a blind eye and live peacefully.
But I already knew who I was. What I would do next was already certain, no matter what objections I gave.
…
In a dirty alley where not one streetlight would touch, only an almost broken light from a back door illuminated the alley.
A young woman was violently thrown into the brick wall of said alleyway. Coughing while slowly sliding down the brick wall, she wrapped her arms around her stomach and fell on her side.
Finding her final resting place to be on her side, in the fetal position, in a dirty, dark alley where no one would see, she began crying.
The light in her eyes grew a minuscule amount as she realized she would die.
'Would they forget about me too?' She thought as she tried sitting up.
The creature that had hurled her across the alley allowed her to sit up, taking pleasure in her pain.
'If I die, would you cease to exist? You? She? Him?' Ashley put one of her hands up to her head, almost getting a migraine and making a face, trying to remember something forever lost.
'How old would you be if you were here now? Older than me? Younger? Or maybe my same age?' Ashley thought, an almost delirious smile about to form on her face.
Only for her smile to be metaphorically ripped away as she felt something slimy slowly moving up her cheek. A look of horror made its way to her face.
In a mixture of horror, rage, and her fight-or-flight response, Ashley punched at what it was that licked her cheek.
In an instantaneous response, Ashley was punched so hard across her face that she spit blood.
The hit was so heavy that Ashley wasn't able to breathe through her nose subconsciously, but she actively breathed through her mouth, unable to close it.
Heaving and disgusted by the monster in front of her, Ashley tried turning away as it got close.
The creature's tongue was once again snaking its way to her face.
"Hey, why wasn't I invited to the party?!" A loud and overly obnoxious voice came from the entrance of the alleyway.
This voice caused both Ashley and the creature to turn.
"I mean, this party is looking cra—HOLY SHIT, YOU'RE UGLY AS FUCK!" The voice recoiled actively at the hideous appearance of the creature.
For some reason, the creature took it personally. Its face twisted into a snarling expression.
"Oh, you can understand me? My fault, OG. I didn't realize you heard that." The man rubbed the back of his head a bit awkwardly.
"Well, enough of this! Let's get active!"
...
(A/N: Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. I just wanted to say that the characters that I've made scare me a bit. It scares me how I can relate to them and how human all of their personalities are. I guess that means I'm doing something right. In the end, I had Dante make a choice on who he wanted to be and he chose.)
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