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Usually, Black Maria’s 3rd squad chose the meeting place after completing a request, to be somewhere in the Slums.
The royal capital’s slum district had an especially bad public order, that even the guards wouldn’t be wondering there if they didn’t have any business. Not to mention that none of the streetlights were lit, making the moonlight the only light source in the night.
But because of that, it was the ideal rendezvous. There were no public eyes, only a little worry on their face was seen because of the darkness, but they could easily throw off someone who tailing them with the confusing terrains. Surely for Shizuru and the others who knew the slums like the back of their hand, this dirty townscape was safer than any stronghold.
He kept advancing smoothly, even with Ludmilla who was still unfamiliar with the slums trailing behind him and complicated road that was uncomfortable on the legs. Suddenly Shizuru murmured.
“When you arrive inside the slums, it makes you feel a bit relieved, doesn’t it? It sort of feels like you’re back at your parent’s house.”
“ …… Ha?”
Ludmilla replied with a dubious gaze and expression. Apparently, she couldn’t share the sentiment.
“Huh, is it just me that thinks like that then? But you’re right, it hasn’t even been half a year yet since Ludmilla got here, so you wouldn’t understand right?”
“I don’t really want to think of this place as my parents’ house though……”
“Ahaha. This is a good place if you get used to it, however, you need to be careful to not get involved in a crime. Especially for a beauty like you, don’t let yourself get surrounded.”
“Where the heck is that ‘good place’…… and I don’t want to get used to it.”
Ludmilla frowned at Shizuru’s words that he said carelessly with a wink as if saying ‘be careful with your feet’ when hiking a mountain trail.
Was some of his feelings, the “Anger” from “Human’s Emotion”, really missing from him? 1. After all, he definitely had some screw loose somewhere.
◆◇◆◇◆
“Mother!”
The moment Shizuru and Ludmilla arrived at the meeting place, a lively voice shook the peaceful atmosphere. Then, some light footsteps were approaching them. Finally, a small silhouette hugged Shizuru.
“Whoops.”
Shizuru staggered a bit against the light impact, but after he retreated half a step he caught the silhouette. He touched her soft, comfortable hair. He lowered his line of sight, and there was a white haired girl looking at Shizuru with her sparkling light green eyes.
“Mother, did I do it well? Did I do it just the way you asked?”
‘Praise me praise me’, Shizuru smiled gently as the girl snuggled her head next to him.
(I need help in translating this. その感触に、少女がふにゃっと相好を崩した。)
“Yup, well done Mary. Good girl, good girl.”
“Ehehe……”
The formerly nameless girl―― she had now been named Mary for almost 9 days, snuggled close to Shizuru even further as her thoughts and face melted. Suddenly he realized that there was a blood stain on her face.
“Mary. Hey, please keep still for a bit.”
“Owhh.”
Shizuru got a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes Mary ‘s face. But he couldn’t wipe off the blood stain which had dried already.
“It won’t come off unless if it gets wet huh…… hm……yosh.”
After thinking for a while, Shizuru put back the handkerchief. Then, he squatted down to Mary’s line of sight, who now tilted her head, and brought closer his face.
―― And licked her cheek that was dirty with dry blood. 2
“Whaa……!?”
In that moment, Mary felt a shiver down her spine, an intense unfamiliar feeling. However, because it wasn’t uncomfortable, she let her body tremble at his mercy.
“I wish I had brought water to do this though.”
Shizuru said it with a bitter smile, pulled out his face, and wiped Mary’s cheek again.
He wiped the blood stain that has been faintly dissolved by saliva several times until only pure white skin remained there. Shizuru nodded with satisfaction and stood up slowly.
“Mm, It becomes pretty. Kawaii kawaii.”
“Auu……”
Mary became red up to her ears as Shizuru called her cute while he patted her head. Ludmilla who was standing not too far from those two and watched their temperature changes, indifferently murmured.
“ …… I know that he’s a really inconceivable womanizer.”
It didn’t reach them because it was so quiet. Mary then spoke to Shizuru with spoiled voice.
“Listen to this mother. I broke them apart you know? I wanted mother to praise me a lot, I was told to kill one person, but I killed more than one person.”
“ …… I see.”
She said it as her eyes started become teary, and her smile blurred from her face. Shizuru looked at Mary with a sad smile and hugged her gently.
“You did your best. But from now on, it’s okay to just kill one person. Mary is a good girl, a clever girl, so I’m sure you understand.”
“Yeah!”
“Barfph……”
Actually, Ludmilla saw the scene where Mary dismantled the targets’ remains into parts. Unintentionally that scene flashed back in her mind, which had made her cover her mouth with her hands to suppress nausea that was filling her stomach. Also, she gives her praise in her heart to Shizuru who casually made a strategic move to prevent reoccurrence.
…… What kind of life had she lead, that she could’ve dismantled humans without any remorse, just to get complimented by her parents? Also, it was a human, who lived a while ago, that she killed with her own hands.
She couldn’t comprehend that. Rather, she didn’t want to think about it.
“Let’s grab a meal when we get back. What do you want to eat Mary? Since today Mary did her first job well, you can ask for anything you know?”
“Ueh? Eh? Um um….. Then……stew, please make it, again……”
“Stew? Are you okay with that?”
“Yup…… The dishes mother makes are warm and I like them all…… but I like stew the most.”
“I see. Got it, I’ll make it then.”
Mary smiled towards Shizuru’s gentle expression. Honestly, if one only looked at her outward appearance and demeanor, they wouldn’t have thought that this innocent, adorable girl was a demonic murderer.
――But Mary was, unmistakably a deviant/abnormal. In truth, if she wasn’t near Shizuru, her spirit broke to the point that she couldn’t even hold a proper conversation with other people.
However, as the only exception, she could communicate one-on-one only with Beth.The reason was unknown…
And so Shizuru accepted Mary as she is, and treated her as family sincerely from the bottom of his heart. There were many things she wanted to say, but it seems it was the best for Mary to stay beside him.
Ludmilla was already hated by Mary due to her persuasive act she had done, even she won’t reply when she tried to talk to her. She thought about such things while letting out a deep sigh.
◆◇◆◇◆
And so Mary was fawning, Shizuru was pampering her, and Ludmilla was looking from the sideline. Lady jumped in from out of nowhere, as if she just appearing from the night, and quietly approached those three.
“――Dear. I have finished the post-treatment of the target.”
The one who dealt with the scattered corpses Mary left behind… was Lady. Shizuru put his hand on her approaching face and stroked her.
“Thanks, Lady. You saved me as always.”
“Puurr…… I don’t need thanks, my beloved. I just want to be useful to you, that’s all.”
While she answered him, Lady let out a comfortable growl and rubbed her cheek on Shizuru’s hand. But suddenly, Mary pushed Shizuru’s body to separate the two.
“No……!”
Mary clung to Shizuru while she shook her head, and looked at him with a teary face. It seems she didn’t like it when Shizuru got close to another person. Lady blinked her eyes in her wolf form while being glared with grudge by her.
That said, it was not like she got angry. While she frequently fought with Casca because her attitude hit her nerves, she was not that narrow-minded to show her desire to monopolize him on her face.
“It seems you have been hated. It’s shame that she won’t get attached to you.”
“I think she won’t get attached to anyone other than Shizuru anyways.”
“I don’t think so, she somehow got attached to Beth. I don’t know why though.”
Lady, Ludmilla, Shizuru said that consecutively.
…… However. How could she get attached to Beth who the most unapproachable after Casca?
It was quite a mystery.