Chapter 64: Sweet breaths

I forced myself to breathe deep.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

Oxygen flooded my brain; my neurons kicked into overdrive. An electric, intuition-like clarity raced through me.

I understood. I knew. I had it right there.

“—The culprit is among us.”

Kak!

My eyes snapped wide at the sound effect.

“Of course!”

A chorus of jeers and panicked mutters erupted from the surrounding cells.

—“Among us? More like every single one of us in this room is the culprit!” “No—everyone, we’re all in a cage!” “Whoa, who’s the new guy? What the hell did he do?” “He’s suspected of aiding Tooth—terrorism charges?” “A terrorist? For real?” “Look at those eyes!” “Stone-cold Rimstone eyes. So cold!” “Yeah, definitely, he eats raw meat!” “No, we cook ours!” “Eek! He’s gonna roast and eat us!” “He’s gonna eat us! Guard! Help!”

The cellblock in Uraba buzzed with the arrival of the promising new recruit.

By the way, the “promising new recruit” was me.

Since I was their “promising new recruit,” I was, naturally, a prisoner too. Being tossed into a solitary cell felt almost like VIP treatment; I almost cried at the absurdity.

Then again, what could I expect? I was under suspicion for terrorism.

Until a few days ago, I’d been a captive of Tooth’s mercenary tribe; that made the charge reasonable enough.

A few days ago. Yes, a few days ago.

If you were to shoehorn blame, the culprits would be Rat Unit and Tiger Unit.

In English: Squirrel & Tiger.

Squirrel and Tiger.

Squi-tig.

The Leone Clan, hired by D.D.’s people, had agreed—per contract—to stop employing human mercenaries.

Rikan grumbled about it, but I didn’t want to give them any opening, so I shrugged the whole thing off with something like, “We’ll work together again,” and walked away.

Well, getting fired was unavoidable. I’d still made a decent haul, so whatever—time to slip back to Doggy House.

That was the plan. I went back to Doggy House.

Potato-man, perhaps glad I was alive, served me potato salad free of charge, and I told him what had happened.

He already knew I’d fought Tooth with Shinzo to defend the camp, so most of the conversation was about my time with the Leone Clan.

When I mentioned that, instead of being treated like a prisoner, I’d been treated like a mercenary, Potato-man buried his face in his hands. The conclusion he drew is why I was currently behind bars.

—We need a record that says you were investigated once and cleared.

—Don’t worry, I’ll get it done quickly.

That’s how the conversation went.

Maybe because Potato-man promised it would be quick, my detention felt temporary; life in the cell was tolerable enough to let you play stupid pranks.

Still, this was one thing I absolutely would not do: I wouldn’t call my parents and tell them about this, not when they barely even remember my face.

***

—And don’t you ever come back!

I never thought I’d actually hear that cliché thrown at me.

They call me a terrorist who eats raw meat, but I was released without a fuss less than a week later.

It was only natural—after all, I’d been innocent from the start. Still, Doggy House must have pulled some strings. Even if I wasn’t technically a terrorist, some of my work with the Leone Clan hadn’t exactly been in humanity’s favor.

Power is comforting—and terrifying. That’s what I thought.

I gave a small bow to the guard who’d looked after me and stepped outside.

Waiting there were my dependable subordinates.

The Monoz.

It hadn’t even been a week apart, but that was rare for us. Not since the patrol where the Dog Unit and the others had gone out.

“…”

Silently, I spread my arms.

The Monoz rolled toward me all at once.

A touching reunion.

Leading the charge was the mid-sized Dog Unit. The distance between us shrank—closer, closer—and then—

Dog Unit was used as a springboard?!

The small figure that launched off its back hit me square in the chest with a soft thud.

A girl, hair the color of honey.

A girl with an inhuman arm.

“I was worried about you. And you didn’t send a single word. Idiot. Fool. Idiot.”

It was Eevee. Her hug hurt—Tooth’s strength was no joke. I tried to pry her off, but she only clung tighter. The warmth of another body pressed against me, soft and solid.

I scratched my head, awkward.

After all this time apart, to be greeted with insults.

“What about the people I brought back?”

“Howard’s looking after them. Oh, and he said, ‘You’d better be ready when you get back.’”

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“…”

“…Let me go.”

“No.”

She gave a low growl and hugged me even tighter, burying her face against my chest. A sweet scent—shampoo, maybe—rose up, it was dizzying.

“Pff—”

“…”

She blew air down my shirt.

A shiver ran through me.

“Heh…”

She must’ve felt the way my spine jolted.

Her eyes, catlike and amused, looked up at me. We stared at each other at point-blank range.

“Welcome back. I’m glad you made it.”

“…I’m back. Just got in.”

Satisfied with my answer, Eevee resumed the very important task of hugging me.

“Um… people are staring. Could you let go soon?”

“I have a condition.”

“What is it?”

“Hug me tight.”

“…”

“I won’t let go unless you do.”

I glanced around. Passersby, and even the guard, were grinning. The Monoz, for some reason, were watching with solemn, focused eyes.

I really didn’t want to turn this into a public spectacle, so I gave in to her demand.

***

Regaining lost trust is never easy.

After I’d disappeared without warning, Eevee stopped trusting me altogether. She started shadowing me everywhere I went under the pretense of “keeping watch.”

Well, it wasn’t all that different from when we used to work together, so I didn’t think much of it.

I figured it wasn’t a big deal and let her do as she pleased.

That was a mistake.

To put it bluntly, I’m now facing a matter of life and death.

Aiming to expand her territory, Eevee set up her sleeping spot in my quarters at the camp.

Her “bed” was nothing more than a pillow tossed onto my bed.

…Wasn’t that a bit too simple?

And considering she’s after my genetic data (putting it delicately), that was something I absolutely couldn’t allow.

Go away.

That’s what I told her. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “All right. I swear I’ll never attack you, Touji. I promise. A warrior’s oath!”

She declared it with ridiculous confidence—and with everyone around her cheering her on, I reluctantly accepted.

That, too, was a mistake.

There’s no such thing as privacy in camp.

The toilets and baths are communal.

Until now, having my own room kept things manageable—but let me say it again: I’m facing a life-and-death situation!

“Shinzo, just lend me your room for fifteen minutes.”

“…Knowing what you’re gonna do, why the hell would I?”

“I won’t make a mess, and I’ll handle the smell!”

“Just hearing you say that is bad enough, dumbass.”

“You don’t understand how dire this is—the peak’s tonight!”

“I do, and that’s exactly why I’m saying it. Go summit yourself.”

Clever bastard.

What a betrayal.

With tears in my eyes at the fragility of friendship, I went to seek out a more understanding adult—Howard—and knocked on his door.

***

Friendship is fleeting, adults are useless, and children are far too curious. And so, without solving my problem, night arrived.

“Toji, what’re you doing, fiddling with your terminal?”

My room at least had a sofa. Eevee, fresh from a bath, asked while I stared at the screen. She must’ve just washed up—her hair damp, cheeks faintly flushed, toweling off as she spoke. Each time she moved, the hem of her tank top lifted, flashing pale skin—no, stop, bad.

“I’m reading a horror novel.”

Something gory. The furthest thing possible from my current, life-and-death predicament.

“Oh yeah? Is it good?”

She plopped down beside me with a small eh-ya, pressing herself against my arm. A soft scent drifted over—Eevee’s scent.

“…”

Don’t show interest. Don’t. Please don’t.

Without a word, I turned off the screen.

“Huh? You’re done reading?”

“Yes. It was a good stopping point.”

“Hmm?”

“…”

“…”

“…Hey.”

“Mm?”

“I’m not using the terminal anymore. Move away.”

At that, she only leaned harder against me.

Ah—bad. Now there was the scent and the feeling. That alone was enough to cause serious physical consequences.

“No.”

Her voice had a playful lilt.

“…You do realize,” I said carefully, “that I’m already at my limit.”

“Oh? Well, I don’t, so why don’t you explain it?”

She pressed her body against mine, grinding lightly.

I resorted to the sacred teachings of a wise priest and started counting prime numbers.

“Listen. I’m a gentleman, so there’s no problem. But men, they’re wolves, you know.”

So please, just move. I beg you. You’re soft, and you smell really, really good.

“I see. But hmm… you don’t sound very convincing, Mister Gentleman.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no one more convincing than I am.”

Hahaha.

I laughed in my most gentlemanly manner.

“This—this is what you call a gentleman?”

“Th—wha—woah!”

A strangled noise escaped me.

This was bad. Very bad.

Too busy reciting prime numbers, I hadn’t realized I’d been pushed onto my back. Eevee was now straddling me.

I’d seen this before—in magazines. Very specific magazines.

“Hey, Gentleman, this is what you call gentlemanly?”

“Stop—d-don’t move!”

Forward. Back.

“Do you realize that what you’re doing is like lighting fireworks in a room full of gunpowder?!”

“Hmm, is that so? Then—”

With a soft thump, Eevee collapsed onto me.

Ha…

Warm breath brushed my ear. Sweet. Too sweet.

“Then make it explode. Toji, I keep my promises, you know? I won’t attack you. I swear. So… you understand, right?”

In that honeyed voice.

—Toji.

She whispered my name.