Chapter 33 – Can’t be helped

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“Hmm… Where should I start? I guess it’s best to begin from the very beginning. I forgot, so do you remember what it was?”

Mina, who had been acting all excited, seemed to have calmed down a bit now. With her arms crossed over her chest, she asked in a somewhat composed manner.

However, I wasn’t in a position to speak calmly or gracefully.

Not only was my head still struggling to keep up with the situation due to the completely unexpected reaction, but the emotional impact was even greater.

How on earth could this nauseating sight appear cool to her?

“Mina. What exactly is so cool about this appearance?”

I voiced my genuine curiosity and asked her again. Just what part of this wretched sight did she find so admirable?

Hearing my words, Mina hesitated for a moment before saying, “Oh, you meant from there,” and then, without any hesitation, she started talking.

“Oh, from there. Hmm… If a long-coated man engulfed in what looks like either black mist or black flames isn’t cool, then… there would be only a handful of things in this world that could be called cool.”

“…What?”

“Just look at it. The sheer ‘coolness’ is overflowing. Black shadows, a long coat, glowing eyes… It’s got every single element that would make someone go crazy over it. How could anyone not be obsessed with it?”

So, what she was saying was…

…She simply found the appearance cool, and that was why she said it was cool?

The reason was so childish yet so straightforward that I couldn’t even think of how to respond.

“…That’s what you meant by ‘cool’?”

I muttered in disbelief, and Mina responded with absolute confidence.

“…Regardless of my appearance, I’m still a monster, you know? Don’t you feel disgusted or contemptuous? I heard that vampires especially look down on monsters.”

I knew that trying to reject someone’s positive view of me was nothing but pathetic and undignified, but I just couldn’t understand it, so I had no choice but to ask.

“Oh, that…”

She closed her eyes for a moment as if she understood what I was trying to say. Then, opening them again, she briefly explained the reason.

“The reason we hate monsters is because they’re dumb and ugly creatures who don’t even know their own origins, yet they strut around, acting like they’re superior to vampires.”

She added that while explaining it in detail would be troublesome, the simplest way to put it was that the relationship between vampires and monsters was similar to that between monsters and magical girls.

“Did you know that the technology to create monsters was inspired by the first vampire who made a contract with a star?”

“…That’s the first time I’ve heard of that.”

Intrigued, I asked her to elaborate, but Mina just shrugged, saying there wasn’t much to explain and added a few more words.

“Well… When was it? Around the 1900s, I think. Some scholars from the Far East studied us. Then, when they discovered that our power came from the stars, they tried to find a way to use that knowledge to create the monster transformation technology. Judging by your question, I assume you didn’t know?”

Mina didn’t seem surprised at all. She said that if she were a researcher, she would also want to keep the origin of that power a secret.

“…I see. If it really originated from vampires, I suppose people would naturally reject it.”

“Well, that’s just one of the many reasons we despise monsters. You could say it’s the disgust that the real thing feels toward a counterfeit. Not that those monsters even realize they’re fakes… like you.”

Mina looked straight into my eyes as she said that.

“Then… why don’t you despise me? According to your own words, I’m a fake who doesn’t even realize it.”

She gazed at me for a moment before suddenly remarking that I didn’t seem to be very smart.

Caught off guard, I asked her to explain why she thought so, feeling slightly wronged. She simply smiled and said there was no need to overthink things.

“Because you look cool. Do you really need a reason beyond that?”

“…Hah.”

“You’re such a troublesome guy. If you insist on having a reason, well… I guess your attitude is acceptable too.”

“My attitude?”

“Yeah. You’re servile, and you hate the fact that you’re a monster, right? The way you reject your own monstrous nature—let’s just say I find that appealing.”

I never expected to be praised for something like that, so now I had no idea how to react.

“…I can’t figure you out at all.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment for being unique and lively.”

I was about to argue, but I didn’t even have the energy for that anymore, so I just told her to think whatever she wanted. Then, I asked her one last thing.

“Your acceptance of me… Is that your family’s stance as well?”

“Nope. That’s just my personal opinion. But don’t worry too much! The old folks in my family might disapprove, but the Elder absolutely adores me. So, for the most part, you’ll be accepted.”

Ah, so that’s why she could act so recklessly. I swallowed down the words that almost slipped out.

There was no reason to get on the bad side of the person most favored by someone who might become the next head of the family.

For a moment, I wondered if a monster could become a vampire.

But then, I quickly erased such a foolish question from my mind.

If a vampire could turn into a monster, then logically, a monster could turn into a vampire too.

So, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Just as I was thinking that—

“Well, now that my story is over, tell me yours.”

Mina crept closer to me, asking for my story as well, while once again reaching for my head.

I dodged her persistent hand that was aiming for my head, but in the end, I had no choice but to let her have her way. She placed her hand inside my head and muttered, “It’s completely empty~.”

“…So that’s why you’re dumb. I get it now.”

“…Sigh, whatever. So, what do you want to know?”

“That thing where objects too big to fit in your sleeves just pop out—was that some kind of monster ability?”

After pulling her hand out of my head, Mina wiggled her fingers as she curiously asked about the secret of my storage ability.

Since it wasn’t something I needed to hide, I answered honestly.

“Yeah. My body… seems to be connected to some place I don’t even know. I can store things inside and pull them out when needed. When I’m in my monster form, I can store and retrieve items with my entire body, but when I’m human, I can only use the shadows inside my clothes.”

“Ohh, so that’s why shotguns always popped out of your sleeves? That’s a really interesting ability.”

“…Aren’t you curious about how I switch between human and monster forms?”

Of all things, that should be what she was most curious about.

I was a bit puzzled by how uninterested she seemed, so I asked without thinking.

Now that I said it out loud, it almost sounded like I was eager to boast about my past.

Not that I actually wanted to.

If anything, I wished no one in the world would ever find out.

I wasn’t sure why I even brought it up.

“Uh… huh? O-oh, of course! I was going to ask! I was just waiting for the right moment!”

I wasn’t sure why she was so startled, but since the topic was out in the open now, I decided to explain.

“Let’s see… First, I should start by explaining what I used to be. I was a soldier. And, though it feels odd to say it myself, I was a pretty good one.”

As soon as I began my story, Mina stopped fooling around and quietly watched me.

“…The government proposed an experiment to me, saying that it was something only I could do, and I accepted without any suspicion.”

“What kind of experiment was it?”

“It was an experiment to turn an ordinary human male into something like a magical girl. You could call it an artificial magical girl creation project.”

Mina frowned slightly, as if finding it difficult to understand, and muttered that I was reckless for agreeing to such a shady experiment.

“…Back then, I truly cared about and loved this country.”

“So, patriotism, huh? That’s a motivation I could never understand. Anyway, keep going with the story. How did you end up like this?”

“The experiment failed. No, I should say it was flawed from the start. I couldn’t even form a contract with a star, let alone a constellation.”

I left out the part where I had died once.

Even vampires might develop an impure curiosity about someone who returned from death.

“You couldn’t even form a contract with a star? Then, strictly speaking, aren’t you not even a monster?”

“…Well, I did form a contract with something.”

“Something?”

“Yeah, something. I don’t even know what it was. But when I woke up, I was in this form.”

That much was true. I still didn’t know what kind of star I had contracted with.

Hearing my words, Mina responded in an ambiguous tone, somewhere between curiosity and indifference.

“That’s a strange case. You don’t even know if it was a star or a constellation.”

“As a result, I ended up in a form that was neither human nor monster. The smart ones claimed that, strictly speaking, I leaned a bit more towards being a monster, but who knows? I don’t.”

“So, even you don’t know what you are. I see…”

“Anyway, to finish the story… I was captured and subjected to various experiments before I miraculously escaped and made it here.”

“Escape, huh… So, they didn’t exactly let you go peacefully.”

Mina nodded as if she finally understood why I had been so on edge when we first met. She looked at me with an odd expression, as if finding my past either pitiable or strangely admirable.

I couldn’t tell which one it was, so I remained silent. Then, she asked if that was why I clung to her so desperately.

“…That’s right. I can no longer legally live in this country. I don’t even want to anymore. I just want to leave quietly.”

“Don’t you want revenge?”

…If I said no, it would be a lie.

I still had the urge to hunt down those who subjected me to endless, inexplicable experiments and those who tried to extract results from me no matter the cost.

“I do. But I hold back because I don’t think I’d survive after getting my revenge. It’s not worth dying for.”

I had left a few things unsaid, but I had revealed quite a bit—more than I usually would. That in itself felt oddly commendable.

“I see. I get the situation now. I can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

Mina stood up, circled around me a few times, and then reached for my head again.

“I don’t really want to act all mature, but… now that I know, I have no choice but to help!”

Her declaration was truly, sincerely appreciated, but…

“Could you at least stop touching my head? It feels a bit strange.”

“Are you seriously nitpicking at someone who’s offering to help you?”

I just wished she would show a little restraint.

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