episode_0022

More than ten days had passed, and I thought I had adapted quite a bit to this shabby body.

Yesterday, as I transformed into a bat form and collided with the building’s outer wall, I realized once again.

Until you become accustomed to using your abilities, you cannot consider yourself fully adapted.

If yesterday, in that dazed state after hitting the building wall, I had been caught by that lunatic Kempf, what would have happened?

I may not know, but one thing is for sure—I wouldn’t have seen a good outcome. According to the words of the teabagger… it wouldn’t have been pleasant.

Thanks to having a clear escape route planned and not expecting the opponent to transform into a bat form and fly away, I was lucky enough to succeed in escaping.

Since I couldn’t expect such luck next time, I had to practice diligently from now on.

It’s annoying, but lying on a cozy bed, wanting to chat or read a novel, what can I do?

This is a matter directly related to my wretched life.

“…So, are you making those strange noises in that form right now?”

“Oh, um, well, I don’t know how to emit ultrasonic waves! It’s essential for flying since my eyesight is poor!”

“Sigh, I thought I could rest quietly for a while… Hey, eat this while you’re at it. Rest your throat.”

“Chirp… Oh, thanks!”

My throat was already a bit dry, so this worked out well!

As the little guy continued to nibble on the apple he had given me while maintaining his bat form, he suddenly started patting my head.

A feeling of extreme lethargy washed over my body.

Pausing my apple consumption, I looked at him in surprise as he began scratching the back of my head.

“…What are you doing right now?”

Feeling lethargic from the rough touch of a friend’s hand, not even a woman or a man!

Feeling a blow to my pride, I grumbled, and he scratched the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

“Well, when you were in human form, I was aware of you, but when you turn into a bat form, I unconsciously… felt like I should… Did it bother you?”

“It wasn’t bothersome per se… It felt nice, but my pride took a hit. To describe the feeling, imagine if I petted you for a moment and you felt better.”

“…That must have been terrible, sorry.”

“No, you can keep petting. Honestly, where else would you get to pet a clean bat like me? Hehe…”

Bats, fundamentally, belong to the category of dirty animals.

Their habitat being caves means various germs and parasites cling to their bodies.

In fact, wasn’t the recent global pandemic, COVID-19, possibly caused by bats?

On the other hand, having transformed my body and generally lived in a studio apartment, my body was cleaner than any other bat in the world.

The only bat that he could touch was me, right in front of him.

After allowing him to continue petting me, I focused on eating the apple again.

However…

“Eugh?!”

Before long, I found myself regretting that decision.

His touch felt way more pleasant than I had anticipated.

Suddenly, a scene from a video I had recently watched came to mind.

Petting a prairie dog and stopping, then the prairie dog turning back to be petted again—such a cute scene.

Was this why the prairie dog wanted more pets from its owner?

An affectionate touch that made even a lazy person crave more.

Starting to feel a sense of danger, I quickly lifted my foreleg to stop his hand.

“If you keep petting, both you and I might be in danger. Let’s stop there.”

“Fine, got it.”

Disappointed, he stepped back.

To dispel the pervasive lethargy and strange sensations throughout my body, I resumed training to emit ultrasonic waves.

And…

“Ah, ah, hmmm…”

[———————-!]

After a long training session, I finally mastered the art of emitting ultrasound.

The ultrasound that bounced off the wall and revealed the shape of the room to me.

Thinking that I could now start flying, I energetically flew towards the window.

[Hoo-hoo?]

“…What?”

Thanks to an unexpected intruder I encountered as soon as I went outside, I was able to acquire additional knowledge.

The bat form of a vampire.

It was a last resort used only when there was truly no other option.

“S-Stop it!!!”

My opponent was the Natural Monument No. 324, the Ural Owl.

Since bothering it or being hunted by it would lead to the same fate, I desperately began flapping my wings towards the ground.

Please spare me.

Please.

—–

“As I flew so vigorously, I realized something. Weren’t you supposed to be more careful?”

“Haa, haa… You noisy brat… Damn creepy bird… Ugh…”

Experiencing a breath-taking chase with the creepy bird that casually disregarded laws, I could now understand the poignant emotions of a Pixie mutant seen on a community forum before.

Encountering new enemies every day and filming Man VS Wild…

What kind of life are you living, sir? If it were me, I wouldn’t even dare to step outside due to fear.

Leaving a comment ‘Fighting’ on the post in the community, I gasped for air and slowly caught my breath.

“My throat is dry.”

Perhaps due to expending too much energy in a moment, the thirst felt more intense than usual.

I thought I could endure for a few more days, but this is serious.

But wait, didn’t I order a piece of beef two days ago? Isn’t it time for it to arrive?

Curious, I checked the online shopping mall and found out that the 1kg beef had already been delivered.

Suppressing my soaring thirst, I asked Jaehyuk about the whereabouts of the beef.

“Hey, did any packages arrive yesterday or today?”

“Oh, right. The beef arrived. I should have told you, but I forgot… Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. So where did you put it? I need it urgently.”

“I put it in the fridge. You’ll see it as soon as you open it.”

After hearing his response, I rushed to the fridge, opened the door, and there it was – the beautiful crimson beef.

Without hesitation, I pierced my fangs into the beef wrapped in plastic and slowly began savoring its taste.

“Gasp… Mmm… Yum…”

The taste of the beef wasn’t as euphoric as Jaehyuk’s blood when I first tasted it.

To put it simply… It felt like gorging on cheap snacks? Delicious, but the overly stimulating taste made me get tired of it faster than expected.

Nevertheless, the thirst was perfectly quenched as much as the quantity consumed.

“Still, at 3650 won, this cost-performance ratio is excellent.”

The thirst vanished in an instant.

As I looked at the almost empty 100g beef, Jaehyuk picked up his chopsticks with a dazed expression.

Seemingly, his hesitant consumption of the beef was quite unnerving.

I put on an innocent smile and slowly approached him, noticing his trembling figure.

If he swung that crazy knife in fear, I couldn’t predict what horrifying sight I might witness.

“Why are you so scared? Did I do something wrong?”

Trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a playful joke, he responded sternly with a rigid face.

“Take a look in the mirror and tell me, you crazy woman! Do you even know what kind of mess you’re in right now?”

“If it’s not reflecting in the mirror, how am I supposed to know? Take a picture and send it over.”

“…I just took one and sent it, so check it out once. See what you look like right now.”

Ping.

Upon receiving the notification that a message had arrived, I immediately entered the chat room, only to be greeted by a photo of a sophisticated silver-haired woman with a devilish smile.

With crimson marks stuck around her lips, vivid red stains on her white shirt, and that killer smile adorning her face.

It was a sight straight out of a horror movie scene, enough to make even me shudder.

…So, just a moment ago, she was approaching that guy looking like this.

It was downright terrifying, yeah. If it were me, I would have probably grabbed a chopstick right away.

I awkwardly chuckled as I wiped off the crimson marks around my mouth with a tissue, hastily changing the subject to ease the tension.

“Well, with all that blood, you might just survive. Feels like power overflowing from your body.”

“…You don’t suddenly feel like striking a weird pose or showcasing a manic scratching performance, do you?”

“What on earth do you think of vampires, you crazy lunatic?”

Well, anyone listening might think you could summon a yellow muscular demon when you suck blood.

To snap him out of it, I lightly teased him and then slowly began checking my physical condition.

A sudden intense feeling of liberation unlike before.

Usually, there’s a setting where penalties are somewhat alleviated after sucking blood; perhaps that applies here too?

“…I wish that were the case.”

The only way to find out is to experiment on oneself.

“Aaargh…”

Once again, the gates of hell unfolded.