Melting Point (1)

I pressed the button.

A can of coffee dropped down.

Was it supposed to be sweet?

“It seems cheap.”

Maybe because it’s vending machine coffee, it really doesn’t compare to the cup design I saw at the shaved ice shop last time.

[ Are you here to meet that girl again today? ]

“Yeah.”

Bloody was silent for a moment.

“Why?”

[ …It’s nothing. ]

How boring.

I opened the office door and went in. It was unusually quiet compared to normal. Erica wasn’t visible yet.

“Hello! Director!”

The director nodded.

“I feel like I’m coming here almost every day. Should I just apply for a job here?”

“That wouldn’t be bad.”

“Come on, I was joking.”

I twisted a lock of hair on the side of my head for a moment.

If I got a job here, could I see Erica every day?

Well, there’s not a day I don’t see her even now.

“How’s the Union Department?”

“I told them.”

“That I killed them all?”

“Yes.”

That shouldn’t be done.

“Erica too?”

“Erica doesn’t know. I told her they were hospitalized with severe injuries.”

“Thank you.”

No, should I be thankful for this?

If he had told her they all died instantly, she would hate me more, which wouldn’t go against the plan.

But then I wouldn’t be able to drink coffee with her.

“Hmm…”

“Do you like Erica that much?”

“Of course!”

The director ran his hand through his hair.

“There’s a gate defense operation today.”

“That’s not my part-time job.”

“Erica will be on the front lines.”

“It is my part-time job!”

What if she gets hurt? It’s dangerous.

“How can I participate too?”

“If you show a cooperative attitude, they might understand.”

“Oh…”

The office door opened and Erica came in.

“Hello…”

Our eyes met.

“Hello.”

“The weather is nice today, Director.”

I glanced at the window. It’s not particularly nice.

I deliberately made eye contact with the director and smiled slightly.

“Erica.”

“Yes?”

“When is the meeting?”

“In a little while, at 2…”

“Could we have Aureli attend too?”

“What?”

While enjoying Erica’s expression, I waved my arm in the air.

“Isn’t it dangerous to send only one team to the site given the rift’s progression? She says she’ll help. I’m also worried about the Union Department side.”

“No, but…”

An invisible knife appeared in my hand. It stabbed into the air and a silent scream echoed.

“Ha.”

“I think it’s a good idea!”

“You be quiet.”

Erica hurriedly passed by me and grabbed the director’s arm, pulling him to a corner.

Their hushed whispering makes me wonder if they’re talking behind my back.

[ What are you scheming this time? ]

“I need to push her a few more days. The bite marks are still visible.”

That aside, I also need to catch Dracul.

I’ll have to decide whether to take action or not depending on this gate’s tier.

“You can just notify us separately!”

Glancing at those two, I saw Erica unable to hide her surprised expression.

It’s good that the director is helping out well.

“I really can’t believe this…”

“Are you done talking?”

Even those glaring eyes aren’t bad.

The way she dries her face with one hand and then puts her hand on her waist is kind of like… a scolding teacher.

“Swear that you’ll stay still as if you don’t exist.”

“I don’t need to go that…”

“If you don’t like it, then don’t.”

“I’ll swear.”

As I sat in the office watching Erica work, the meeting time approached.

“Come here.”

I blinked a few times at Erica’s gesture before nodding. Following behind her, I saw a somewhat small meeting room.

There were two long desks and a beam projector visible in front.

I naturally sat next to Erica and looked ahead. There weren’t many people. About five.

I made eye contact with the employee in front and smiled slightly.

Their expression immediately turned gloomy. Oh, this makes it seem like I did something wrong.

That’s unfair.

“It’s a high-tier layer. Estimated time required is 30 minutes.”

The image projected on the beam seemed to be CCTV footage. As usual, no people were visible on the street. Nevertheless, perhaps due to the bright light shining, the rift was clearly visible.

The chart fluctuated.

“As you can see, the rift’s progression is fast. There are no irregulars. Please proceed as you’ve been briefed.”

This meeting seemed to be a final check. It feels a bit odd to be leisurely having a meeting while outside the gate is already showing signs of opening.

I guess it’s because the Association is mostly field workers.

Papers that looked like reports were handed out. Glancing to the side, I saw Erica holding her neck and coughing.

Just then, I spotted a small water bottle.

“Want some water?”

There was a moment of silence.

“…I’m fine.”

It didn’t matter. She’ll be drinking a lot of water soon anyway.

I smiled and put the water bottle down.

After the meeting ended, I followed the field team outside. The street we faced was desolate. A festival of scorching sunlight. If it had been night instead of afternoon, we might have seen a few people. The weather would have been a bit cooler too.

Usually, I didn’t care about the weather one way or another. But now that Erica is going out to the field, I seem to be suddenly interested. I can change this much.

On the other hand, it was also fascinating.

Following the hunters, we arrived at the site. Looking up at the sky, I saw traces of dark paint in the air.

The rift.

It immediately distorted and grew vastly in size in an instant. A few magical beasts popped out and made noise. The hunters each took out their weapons and walked forward.

“There’s a golem too.”

Slipping away from them slightly, I landed on the rooftop of a nearby low-rise building. It was nice to have a bird’s-eye view of the street.

When convincing Erica, the director implied that Aureli would help, but I had no such intention. Erica, who was listening, probably knew this too. After all, everything I’ve done so far has been nothing but vicious.

That’s a fact everyone knows. They accept it and don’t harbor any unnecessary expectations.

The scene I’m watching now is the same. If they get hurt, they get hurt. If they die, they die. That’s just how fate works.

The only exception was Erica. I’ll watch how she fights today and adjust future plans accordingly.

Whether there are any after-effects from the blood-sucking, or if her stats have been reduced at all.

The battle began and the hunters rushed forward. As the magical beasts howled, the air currents shook and shockwaves spread out. Smoke immediately filled the area.

I sat on the edge of the rooftop. It’s fascinating how my bottom touches the bricks but my legs don’t reach the ground.

[ Are you just going to stay like this? ]

“Yeah.”

[ You’re just going to watch? ]

“I’ll intervene when it’s all over.”

I’ll act in the most vile and evil way possible. Let’s try evil before good. This will be good for Erica too.

A strange sound rang out, mixing the screams of magical beasts and metallic noises. A momentary flash and long sword strikes distorted the space.

I turned my gaze to search for Erica. Cough, she spat blood and then looked ahead and rushed forward again. She thrust her sword into a golem’s abdomen, and the golem struggled. I could see the shockwave spreading widely, affecting even the surrounding magical beasts.

Another momentary flash and a giant sword plunging down. It didn’t take long for the magical beasts to spit out magic stones and disintegrate into dust.

She seems to have some injuries, but she’s fighting well overall. Her leadership of those around her stands out.

I rested my chin on my hand and stared blankly. I saw her frowning face. Her skin was scraped and covered in blood stains.

If we’re together, will I be able to see her smiling face someday?

When does she smile in the first place? Can one even smile in a world like this? The wall blocking the way is too massive. Rain falls and wind blows.

I hope her favorite coffee doesn’t change from mocha to Americano. Once the bitter taste starts to feel sweet, there’s no going back.

After watching for a long time, the air currents settled. They seem to have cleanly closed the gate, perhaps because they’re veterans in this field.

It’s regrettable news for me, but it seems it wasn’t enough for my target Dracul to appear. I’ll have to spend more time with the Association and look for opportunities.

I came down from the rooftop and walked towards them. They all looked tired, but Erica seemed relatively better. She doesn’t seem to have many injuries either.

When our eyes met, I held out the water bottle. It was nice and small, easy to carry.

“Want to drink?”

“…”

Suspicious eyes looked back at me. Her hand, drenched in blood, reached for the water bottle I held out.

And the moment her finger touched it.

I dropped the bottle and immediately sliced it with my knife. Water droplets scattered in the air, reflecting sunlight and creating a small rainbow.

“If you want to drink.”

The droplets turned red.

“Try taking it yourself.”

I unfurled my wings and raised my knife in the air. The space distorted and air currents flowed into the knife.

Erica frowned. The bite marks on her shoulder flashed golden.

Let’s provoke her a bit more. I want to push her to her limits.

I kicked off the ground and charged at her. Her white sword was raised and met my knife. A blood-colored ring spread out and encompassed the area. The ground shattered and air currents shook.

I saw her distorted eyes.

“Those eyes are pretty too!”

“…Ugh!”

I reached out to Erica as she was pushed back. Blood droplets spread widely, drawing in magical power. They compressed small and then exploded in an instant, shattering space. Space distorted and lightning shook.

Giant swords burst from the ground, surrounding Erica. The explosion shattered and broke the swords. I glided through the air, avoiding the blades piercing up from the ground. My wings were torn by sword strikes.

Feeling a shallow pain, I smiled slightly. I charged straight into the swords, throwing my body in. As sword blades filled the space and my eyes met Erica’s, she swung her arm.

I saw a flashing spear.

I didn’t dodge.

My abdomen was pierced and pain arrived. With a surge, blood sprayed into the air. After enjoying the pain for a moment, I pulled out the spear. I condensed the scattered blood into a ring shape. I held the spear and stretched my arm back. The blood-colored ring wrapped around the spear.

I reached out my hand. The red spear raced through the air. The earth split and red thorns sprouted along its path. A white shield covered Erica. The spear stuck into the center of the shield and exploded with a metallic sound.

I immediately charged forward and kicked away the cracked shield. Erica staggered and our eyes met. I swung a large red scythe and her chest was deeply slashed.

A shallow groan stimulated my ears. I kicked her abdomen and widened the distance. I flew high into the sky and drew up the blood around me. As it swirled and created a storm, it transformed into the mouth of a giant monster.

I charged straight at Erica. The monster thrust its head as if to devour the building behind her. Space shook and the earth trembled. The building was destroyed in an instant, spraying thick smoke.

“She shouldn’t get hurt.”

Following several more impact sounds, I hurriedly collapsed the monster. I glided with flapping wings.

I saw Erica slumped against a wall amidst the collapsed debris.

“Don’t die! Erica!”

Though she’ll heal quickly if I treat her.

“Then who will kill me! Wake up!”

I kept shouting as I approached her. I shattered my wings and landed on the ground.

“Sob… Don’t die…”

“You, you crazy bastard…”

“E-Erica!”

I urgently grabbed her shoulders and lifted her face.

“You’re alive.”

“You crazy bitch…”

Her face, stained with blood, was revealed. I wiped her face with my long sleeve and stroked her forehead.

“Don’t touch me, you bitch…”

“No need to be shy.”

Her eyes, filled with fatigue and despair, were revealed. They were pure white. Like a snowy field of shaved ice.

Sometimes my eyes turn red, but when I see these consistently white eyes, I suddenly feel envious.

I reached out my hand and transferred energy to her. As purple energy seeped into her body, she kept coughing.

I also sat down on the ground and exhaled for a moment.

“Good work. Today’s training ends here.”

“What…? Training…?”

Erica let out a hollow laugh. Her slightly cracked voice is pitiful.

“In other words, it’s suppressing a terrorist attack where your colleagues are taken hostage!”

Silence fell. Erica tilted her head slightly to the side and muttered as if spitting out words.

“Water…”

“Want some?”

I took out a small water bottle. I shook it in front of her.

“Give it to me…”

I opened the bottle cap and brought it to her lips, then paused.

And splashed it on her face.

“Kyahaha! Serves you right! How does it feel to…”

As I was teasing her water-soaked face, my wrist was grabbed. Then her other hand snatched the water bottle.

A waterfall poured down.

“Eat this! You bitch!”

“Aagh! Sorry! Don’t splash! I can’t breathe!”