NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 58
Chapter 58. Ao’s Boredom
“Onii-chan, I hope you come home soon~”
I’m bored.
Even though transferring schools let me make good friends and Onii-chan seems to be doing well, I’m feeling happy but… lately, there are days when I can’t even see him because he’s so busy with work.
Of course, it’s natural for him to prioritize his duties over me, but I can’t help feeling irritated.
I’m not jealous, of course—not with my vast and ocean-like heart.
“Haa~”
As I sigh, a few people glance my way, and the men do a double-take with dumbfounded expressions. Onii-chan always acts unfazed, but this is the usual reaction from guys. Maybe… Onii-chan might actually like men. I should investigate when he gets back.
Though that’s a bit scary… he wouldn’t do anything weird to a middle schooler, right? But what if his powers accidentally activated?
Oh, by the way, I’m swinging on a park swing right now.
Huh? Why, you ask?
Because staying at home only leaves me with playing games in Onii-chan’s room, and that’s boring.
I don’t know about others, but on my days off, I prefer spending time alone, doing whatever I feel like.
“Onii-chan, I hope you’re okay.”
Onii-chan never loses, but that doesn’t mean he never gets hurt.
…Ah, I can picture it.
His body badly injured, yet he’s forcing an awkward smile, doing his best to protect others.
Even though he says family is the most important thing, he still ends up helping anyone he sees.
That’s it!
If he gets seriously injured this time, I’ll make him take some time off.
Then I can play with Onii-chan lots—uh, I mean, help him recover his condition. I’m definitely not lonely or anything!
“Meow~”
“Huh? A kitty?”
As I was smirking and planning my strategy, a black cat suddenly appeared at my feet, rubbing against me affectionately.
“Wow! You’re so cute!”
It might not be the best idea to hold a stray cat, but I couldn’t resist and gently picked it up, stroking its throat.
Its golden eyes shone like the moon, mesmerizing me for a moment.
“Meow~”
“Hehe, does that feel good?”
If Onii-chan saw this, he might kill me out of jealousy.
He always looked like he wanted to pet animals so badly.
“Can I take you home with me?”
No one said we couldn’t have pets, so it should be fine, right?
“Meow!”
“Ah, wait!”
Suddenly, the black cat broke free from my arms and started running.
“That’s dangerous!”
I called out to stop it, but it showed no signs of slowing down.
Afraid it might get into an accident, I chased after it, ending up in a pitch-dark alley. How much stamina does this cat have?
“Got you! That was dangerous, you know!”
“Huff… huff…”
“What’s wrong?”
I finally caught it, but something seemed off.
Its ears were perked up, and it let out a menacing sound, staring intently into the depths of the alley.
“What are you looking at—”
Then I saw it: a crack in space, unnaturally tearing the air.
The well-known sign of a monster’s appearance.
The crack grew larger, and from it emerged a beast.
The monster had three heads.
Its body resembled a dog’s but was as large as a tank, far beyond any comparison.
Its massive fangs, larger than my arm, were both deadly and vicious.
The red gleam in its eyes radiated murderous intent so intense it could make a normal person faint.
“…”
But what I felt wasn’t fear or despair.
It was pure, unfiltered—sadness.
“Kitty… I’m sorry, but I can’t let you see this…”
I gently covered the cat’s eyes with my right hand.
Standing up, I took a step toward the monster.
“I’m sorry… You weren’t born to die like this.”
The monster stayed still, perhaps wary of me.
Step by step, I advanced until I was close enough to touch it. Then I stopped.
“Do you understand me? Can you understand my words? If you do, please… leave.”
“Graaaaah!”
My plea didn’t reach it.
One of its heads opened its mouth, lunging to kill me.
“…I’m sorry.”
And then—
The monster’s head disappeared.
“Gyyaaaaaa!”
Blood gushed from the wound, pouring over me like rain.
My clothes turned red, and my loose hair became wet and clung to me.
The remaining two heads screamed, shaking my eardrums. Their eyes now reflected not just murderous intent but also a hint of fear. Facing something they couldn’t comprehend must have been terrifying.
“I’ll make sure it’s quick and painless… Bon appétit.”
I hate this power of mine.
It devours and annihilates everything with ease, denying even the existence of others.
…
With the cat in my arms, I headed home.
I used my power to erase the blood from my clothes and hair, restoring them to normal.
“…Let’s go.”
“Meow~”
As if trying to comfort me, the cat licked my face.
“Hehe, you’re so sweet. Thank you.”
The alley where the monster appeared was left a horrific scene, blood and flesh splattered everywhere, walls stained red, and the ground forming a small sea of blood.
◇
“I’m home~”
Finally back home, I greeted the empty house with a tired voice.
“Welcome home.”
“Huh?”
Startled by the unexpected reply, I rushed to the living room.
“Fufu, I’m back.”
“Help meee!”
There sat Mom, sipping coffee on the sofa with a smile, while Dad lay tied up on the floor, being stepped on by her.