"....."
"Brother? What are you thinking about?"
"...No... Nothing..."
Gyutaro was thinking about the man named Escanor who had been there just a moment ago.
The man who had saved Ume when she was in danger of dying, the strange fellow who hadn’t even flinched at the sight of him, the irritating man who was handsome enough to make another man jealous.
That was the image Gyutaro had formed of Escanor.
And yet Gyutaro still had not let go of his suspicion. He might have saved Ume, but there was a good chance he had approached her because of her face.
"Ah~ When is Escanor coming back~?"
"...Ume... Do you... like that guy?"
"Huh?"
Gyutaro was surprised by Ume’s behavior. She was a prickly girl who rarely took interest in any man other than him. For her to be chatting so happily and sincerely with another man for the first time was deeply unfamiliar.
"....What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said... This is the first time you’ve acted like that around a man..."
At Gyutaro’s words, Ume fell into thought for a moment. Then her face colored faintly, and she smiled at him.
"Well, I don’t hate him!"
"....I see...."
Gyutaro was certain. Ume, this child really did like that man.
'I don’t like this....'
Gyutaro’s mood was far from good.
"Oh. It’s snow."
At Ume’s words, Gyutaro looked up at the sky.
Pure white snowflakes were falling one by one. The two of them had no good memories associated with snow. Bad memories, on the other hand, were far too many to count.
"Tch... Annoying..."
Gyutaro clicked his tongue and hurried his steps, urging them home.
"Kyaaaah!!"
!!
At the shrill screams of girls from behind them, Gyutaro glanced back without thinking.
"..!! Ume..."
"Huh? What now...."
When Gyutaro called her name, Ume turned her gaze behind them, and there they saw a man devouring women left and right.
"Oh my? Little kids~ And one of them is incredibly pretty~!"
He had blond hair with red underlayers that looked as if it had been soaked in blood, and strange writing in his eyes. He was a disgusting man.
"Brother...."
Ume clung tightly to Gyutaro with a frightened expression. Gyutaro had never seen anyone eat people before either, so he was extremely tense as he watched the stranger.
"Eh~? Why are you being so wary? I’m not really a bad person, you know?"
"....."
Without even listening to the man, Gyutaro adjusted the sickle he always carried.
He held the sickle in one hand and lowered his body, keeping his posture tight and ready. He did not let his guard down for an instant, prepared to rush in and drive that lump of metal straight into the man’s forehead at any moment.
"Hee~ You seem to have quite a bit of combat experience? Ah! I’ve got a good idea."
Soon the man dropped the woman’s head he had been holding in one hand onto the ground. Then he spoke to Gyutaro.
"You two. Would you like to become oni?"
"...Huh?"
Gyutaro was momentarily taken aback by the man’s words.
Oni? What was that? Gyutaro frowned, and the man smiled as he continued.
"I’m a kind one, so I can’t just leave you alone~. I’ll give you both my blood. If you’re chosen by "that person," you’ll be able to become oni."
Every time the man spoke, chills ran down Gyutaro’s spine. What in the world were oni, anyway, for him to be acting like this?
"You’ll understand if you see for yourself. You two have had a hard life so far, haven’t you? If you become oni, you won’t have to worry about that anymore. In fact, it’ll make your lives shine even brighter."
When the man finished speaking, Gyutaro moved Ume, who had been clutched tightly in one hand, behind him.
"Ume... Run at full speed!"
Tap!
At Gyutaro’s shout, Ume darted away toward the back. The man still wore that creepy smile as he looked at Gyutaro.
"Eh~ Why are you running away? If you become oni, it’ll be easier..."
"Ha! Don’t make me laugh... We can live just fine without the help of some creep like you..."
Gyutaro then charged at the man.
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