Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

Blood 28 – Reunion

When goshujin-sama asked me to come visit someone with her, the location was at the mansion that goshujin-sama stays at. That part was fine. It’s not like this is the first time that goshujin-sama has ordered me to do something anyway, and it’s not been limited to one or two occasions when I’ve been asked to do something crazy.

However, I’d never have expected that at the destination of our visit, that the one waiting for us was my opponent from our death match just the other day. When I unthinkingly tried to activate my magic, I was kicked by goshujin-sama. My HP stopped just short of vanishing completely. It’s a relief that today at least it didn’t drop to zero. Perhaps she thought that it would be bad if the mansion was destroyed, as I was constrained by threads before I was kicked. The oni who saw this pulled away, but it’s troubling since this is normal for goshujin-sama.

Then goshujin-sama personally handed that oni a book and also a full set of dougi-like clothes that looked suitable for kendo, then quickly left somewhere. On leaving she also handed me a book, so I’m sure she telling me to read it, but what else am I supposed to be doing here?

For now, I glared at the oni. Those clothes are unmistakably handmade by goshujin-sama. I have received some in the past as well, but goshujin-sama seems to like making clothes, surprisingly. From the quality of the workmanship you might wonder if they were professionally made. Well, maybe it’s goshujin-sama’s tastes, but they’re mostly very simple and understated though. That the clothes handed to the oni, have good craftsmanship, are simple, and most of all cannot be appraised, all substantiate them being made by goshujin-sama. It’s the same for goshujin-sama herself, but the clothes made from threads that goshujin-sama created cannot be appraised either.

Well, never mind the clothes. The problem is, why did she make them as a present for the oni? For goshujin-sama to actually make a present, there’s been no exceptions apart from me, Merazofis and Ariel-san! Why does someone who’s just turned up from nowhere get a present!? I don’t really understand why, but I’m getting irritated.

「Even if you weren’t glaring so much, I still wouldn’t have any hostility towards you any more though.」

The oni spoke. I was glaring because of the present of clothes that goshujin-sama gave you though, but I’ll ignore that on this occasion.

「So you can speak then.」

When I was fighting him he didn’t even speak once, and not only that but it was unclear if he had the ability to speak in the first place. Seemingly insane, he did nothing but radiate the urge to kill. That’s why I never even considered that he could speak, but certainly the oni in front of me is completely different and has a calm attitude. His mood is so completely different that it almost makes you wonder if he’s really the same person.

「That’s because at that time I was under the influence of Wrath and had lost my sanity. Currently that influence of Wrath is almost gone, so I can act on my own will now.」

Wrath, that was, a skill the oni has, right? He lost his sanity due to its influence? In addition, based on those comments, then he couldn’t have been acting on his own will before?

「Wrath is one of the skills that I have, and when it’s activated my sanity is lost. In addition, there’s no guarantee that it’ll return. The compensation I paid for activating Wrath too much, was to completely lose my sanity, reducing me to an existence that would just indiscriminately kill everything that it notices. At some point along the way my consciousness returned for some reason, so I can still remember you though.」

Perhaps in response to the doubt expressed on my face, the oni gives me a proper explanation. Losing your sanity and running wild, huh. What a crazy skill.

「To actually use a skill like that, are you a fool?」

「I cannot deny it. However, I should explain that I was forced to use it though.」

「It seems implausible that a monster like you would fall into a situation where you had to rely on such a skill though.」

At my words, the oni smiled bitterly.

「Aren’t we both monsters I wonder?」

How rude! Is what I would like to say, but I can’t deny it though.

「Of course I wasn’t always this strong. At the start I was definitely weak, and after that it was nothing but near death experiences.」

「I see. You’re neither human or demon, right? Could it be, that you evolved from a monster?」

Goshujin-sama said she evolved from a spider monster into her current humanoid form, so maybe this oni was the same.

「Yeah. I was a goblin at the start.」

「Huh?」

A goblin? A goblin as in THE goblin? I didn’t really look at games or manga much, but even still I at least know about goblins. A weak green monster that’s as tall as a child, right?

「You’re kidding aren’t you?」

「It’s true. I was born a goblin. That’s what I meant by being weak.」

It seems he really was a goblin. In that case, having evolved from such a weak goblin, maybe this guy deserves some respect in certain ways.

「When I was weak, I had to depend upon the power of Wrath to be able to survive. If I hadn’t done that, then I would have died a long ago by now I’m sure. To die, or to be engulfed by Wrath, those were the only two choices that I had.」

How courageous. I think I’ve had quite a courageous life myself, but in terms of going through situations where you have to make extreme choices to have a chance to survive, I’ve had some myself. There was a time when it seemed like I could die any day at least.

「Instead of standing around talking, how about sitting down?」

At the oni’s prompting, I sit in the suggested chair.

「Since this is an opportunity where reincarnators have met, there’s lots of things I’d like to talk about.」

I unconsciously uttered “Eh?” in response.

「Eh?」

Silence.

「You’re Negishi Akiko-san, right?」

How does he… wait, it has to be goshujin-sama eh.

「I see, you were a reincarnator then.」

Now that I say it, it makes sense. Both why goshujin-sama went out of her way to make us meet, and also why she sent the clothes.

「Eh?」

「Eh?」

Silence. Why does he raise his voice in doubt at that? The oni has a strange expression, perhaps he’s stumped, or perhaps he’s embarrassed.

「Ahh, so that’s it. I guess so. Many months and years have passed already, so you don’t even remember your classmates’ faces huh.」

What’s he saying, wait a minute. Now that he says it, I get the feeling that I’ve seen him somewhere before. After I reincarnated I had a completely different face so I hadn’t thought about it, but goshujin-sama has her original face though. Then, this guy as well? Now that I look closely, though he has horns and the colour of his eyes is red, he has a Japanese looking face.

「I am Sasajima Kyouya. However, I use the name Wrath here. Please treat me favourably once more.」

Sorry. Even after hearing your name I still can’t really remember you.