If it were a regular day, I might have thought of a joke like “It’s chilly—”, but today, there’s no time for that.
I didn’t let on about the cold sweat trickling down my spine.
I managed my expression as if nothing were wrong and spoke up.
“That’s a question I should ask first. Why did you want to kidnap Maya? She’s trying to live peacefully now, so why would you do this right now?”
Buying time like this can’t hurt me.
It wasn’t an unanswerable question.
You can tell by looking at the other person’s expression.
The representative of Tech Worm, the man, had a rather relaxed expression.
He must have been in this situation quite often; it seemed he had captured many hostages before, not just us.
Thinking about that made me somewhat understand the existence of the “Octopus Monster” behind him.
People who usually relax tend to leave openings.
Opportunities definitely arise.
I waited for that moment.
I slowly gathered my mana so as not to be detected.
—
The man in the wheelchair let out a short grunt.
“Hmm…”
He looked like he was thinking, but in reality, he seemed to be enjoying the leisure.
It’s common for cheap thought criminals to get lost in their own mood.
My prediction turned out to be correct.
The man pressed a button on the armrest firmly.
Then, with an old driving sound, the wheelchair slowly started to move forward.
“Sure, I can tell you this much. It aligns with our objective.”
The man stopped in front of a gigantic monitor.
I checked whether the signal was connected.
Pressing the button on the wheelchair again, a bright light emitted from the previously dark monitor.
“We are ‘Tech Worm’, a group aiming for Trans Humanism. A place seeking the mercy of machines.”
Like ordinary terrorists, the leader seemed to be mentally ill, I thought to myself.
A symbol indicating “Tech Worm” appeared on the monitor. The man’s gaze moved to the screen.
I wanted to shoot a spell at the back of his head, but I held back because I didn’t know how the octopus monster would react.
“Why did you try to kidnap that girl?”
As if knowing my thoughts, the man turned his wheelchair to look at me again.
“It’s because of the message.”
“…Message?”
The man shouted loudly at my mumble.
“Yes, the message!”
If I could move my body, I would have nodded and snapped my fingers in response.
The man pressed the button on the armrest again.
Then the content on the screen changed.
“This is experimental data obtained from a now-defunct company.”
Inside the screen was Maya.
Specifically, “Past Maya.”
The blade on the operating table surged towards Maya.
This time, I couldn’t manage my expression. The metallic taste tinged my tongue. I guess I need to get my dental implant checked again.
If my reaction made him happy,
the man showed a crooked smile.
The scenes on the gigantic monitor kept switching. And every single scene was filled with blood and madness.
“People should all modify their bodies. It’s not strange; it’s a natural overcoming of the flow of the times. We’re simply trying to help them cross that line.”
Finally, the screen paused.
The last place reflected in the monitor was somewhere I remembered.
The building of the company that kidnapped Maya.
The place I had seen in my dreams on a rainy day, where blood pooled around my ankles.
Maya’s revenge day.
[…Ha, ha ha ha!!]
Maya, bursting into a maniacal laugh, appeared on the screen. Even at that time, I thought that smile was tinged with sadness.
“So that’s the message. That girl can help us with our goals. And I’m curious about what would happen if the girl returned to her machine body when she’s back to normal.”
“…”
“Now, is my answer sufficient?”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I was fully charged with mana, anyway.
I decided to take out the octopus head first.
Then it happened.
– Thud.
A certain ‘ominous sound’ echoed.
It came from right behind me.
I couldn’t be sure what was happening directly behind me, but seeing the man’s widened eyes, I could guess something was wrong.
“■■─.”
A bubbling sound was heard.
Fortunately, it didn’t sound like Maya’s voice. I guessed it was the octopus monster.
I had no choice but to turn around.
The man had told me not to move at all, but he didn’t stop me from turning around this time.
“…Ah.”
Blood dripped from the corners of Maya’s mouth.
As Maya smiled, her shark-like sharp teeth showed.
The octopus monster that had been holding Maya lay collapsed on the ground. Upon closer inspection, I saw more than half of the octopus monster’s neck was missing.
Transparent fluid and red veins sprayed everywhere.
And.
Maya was atop it.
I understood the sound I had heard earlier. One of Maya’s arms was bent the opposite way.
In other words,
‘Maya’ had disregarded her captured arm and gone around to bite into the back of the octopus monster’s neck.
I summarized the situation like that.
“…What, what the hell? She’s just a normal girl right now─.”
I didn’t want to hear the man’s voice anymore. I had only tolerated it when hostages were involved, but I had no reason to listen now.
I released the mana I had gathered.
The man flew towards the wall in his wheelchair.
The speed was so fast that a red mark was left on the wall.
It was a bit more power than I’d intended, but checking Maya’s condition took priority.
Maya slowly rose to her feet.
She seemed not to feel pain from her broken arm and moved without hesitation.
Maya walked towards me, gently stepping on the convulsing head of the octopus monster.
With each step, red footprints settled into the floor.
“I should have just went along with being captured from the start.”
“……”
“What are you staring at? Oh, it’s my arm?”
“……”
“It kind of hurts a ‘little’, but compared to before, it’s not that bad. It’s fine. I can just ask Dr. Terra to fix it later.”
“……”
I answered Maya with silence.
Even at this moment, my mind was spinning with various possibilities.
But Maya’s words broke my thoughts.
“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
“……Uh.”
“Hehe, it’s alright. You don’t need to worry. Just a moment─.”
Maya’s gaze turned to the monitor.
At the same time, her eyes narrowed.
“…Just some bad memories came up, and it irritated me.”
Maya took another step toward me.
I almost flinched without realizing it, but that action could hurt Maya’s feelings.
I absolutely didn’t show it.
“So don’t worry!”
Still, it was a bit scary hearing her talk while blood marked her lips.
“Actually, I’m clearer-headed than usual. So I seem to have gained a bit more confidence… Ah! It could be because of you─ no, Siwoon!”
Regardless of how abnormal she seemed,
the Chrome Psycho was a mental illness after all.
I guessed it was due to its effects.
Seeing Maya like this and her broken arm made me feel even more guilty.
I should have just forced her back.
My weak nature had brought this upon me.
“……Uh.”
But no matter how hard I tried to hide it, it seemed to show, as Maya scratched her head with her healthy hand.
“I’m really fine, you seem to not believe me. Honestly, I feel a bit different from usual, so I understand.”
Before I knew it,
Maya had gotten close to my face.
“But I feel a little weird.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Maya lunged at me.
Overwhelmed by her momentum, I naturally grabbed onto Maya as we fell backward.
[Prepare!]
Eve, who had been watching the whole scene, seemed poised to say something, but her words were cut off.
“──.”
I felt both sharpness and smoothness simultaneously.
The former belonged to Maya’s teeth,
the latter to her tongue curled like a snake.
At this point, I thought it might be the ‘mucous membrane friction’ that Catherine and Andrea had mentioned, as the intensity was extremely powerful.
In a nutshell, I felt like I had become a herbivore caught by a carnivore.
But wait a minute.
Hold on.
I was starting to struggle for breath─.
Just as I was about to slap Maya on the shoulder to regain my composure, she slowly pulled away from my face.
“Haah-.”
She beamed a bright smile.
“Is this alright? We’re perfectly fine adults, Eve can kiss your lips, Julia can do your cheeks. So I’ll take care of your mouth.”
Could it be the blood?
A rich metallic taste lingered around my lips.
But for some reason, I didn’t feel like spitting it out.
…I was relieved that the Chrome Psycho hadn’t relapsed, but it was clear there was some effect on my mind.
“Ah, that felt a bit lacking. Can I do it again?”
But isn’t this better than swinging blades?
I thought while looking at Maya’s bright smile.
—
A while later.
Maya returned to her usual self.
“…I’m really sorry!”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“No, really… What did I just do….”
Like someone with a split personality, Maya’s face turned beet red, and she couldn’t lift her head.
I felt like I had just been hit by a truck with no brakes, but I’m glad she seems fine.
I let out a sigh of relief as I thought.
At that moment, Maya leaned her face towards me.
“But these feelings aren’t fake.”
“What do you─.”
“Shh.”
Maya placed her finger over her mouth.
“I’m not just a kid, you know.”
Sharp teeth came into view.
Like sticking her tongue out as if teasing me, Maya offered a faint smile.
Fortunately, there was no sad or dark vibe to that smile.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.