Kumo desu ga, Nani ka? Oni 15

Nai wa! Kumo is back!

See my earlier announcement if you haven’t already. Currently, there is one more raw chapter to translate, which I’ll start tomorrow.

Oni 15 – Non-human

Author’s comment:

Summary up to the previous chapter –

Vampire – Ate what was offered to her ?
Oni – What are you doing? Are you an idiot who wants to die? ?
Spider – Nothing to do with me ?

We glare at each other. The anger simmering in my chest boils up, and I somehow manage to contain it in desperation. If my anger explodes here, then it’s obvious that I will lose control of myself to Wrath again. That’s why, even while glaring at Sophia-san, I fully utilised my powers of reason and attempted to suppress the anger burning within me.

To me, what Sophia-san has done is not something that I can forgive. Charm magic, brainwashing and forced slavery. Those are the ones I detest the most. Then after calmly doing all that, Sophia-san used the excuse “because I’m a vampire” and became defiant – I will never be able to forgive that.

Coincident with that, in the back of my mind I realise that the point of the conversation has shifted. To begin with, this all started from when Sophia-san turned the demon called Waldo-san into a vampire. Furthermore, before that he was related to the charm magic that Sophia-san had spread everywhere, but let’s not go there. In that case, what’s important right now, is what Waldo-san thinks about having become a vampire I guess.

「Waldo-san.」
「Y, yes?」

When I call out to him, Waldo-san responds in a shrill voice. From his point of view both Sophia-san and I are pretty much monsters. With the likes of us two glaring at each other in this closed space, it certainly would have become a very uneasy place to be in. It’s not surprising that he couldn’t conceal the tension in his voice.

「Waldo-san, what do you think about having become a vampire?」

To my inquiry, Waldo-san ponders for a moment.

「I think of it as an honour.」

In that moment, he was probably thinking what the best answer could be. So that he could convey in a short phrase that he himself wanted to become a vampire, and had decided that even after hearing about the charm magic. In that case, there’s nothing more for me to say regarding Waldo-san. However, the other matter is different.

「Waldo-san is saying that. That he himself wished for it, so because of that I have no intention to say anything more. However, Felmina-san deserves an apology. Her life has been ruined because of Sophia-san. No matter how you look at it, that’s your fault. Regardless of stuff about vampires etc.」

Without averting my eyes from Sophia-san, I declare that. In this brief period I’ve fully grasped just how big Sophia-san’s obsession about being a vampire is. However, that and this are different matters. Whether you’re a vampire or whatever, there’s no way that absolves the guilt of having ruined someone’s life. On top of that, because she’s completely forgotten about it, it cannot be settled.

Sophia-san doesn’t move while glaring at me. However, her eyes are swimming a bit. I guess even she senses that she’s at a disadvantage. Her attitude is like that of a scolded child desperately looking for a way to escape.

Suddenly, something feels out of place. Sophia-san and I are both reincarnators. Combining this and our previous existence it adds up to quite a lot of age. Yet despite that, going by how she behaves her mind seems quite childish. I wonder what that is about?

「Sophia.」

My pondering is interrupted by Shiro-san’s voice. It’s a quiet voice, but has a strength of presence that cannot be ignored. On hearing that voice, Sophia-san gains a small gleam in her eyes. Is she expecting assistance perhaps?

「Apologise to Felmina-chan.」

However, the words that Shiro-san speaks, are not what Sophia-san was expecting. For an instant Sophia-san has a vacant expression of surprise on her face, and after that her face turns red in a flash. She throws a glare at Felmina-san and,

「Don’t get cocky because you were called with -chan!」

Saying that she runs off. For your sharp parting remark, that’s what you went with? It seems it’s not just me who is dumbfounded, as there’s a strange and unspeakable atmosphere pervading the room.

With that atmosphere, the first one to move was Waldo-san. Imploring the faces of the other three people, his glancing eyes turn towards the door that Sophia-san left through. Seeing Waldo-san like that, Felmina-san makes an imploring expression at Shiro-san. In response to that, Shiro-san silently nods her assent. Having received that, Felmina-san accompanies Waldo-san and leaves.

Remaining are just me and Shiro-san. I look at Shiro-san’s face. It’s as expressionless as ever. However, she seems somewhat displeased.

「Do you have some spare time?」

I call out to Shiro-san to forestall her as she appears about to get up. I originally came here because I had some business with Shiro-san. I just got dragged into Sophia-san’s mess. As for when I questioned her and the others, properly speaking I had no right to pry into that as an outsider.

「Why is Sophia-san like that?」

Yet despite that, that’s the question that I raise. Even though I have important matters that I must discuss. Because we’ve had a death battle in the past, perhaps I’ve developed some strange sentiment?

To my query, Shiro-san doesn’t reply for a while. I got used to it during the question and answer session in the other dimension, but a conversation with Shiro-san requires patience. Since she’s not standing up, I think she intends to reply. I think that if she didn’t intend to reply then she probably would have left without saying anything.

「Because she’s not human.」

The reply she gave after a lengthy pause, was a bit too plain for me to be able to understand. Because she’s not human, well, saying that, I’m not human either. However, even though we’re both non-human, I still don’t understand Sophia-san.

「A human cannot understand a spider’s feelings. A spider cannot understand a frog’s feelings.」

It seems my doubt showed on my face. At Shiro-san’s words, I understand somewhat. Even if we’re both non-humans, I am an oni while Sophia-san is a vampire. Though human-shaped non-humans may be grouped together, there is still a clear difference. Because of that, misunderstandings will occur, is what Shiro-san is probably saying.

Certainly, I don’t know anything about vampires. Neither the reason why Sophia-san obsesses about being a vampire, or how they live. Though she is clearly at fault, she was still so opposed to apologising, so perhaps there is something that a vampire is unable to conceed. Though even if I think that, I still cannot forgive her after all.

Though saying that, blaming her one-sidedly might be barking up the wrong tree. Maybe I need to know a little about vampires.

When I gather my thoughts and raise my head, Shiro-san is eating something. If I’m not mistaken, then that appears to be the leg of a huge frog. Shiro-san is expressionlessly stuffing that into her mouth and eating it. Ah, it certainly seems that my understanding of non-humans is lacking. I have realised that just from seeing this scene. Furthermore, not being in the mood to ask any further questions, and having not confirmed anything about what I had originally wanted to ask, I ended up leaving in dejection.

Translation notes:

Sophia’s summary of “Ate what was offered to her” implies something other than food. It’s probably a reference to the phrase “据え膳食わぬは男の恥” which is normally translated as “It’s a poor sort of man who runs away when a woman offers herself to him”, except inverted.