Reiji Kurozuma slowly opened his eyes and saw another pair of tiny brown eyes staring back at him. His heart rate spiked but he couldn't move. He wasn't restrained, his muscles were too exhausted.
He calmed down in an instant, realizing it was the kid again, probably standing on a chair, looking down at him.
Reiji's gaze was empty as his brain tried to process everything around him as his heart was still hammering.
He struggled to take in the situation. It had been seven years since he'd slept in a proper bed. The death of his parents and the departure of his brother at seventeen had led to his homelessness. Ever since, he'd slept on whatever he could find—but nothing was ever softer or warmer than the ground or wood.
He was in a small room. Viewed from above, there was a bed big enough for an adult in the top-left corner and a table in the bottom-right. On the table sat an unlit candle, since sunlight streamed through the nearby window. A piece of clothing lay on the tabletop. In the top-right corner stood a bookshelf filled with books. The walls and ceiling were made of dark wood, showing signs of wear and damage.
Still looking from above, there was a doorway next to the bookshelf, covered by a noren for privacy. The doorway was set into the right wall. The whole room gave off a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. Reiji only knew that he was tucked into a bed that was in the top left corner.
How long was I out?
He then realized he was half-naked. The only things covering him were his underwear and a blanket. Both the bed and blanket were warm and comfortable—unlike the cold, hard ground he was used to sleeping on in his tent. The bed was so soft it was hard to move. All he wanted was to sink deeper into the mattress.
Deciding he wanted a better look at the kid, he turned his neck to the left and got a full view of him. The action was nearly impossible. Every muscle fiber in his body was strained from the short battle earlier. No, strained is an understatement. Completely destroyed would be better phrasing for the situation.
Reiji finally got a good look at the boy. Such a simple action had taken far too much effort. The boy was very clean. He had short black hair, soft brown eyes, and a warm smile. His eyes betrayed no worry. As if he knew everything would be fine. He had a cute little nose and ears that fit his head perfectly.
Reiji shifted his focus away from the boy's face. Trying to make sense of everything. He didn't turn his head—he was simply too weak to do even that. He felt a small hand begin to run through his brown, fluffy hair, almost petting him.
"There, there, mister. It's okay."
The kid had a cheerful look in his eyes as he tried to comfort Reiji. He picked up on his startled reaction when he woke up. He did see a pair of eyes as the first thing when he woke up after all.
Reiji's expression, on the other hand, was deadpan. He had no need in his heart to seek comfort or care from others, so this was new and unexpected. He laid there, his brain frozen, before the gears slowly began to turn again.
After the confusion that clouded his mind finally vanished he responded.
"What are you doing, kid?"
Reiji's voice betrayed that he was irritated and confused all at once.
The kid didn't respond. He just kept petting Reiji's head, then gently turned it back to face the ceiling. Reiji let it happen. What else could he do?
I can't be bothered to move. It's annoying, but not enough to force a reaction. Not that I even have the strength to do so—and even if I did, I wouldn't have enough to actually stop him.
For a while, the only sound in the room was the boy's hand running through Reiji's hair. Reiji actually started to like it a little. He sighed and finally spoke.
"How long was I out?"
"It's been a few hours since sunrise."
A freak like that could put me in this state? Pathetic…At least I got some sleep.
Reiji joked in his mind. He probably hadn't gotten this much sleep in months—and not sleep this comfortable in years.
"What's your name? I don't want to keep calling you 'kid' or 'boy' all the time."
"I'm Haruto Hishino!"
"Reiji Kurozuma."
The name exchange was followed by a long pause. No one said anything. Again, the only sound was Haruto's hand running through Reiji's hair. Then, without warning, Reiji spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Can you stop petting me? I'm fine without it."
"No."
Haruto answered immediately with a sweet tone. It wasn't mocking or teasing. The boy just genuinely wanted to run his hand through Reiji's hair.
Reiji couldn't tell what was going through Haruto's head when he said no. He stared at the damaged ceiling for a moment before finally having enough and got straight to the point.
"Okay, stop messing with me and tell me what happened."
"When you faceplanted into the snow like a dummy, I ran into the house we're in now and told my parents. My dad dragged you inside, stripped you, and tucked you into bed. He said you should be fine with some rest. Also, that cut on your cheek is probably going to leave a permanent scar."
Haruto pointed to Reiji's left cheek, specifically the four-centimeter-long diagonal cut left by one of the monster's claws.
The cut was already disinfected and patched up with cloth and a special sticky material made to hold onto skin without causing any damage.
"Wait, where's my katana? And I hope your parents didn't throw away my kimono, because I'll be really mad if that's the case."
Reiji's voice echoed concern, as if he remembered something very important that he forgot about.
A look of realization crossed the boy's face. He quickly jumped off the chair and ran to the table. He grabbed something off of it and returned to the chair, climbing back up and showing Reiji what he'd retrieved.
Reiji had no idea what was happening. He stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds in the room. Then he saw a bloodstained kimono enter his line of sight, held out by Haruto.
Reiji took in the crimson spots on his kimono. The color was so intense it almost hurt to look at, like ultramarine blue but crimson.
"What's with the red?"
"It's the creature's blood! We washed it over and over, but it left a stain. Sorry."
Reiji looked at it for a while. It actually looked pretty good—the beautiful crimson color of the monster's blood. He thought about how it would look if he wore a red kimono.
All the while Haturo held it out with a determined face that was almost silly looking.
"Hm. A blood-red kimono doesn't sound too bad. I'll need to give it more thought later. You can put it back for now."
Instead, Haruto placed it on Reiji's chest. Reiji's mind went blank again.
This kid is such a weirdo. Maybe he just does what he wants? He doesn't look like a troublemaker. Whatever.
"Teiji Ruzuna?"
Reiji deadpanned again, his mind returning to its blank state once more.
"That's not my name, Haruto. It's Reiji Kurozuma."
"I'm sorry, Reby Nubosuna."
Is this kid stupid? No, no way. He has to be making fun of me!
A man walked in through the noren covering the doorway into the room, making Haruto and Reiji go silent. Reiji couldn't see who it was. The only thing in his sight was the slightly damaged ceiling made out of dark wood.
"Oh, you're awake. I came in because I heard your conversation. I was trying to sleep a bit more, but I guess it's alright."
The man sounded young—probably in his thirties. "Who are you?" Reiji asked.
"I'm Haruto's father. But more importantly, I got a good look at the thing you killed. It's either a demon or a mutant. Either way, you were lucky it was starved and weak. If it was a demon, it was one of the weakest kinds you could run into."
Reiji struggled to process the information. He forcefully turned his head to the left and looked at the man in shock.
"A demon? I killed a demon?!"