Chapter 5
Welcome to the Human Fan Club
(Part 1)
Several months had passed since I started traveling with Hal.
I was so busy with this unfamiliar life that time flew by in the blink of an eye. But compared to my previous painful existence, it was incredibly fulfilling.
After that incident, we gathered food and other supplies, made tools like a staff from wood, and slowly made our way down the mountain.
Even though I had boldly declared that I would handle things, in the beginning, I was almost embarrassingly useless.
Animals aren’t that easy to find. I spotted a deer and tried to attack it, but it kicked me with its hind leg and sent me flying pathetically. They’re stronger than I thought…
That day’s haul was just one wild rabbit.
And it wasn’t even one I caught myself; it was a rabbit that was already dead. It had a large cut on its belly, so it had probably been attacked by a predator, managed to escape, but then succumbed to its injuries.
Honestly, finding it before another animal ate it was lucky, but that kind of thing doesn’t happen often. I needed to get my act together…
Meanwhile, Hal returned with some suitable wood and a bunch of small apples.
It seemed he’d found a tree that happened to be heavily laden with fruit. Can things really be that convenient?… And Hal, who managed to find it, must be incredibly lucky.
Hal skillfully butchered the wild rabbit I brought back, sautéed it with the apples, and lightly seasoned it with salt he had to make a stir-fry.
He apologized, saying it was all he could make, but to me, it was a feast that made me drool. Even though the weather was nice, it was still cold, so the warm food felt wonderful.
The apples didn’t seem very sweet and went well with the meat and salt. I offered about half of it to Hal, but…
“Actually, I couldn’t carry all the apples, so I ate as many as I could on the spot. I don’t think I can eat dinner today. Please eat all of that, Ruki.”
He said.
This made me feel more pathetic and miserable than anything else.
After that, things didn’t go smoothly right away, but I gradually started getting results.
Rabbits seem to have a somewhat fixed range of activity. Once I understood that, I made simple guiding paths with fences and set traps, which significantly increased the capture success rate.
Traps were far more effective than trying to catch them directly.
Using the parts around the apple core as bait for the traps, we managed to catch a deer for the first time, and we returned home overjoyed.
The jerky we made from the meat at that time was very useful when we descended the mountain. Hal’s supplies were running low, so it was really helpful.
The weather remained good, and by the time we fully descended the mountain, the snow had completely melted, and an early spring had arrived. I truly felt as if Hal had brought spring with him.
Although it was a new life with some lingering anxiety, it went smoothly, partly because Hal was so reliable.
―――――――――
After coming down the mountain, we’ve been traveling, searching for a safe place to settle down.
We use the little paper money in Hal’s belongings for shopping, and when we need to cross roads safely or enter towns, Hal casts a spell on me.
Apparently, it’s a rare spell called ‘Suppress Magic Power’ that not many can use. It lowers physical abilities but also makes it nearly impossible for humans to detect that I’m a demon. There are all sorts of spells out there; there’s so much I don’t know about the world.
Leaving me aside, since Hal is human, I thought we would part ways once we reached a human town, but…
“I don’t know how to live on my own. Please help me.”
He said, so we ended up staying together.
As I spent more time with Hal, I realized three things.
First, I’m the type who feels happy being relied upon. Of course, I want nothing to do with people like those guards, but a cooperative relationship like the one with Hal felt comfortable.
Second, Hal is very skilled and an amazing person, but he seems to have trouble thinking of things and taking action on his own.
For example, if you tell him, ‘Buy whatever you like’ while shopping, he doesn’t know what to get and can’t do it. But if you say, ‘Buy some carrots and potatoes,’ he can do it.
I think his statement, “I don’t know how to live on my own,” stems from this.
The third thing is that Hal doesn’t seem to have interest or curiosity in much of anything.
No matter what happens, he remains calm and matter-of-fact. I’ve never heard him express a desire like “I want to do this.”
While traveling, even if I’m impressed by the scenery, Hal just looks at it expressionlessly. When I asked him, since it was a bit scary, to try smiling a little more, he started smiling a bit, but it probably isn’t genuine…
Hal said he doesn’t know how to live alone. But I couldn’t see a future where I could stay with Hal forever.
Someone like me, who has killed people, shouldn’t keep staying with such a good person. Besides, I’m a weak demon, so I’ll die before he does.
So, I made it my secondary goal to help Hal find someone important… someone who would allow him to live even if I weren’t around, and we’ve been walking around together, interacting with various people.
Then one day, in a town called ‘Willsville,’ we met a strange pair.
“Eh… a demon…”
I muttered under my breath in surprise, looking at a man and woman who were passing by nonchalantly.
It was a whisper, so I don’t think the surrounding humans heard, but as if sensing something, one of the pair turned around.
It was a female demon with long black hair, wearing a cute dress-like outfit.
She said something to the man in a white coat next to her, then hurried over to us at a trot. As I was flustered by this sudden turn of events, she spoke up.
“Heeey, you’re a demon like me, right?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s right…”
“I was wondering how you got into this town, but you’ve got some weird magic on you, like Dia. Do you have business here? Causing trouble is strictly forbidden, you know~”
“N-No! I absolutely won’t do anything dangerous. So please don’t tell the humans!”
I frantically shook my head. I truly had no intention of causing trouble in this town.
There were many things I wanted to ask, like why this demon was with a human, but causing a scene would be very problematic. Just as I was wondering if I should make a quick escape, the demon in front of me couldn’t hold back her laughter and snorted.
“Ahaha, just kidding! You two seem like you have a story, and it looks interesting. I’d like to talk properly. Can you come to this same spot tomorrow at this time?”
“Ah, yeah…”
I was surprised by the sudden invitation, but it was just what I wanted. We were also curious about this pair.
A human and a demon walking together so amiably… It was far removed from the common sense I had lived by, and I wanted to talk to them.
Maybe it could serve as a reference for Hal finding someone he cares about. I thought he might even take a liking to a demon who is friendly towards humans. This was rather welcome.
The demon we met in town seemed to be named Baldoro.
When she first guided us to her favorite cafe, I panicked. Because we didn’t have much money.
When I told her that, she looked exasperated, but the cafe seemed to have a ‘one order per person’ policy, so she ended up treating us that day. I ordered the cheapest drink on the menu and was told, “You can pay me back later.”
Not yet fully understanding human society, I had inadvertently incurred a debt to her, which was kind of embarrassing. If I keep living like this, I’ll probably get scammed someday…
Although I was cautious at first, she was both a good listener and a good talker, and before I knew it, I was so engrossed in the conversation that I forgot about the drink in front of me.
She skillfully picked up on things I was curious about, expanded the conversation, and I was able to learn about various things.
I was able to ask all sorts of things about human society: what demons represent to the humans in this town, how to earn money, the existence of libraries where learning materials are somewhat available, and so on.
She boasted a lot about herself and the human she likes, a person named Citrus. I also talked about my life up to this point, excluding the facility, and about the purpose of our journey.
After listening, Baldoro looked at Hal and hummed thoughtfully, but without saying anything specific, she turned her gaze back to me and continued talking.
And I also learned about the ‘Demon World’ (Makai), a world different from this human-inhabited world we are in now… the ‘Human World’ (Ningenkai).
Humans don’t even know how to get there, and any humans living in the Demon World were all apparently abducted.
Almost all demons are born and live there, and unless they are particularly curious, they don’t get involved much with human society.
Huh? Then why was I kidnapped by those guards? I voiced my question, saying that I’ve lived in the human world since before I can remember, since early childhood. Baldoro’s face twisted as if she found it difficult to say.
“The Demon World isn’t a very good place for weak demons. To put it simply, I was discarded by the folks in the Demon World. They said they didn’t need weak demons. When I came here, I was in a terrible, terrible state. It’s hard to say, but Ruki, I guess you might be in a similar situation…”
“I see…”
So even there, my weakness held me back.
I unconsciously clenched my fists tightly, and they trembled slightly. Hal gently placed his hand over mine. Startled, I looked at Hal, who was silently gazing intently at me.
“Sorry, I’m okay.”
Saying that, I opened my palm, and Hal removed his hand.
Well, there’s no end to dwelling on the past. I should have overcome the biggest hardship of my life. I need to think about the future.
“Ah, that’s right! If you’re interested in the Demon World, why not join the ‘Human Fan Club’? Crossing worlds requires a huge amount of magic power, so lower-ranking demons like me usually can’t do it, but if you have strong comrades with the same aspirations, they can open the gate for you. I think you, Ruki, meet the participation conditions.”
Saying that, Baldoro looked at us.
Apparently, there’s a community where demons who have interest or affection for humans gather. It seems it started as a small, niche community with just a few people, but now it’s grown so large that they hold exchange parties every month.
And it just so happens that one of these exchange parties is scheduled in a few days.
Honestly, I’m very interested.
If asked whether I like humans, my feelings of dislike are stronger, but I’ve come to understand that there are good humans too, like Hal and the Citrus person she mentioned. If they are humans that demons are drawn to, they must be kind and charming, and I’d like to talk to more different demons.
But what about Hal? To Hal, demons might be very frightening beings. If that’s the case, I’d feel hesitant about taking him to a place where demons gather.
We don’t have a fixed residence, and depending on how long we stay, we might get separated. If he said he wanted to part ways, I was prepared to accept it, but Hal seemed to naturally intend to come along. Will it be okay?
“Well, in the Fan Club, it’s totally OK to bring humans along, so no problem. I can’t bring Citrus-kun, but there are plenty of demons who bring their humans, so you won’t stand out strangely. But be careful, as some demons can be harsh towards humans they aren’t close to. Well, those types get kicked out for bad manners, so nothing major usually happens, but don’t let yours get taken~”
“I have no intention of leaving Ruki’s side, so it’s not a problem.”
“Hey, Hal…”
I was surprised that Hal, who rarely talks to others, chimed in so unusually. Baldoro grinned, apparently finding something amusing.
W-well, I was the one who said I wanted to go. I shouldn’t worry too much about the details.
After that, she told us the date and location of the next party.
Checking the location on the map she showed us, it was in a rocky, uninhabited mountain area.
Apparently, it’s precisely because it’s a place where no one comes that it’s good. They create entrances in several such deserted places, and at the appointed time, they open a passage to the venue.
She said a very strong demon recently joined the club, and the number of these entrances has increased. She said she’d introduce us later.
