Rei and I arrived at the Takagi mansion on foot.
It was the day after the horrible night when Saya's father was possessed by a parasite and almost killed his family.
There are many more guards patrolling the mansion's surroundings now. More than twice as many as before. They are all armed with rifles and pistols. Their eyes constantly scan the area, and I notice that some of them have deep dark circles under their eyes.
I can't blame them after what happened last night.
As Rei and I walk down the gravel path toward the main entrance, I feel something disturbing in my mind.
The parasite sensor I got is buzzing faintly.
There is another parasite in this place.
It's not as strong as the signal I felt from Souichiro possessed last night. So it's probably just a worm that recently got a host that is still weak.
Either way, I'll have to take care of it later.
As I sense that unsettling presence, an older man with a stern expression approaches us. He is wearing a dark formal suit and has a frown on his face. He is one of the Takagi family's high-ranking guards.
"Leave this place immediately. This is not a place for children to visit."
Hey, we're not criminals, we're ten-year-old children.
I feel my fist tingling. I wanted to punch him. Still, I'm afraid his head will explode like a watermelon, fufu...
Rei is intimidated by his tone and takes a step back.
I step in front of her and look at the man with a friendly smile.
"Sir, we came to see our friend Saya. We just want to be with her at this sad time."
The man frowns even more deeply. He opens his mouth to probably continue scolding us with harsh words.
But at that moment, an elegant middle-aged butler approaches. He is wearing an impeccable suit and has a neutral expression.
"Excuse me. Miss Saya has requested that these young people be allowed to pass. Please follow me."
He gestures politely with his hand.
The senior guard looks frustrated but says nothing more. He just watches us suspiciously as we walk past him.
Rei and I walk behind the butler, following him through the corridors of the mansion.
I notice that there are some holes in the walls that have been hastily repaired with wooden boards. Dark stains on the floor are probably blood that they tried to clean up.
Rei smiles at me as we walk and whispers softly.
"Thanks. Arata. For protecting me earlier."
She is referring to when I stood in front of her, protecting her from the intimidating guard.
Still, why are you blushing?
"It's nothing."
The butler leads us to a spacious living room with large windows overlooking the garden.
The furniture is elegant, and I didn't even want to go near it because I feel like it's expensive. I'm not used to so much luxury.
There are paintings on the walls and a vase of fresh flowers on a side table.
And sitting on the red sofa is a girl.
She has long pink hair tied back in twin ponytails that fall over her shoulders. Beneath her furrowed eyebrows, her eyes are orange and bright. Or at least they normally are, because right now they look dull.
She is Saya.
My intelligent, tsundere friend who is always talking about complicated things I don't understand.
Now she is wrapped in a blanket. She stares out the window, her eyes lost on the horizon.
Rei doesn't know what to do when she sees that Saya's eyes are so empty and distant. We've never seen Saya like this before.
Rei turns to me with a pleading expression and urges me with her eyes to do something.
I purse my lips, feeling the pressure. I don't know what to say in this situation.
If I speak, I'll probably just ruin the moment by saying something stupid and inappropriate.
So instead of speaking, I walk silently and sit quietly next to Saya on the sofa.
I don't say anything and just sit there.
It seems that this is the right solution because after a minute or two of silence, Saya leans slightly against my shoulder.
She has just lost her father, who turned out to be a monster who tried to kill her, so it's natural for her to seek comfort from her friends.
I sigh internally, feeling relieved.
Until now, I've been quite panicked inside. Saya is smart. And it wouldn't be strange for her to connect some dots and start suspecting that I'm that little dark figure that appeared to save her last night.
But she's now dazed by trauma and shock. She doesn't seem to be thinking about those things. She just wants to feel safe.
"...?"
It seems I jumped to conclusions too quickly, because at that moment Saya frowns.
She senses something as she leans on my shoulders.
Do I smell bad?
Eh, that's not possible. I don't smell like a corpse.
Wait, she positions her ear closer to my body...
Is it possible that she felt my heartbeat was very slow? Or that my blood wasn't circulating normally?
Shit!
If I weren't a fucking zombie, I'd start sweating right there.
Rei laughs when she sees that Saya hasn't started making a scene or crying hysterically, and sighs with relief. Then she sits down on the other side of Saya on the sofa.
She takes Saya's hand, and that makes the girl with twin pigtails stop paying attention to the sound of my heart.
We spend several minutes like this in silence.
After a while, Saya starts to speak.
"What the hell...?"
Hey, is that your first word?
"Why is my father a demon? Why... why did he have to become that?"
She starts to tremble as tears fall down her cheeks.
I reassure her by putting my hand on her shoulder, careful not to use too much force.
Uhum! I can enjoy listening to the crunch of bones when I crush them and laugh with a 'Fufufu...', but even I would feel bad if that bone sound came from my friend.
I don't want to accidentally turn her into mincemeat.
"He wasn't a demon before, Saya. He was your father. A father who cared about his family and worked hard to protect them. It seems that he was only recently possessed by it."
I know it's not a demon but parasitic aliens. But when I think about it, a demon is an evil being according to the general definitions that humans give it. Which is not far from what a parasite does when it takes over your body and kills your family.
Although if I keep thinking that way, a human isn't much different from a demon in many cases. Humans also kill, destroy, and cause suffering.
It depends on your point of view.
The point is that for Saya and her family, what took Souichiro away is a demon. And that's all that matters to them.
"It's the ghouls, isn't it?"
Saya says that.
"I didn't believe they existed before. I thought they were just stories people told to scare children. But now..."
She looks like she's about to cry again.
At that moment, Rei intervenes with a gentle voice.
"You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to. Arata and I just want to make sure you're not alone, Saya-chan. We're here for you."
Saya sighs deeply, trying to control her emotions.
"Thank you... thank you both..."
At that moment, the living room door opens and a woman enters carrying two trays.
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