Masamichi’s eyes, which were supposed to be closed forever, widened nearly to the point of popping out of his head, and his gaze was glued to the beautiful man in front of him.
But Masamichi’s surprise would not end there.
“Well, then,” the man said in a singsong voice, then opened wide and bit into Masamichi’s leg.
“Eep…!!”
Masamichi was horrified.
Slch. Slurp. Mmm…
The stranger made crude sounds as he licked his fat, slurped his blood, and chewed his flesh.
The man’s beautiful, snow-white face was quickly marred by red blood. Masamichi just watched, trembling.
At any other time, he would have run as fast as he could.
But in his current state, it was hard to even turn his back on the man, never mind run.
Is this really happening?
The man was completely focused on devouring Masamichi’s leg.
This was a scene one wouldn’t even see in a horror movie. He wasn’t sure if it was really happening.
Masamichi could no longer tell if the scene before him was real or a hallucination brought on by his impending death.
The man finally looked up when Masamichi began feeling dizzy again and was about to lose consciousness, this time for good.
Upon realizing that Masamichi was about to depart for the other side, the man tossed aside the leg without hesitation and grabbed Masamichi by the collar of his blood-soaked jacket.
He pulled up Masamichi’s limp body and delivered a hard blow to the young man’s cheek.
“Ugh…ngh!”
Once again brought back from the brink of death, Masamichi opened his eyes.
The man pulled Masamichi’s bloodstained face close to his and said coldly, “Don’t die on me now. You still have something to do.”
“Something…to…do?”
“Yeah. It’s been about a thousand years since I last ate human meat and blood, but you are truly delicious. I thought it was because I hadn’t indulged for a long time, but that’s not it. Your blood is thick and sweet, yet pure. And your flesh has just the right chewiness and a rustic, wild flavor. It isn’t at all bad.”
Who would expect to be evaluated on the taste of their blood and flesh at the end of their life?
I can’t have him doing a food review on my body…! I am totally lost.
Masamichi wanted to but couldn’t say what was on his mind. The most he could do was glare reproachfully at the man.
But the man ignored Masamichi’s modest protests and said, “You. If you die, I’ll take full responsibility for eating every inch of your body, so go in peace.”
That isn’t very reassuring.
The man didn’t seem to get any of these messages that Masamichi tried to convey with his eyes.
“It would be a shame to consume all this delicious flesh and blood now. I want to save it.”
Really, what is this man talking about? Isn’t this a superbad situation? Could he be a murderer or something…? But wait, being a murderer doesn’t mean you eat human flesh raw. Maybe he’s a true meat lover…but no, human meat isn’t usually included.
Masamichi wanted to know who the man was, but the blood loss fogged up his mind, and his brain was riddled with silly speculations.
As if annoyed with Masamichi, the man slapped him lightly on the cheek again and said, “To thank you for the delicious meat and blood, I will make you a proposal that can only benefit you. Be my servant.”
“…Huh?”
Masamichi was so surprised that his voice came out strangely clearly. He blinked his eyelids, which were no longer moving freely, several times in desperation as he tried to convey, “What the hell are you talking about?”
The man was serious. His mouth was bloody, and he looked like a clown, but he wasn’t joking.
“Be my servant,” he repeated, then continued, “Be my servant, work for me, and be my food. Do that, and I will restore your body mostly to its former state and give you food and shelter. I will treat you well.”
Maybe it was just the feeling of dying, but Masamichi was stunned.
He didn’t know who the man was but knew he was a liar.
Even the best doctors couldn’t save Masamichi at this point, but here this guy was, saying he’d restore his body mostly to its former state…
“Mostly to its former state”?
Those words stuck in Masamichi’s mind and caused his lips to move a fraction.
The man read it correctly and shrugged, still crouching.
“I don’t know how your body was before, so there will be some guesswork when I make repairs. I’ll also have to fill in the places that I ate.”
“Wh-what…are you…sayi—?!”
Masamichi desperately gasped out the words, but the man nonchalantly interrupted.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a human body. With my aesthetic sensibilities, you may have a better body than before.”
The man stood up, smiling at Masamichi, who was dumbfounded. His movements were as graceful as a cat.
“How about it? Don’t you want to live?”
Because the man was now standing, Masamichi felt like his words were falling upon him from above. It was like a question from an unknown god.
There’s no use going on with my life. That’s what I thought, so I might as well move on.
He wanted to die quietly.
As Masamichi was about to form the words with his lips, a voice he knew well suddenly echoed in his mind.
“It’s okay.”
That was what his mom had said earlier in the day. The way she stretched out the oh in okay was typical of her, gentle and relaxed.
It was the first thing she had said when he apologized for failing to get into college.
“It’s okay.”
She wasn’t a native of his hometown, Akita, and usually spoke in standard Japanese, so it had been rare for her to sound like a local—laid-back and relaxed.
She had probably wanted to give him a taste of his hometown and ease his disappointment.
“What’s there to apologize about? You’re working hard to support yourself while studying to get into college all by yourself.”
Her son’s second failed attempt at becoming a college student must have been a great shock to her. Still, she was bright and cheerful.
His mother’s voice spurred his longing for home and made him admit his true feelings.
“I’m sure Dad and Granddad will be disappointed to hear that I’ve failed to get into college for the second time. I feel bad. Maybe it’s about time I gave up.”
Masamichi wanted to study agriculture because he had watched his father and his grandfather, both full-time farmers, struggle yearly with disasters, pests, and diseases. He wasn’t as strong as they were and would not be able to carry on the family business, but he was determined to contribute to developing strong, high-yielding, and tasty vegetables.
His father and his grandfather had been very proud of him when they heard that.
And Masamichi felt a deep sense of guilt for having betrayed their expectations two years in a row.
But his mother remained cheerful.
“Of course, your dad, your granddad, and I all have hopes for you. But that hope isn’t just to have you study agriculture and become a researcher. We want you to live a happy and productive life.”
Masamichi was so struck by his family’s love—so casually expressed—that he was at a loss for words when his mother continued:
“Don’t worry about us. You think about your future and decide for yourself. If you ever feel lonely, you can always come home and visit. We’ll talk over a cup of tea. I’m always here for you. But the decision is yours. We aren’t in control of your life.”
His mother’s message overwhelmed him.
Every word she said was like a ray of light shining gently on the shadow over Masamichi’s heart.
Mom said she wanted me to have a happy, productive life, yet I was about to give up and throw away the life I’ve been given.
Regret, far heavier than the disappointment he had felt before, stabbed Masamichi in the chest.
“I…I…”
I’ll make Mom, Dad, and Granddad sad if I die here now, and they’ll regret it for the rest of their lives. But if I live, then maybe…
Clinging to his mother’s words, Masamichi turned to face the world of the living again.
As if responding to his change of heart, the man spoke in a chilling tone.
“What do you want to do? Do you want to live or die? You decide. Decide to die, and I will eat you. Decide to live, and you will be my servant.”
It was a ridiculous choice, no matter how you looked at it, and Masamichi couldn’t even start to imagine what it would be like to be the man’s servant.
Still, if agreeing to be his servant helped him survive, it could be better than just waiting to die. No, it should be much better.
“…I…”
Masamichi’s voice was no louder than a tiny insect fluttering its wings, but the man seemed to hear him and nodded in acknowledgment. The man’s slow blink conveyed that he had been heard.
Masamichi used all his remaining strength to suck in as much air as he could and spoke his heartfelt words weakly but clearly.
“I…will…live.”
The man narrowed his eyes.
“Human, tell me your true name without pretense.”
The command that shot out of the man’s mouth was as sharp as a whip. Masamichi had never considered using a false name, but somehow, he understood there would be no going back if he gave his name.
With some trepidation, but reminding himself that he had no choice, Masamichi told the man his name for the first time.
“M-Masamichi…Adachi.”
“Fine. With that, you shall be mine, both body and soul.”
The man announced this a bit solemnly and got down on one knee, then placed his bony white hands on Masamichi’s broken sternum, which had been snapped in half and dented.
“The deal is done. My servant. I will mend your flesh.”
With that, the palm of his hand began to glow with silver light on Masamichi’s chest.
This silver light was dazzling, sacred, and serene. However, Masamichi could not enjoy its beauty to his heart’s content.
Boom!
His heart beat with an intensity he had never experienced, and he could feel the boiling blood rushing at breakneck speed throughout his body, where he should have had no sensation.
“Ngh…! Ah. Aaahh!!”
The pain from his many injuries flooded his brain at once.
A massive amount of frothy blood began flowing from Masamichi’s mouth as he was hit with excruciating agony.
“Gah…ah!”
That was all he could remember. His vision went black like a switch was flipped, and Masamichi’s consciousness slipped into bottomless darkness…