Already 110 chapitres on patreon! Join us!
patreon/hemlet.com
---
"Sayuri, are you ready? Time's running out!" a hurried voice called from the kitchen.
The girl appeared at the top of the stairs, adjusting her school uniform.
"Yes, yes, I'm coming!"
She rushed down the steps and slammed herself into her seat at the breakfast table. She grabbed a slice of bread, spread jam on it in a flash, and nearly devoured it whole.
"Sayuri! That's not how a young lady should eat!" her mother scolded, arms crossed.
Mouth full, Sayuri protested enthusiastically, "But I'm eating just fine, see!"
She finished her toast in two bites, drank a glass of milk in one gulp, and leapt from her chair.
"Okay, I'm off! See you tonight, Mom!" she said, planting a quick kiss on her mother's cheek.
She grabbed her school bag and rushed for the door. But before she could step outside, a meow stopped her.
"Oh, Yuri, is that you?"
Sayuri crouched to pick up the small kitten rubbing against her ankles.
"See you tonight!" she whispered, cuddling it gently before setting it down again.
She finally ran out of the house.
"Argh, I'm going to be late again!" she groaned, speeding up.
As she turned the corner, a memory surfaced: her older brother waking her by tapping gently on her door in the morning. She frowned and shook her head.
"Pff, nonsense… I don't miss him at all."
But her heart seemed to feel otherwise.
Lost in thought, Sayuri walked on automatically. Suddenly, she collided violently with a chest hard as concrete. The impact sent her flying backward, landing heavily on the sidewalk, her knees and elbows scraping the ground.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head.
She looked up. In front of her stood a towering man, his face marked by stern features and dark skin. But what unsettled her most was his smile—a wide, unnaturally wide smile that seemed to overflow his face, revealing teeth that were white but somehow menacing.
Sayuri's heart raced. The man said nothing, simply staring at her. Forcing a smile, she bowed quickly.
"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going…" she stammered, trying to stand.
She turned on her heels, hoping to get away unscathed. But no sooner had she taken a step than the man extended a massive arm, reaching for her wrist.
This time, her instincts took over. Without thinking, Sayuri grabbed her school bag and hurled it with all her strength at the man's face.
"Help!" she screamed, sprinting with all her might.
The bag barely slowed her pursuer, and she didn't dare look back. Tears welled up as she realized the usually busy street was eerily silent. No cars, no pedestrians in sight.
As she turned into the corner of an alley, her gaze landed on a male figure further down. He was a man of average height, wearing a gray coat. Her heart leapt with hope.
"Mister! Please, help me!" she cried, her voice trembling with panic.
The man turned to her, eyes narrowed in concern. He approached quickly and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, calm down. What's going on?" he asked, his tone serious but soothing.
Sayuri, gasping, tried to catch her breath to explain. She opened her mouth, but something about the man's smile made her hesitate. It was like the other one's—wide, too wide, and utterly cold.
Before she could step back, he abruptly raised a hand and struck her precisely at the nape of her neck. The world around her tilted.
Her last memory was the cold asphalt against her skin before darkness swallowed her.
The man lifted her unconscious body with unsettling ease, hoisting her onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing.
"Miguel, you let her slip?" he called to the previous man approaching.
"I'm a good hunter, Toshihisa. I just like to play with my prey a little," Miguel replied.
Toshihisa smiled, but this time it was a more sincere smile: cruel, predatory.
"Fun. But the game's over. Let's go."
Then suddenly…
"Hey! Behind you! Watch out!"
His accomplice's voice cracked like thunder, piercing his ears. Yet Miguel didn't panic. Not at all. Always cold, always methodical.
But when Toshihisa turned his head to see what was behind him, everything changed in an instant.
Toshihisa's eyes widened, his mouth parting in a silent gasp, then… everything went dark.
A gaping hole appeared in the middle of his forehead, his expression frozen in terrified disbelief. Before his massive body collapsed heavily to the ground, his hand released Sayuri, who rolled gently onto the asphalt, still unconscious.
Miguel froze, legs suddenly heavy as lead. What had just happened?
His hand instinctively went to the rope coiled at his waist—a reflex he no longer controlled, his weapon always ready.
Then a deep, commanding voice cut through the silent street.
"Rats, daring to lay their filthy hands on the sister of my God? You dare defy His authority, desecrate His sacred name? You… are blasphemy."
Miguel scanned the street, searching for the source of the voice.
That's when he saw it.
At first, it was just a barely perceptible movement on the asphalt. A small figure advancing slowly, almost lazily.
A kitten.
Yes, it was a kitten.
The kitten walked calmly to Sayuri's body, nose low.
Miguel could have laughed. After all, it was just a cat, right? But he didn't. The animal's gaze… Those shining, almost phosphorescent eyes seemed inhabited by a consciousness far beyond that of a mere feline.
Then, against all reason, the kitten spoke.
"Who sent you, wretches?"