"Come… with me?"
Several years ago, when Kafka's parents had left her, forcing her to huddle alone in back alleys just to survive, someone had asked her that very question.
Bathed in sunlight, that person had reached out a hand to her, their smile warm and gentle, like a soothing spring breeze.
Then, still just a child, Kafka naively reached out her own small hand in return.
But what awaited her was a life of darkness, straight out of a nightmare.
The man, who had seemed so kind and gentle moments before, tore off his hypocritical mask and delivered her into a breeding ground for demons.
There, a person's will would be slowly, inexorably worn away, until finally, in utter despair, they transformed into mindless fiends.
And today, amidst the pungent smell of blood and the acrid scent of burning embers, this cold-faced man, radiating a murderous aura, was asking her a similar question.
This time, Kafka again chose to reach out her hand.
It wasn't out of foolishness, nor ignorance.
But because... she had seen a glimmer of hope.
The hope of taking control of her own future!
The image of this man, strolling calmly through the flames, casually cutting down demons, was already deeply branded into her mind.
That was exactly what Kafka longed for, what she dreamed of obtaining—the thing known as power!
Only by possessing something like that could she, like a falling leaf, finally choose the direction of her own drift.
Only then could she have a hope of survival on this perilous planet, Pteruges-V.
And so, Kafka took the man's hand.
Whatever the outcome this time, she was willing to gamble.
[Pteruges-V: On this planet, corrupted by a Stellaron, humans who have lost their capacity for fear are gradually dominated by desire and pleasure, ultimately becoming mindless demons. You are a demon hunter, living by hunting these very demons. Your operational codename is: Raven.]
[Due to your formidable strength and high efficiency, you were once the top agent in the organization.]
[Most of the organization's missions were assigned to you.]
[During a mission to eradicate a demon nest, you encountered a special girl.]
[She was locked in a cage. Faced with your ruthless efficiency in dispatching demons and the splattering blood, her eyes showed no fear, but instead, a flicker of excitement.]
[In that single moment, you knew you had found the person you were looking for.]
[You reached out your hand to her and issued an invitation.]
[And she, in turn, placed her small, ice-cold, and scarred hand in yours.]
[The imprisoned girl and the demon hunter met. The moment their hands clasped, the gears of fate began to slowly turn.]
As this system description faded in, within the burning warehouse, the scene froze on the moment the girl's and the man's hands met.
--+--
Stelle: 「I'm heeere!」
March 7th: 「So... the girl in the scene is Kafka?」
Himeko: 「March, it should be a young Kafka~」
Silver Wolf: 「Oh, just great. Four stories, two involve acquaintances, huh? So, out of the four people in our Stellaron Hunter operations department, half have some kind of connection to Bai Heng?」
Stelle: 「Correction: Blade was also a friend of Bai Heng's in the last story. So... that just leaves you~」
Silver Wolf: 「What kind of expression am I even supposed to make in this situation…」
Kafka: 「Sweetie, silence is all you need~」
Kiana: 「By the way, what did that line mean, "Bai Heng knew he had found the person he was looking for"?」
Stelle: 「It means she's his destined one, of course~ Hmph!」
March 7th: 「But... is it really appropriate? In the scene... Kafka looks about ten? Or eleven? Mr. Bai Heng seems to be in his twenties...」
Lumine: 「Gives off a certain... "jailbait" aesthetic.」
Stelle: 「Don't say it like that. Eleven and twenty, sure, seems like a big gap. But what about twenty and thirty? Compared like that, it doesn't seem completely unacceptable, right~」
Silver Wolf: 「Stelle, are you that eager to get yourself a daddy?」
Stelle: 「If it's Bai Heng... I could probably accept it...」
Firefly: 「?」
Kafka: 「?」
--+--
After briefly discussing the newly emerged story, everyone turned their attention back to the screen.
Now, on the screen, a light rain had begun to fall over Pteruges-V.
Standing outside the still-smoking warehouse, Bai Heng watched the raindrops falling from the sky.
He hadn't brought an umbrella for this mission.
Normally, he would have just braved the rain and headed back.
But today was different.
He turned slightly, his expression unreadable, to look at the girl in tattered white clothes beside him, who was clutching his sleeve.
She was tilting her head back, her small face upturned, a pair of amethyst eyes cautiously studying his expression.
It was as if the slightest hint of disgust in his eyes would send her scurrying away like a startled kitten.
The sight was both adorable and heart-wrenching.
After a moment of silence, accompanied by a rustling sound, a leather coat, still warm from his body and carrying a faint scent of cigarettes, was draped over the girl's head.
Before little Kafka could process what was happening, Bai Heng's arm swept around her, lifting her effortlessly onto his hip.
The next moment, punctuated by the girl's small gasp of surprise, he strode boldly into the curtain of rain.
The man moved swiftly, but the child in his arms felt a little jostling. Her delicate, wounded fingers lightly clutched the collar of his shirt, and she could faintly sense the powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.
A raindrop fell. Little Kafka instinctively looked up.
And with that look up, she saw his face, now dampened by the rain.
In that moment, her heart, long dormant, perceived a strange and unfamiliar feeling.
A feeling... of being cared for.
As the top demon hunter in the organization, Bai Heng had living quarters provided for him.
It was an apartment located in the eastern part of New Babylon.
Unlike the frequently troubled outskirts of Pteruges-V, this area was safe, prosperous, and upscale—the polar opposite of the outer zones.
Returning to his residence, he swiped his keycard, entered, and turned on the light.
It was a spacious three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. Aside from simple furniture, there were no decorative furnishings, and a thin layer of dust had settled on some pieces.
Walking inside, Bai Heng looked back at the timid, hesitant girl and spoke to her for the second time:
"My name is Bai Heng. This is my home. What's your name?"
"Ka... Kafka..." the girl stammered timidly.
"Kafka, is it? Alright. Then from now on, this is your home too."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.