Posted on February 9, 2022 by PhantasmalMira

「Onee-san is Onee-san……Onee-san is Onee-san……」

Aah, she’s reciting it like some mantra.

To think that such a massive crack has appeared between our relationship……, well, it’s my fault for threatening her that harshly.

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Purchased 20 【Large Dried Bread】 and 20 【Normal Drinking Water】 from NPC merchant with a price of 4000 Iris.

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In any case, this is a slum street that I can’t let my guard down. But that’s also why I felt challenged to conquer it.

They will just run wild if I manage to induce them skillfully, and if even one of them turned into my kin in the night, they will probably reproduce at a fearsome rate.

「What is going to happen to me……」

I can see her unrest. Well, that’s the normal reaction I suppose.

「What you ask, it’s time for lunch. 」

Since the benches are filled with people, we can only crouch by the side of the road and eat.

I put down Elma-san who was still trembling violently, and although it was a size hard to fit in a bite, I offered it to her.

「T-This……?」

「You’re hungry right, say aahn― and eat it. 」

Saying so lovingly, I tore a piece of the bread and showed a gesture of opening my mouth.

「……I shouldn’t receive any food from someone else if I didn’t ask for it, mama taught me. 」

「You would follow what your mother said but not mine? 」

「No that’s not the case! I will eat 」

Since I said it in a mean way, she started eating it in a reluctant fashion.

It’s difficult to remove all her fear. So, I have to keep the balance between remembering the threat of RIO and not letting her think that she’s obeying from fear.

「It’s dry so you must be thirsty, drink some water. 」

「Water…… it’s fine. If I receive too much, I don’t know how to repay you……」

「There’s no way you are fine, do you want to be dehydrated? 」

「S-Sorry……」

Elma-san’s expression was becoming gloomier.

That’s probably because of my villainous image taking shape. Still, to have her trust me, I intend to direct some degree of caring.

「I will have a bite too」

Despite being a vampire, a race that doesn’t require food, I tried to imitate eating like a normal human.

I tried a little bit of the big piece of hard bread that seemed like it can fill an entire stomach with just one.

「Well……nn? 」

Other than a slight salty taste, there were no seasoning at all, the dry and rough texture that promotes saliva excretion, and the taste of wheat spreading on every chew…….

「It’s bad……. It’s not very edible at all. 」

I felt like I would unintentionally spit it out.

How strange, even though the smell is slightly salty and rather appetizing to say the least, the moment it touched my tongue, it transformed into a taste as if I was eating a lump of dust, it was nauseating.

……It might be some sort of rejection phenomena from my body at a foreign substance, the taste deteriorated so much that it felt disgusting.

『Almost oeegh』

『So RIO-sama has likes and dislikes too……』

『A vampire after all』

『An undead after all』

『Then there’s no helping it』

『Even her taste buds are not of normal human』

Looks like the price to pay for not ever being hungry is quite untasteful…….

In other words, my meal is set to be blood and nothing else.

In the first place, from sucking blood, it might be different from just drinking but…… in any case, this is a good reason to not recommend vampires as future ambitions for good children.

A vampire is an inconvenient race that can’t even try to coexist with humans on the surface.

「Fuu, nuu, nnmumumumu……」

「Onee-san, you look like almost vomiting, are you alright? 」

「I’m not that feeble to die from food. What about you, you’re not eating at all but, is it not suited for your tastes? 」

「Uuun, it’s tasty……」

After that, I slowly ate while being careful to not let it touch my tongue, and as soon as the danger signal rang, I washed it down with water, and so I was able to finish the meal.

Since it’s just a VRMMO world, there’s no feeling of being satiated at all, so it’s all for naught.

「Thank you for the food. Are you full now? 」

「Unn, I’m full. I’ve never ate this much. 」

「Great to hear that. Then shall we head to the next shop? 」

Saying so, Elma-san once again held onto my head while we moved.

「The next shop!? Am I getting sold!? 」

Just as I thought I managed to suppress her fear by winning over her stomach but, it ended up going back to square one.

It felt like I’ve gotten my hands on a trained slave. Still, without me here, she’s definitely going down the slave route but, I wonder is there still a slavery system in this rotten world…….

「There’s no need to be that scared, let’s get along. It’s my wish for me to be with you as long as possible. 」

「Uuu, but……」

「You’re not speaking up, are you that unsatisfied being under this RIO’s protection? 」

I tried presenting a question that has a clear answer anyone would know.

『Naturally yes』

『Instantly dead if betrayed, of course unsatisfied www』

『No I’m not unsatisfied』

『Let me be reared by RIO-sama』

『Let me be fed by RIO-sama』

『I want to live with RIO-sama forever. Guhehehe』

As for the viewers, they seemed awfully jealous.

「I said terrible things to Onee-san but, can you listen to me……」

Fumu, to start with a pretext, what a smart child.

「It’s fine. I won’t be hurt from just words, speak your heart. 」

「Say, my papa and mama is, because of RIO……, Onee-san making the town into a mess, they died from being eaten by monsters. 」

Her experience was as expected, it’s natural for her to be unsatisfied.

Because of my ravaging action, many lives in the virtual world were lost, and forced many survivors to live without a guarantee for tomorrow.

If this was something in the real world, I think I would have ended my own life from guilt.

「So, I’m probably the nemesis for killing your parents in your eyes. 」

「That…… was true, but maybe not anymore」

「Mu? 」

Her response was unexpected.

The reason for Elma-san didn’t look like she’s in front of her nemesis, could it be her fear still remained, or was she feeling guilty.

「If Onee-san wasn’t there, I think I can live together with papa and mama forever. But Onee-san is not a bad person…… I think……」

From her intonation, it felt like her guard and hatred were already dispelled.

「I can’t understand your thoughts. Even without my direct intervention, it’s the truth that I’m the reason behind the death of your parents, do you not hate me for that? 」

「That’s right but……. The reason I almost died was because of adventurers」

「Adventurers……」

The adventurer word comes out even here huh…….

It felt like everything I’ve heard regarding adventurers are their ill acts.

「I thought I could believe the adventurers because they say they will take me to a town but……, they left me alone in the mountain until I met Onee-san……」

「I see, that’s why someone without any combat ability survived for a few days. 」

「I prayed hard that they will return quickly. But then it was RIO Onee-san that came first. 」

Her thoughts were getting clearer from the conversation.

Although it’s common for people to have a motive for revenge for their parents, for Elma-san who isn’t someone that has a personality for revenge, being abandoned by someone that was supposed to save her, her contemplative emotions probably prevailed.

Therefore, she would even obey the person that killed her parents with pure will.

「Onee-san when defeating the monsters was very scary, but talking to me caringly made me feel at ease……. But when I found Onee-san is RIO, I thought I was going to die again…… but then I became relieved again for not being killed. 」

「Yes. If you’re willing to help me, then I will allow Elma-san to live. 」

「……I don’t care how but I have to survive. Although I can’t show it being accomplished, it’s the wish of my loved papa. 」

I see, so Elma-san had received her father’s dying will of 『Survive』.

But in the first place, attachment to life is any organism’s instinct.

Act of taking one’s life and surrendering themselves to the afterlife is only something human would do.

Elma-san was particularly emotional in that regard, having the qualities of a realist.

「But, in a world where monsters lurk and stable working environment is nowhere, a child like you is difficult to survive on your own. 」

「That’s right…… I know I will die from not eating if on myself……」

Uumu, in this town, even before you die from hunger, there’s a chance to lose your life from infighting between humans.

In a world where outside and inside are both following the laws of jungle, Elma-san who doesn’t have anyone to feed her will just be eaten.

「If that’s the case, that means it’s even harder for you to leave me. 」

「Eh? Eh? 」

「Though, if there’s an adventurer that can defeat me, I don’t mind at all if you switched sides. A small child like you have to side with the stronger and more trustworthy partner to survive in this cruel world. 」

「I don’t understand at all! 」

It’s probably a difficult topic for a child.

――Although trust is generally unimportant for me, credibility is still important.

Well, I don’t even know where to begin to search for a trustworthy adventurer in this town though.

A/N: Haaa……I want to make it a onee-loli

A/N: After bookmarking, scroll ↓ and find the ☆☆☆☆☆, waiting for your point reviews