My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them
Chapter 57: Wandering around, waiting for the destruction of the world

Chapter 57: Wandering around, waiting for the destruction of the world

«W-What do you mean I can’t go in?!» Velune snaps, hopping in place, visibly annoyed.

She stands in front of a famous club in the heart of Ashiya.

One of those high-end places where only the elite are allowed past the door.

But the bouncer stops her without hesitation.

«Don’t insist, brat. Boss’s orders. A while back, some kids picked a fight with our VIP guests – the MMA world champions. Our image took a hit. So now, we’re way more strict about who gets in,» he says flatly.

The bouncer glares down at her from his towering height.

His gaze turns sharp and suspicious.

«...Even under the old rules, I still wouldn’t have let you in.

This place is for adults dressed properly. Not little girls in Halloween costumes.»

«Little girl?! Do you even know how old I am?! Show some respect to your elders, you insolent brat!» Velune snaps, outraged.

Until now, the bouncer had kept a neutral face, maybe even a bit tolerant.

But now his patience runs out.

To him, she looks like a twelve-year-old in a ridiculous outfit.

«Brat, get lost. You’re blocking the line and pissing off the guests. I’ll call the cops and have them drag you home! What kind of parents let a kid wander around dressed like that at night? Has no one told you the world’s full of creeps?» the bouncer scolds.

Velune snaps.

«Now you’ve really pissed me off, you dumb ape! You’ll regret disrespecting me! Drakhul, my faithful servant, teach this overinflated gorilla a lesson!»

...Nothing happens.

~Oops... I left him guarding the villa with that idiot Zhurvak... And that old pain-in-the-ass Cassian Thalukvar told me to keep a low profile to avoid catching the Monster Reapers’ attention... Ugh, I can’t even summon an undead to teach this ape a lesson... how annoying...~

The bouncer finally snaps.

He grabs her under the arms and lifts her effortlessly.

Velune kicks at the air—her legs don’t even reach his chest.

«Put me down, you stupid ape! I said put me down!»

He drops her on her butt, not very gently, a few meters from the entrance.

«Don’t show your face here again or I’m calling the cops for real!»

«When the time comes, you’ll be the first I kill! Count on it!» Velune mutters.

The bouncer’s furious glare is enough to make her bolt off at full speed.

♡♡♡

«Give me a strawberry ice cream! That’s an order!» Velune snaps, totally lacking manners.

After almost twenty minutes of walking, she’s ended up in a small gelato shop on the edge of the downtown area.

The ice cream vendor, a man in his thirties, hands her the cone—while shooting her a sideways glance for how rudely she ordered.

«That’ll be 500 Yen.»

«That much?! What a rip-off...» Velune mutters.

She reaches into her purse for her wallet...

Then freezes.

~Crap...! I spent all my savings on the deluxe box set of El Suspiro de Valmara...!~

She turns to bolt with the cone.

But the vendor, no amateur when it comes to kids trying to run, grabs her by the arm.

«Little girl, you know that running off without paying is a crime, right?!» the vendor scolds.

«I-I wasn’t running away... I just thought I heard something behind me! And... and I just realized I don’t have any money...»

«You think I’m stupid? There’s no one here but us!»

Then, his eyes start shifting.

His stare slides down her body—feet peeking out of open heels, up along her slim legs, her narrow hips, and finally her small chest barely contained by a tight black leather bodysuit.

The man rubs his hands together.

His stare is anything but safe.

«You’re a real cutie, you know? It’d be a shame if I had to call the cops and report you for theft... You don’t have money, but that’s okay. I’m sure we can work something out... another kind of payment, if you know what I mean...»

«Oh... I get it now!» Velune exclaims, slamming a fist into her palm. «Alright, here’s the deal: when the world ends, I promise you’ll be the last one I kill. Sounds fair, right? Worth more than 500 Yen, honestly.»

But no, that’s not the kind of deal the ice cream man had in mind.

«You one of those apocalypse weirdos? Whatever... I was thinking of something a little more... physical...» he adds, making a groping gesture with both hands.

Velune’s eyes widen behind her sunglasses—two pitch-black orbs.

~Great. A pervert. Why is everything going wrong tonight? First that arrogant ape, now this cheap-ass lolicon... Ugh... ~

Then, a faint smile forms on her lips.

She’s got an idea.

«O-Okay... if that’ll keep me out of trouble, I’ll do what you say...» Velune murmurs, her voice sweet and innocent, her face as kawaii as she can manage.

The man’s face flushes deep red.

She slowly lowers the zipper on the back of her bodysuit, revealing a bit of bare skin.

The vendor starts drooling, tongue out, eyes bulging.

«...b-but... I’m really embarrassed if you watch me while I undress... could you close your eyes until I’m done...?» she pleads, even more childlike.

He nods eagerly—completely brainless now.

If he’d still been capable of rational thought, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find Velune gone the moment he opened his eyes.

♡♡♡

~Aaaah... I can’t take this anymore... this place managed to make me miss that idiot Zhurvak in just a few hours...~

Velune walks along the edge of a wide road leading to the industrial zone.

Busy by day, deserted at night.

She lazily licks her ice cream.

Then...

«N-No... don’t leave me, please... don’t leave me...!»

A desperate cry—someone calling out nearby.

A boy.

The voice comes from one of the narrow alleys branching off the main street.

Velune turns the corner and steps into a dark, filthy backstreet.

Boredom and curiosity push her forward.

There, she sees a boy around her age, dressed in torn, dirty clothes.

His hair is a tangled mess.

Beside him, a crumpled futon and a makeshift shelter made of cardboard boxes. Scattered dog food cans lie around.

Velune instantly gets it—he’s a homeless kid.

He crouches, sobbing, repeating the same words over and over.

«Don’t leave me, please...»

Velune approaches with light, silent steps.

She leans in and sees what he’s holding—a small Shiba Inu puppy, limp in his arms.

Tears drip from the boy’s face onto the pup’s thick fur, a dark reddish-orange.

They mix with the blood still oozing from wounds on its stomach and head.

On her way here, Velune had noticed a thin trail of blood from the main road to this alley. Now it’s clear—it belonged to the pup.

Hit by a car.

The boy must’ve carried him here, trying to save him.

Velune crouches down beside him.

He doesn’t notice her—he’s too far gone in grief.

«There’s no point telling him not to leave. He’s been dead for at least ten minutes,» Velune says, cold and indifferent.

The boy looks up, eyes swollen with tears.

«T-That’s not true! Don’t say that! My Tama is still alive!» he sobs, pressing cloths to the pup’s wounds.

«Trust me, he’s dead. I know corpses. You think I can’t tell the difference between the living and the dead?» Velune replies flatly.

But the boy doesn’t listen.

He shakes the puppy, strokes him, hugs him, pours water on him—desperate, helpless motions.

But Velune was right.

When it hits him—when the tiny hope that Tama might open his eyes vanishes—his sobs grow even more broken.

Velune had followed the crying out of boredom.

Now that she knows what it was, she’s lost all interest.

She stands up like it’s nothing and walks away, slowly.

The boy’s cries echo behind her, fading with each step.

She reaches the end of the alley leading back to the main street.

Then stops.

She looks over her shoulder—sees the boy writhing on the ground, broken by the loss of what was probably not just his friend, but his family.

Velune narrows her eyes.

Sighs.

~I’m only doing this because his yelling is giving me a headache...~

Then, she turns around and walks back toward him.

«W-What do you want now...?» snaps the boy, still crying, voice shaky and raw.

«Talk to me like that again and I’ll leave you here sobbing alone!» Velune snaps back.

«Step back. Now!» she orders, sharp and fast.

«W-Why...? C-Could it be... you can heal my Tama...? Are you a vet...?»

«Are you deaf or what?! I told you he’s dead! Would you take a dead dog to a vet?» Velune snaps.

The boy shakes his head.

«Exactly. Now do what I say, before I change my mind!»

Crushed by grief, the boy obeys and steps back about ten paces.

Velune kneels by the body and places her hands on it.

«W-What are you doing...?»

«Shut that mouth. I need to concentrate!»

From Velune’s hands, eight tiny blue flames appear—will-o’-the-wisps—forming an octagon around the puppy’s body.

«Return from the realm of the dead and present yourself before me, my faithful servant! Your mistress calls you! Rise!»

A column of blue fire, two meters high, shoots up from the ground.

The boy watches, wide-eyed, terrified.

«Y-You... you burned my dog?! Why?! Why would you do that?!»

He lunges toward her in panic—

But stops cold.

His puppy is standing.

Tail wagging.

Licking Velune’s hands with affection.

«My Tama... my Tama is alive again...!» the boy cries, falling to his knees.

«More or less...» Velune mutters. «Let’s just say he’s more alive than before...»

«H-How... how did you bring him back...?»

«None of your business! And listen—if you tell anyone, that dog goes straight back to the other side. Got it?»

The boy nods quickly, hugging the puppy tight.

His face glows with pure happiness.

«And... for how long... how long can he stay with me...?»

«As long as I’m alive, he’ll be too. So yeah—he’ll be the one watching you die,» Velune says, totally unfazed.

She turns around and starts walking toward the alley’s exit.

But something stops her.

Arms wrap around her from behind—a warm, tight hug.

«Thank you... thank you so much for what you did... I’ll never forget it. You gave me my Tama back...»

Velune flinches.

She feels the boy’s tears run down her back.

For a second, Velune forgets to breathe.

She blushes.

But it doesn’t last long.

«S-Stop being so clingy...!» she mutters, pulling away from him.

Then she walks off again.

The boy watches her go, waving with a big, bright smile.

The Shiba Inu pup barks cheerfully, tail wagging, as Velune disappears down the street.

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