Monogatari Series - Volume 31 - Chapter 27.3

And then

Dramaturgy came to visit me almost exactly a year after that spring break from hell. Dramaturgy— the vampire hunter who hunts his own kind. Strictly speaking, it had been exactly 360 days since the night that I fought with that muscular giant's twin swords on the grounds of Naoetsu High School.

It's been a year, but it isn't spring break, at least not for me, since I've already graduated from that school.

It's a series of events that I've gotten over a bit— though it mostly just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

"It's surprising to see that you're still alive, boy," he suddenly greeted me.

Although, as I'd already decided that I'd never see him again if I could help it, I was surprised by his sudden visit. Of course, even if it weren't sudden, like if we'd made an appointment to meet again a year ago, having a giant man over two meters tall appear would probably be surprising to anyone.

"Don't take offense, I didn't mean anything by it. It's because you seemed weak. I assumed that even if you managed to defeat the three of us you'd probably commit suicide soon after, the same as Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade's first follower."

"…… You say it as if I really did commit suicide… right away."

I made that sort of bluff.

"So what? Since you aren't dead, how would you feel if I said I came to exterminate you?"

"No way. As a man important to Hanekawa Tsubasa, I don't plan to get involved."

What sort of reasoning is that anyway?

Do you not think you lost our fight a year ago fair and square or something?

On inquiry, it seems that somehow or other this bodybuilder-like specialist had quite a few chances to work together exterminating oddities overseas with Hanekawa during the last year— I knew that she'd been overseas 'studying abroad' ever since midway through last semester, but what on Earth has she really been up to all this time?

Seriously, what kind of person is she anyway?

Don't just go on getting along with everyone— though I think that part of Hanekawa probably has to do with why she helped me during spring break last year. Going so far as to wish that the girl who saved me despite my deplorable state wouldn't help out one of my enemies seems a bit, well, selfish…

"It is. 'To help my enemy is not to turn against me.'"

"Who said that?"

"Hanekawa Tsubasa."

"I wonder if that's really something Hanekawa would say…"

"She didn't actually put it that way."

"That makes sense. She doesn't usually use harsh expressions like that."

"She said, 'If mew help myi enemyi, it's not like yourr purr-pose is to turn against mye.'"

"Eh? Black Hanekawa didn't come out, did she?"

The cat that possessed Hanekawa during Golden Week should've already passed on… but I suppose there are probably circumstances that I don't know about.

Eh, oh well. It's tiring to think about it.

Since Dramaturgy isn't squaring up to fight and hasn't turned his hands into twin flamberges, it seems he hasn't really come to exterminate me. Unlike Guillotine Cutter, this specialist isn't the type to use that sort of deception.

"Oh, I gave up on exterminating you. What I haven't given up on is scouting you. Do you have any interest in becoming a pro specialist?"

…… Wow, he actually asked me.

He asked me whether I'd become a vampire-killing vampire during spring break as well.

Killing your own kind seems a bit unprincipled to me, but I suppose it's the right attitude for a pro specialist to take.

"Gaen Izuko is probably in the same situation as well, but my organization is facing a shortage of manpower. In this world of scientific understanding, even if the number of oddities doesn't decrease, the amount of oddity exterminations will. You'll be a perfect fit for the job if it keeps going that way. At any rate, the way you are now you'll have a hard time finding honest work."

It had been difficult to tell where to up to this point, but at some point Dramaturgy's gaze shifted so that it seemed that he was looking (down), rather consistently, at my shadow.

A shadow that belongs to a vampire— and a shadow that a human wouldn't have.

"You're not at an age where you'd believe something like 'if you believe in them, your dreams are sure to be realized. Putting it correctly, it should be 'if you can't believe in your dreams then they will never be realized'— and you, having experienced that spring break and the year that's elapsed since then, seem not to be able to believe in your own future."

"I'll pass."

His invitation was like a bad joke, but I suppose he isn't exactly the wittiest guy.

Consequently, as I was being scouted a second time, I refused the offer once again.

"Even if I were to become a specialist, as I am now I wouldn't even be a vampire who kills his own kind. Even if you say that I'm of the same line as the former Oddity Killer, I won't take on that name myself. Otherwise, I could end up making enemies of humans and oddities alike."

"Heh, you're afraid of that? You really are sensitive. 'If mew help myi enemyi, it's not like yourr purr-pose is to turn against mye'— and all."

Don't quote Hanekawa's words.

It really takes away from this serious atmosphere when you meow while talking…

"Though I am a vampire that kills his own kind, it's not something I've ever been ashamed of. It's not my job to become the enemy of demons or humans, if anything I believe it's to become their ally— helping both demons and humans."

"Is that so? Well, our intentions might be the same. Even so,"

I thought a bit about how to phrase it, but there was no choice but to put it frankly just as I thought it.

"I'm turning down your offer because I still believe in my future."

"You're a man who doesn't mince words even when you should, aren't you, though that might be a negative in terms of finding work."

"No, I'm not that fun of a guy."

"Humph."

With that, Dramaturgy turned to leave.

At any rate, even though he only turned to leave, because his body was so big it seemed like I, being so much smaller, might be knocked over by the wind pressure— well, that was a bit of an exaggeration.

"I'll be withdrawing for today, I've got a flight to catch. Next I'll be going with Hanekawa Tsubasa to exterminate oddities in Singapore."

Why am I getting the feeling that it's like you've become Hanekawa's partner?

Seriously, what the hell has been happening this last year anyway?

What if Hanekawa ends up developing a fetish for muscular giants because she's been spending so much time with him— come to think of it, didn't she say something like she sold her brain, but did she really mean she sold it to Dramaturgy……?

"While you're believing in your prospects, keep thinking about your future. You're a man who's important to Hanekawa Tsubasa, and you're a man who's beaten me— so I'll give you that courtesy."

Then meowing as a farewell, Dramaturgy went to leave.

Meow isn't a local phrase at all, but anyway, he went to return to work, and to the battlefield.

From the time he arrived until the moment he left, even though I was just standing in the same place, I felt as if I'd been left behind— like I'd been left behind to live a normal, everyday life.

But the one who was actually leaving was probably me.

Ever since that spring break I've been running away; even now it's like I'm still running— that's why I couldn't accept Dramaturgy's invitation.

Although, if it's only thinking about it, that should be okay.

If I only consider it people won't die, and demons won't die either.

At most the wounds would only ache— the fresh and old wounds alike, oozing.

Even I won't be 18 forever, it's high time that I worry about my future. I, who didn't become an adult just because I graduated from high school, turned my eyes towards my shadow, averted them, closed them, and thought.

And then.