7. Parasite Date (3)

The water was freezing.

I didn’t fall so much as get thrown—my body spinning end over end before slamming into the river. The impact spread throughout my entirety, pain exploding through my ribs as the current swallowed me whole.

“Kughh!!”

The coldness kicked my consciousness awake, one that had almost fallen asleep.

“Mirai.”

In the back of my head, I could hear a whisper.

“Don’t be like this.”

Her voice echoed in my skull, like a blade drawn lazily across glass.

[Miss Intruder’s annoyance has increased by seven points.]

[Warning!]

[Annoyance: 10/10]

I plunged deep into the river, the currents pulling me underneath.

[Great amounts of malice have been incurred.]

I kicked wildly, flailing my arms around. But every movement was sluggish.

It was as if the river itself wanted to claim my dead corpse.

“You’ve disappointed me, Mirai.”

My eyes burned from the dirty water, but I forced them open. I had to reach the top and break through.

[The first perk of the Casanova System has been activated!]

[All malice will be converted into affection!]

I was getting flung around like a ragdoll. At this rate, I was going to drown. My lungs were burning, and the strength in my limbs were weakening.

I should’ve learned how to swim.

“Mirai, don’t think of running away.”

[Warning!]

[Annoyance has increased by ten points!]

In the corner of my vision, I saw a swirling piece of driftwood.

“...!”

I lunged forward, barely grabbing onto it with two fingers.

[Warning!]

[Annoyance: 10/10]

“After all.”

[Great amounts of malice have been incurred.]

[All malice will be converted into affection!]

“After all…!”

[Affection with Miss Intruder has increased.]

[Current Favorability: Obsessed.]

Something heavy slammed into my side.

A piece of debris in the river, perhaps.

In the days before, I always used to shake my head at the amount of trash in the water. But to think it would be the death of me.

The impact caused me to release the small amount of air I had been holding onto, as well as my grip on the wood.

My body felt as if it was on fire.

My vision was slowly darkening.

Worse still, I could feel her. Something ominous was approaching behind me.

They say humans have a dormant sixth sense, you know?

…

To die like this.

To die like this…

“Humannnn~”

Suddenly, a deep and sultry voice of a woman entered my ears.

It was coming from… below?

The water that had once been raging went still. Like a pin dropping in an empty classroom.

Something cold wrapped around my ankles. The touch was gentle, almost caring. But they weren’t fingers or hands.

I forced my eyes open.

Ah.

Tentacles.

“Let’s make a deal, shall we~?”

I was abruptly yanked downwards.

“...!?”

Hair like drifting ink spread through the water, horns curving back from her temples like polished obsidian. Her eyes glowed faintly purple, pupils slit and inhuman. A beautiful face of a mature woman.

“Your life is slipping away…”

Her fingers traced my bound leg, as if testing merchandise.

“How adorable~”

Her voice was peaceful, her full lips moving hypnotically.

[You have encountered a new monster!]

[Ophelia Zi'eer, Deepsea Contractor]

[Former denizen of the ocean kingdom with a pyschotic streak.]

[Current Favorability: Normal]

[Hint: She is easily pleased when things go her way.]

I was suddenly met face-to-face with a new monster girl.

Thus, I couldn’t let my guard down.

Flowing from underneath her dress were massive, purple tentacles. They reached outwards in every direction, taking up nearly the entirety of my vision. Their appearance was almost cartoonish, with circular suckers and scattered spots that were almost… erotic?

What.

I’m not weird.

It's like how a mole near a woman’s mouth accentuates her sexiness.

Something like that.

“I can help you, humannn~”

The monster girl dragged out the last letter of the word, in a lazy yet suggestive way.

From her appearance and manner of speaking, she was most definitely the older sister type. I wouldn’t be surprised if she suddenly said ‘ara ara..!’

“...k–kurghh!!”

My lungs suddenly convulsed, causing my body to involuntarily spasm.

Damn it... I was so distracted by a hot girl that I forgot I was in a life-or-death scenario!

Get yourself together, Mirai.

“I can lift you out…”

Her narrow eyes narrowed even further.

“But I don’t do freebies~”

I nodded my head, clasping my hands together in a praying gesture.

Please!

Please save me, hot sister!

Perhaps noticing my frantic motions, she raised a hand to her mouth and giggled.

“Two.”

She raised two fingers slowly.

“Two years of your life.”

The river was pressing in from all sides, the tentacles waving up and down in unison.

To die from drowning.

Really.

That’s not my style.

[Contract Accepted.]

[In return for being freed from the cursed river, Contractee Mirai offers two years of his lifespan!]

Two years…

It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but since the only other option is death, I’ll have to take it.

“Excellent~!”

The world surged upward.

Water exploded around me as the tentacles hurled me toward the surface. Air that I had taken for granted entered my lungs once more.

“Kuhacckk!!”

I collapsed onto the riverbank, keeling over. I coughed and spat out water, feeling like one of those magic tricks where the magician endlessly pulls handkerchiefs out of his throat.

Behind me, the current rippled once.

Then, a voice echoed softly in my ear.

“See you soon, contractee~”

"See you... cough, too... kuek..."

I managed to spit out a farewell, supporting my bruised side with one arm and wiping my mouth with the other.

Swish, swish.

In return, a lone tentacle waved at me before sinking back into the river.

Well.

That was something.

I raised my eyebrows before letting out a deep sigh, bending downwards to brush off the accumulated mud and twigs that had attached themselves to my body. I was honestly pretty disgusted by the fact that I had even entered that river, considering that its connected to the city's plumbing system. Seriously, plumbing is plumbing and rivers are rivers. They couldn't have found any other way?

I walked forward, attempting to find out where exactly I washed up.

Fortunately, there was a famous landmark right in front of me.

"Hey, it's the dancing cow statue. A statue of a dancing cow."

The dancing cow statue. A statue of a dancing cow.

It's made out of stone, too.

"Haha, what the hell? When did they add that?"

For some reason, there were a noticeable, large protrusion from the cow's chest. If I had to guess, some idiot probably went and attached a pair of breasts to the statue for a quick laugh.

"Seriously... I pay how much in taxes for–"

But why.

Why is it not made out of stone.

"...!!"

The second I realized, I tensed my legs and shifted.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

"After all."

Stepping out from behind the statue was the intruder, Miss Irene.

Her eyes were shaped like crescent moons, and the setting sun painted her figure in a ominous red glow.

"You."

She pointed a clawed finger at me.

"Are mine~"

[Affection has significantly increased!]

Step, step.

She walked closer and closer towards me, like a panther stalking its prey.

"Nobody can get between us, Mirai."

She extended her other hand from behind her back, revealing a tentacle that had been torn off from its base. It spurted purple liquid all over the dancing cow statue.

"Miss..."

I tilted my head upwards, a weak smile on my face.

"You're quite lovely..."

I took a deep breathe, shifting the position of my feet.

"But I'm not a big fan of clingy girls, yeah?"

I ran.

I ran into the city grounds as fast as I could.

I pumped my legs up and down, sprinting down the eerily empty streets of the once bustling area.

But no matter how fast I ran or the distance I traveled, I could see the monster's shadow.

Snap.

With a skin-crawling sound of a bone snapping, Miss Irene's shadow flickered forward. Some sort of teleportation shenanigans were happening, which made the situation even more hopeless. Though she could end it all in a second, she had decided to play with her food.

But, I will not despair.

Though my lungs were burning, and my muscles were screaming at me to stop.

I could smile for real.

I could run down the streets while laughing, the setting sun coloring everything in oranges and purples.

Why?

[A new monster is rapidly approaching towards your location.]

[15780 meters away.]

Right.

A new monster.

I wasn't the type to leave my fate all up to chance, but I had no cards left to play.

[9370 meters away.]

I wonder, Irene.