Mob MC 292.2

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Chapter 292.2. In Those Eyes

-??? Tamamo's POV-

"It's so sweet, Fox-san!"

"I really don't understand what you're talking about. I'm Tamamo, remember?"

"Tamamo-chan is, like, Mii-chan's friend! Ehehe. She's a super mischievous one!"

For some reason, as Takano Miu happily wore a delighted expression, a sense of unease swirled within me. This girl was saying strange things. Very strange things...

"I'm super hungry now that I've eaten all that."

The meat that had once piled up like a mountain had completely disappeared without anyone noticing. And unbelievably, her stomach was growling.

"I wonder when mama will come to pick me up. But, Mii-chan come here to do something?"

"Takano Miu... Who are you, really?"

No one around them was paying attention to our conversation; they were all busy chatting away. Amidst the noise, I glared at Takano Miu.

Something was off about this child. If you asked what was off, well, everything was off...

With a furrowed brow, the young girl seemed like she was trying to remember something. She tried to probe further, but then a rough set of footsteps approached, and a man with a frantic look entered.

"Aneki, it's bad! Our comrades who went to collect demon carcasses were killed!"

"What? What do you mean?"

"It must be those folks from Akechi. They've been getting on our nerves lately."

"If they think they can mess with us and get away with it, they're dead wrong! Let's go retaliate!"

Fueled by anger upon hearing about my dead comrades, I was ready to go. They had crossed the line, killing her comrades!

"Everyone! We're going for revenge!"

"Ohh!"

Everyone stopped eating, grabbed metal pipes and baseball bats, and hurriedly left their hideout.

"Kya-. Mii-chan will come too. Mii-chan will join the play!"

The young girl's cheerful voice made me halt and turn around.

"No, you can't! From here on, there might be a risk to our lives!"

"A play... You said that earlier, right? Takano Miu. This isn't a play."

"Huh? Isn't this the world of stuffed animals?"

"That's enough! If you follow us, I can't guarantee your safety!"

It was a pitiful girl who couldn't distinguish reality from fiction. It was dangerous, but if she couldn't persuade her, there was nothing else she could do.

"Hurry up!"

I urged my companions around me.

I'm trying to ignore Takano Miu as much as possible and guide them to the location where our comrades had been killed.

It was an open space surrounded by abandoned buildings, used occasionally for dismantling the carcasses of demons that appeared from time to time.

Today, some of my comrades were supposed to be dismantling monster corpses. They would only take valuable items and discard the rest. However, a companion who had said they would join the barbecue later was lying in a pool of blood.

"What... what have you done!"

Next to the fallen comrade were individuals wearing black robes. It looked like they were the ones responsible, no doubt about it.

"Akechi, you said it, didn't you? Who are these guys?"

"...I thought it was Akechi. Why did I think that?"

When I asked my puzzled comrades who had come to get me, they looked at me bewilderedly. It seemed like even they didn't know why they had said those words.

Something was off. Even though I couldn't pinpoint what was off, something was definitely strange.

However, the question dissipated with the voice of the man in the black robe.

"We've finally found someone with that damn crown. What a pain."

The voice sounded familiar. I couldn't forget it. It was the man who had attacked when her family was killed.

"You... no way!"

"Oh, you remembered me! I'll make sure to kill you a little more gently."

As he removed his robe, the man revealed himself wearing earth-colored magic armor. He had a smug expression, with muscles like a muscle-bound Daruma doll and golden hair.

"My name is Hrungnir of Nidhogg! I came to collect that crown you're holding!"

He grinned with an ugly expression and laughed. My face turned pale as I realized.

"...So, in the end, the crown was your target! When my parents told me to run away. I heard someone were looking for it!"

I took the rusty crown I had carefully kept hidden from her bosom. It was my cherished crown. I didn't know what purpose it served, but I had held onto it all this time in my quest for revenge.