Kusamonogatari

Vol.3 Chapter 4

草物語

Chapter 60:I need a hero!

"Are you ok?" Calli asked me again while showing her concern to me.    

"I must be drunk" I muttered under my breath. But I'm trained by Calli, there's no way I could be drunk that easily.    

I stretched my hands in an attempt to touch her face. I pulled and squished her cheeks and everything seemed normal to me.

"Ow!.. That hurts!... Please be gentle!" Calli reacted like a fair maiden unlike her usual self.

I froze on my seat to process everything... 'There's only one thing left...'

I went under the table and sniffed at her feet. A pungent smell entered my nostrils, I immediately threw up on the floor. Calli ran over to my side of the table and despite being weirded out by my actions, she awkwardly handed me her handkerchief after I'm done.

I took a look at her, Calli never made such a worrisome face towards me. It makes me feel as if I've failed her.

"Do you know where you live? I can take you home." Calli asked.

I felt anger welling up in me but I knew I needed to control myself.

"I...uh...Upstairs?" I pointed to the ceiling and laughed.

"Let's get you home then." Calli took my arm and placed it over her shoulders to support me as we walked out of the bar.

We reached the receptionist and as soon as the receptionist saw us, he slid a room key to the both of us without questions.

As we were reaching the room she suddenly asked me a question.

"Who did I looked like to you?" I went silent, thinking about her intentions.

I chose to tell the truth."My dad..."

"Were you both close?"She asked.

"We are, but we try to not get too close to each other." I replied.

Calli seems to be confused, "I don't understand, why?"

"She fears the inevitable, that she would outlive me. And I fear that I might leave a mark that hurts her after my passing. Both of our existence will only cause each other pain in either way."

"I see... Look, almost there now." Calli said.

We both reached room number 999

She gently laid me to the wall and then she inserted the key into the keyhole.

"Come to think of it, I haven't asked for your name." I asked her.

"It's better if you don't." She said.

"It's not too late to turn back." I said in an empathetic tone.

"It's too late for that." She opened the door, "There's no going back."

"Now let's get in before you catch a cold" She carried me into the room and laid me down on the bed.

Someone knocked on the door. Calli opened it and was welcomed by a kick to her stomach. Surprised as she is, people in black started rushing into the room. Calli, being panicked, decided to get up and run towards the windows but I sprung up from my bed, hit her square on her solar plexus and she passed out.

"Well done boys, now let's send her to the harbor." I praised the mens in black that are currently packing her into a bag.

We went downstairs, and outside of the lobby, a fleet of Black carriages were waiting for our arrival. A man with a scarred face opened the door for me.