âDo you know when a person feels despair?â
âWhen they realize that unicorns exist but platypuses donât?â
âNo! Itâs when, no matter how hard they try, they canât move forward! And platypuses do exist!â
âSure, sure. If Benny says so, then it must be true.â
Even at this moment, inside the Subspace Ring, there lay the tears of a beast whose purpose was unknown, but teasing Benny was fun, so I decided to play dumb.
Watching Benny huff and puff, I extended my hand. Then, the shadow monster stretched its tentacle out and placed a cream pie, which it had taken out from somewhere, onto my hand.
âOh. Thanks.â
-Growl.
The creature clattered its sharp teeth with a joyful growl. There was one person feeling lonely in a world where I was happy, the shadow was happy, and everyone was happy.
âThatâs mine?! How did you find it hidden in the sub-refrigerator magic tool?â
-Scoff.
The shadow monster scoffed as if to say, âHow could you not know?â As Benny was hopping mad, I asked in a languid voice.
âSo? What experiments have you been doing? I did everything Benny asked, but it took longer than promised, and now Iâm sleepy and hungry⊠Was the result not good?â
âUgh⊠Sorry.â
âIâll forgive you with the cream pie from a moment ago. That aside, the results are whatâs important now. Iâm a participant in the experiment too, so itâs okay to tell me this much, right?â
âThatâs true.â
Benny nodded and threw herself onto the wide sofa. It must have been quite soft as her small frame gently sank in.
I got curious and stood up to try sitting on it.
-Growl.
The shadow monster wrapped its tentacles around my waist as if to say, âDonât goâ.
Whether it was its back or its stomach, I wasnât sure, but sitting on the guyâs body was comfortable enough, so I decided to stay like this.
Benny began to roll around with an utterly exhausted expression. The hem of her dress naturally curled up.
The skin that was only visible around the ankle gradually became visible up to the back of the knee before it stopped. With the inner thigh barely visible, Benny continued speaking.
âThe first thing I experimented with was why this guy likes you.â
âSmell, magic, divine power, voice, face, and other various things, we tried it all.â
âYeah. But I have no idea. When youâre not around, itâs one thing, but when you are, he only reacts to you.â
âThis is all because of my dazzling charm, isnât it? Please compliment me, Benny.â
ââŠIn the end, I couldnât even catch a clue about this part and had to move on. After that, what I tested was the changes according to its mood.â
âAre you ignoring what Iâm saying, too? Well, whatever. Iâm generous, so Iâll let it slide. Did anything change when its mood changed? I couldnât tell the difference since I donât know the usual data.â
âYes. There was a significant difference. Overall, the reaction speed improved. But the strength weakened. Also, the concentration of acidic fluid flowing through the body became lighter, and the teeth became blunt.â
ââŠIsnât that a sign of weakness?â
âItâs a bit different. Itâs not that it weakened, but it was trying to weaken itself. Simply put, itâs like a cat trying to hide its claws as much as possible, being careful not to scratch anyone?â
âOh.â
With a newfound gaze, I stared at the shadow cast under my buttocks. My eyes met with its bloodshot and intense gaze.
Blink.
It split into two.
Blink, blink.
No, now there are four.
As I giggled at the increasing number of pupils, Benny spoke with a slightly tired expression.
âIsnât it gross? Iâve been with it for a long time and even thought of it as a friend, but seeing it directly like this is disgusting.â
âWell, it is gross, but if you keep looking, it has its own cute side. Itâs excitedly multiplying these eyeballs because I like it.â
Tiny pupils now densely filled half of its body. Iâm really glad I donât have trypophobia.
âHas it ever reacted differently to anyone else?â
âHmm. Not to this extent, but it was a bit calmer with Ellie and Lydia. Oh, and it was always like that in front of other high-ranking adventurers.â
âDid it always react similarly in front of high-ranking adventurers?â
âIt was a little different, wasnât it? It became more docile in front of particularly strong people among the high-ranking adventurers. Although, it did growl at clerics exceptionally.â
âIsnât it because it still remembers being attacked by The One Who Devours the Twilight?â
âItâs probably because of One Who Devours the Twilight. But Iâm not sure if it remembers.â freewebnÏvel.cŃłm
Benny, who tilted her head, turned over and lay on her stomach. The skirt that had been rolled up returned to its original state.
Instead, the outline of her peach-like, petite buttocks was fully revealed.
Hmm⊠I can see the panty line. She is wearing them properly. It seems the No-Panty Goddess Lovey Dovey was the strange one after all.
While nodding inwardly, Benny, like a cat, stretched her upper body close to the ground, lifting only her buttocks high.
âHmmm⊠HaaaaaâŠ.â
Though she seemed unaware, her posture was indeed commendableâŠno, desirable. To the point that I couldnât take my eyes off her for a while.
Whether Benny knew about my blatant gaze or not, she continued in a carefree tone.
âThere are too many dubious parts to say that it holds memories. Above all, its reaction to The One Who Devours the Twilight is too instinctive to be considered as coming from a thought process.â
âWell, since itâs a mix of traces from multiple people, even if there are memories, theyâd be jumbled and meaningless. Besides, there are reasons to dislike them, even if itâs not necessarily because of old memories.â
Even after being reborn as a shadow monster, the experiments of One Who Devours the Twilight continued. Transplanted into Benny, until the day they became familiar with each other.
If there is someone who torments you from the moment you are born, you would either fear them or hate them.
In the case of the shadow monster, it was probably the latter.
âBy the way, itâs a bit surprising that it becomes relatively docile in front of other high-ranking adventurers.â
âI think itâs simply because it senses the difference in power. Itâs smarter than a beast, but its instincts are just as sharp or even sharper. Itâs common to tuck its tail in front of a stronger opponent.â
âHmm. I donât know. If thatâs the case, then its attitude towards me and Benny doesnât make sense. I think differently.â
Itâs true that the shadow monster acted as if it would do anything for me, but with Benny, it didnât seem like it followed her out of dislike or listened to her because it liked her.
Itâs just being irritable. Like Benny dealing with something that was once a friend but has become a disgusting monster.
Then the reason why it likes me is simple too.
âIsnât it because I like this kid, so it likes me back?â
ââŠWhat?â
âIâm not joking. Iâm serious.â
I looked at the shadow monster, which had become an eyeball monster, with a serious face.
A scene so disgusting that an ordinary person would faint. But to my eyes, it just seemed like a desperate gesture craving affection.
âThe shadowâs appearance is a bit off. Maybe it has never received proper affection since birth? Benny was the only one who treated it with empathy.â
ââŠâŠâ
Benny closed her mouth and began to ponder something. I donât know much about the distant past, but I was well aware of the looks it received while walking around today.
Everyone hated the shadow monster. They were scared, disgusted, and reluctant.
If I had just been born and received such looks, I too would have turned out twisted.
Benny, hearing my words, asked back in a slightly sullen voice.
âSo, youâre saying youâre not?â
âI still find it disgusting and scary⊠But I like it even more than that.â
Itâs sad to think about what the kids who became materials for the shadow monsters went through, and what they went through as the shadow monster.
But honestly, isnât it exciting to embrace my settings to the fullest and mix things up as much as I can without deviating?
What does it matter if it looks hideous? Even if I didnât create it myself, itâs certain that itâs a child living in my world.
I patted the shadow monsterâs body gently and tapped its sturdy teeth.
At first glance, it looked like it might devour me at any moment. But thereâs a kind of trust between us.
While it might accidentally hurt me, I believe it would never intentionally harm me.
âIn that sense, I think we need to change its name.â
ââŠIts name?â
Visit freewebnoveâ.com for the best novel reading expđrience.
âShadow monster isnât a name, is it? I understand why you havenât named it yet, though.â
To Benny, the shadow monster must have been a âghastly thingâ.
For now, she needed its power, but it was something she would eventually need to let go and overcome.
âThen letâs give it a name first. Acknowledge it as an entity, and then figure out the rest.â
ââŠYeah. Youâre right. I was too indifferent. Regardless, itâs the one that has stayed by my side throughout my adventures, right?â
After a moment of hesitation, Benny spoke.
âShadow. Yeah. From now on, youâre Shadow.â
Derived from the shadow of the shadow monster, Shadow.
âHow is it? Do you like it?â
-âŠâŠ.
The shadow monster. No, Shadow, quietly observed Benny. And then.
Lick.
It extended its long tongue between its sharp teeth and licked her.
âEek!â
It was the moment when the secret of the behavior Benny had longed to uncover was revealed.
âSo wetâŠand smellyâŠughâŠ.â
Of course, Benny, who was completely soaked, didnât seem to notice yet.