Sora’s POV

I quietly stare at the undead girl as she quickly chewed up a rat. She had no complains eating it raw (neither of us know how to start a fire with magic) her only requirement is that I skin them before offering it to her (she dislikes the distinct taste of hair).

She hungrily wolf downs one bite after another; making all sorts of crunching noises as she chews the bones. If I had any appetite it died watching her eat.

She stops chewing and looks up at me.

I have no idea what is going through her mind.

She moves her hand forward and offers me some.

If I could smile; I would. I politely communicate to her that I am unable to eat.

She gives a puzzled look and resumes munching away – with each bite she takes her skin regains colour it changes from rotting skin to a fresher pale blue colour.

So let me introduce my new companion through the (annoying) desert; Hōritsu Ai. Now, I know everyone must be thinking ‘Aha! Japanese name implies Japanese person implies fellow adventurer!’ Sadly, that isn’t the case for Ai. From the memories of Ai that I have seen, I can say she received her name from her father, a Japanese adventurer….

I’d be lying if I said I knew her father and so I have taken his daughter in. In fact, I have no clue who that man is in her memory. The only thing I do know is that she addressed him as father. If Ai has been adopted then I am merely taking in Ai to learn more about how she gained the undead state. In this game, I have no qualms becoming the undead if it enables me to live longer – coming from a skeleton that may not be as convincing but if I were in slime mode it certainly has its advantages. Furthermore, she may be able to give me a clue how I can switch between modes.

That is the first reason why I am interested in taking her in. The second reason is of slightly greater interest to me, what if Ai is the biological child of the adventurer? If she is, then I am curious to know what exactly is she? I have never heard of a game where adventurers can give birth to NPCs.

Regardless of her origins or state, my true motive of taking in Ai is her mother; a bishoujo amongst bishoujo – she would rightly inherit the title “Peerless Beauty”. Her mother was a pure elf – and hotness beyond measure. Now, if Ai were to grow up with certain *issues* … *ahem*….let’s just say my old age will pass by very pleasant on the eyes.

Now before anyone corrects me and points out that she is an undead and can’t grow up – yes I already know she is an undead *but* she does grow up. Categorically, Ai and I are both undead however it seems while I forever remain unchanged she will age like a normal elf. How do I know this? The clue lies in her memories once again.

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Ai was a stillbirth however her mother could not bare the loss and a certain magic was cast to bring Ai back to life – however she came back to life as the undead. While Ai did not have any of these memories, when her parents were prosecuted by the local village all was revealed to her at the age of six – at which point she was supposedly killed but managed to escape.

During these six years, Ai grew up just like any other child, she was completely sensitive to light and holy objects – just as I am however other than her diet (she can’t consume vegetables) she is completely normal. Her strength and regenerative abilities clearly stood out but beyond that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Ai has been roaming around these deserts for a while with nothing of notable interest happening during this period. I assume it is because of the fact that she is daughter of an elf that she ages more slowly than a human but I really don’t care. *Mother is a bishoujo* and as long as she inherits those traits – I don’t care.

That pretty much was Ai’s story – a very short. When Ai shared it with me there was more detail however nothing relevant (a seven year old doesn’t have many interesting things to share).

While my assessment of her is that she is a greater liability than an asset now however the potential future rewards far outweigh the risks.

Ai looks at me after finishing the three rats I caught for her. She smiles and says, “Hentai”

I nearly collapse from sitting posture.

Did she just speak Japanese?

No wait…did she just call me hentai?

I clean my ear socket - must have some sand in it. 

[Pardon me?] I ask her politely. Does she understand me?

“Hentai” Ai repeats.

I must be imagining this.  Does she understand what she is saying?

“Sora Lolicon” She speaks out with a grin.

:frozen02:

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Authors Note:

1. Thank you abuafridi for mistakenly assuming the girl was an undead - I originally scripted her as alive.