The girl walked up to them and shakily held out her hand, her vibe felt suspicious but the three ignored it and came to the conclusion that the girl may be weary of strangers.

“Please… Come with me”, she said awkwardly. Each word felt heavy, almost as if it had a menacing undertone. Each syllable she uttered seemed to be filled with a sense of regret.

Captain Yakusuke arched his head to the side and grasped his chin, his suspicions remained but he again ignored them. Of course he, as well as Mia and Hikaru, knew that the village had a beast issue, but his curiosity went beyond that.

Mia, Captain Yakusuke and Hikaru began walking with the little girl, going towards the village. They passed by the once chained villagers, seeing their calm demeanor.

“Why are they so calm? After that ordeal you’d think they would be much more rattled”, Mia thought as she strode beside the girl. “Even the man that was about to be devoured seems completely fine… What the hell is going on?”

They continued walking, passing by several villagers, each of which sported a creepy smile. The trio all felt an eerie feeling from the villagers around them, it was as if they were being given a grand welcome… A cursed grand welcome, one that would signify a dark event.

Hikaru spoke up, “oi! Kid, what’s your name?” He stopped walking, “and what’s with all the creepy gazes, it’s the type of looks the Captain gives to women anytime he visits a city”.

“What the hell Hikaru”, the Captain said with a depression-filled gaze.

The girl stopped, a few seconds passed while she stood silent. She balled her fists, either in rage or just unjust frustration.

In an aggravated tone and with her teeth gritted, “Nomi… My name is Nomi. Now come o-”

Mia walked in front of her and bent down, “it’s very nice to meet you Nomi!” She said with a smile.

Hmph.

Nomi pushed past her, “My house is only a little bit away from here”.

“Oh… Um, alright”, Mia stood back up and took a step back.

“So what do you think?” The Captain asked with a concerned look, his suspicions

increasing with each passing minute.

“Something is definitely off. Not just with her, but with the entire village. I remember back

in Ako, most villagers were wary of outsiders unless they were merchants. It’s usually common for small villages to be more introverted… But this village is way too open. It’s almost as if they want us here for a reason”, She said. Mia had always been alone as a child, so it was natural that she’d pick up on these sorts of things.

“I thought so”, Captain Yakusuke replied. “This all seems too strange. But for now let’s play along, I highly doubt any of the villagers will do something directly to us”.

Stolen story; please report.

The three began walking with the girl, the dirt beneath their feet crunching from the pressure. Each step they took sent an uncomfortable shiver down they’re spine.

Mia took notice that the faces of the villagers had changed, what was once a creepy smile was now just blank stares. They’re looks reminded her of the way that well-off citizens in Ako would look down on those of the slums.

“It’s as if they’re walking mice in a cage”, she said quietly.

“Hm?”

“Nothing Sir, just thinking out loud”.

Mia looked back and forth, down alleyways and back streets, searching for any small hints that would go unnoticed by others. Other than the odd villagers she found nothing… but that in itself was odd. There wasn’t a single person in an alleyway, not a single transient sitting with booze in hand. There wasn’t a reject-of-society in sight. From their initial walk up to the village she could tell that it was far smaller than Ako, and she expected to see a beggar or two. And yet… there were none.

Mia squinted her eyes, and an odd feeling dwelled in her, and it grew with each moment.

–

Everyone walked in silence. Not a word spoken from them nor the people around them.

“Captain”, Hikaru whispered, he held his hand to his mouth to utter the words. “Do you think it’s wise to follow this child? I have a bad feeling about this”.

“It’ll be fine”, we reassuringly waved his hand at Hikaru, “nothing bad can come from being led by a cutie like her”.

Hikaru had a face of disgust as he remembered every time a girl had screwed over the Captain… Age irrelevant, the Captain falls victim to any cute girls. Hikaru remembered the time that the Captain got married to a beautiful black haired woman only for her to run off and leave him with her seven kids. Also the time where we bet the entire Division two budget trying to impress a busty blonde.

He looked over to the Captain, “this isn’t going to go well…”

-

It took only a few more minutes of walking until they arrived.

“This is it”, Nomi said as she pointed to a one-story stone home. “Please… Come in”.

The three seemed hesitant to enter the home, but after a few moments decided to continue.

Captain Yakusuke and Hikaru went in immediately, Mia slowly followed behind but stopped right as she was about to enter, “this flower garden is completely dead, and filled with weeds”, she said with a confused expression. “Doesn’t your mom take care of it?” She asked.

“My mom… Yes… She was going to but had to do some other stuff…” Nomi said awkwardly.

“I see”.

Mia walked in and closed the door behind her. What she entered was something she hadn’t expected.

From the outside of the house it looked middle-class -ish, you’d assume it would be furnished with goods from Sepris… But it wasn’t. The inside of the home was quite barren. Only a table with some chairs and a beat up sofa by the wall.

“Alright girl, speak. Tell me, what’s the deal with your village, why are you so unfazed by the beasts?” Captain Yakusuke asked as he looked around.

Nomi remained silent and took slow steps towards him, she slowly reached into her shirt and slowly pulled something out…

A knife.

She bolted towards him with as much speed that she could muster.

“CAPTAIN!” Mia yelled.

The Captain turned, and with a sly look on his face as well as a smirk, “ah, for someone to make a small, cute girl to do something like this… Is horrible”.

He shifted to the side and grabbed her arm, squeezing it softly. Nomi released her grip and the knife fell to the ground.

Mia walked over to them and looked at her…

She was crying.