[OLD] So I'm a Snake, So What? (Kumodesu x OC)

26 - A Snake, a Rat, and a Baby?

"AHHHH!!! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! I DON'T WANNA DIE AGAAAAIN!!!"

This was all that was needed to sum up all that had been going on in this boy's head for as long as Hakuja had been connected to him. Screaming, crying, begging, and nothing else.

Hakuja thought himself that if his『Heresy Resistance』were any weaker, he was sure he would have already gone insane a while ago. 

Added onto the fact that crying kids were already nails on chalkboard for him in his old, non-auditorily-enhanced human body, the amount of self-control it took to not stab him was impressive by his new standards. 

That wasn't to say there wasn't an ulterior motive to keep his resolve strong. There was also the fact that he was one of Hakuja's old classmates hanging over his head, if only for the fact that Ms. Oka wouldn't let him hear the end of it if they were ever to meet one another.

Trying to get a word in proved impossible between his pathetic wails and whines, so Hakuja tried to look back into his memory, trying to remember the approach he used to get close to him in the past.

He remembered a sickly sweet voice and a kind personality that made his stomach turn whenever he played the part, so he tried that, trying to open a conversation with "Hey, Naofumi! Remember me?"

However, all that got him in response was, 'AHHH! THE SNAKE SOUNDS LIKE HAKUJA AND KNOWS MY OLD NAME!'

Even if the attempt fell flat, a part of him was glad he wouldn't have to hold that act for long, but that meant that he was still on square one, and to an extent, that alone was frustrating. 

In the past, the two of them were on neutral ground, in a world that naturally wasn't anywhere near as treacherous as this one, so it was easy enough to figure out how to approach a person and get them on his side after learning about and observing someone for a time. 

But seeing as this is the first person he had met aside from Hiiro; who was in a similar situation to him and was already accustomed to the cutthroat nature of this world; it was like he was a kid again, learning how to pull people's strings from scratch, and that was both frustrating and worrying.

As he stood there in thought, trying to find a way to deal with the current situation, he heard a set of paws padding their way towards him, and Ryoshi's voice came into his mind, "My lord, could I try to communicate with the little one?"

Hakuja stared back at the large rodent for a moment, seemingly considering the offer. He remained silent for a second before he huffed and slithered aside to make room for the rodent's larger form, figuring that he had nothing to lose from letting Ryoshi take a shot at it.

"Little one," Ryoshi began, his『Telepathy』skill making it possible to converse with the child without Hakuja's assistance. Naturally, the presence of a giant, jet-black rat with blood red eyes casting a shadow over him failed to put him at ease, but that wasn't exactly the intended result... 

The next thing Austyn knew, a suffocating wave of fear washed over him as Ryoshi's eyes dug into him like daggers. "Be quiet in the presence of our lord. Your life was saved by him, as such you do not breath without his permission. Do you understand?"

Whether or not he fully processed Ryoshi's words through the haze of fear, Austyn didn't make a single sound afterwards. In the next moment, the air of authority hanging around Ryoshi vanished as he turned back to Hakuja, his tail swishing slightly.

"I was able to silence the little one, my lord."

"Uhh... Good job...?"

Ryoshi's tail seemed to swing a little faster with Hakuja's praise, however, Hakuja was more focused on wondering why the intimidation angle hadn't come to him earlier. '...I guess I've gotten used to intimidation being immediately followed by murder?'