Chapter 15

Gulp-gulp-gulp

"Haaa.." Koutaro sighed after drinking a mouthful of water.

It's been a whole day since they escaped the village.

Though the sun has already set, the full moon above was providing enough light for them to see around.

Running through the forest, they eventually came across a small stream of flowing water.  They didn't bring any water or food with them. And the journey was quite texting for Koutaro, as he was carrying Kaya in his back most of the time. So, he decided to stop here for now.

He mugged up some water in his hands and turned to his side, "Here, Kaya chan…"

Kaya leaned forward and gulped down the water from his hands.

*Sigh...Koutaro sighed.

'We don't have any food with us…..' He thought.

He looked at Kaya who has just finished drinking and asked, "Kaya chan, Are you hungry?"

She shook her head from side to side, "No."

Koutaro knew she was lying, maybe she saw how they don't have anything on them that they can eat right now.

He gave her a chuckle and rubbed her hair, "Wait here for a minute okay? I go and see if I can find something to eat.

"NO!" As he said that, Kaya shouted in denial and hurriedly hugged him.

Koutaro was surprised by this girl's sudden actions, "Kaya chan?...."

"Don't go nii chan!!" She pled as her voice quivered. "E-even mommy s-said she w-would come back!! But she d-didn't! Please don't go…..wuu...wuu…" Tears began to flow from her eyes as she cried while tightly hugging him.

Seeing the girl like this his heart ached.

'F**k!' He spat out a curse in his mind.

He hugged her tightly in his embrace as he patted her back to help her calm down.

He sat on the ground while Kaya was still in his embrace.

Sigh~*

Looking at the clear sky above and the moon, he began pondering,

Dying by an accident and coming to this world, all these bizarre incidents built up a lot of frustration and confusion in him.

Honestly, if Kaya and Hitomi weren't there, he would have gone insane. They were very supportive in this period of loneliness and confusion. They grew very close, he began to see them as a real family.

But today…..this family of him was shattered today. 

Upon seeing the corpse of Hitomi, he forgot to even mourn for her.

At that moment the fear of death gripped him. The only thing that came to his mind was to run. 

He couldn't even think of bringing any food or water with him. He just took Kaya and picked up the axe and escaped the village.

Since transmigrating here, he has never been out of the village at all. Hiromi forbade him to leave the village on his own until he is old enough. 

Well, even if he was forbidden to go outside, he could have easily snuck out if he wanted.

But he didn't do so….. Why?.....

"I am a f*cling coward..." Koutaro commented on himself.

He was a coward. He has experienced death once. And it was in no way enjoyable. He didn't want to go outside in case he encountered any potential danger. 

While escaping he didn't choose the main road which leads to the nearby town. In everyday situations, the town would be the best place to take a shelter but after seeing the blood and carnage humans have caused in the village today, he preferred to go to the forest which was in the opposite direction. 

And moreover he had presumption that the killers who destroyed the village would be waiting outside the town to hunt down any remaining survivors.

He knows forests can be quite dangerous too. They may encounter wild beasts or other trouble. But if something happens he wouldn't have any room for regrets…... At least that's what he thought.

While contemplating, he heard a voice from behind.