Reflecting on Innocent Times

Hotaru's POV:

As it turns out, teaching someone to read is really, really hard!

But since Mina already seems so invested, I try my best by scrawling out a few sentences on a piece of parchment, using an inkwell and calligraphy pen she was able to borrow from one of the neighbors; then, slowly reading through them aloud, pointing to each word with my finger:

"I. Have. Given up. My. Humanity. Jojo."

"What's that mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Well" —I was suppressing a chuckle, barely keeping it together—"it's something a character in a popular story once said, after he became an evil vampire."

"He gave up his humanity?" Her ears twitched. "How is that possible...?"

Hmm…

I never expected things to get all philosophical.

"Well, it's basically like...if you willingly commit enough wrongful acts, you become someone that others can't accept as human anymore."