“I’m heading to work.”
I looked back at Hathor while putting on my shoes in the entryway.
Hathor was sitting sideways on the couch, watching TV. Onscreen, the host of a morning program was laughing and chattering about something. Hathor didn’t look particularly entertained, but she didn’t seem interested in changing the channel either.
“Starting today, it’s Monday, so you’ll have to be on your own.”
“I know.”
“You can stay home until I get off work, and if you get bored, you can go out for a little while nearby.”
Of course, Hathor had a place of her own, but since she always spent the weekends at Hae-na’s place, this scene played out every Monday.
“Then I’ll go out.”
“…Just don’t go too far.”
Hathor looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask whether I took her for an idiot.
“You can’t wander off away from me and get lost like last time.”
“I wasn’t lost.”
“Right. You went looking for someone who was lost and got lost yourself.”
“That was—”
“And if you’re going to walk around alone… Here. Take this, at least.”
I picked up Hathor’s phone from the dining table. It was something I’d hurriedly gotten for her a few days ago. She still hadn’t properly learned how to use it, but it was better than having nothing.
“Make sure you carry it with you. If anything happens, call me.”
“I told you, I’m not a child.”
“Leaving you by yourself feels like leaving a kid near the water, okay…!”
Hathor narrowed her eyes, looking displeased.
“You treat me far too much like a young child.”
“I’ll be back.”
The apartment quickly fell quiet after Hae-na left. Hathor sat on the couch and watched TV for a while. At first, she had wanted to observe what humans did, but similar stories kept repeating, and she soon lost interest. She set down the remote and looked out the window.
Sunlight streamed through the glass, blending with soft clouds. With the weather so nice, there was no reason to stay cooped up inside. Hathor slipped the phone into her pocket and went outside.
Following Hae-na’s instructions, she walked around slowly without straying too far from the apartment building. Eventually, she made her way to the familiar shopping district.
It was the place she had visited with Hae-na a few days ago. But seeing it alone felt a little different. When Hae-na had been beside her, she had needed an explanation every time she saw something. Now, she had to judge everything for herself.
She went into a convenience store to buy a drink when she got thirsty, then stopped by a small bookstore on the roadside to browse the books. Japanese books still took her time to read, but simply looking at the pictures and photographs on their covers wasn’t bad either.
When lunchtime came, she started to feel hungry. Hathor pulled out the wallet she had bought at the flea market. It contained quite a few bills from her part-time job.
“…This should be enough.”
She went into a nearby restaurant and ate alone. Ordering had been less of a problem than she’d expected. Even when it came to an unfamiliar language, she learned and understood things at a bizarrely fast pace.
When the food arrived, Hathor picked up her chopsticks. Eating alone was more manageable than she’d expected. After finishing her meal and paying, she went back outside.
“What should I do now?”
It was still too early to go home. She wandered the streets without any particular destination, stopping to look around the trinket shops.
Then, around three in the afternoon, she spotted people handing out flyers at the corner of a main street.
“It’s a fantasy-themed concept café~ We’ve got events, too!”
Hathor was about to walk past, but she accepted a flyer. It showed people wearing fantasy-style costumes. A wizard, a knight, an elf, a vampire…
And printed in huge letters on one side of the flyer were the words:
『Night of the Demon Realm』 Concept Café.
Hathor stared at the flyer for a while.
“The demon realm…”
Hathor’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the face of the vampire in the picture. There were vampires in Hathor’s world, too.
Of course, they didn’t wear… clothes like that.
Her curiosity was piqued.
The café wasn’t very far from where she was. Without hesitation, Hathor headed there.
The café was on the second floor of a building tucked into an alley. When she reached the top of the stairs, she found a black door with a huge cross set into it. When she opened the door, a dull, old-sounding bell rang.
The interior had clearly been decorated with a great deal of effort.
Fake magic circles were affixed to the walls, and black curtains with Gothic lace hung over the windows. Small candelabras sat on every table, and decorative swords and magic staffs stood displayed in one corner.
All the employees were dressed in outfits faithful to their individual concepts. Hathor stood at the entrance and slowly looked around the room.
“Welcome, ma’am.”
An employee approached her.
“How many in your party?”
“One.”
“Right this way.”
Once seated, Hathor accepted the menu and frowned.
Every name on it was strange.
Cherry-flavored ade made from a vampire’s blood, the last supper of a demon sentenced to death…
“The person who creates your chosen dish will bring it to you personally. What would you like?”
Hathor looked over the menu again and chose a drink. It was one of the vampire-whatever items. The employee took her order and left.
*Do humans like this sort of thing?*
A short while later, another employee brought her drink. It was a woman dressed in a typical gothic Lolita outfit, her hair adorned with black ribbons.
“A drink containing my blood. Drink it as though you were worshiping me.”
She set the glass down. She was unquestionably playing the role of a vampire countess. Her tone carried a haughty arrogance not unlike Hathor’s own.
*What is she talking about?*
Hathor barely managed to stop herself from letting the thought slip out loud. Then she happened to look at the woman’s face—and froze. The scent coming from her nose was unmistakably different from that of the humans here. It was faint, but definite, and impossible to mistake.
Hathor’s expression hardened.
“…You.”
The woman looked up.
“Yes?”
“You’re not a human from this place.”
The smile vanished from the woman’s face. A brief silence passed between them. The woman recognized Hathor as well. After checking their surroundings, she spoke in a low voice.
“…Of course not. I’m a vampire.”
Hathor narrowed her eyes. It was an ambiguous statement. The woman was certainly working here under the concept of a vampire, but she was also saying that she really was one.
“You’re not human either.”
“That’s right.”
After thinking for a moment, the woman sat down in the chair across from Hathor.
“Customers don’t talk about things like that here. It’d be a problem if the humans found out.”
“Do the humans here not know of ‘our’ existence?”
“…They think it’s all just a concept.”
Hathor looked around.
“…It’s all fake?”
“Of course.”
The woman gave a small laugh.
“What’s your name?”
“Hathor.”
“That’s a name from our world. I’m Kamisaki Hina.”
“How long have you been here?”
“In Japan?”
“I mean this human world.”
Hina thought for a moment. She counted on both hands, then eventually seemed to give up.
“A pretty long time. Definitely more than twenty years.”
Hathor’s eyes widened.
“That long?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you live all that time?”
“I just… managed somehow.”
“Without letting the humans discover your identity?”
“So far, at least.”
Hina said this as she tidied the cups on the table.
“It was hard at first. The language was different, I had no money, and I didn’t know what the humans here liked.”
“And now?”
“Of course I’m used to it now.”
Hathor looked at Hina.
“You came to understand humans?”
Hina snorted softly.
“It’s not that grand.”
“I came here to end the conflict between humans and the other races.”
“That’s impressive.”
Despite her words, Hina’s expression showed little admiration.
“I’m just staying because it’s comfortable living here.”
“You have no interest in the relationship between humans and the other races?”
“It’d be a lie to say I don’t. But what can I do? I’m the only one of ‘us’ here.”
Hina shrugged.
“It’s easier to live as Kamisaki Hina here.”
Hathor said nothing. Someone from the same world, living in the human realm in a way completely different from her own. The fact was rather fascinating.
“You work here?”
“Yeah. I have to earn money.”
Hathor remembered the money she had received at the flea market.
“So you work and earn money like a human.”
“If I didn’t, what would I eat?”
Hina answered as though it were obvious.
“You should work too if you need money.”
“I already have.”
“Really?”
“I worked at a place called a flea market.”
Hina looked Hathor up and down.
“…It suits you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You look like you’d be good at physical labor.”
“I am good at it.”
“That’s why I said it.”
They continued exchanging stories after that. Usually, Hathor asked questions, and Hina answered them and provided information. If they had been talking somewhere else, the conversation would have sounded anything but ordinary—perhaps even strange—but in a place like this, all those unusual details were naturally overlooked.
When Hathor checked the time on her phone, it was a little after six in the evening. It was about time to go home.
“I should be going. I enjoyed our conversation today.”
“Me too. It was fun talking to a customer who isn’t human. Oh, and… one last piece of advice: you should make up a separate name to use here. The name Hathor stands out too much.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Hina smiled and returned to the counter. Hathor soon got up as well. After paying, Hina said goodbye and told her to come again, secretly handing her a business card with her number written on it.
“Contact me.”
When Hathor stepped outside, the sun had already begun to sink. She had told Hae-na she would only walk around nearby, but… this was close enough. On the way home, she saw a familiar face across the street.
“Hae-na?”
“Hathor?”
Hae-na stood there with her bag after getting off work.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m on my way back.”
“I told you not to go far. This place is a pretty good distance from home.”
“I did not go far.”
“…Okay, fine. Nothing happened?”
“No. I bought and ate food by myself, and I went to a café too.”
Hae-na looked at Hathor for a moment, then finally walked over to her.
“Hathor’s really grown a lot.”
“I am an adult dragon.”
*That’s not what I meant.*
The two of them walked home side by side. Hae-na glanced at Hathor’s face.
“You must’ve had fun today. You’ve got this weird little smile on your face.”
Hathor thought for a moment. Hina, the vampire from her world whom she had met at the café. The fact that Hina had already adapted to human society and lived there for more than ten years. Talking with her had been much more fun than she’d expected.
“Yes, I enjoyed myself.”
“That’s good.”
Hae-na didn’t ask anything else. Watching the extraordinary and troublesome dragon next door gradually adapt left her feeling relieved—and somehow stirred up a strange emotion as well.