29-Exploding emotions

Warning: Graphic description of animal cruelty. Nothing actually happens, but a character explicitly describes hurting an animal.

It hurt. I couldn't open my right eye.

I fell to the ground, gasping. It felt like if I didn't consciously breathe, I would lose to the pain in my chest and stop breathing.

My whole body hurt. I couldn't tell which parts exactly were hurting; everything hurt.

If I didn't get up, Pyonkichi would get caught. No one else could protect the barn door except me. Yet, even as I tried to move, the most I could do was claw at the ground.

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"C'mon now, that was too much. Wouldn't he die if we leave him like this?"

The one who'd spoken was the man with the large build. When I was getting beat up, he'd tried to stop it many times. It seemed that the man with the smaller build was hot-tempered, and he'd enjoyed hitting me so much that he'd gotten carried away.

"I-it's fine. It's almost dawn. As long as we leave him by the street corner, someone will find him." The smaller-built man's voice grew a little louder by the end.

Was what happened to me that big of a deal? I myself didn't know anymore.

There was a thick smell of blood in the air despite the rain. It was probably because of my nosebleed.

My left hand was bleeding too; the skin of my palm had been shredded from my clenching hard on the pebble all this time. My face was throbbing, probably swollen up. And my right eyelid was probably swollen too, that's why I couldn't open it.

"Right, let's get the ravi then." The smaller-built man kicked the barn door open. As he stepped over me to go inside, I held on to the hem of his pants to try and stop him, but he quickly shook me off.

While the rest of the men didn't move forward, I could hear cries of "Kiii!" behind me.

Pyonkichi had been caught. I knew just from the sounds he made.

"Tch, making us waste so much time."

The smaller-built man's feet stopped in front of my face. My eyes traced from the tip of his shoes to his ankles to his knees as I slowly looked up, until I finally saw Pyonkichi being held up by his ears.

Pyonkichi's left leg was dangling down, as if he was unable to move it.

He'd probably gotten injured when he was dropped earlier. It wasn't that he didn't escape, but that he couldn't escape because he couldn't move his foot.

I'm sorry I didn't understand, Pyonkichi.

"Let..........chi," I tried to yell, but what came out of my throat was a voice so small even I could barely hear it.

The men might not have even noticed anything except for my lips moving.

Pyonkichi's ears were my favorite. And now those sensitive ears that twitched so cutely whenever I touched them were being handled so roughly.

Pyonkichi's short forelegs struggled as he kept crying out, "Kiii, kiii!"

Let them go. You guys would hate it too if someone were pulling on your ears, wouldn't you?

I forcibly raised my weak left arm and threw the rock in my hand at his shin. I'd tried to throw it with all my might, but it only bounced off his leg harmlessly.

"What a stubborn brat.

"..........I've thought of something good. You, you care about these animals, right?"

I couldn't see the man's face from my position, but I was certain that he was smirking evilly. After all, whenever I'd showed a pained expression, he would always grin so widely.

"I'll skin this ravi right in front of you. Hmm, where should I start. From the forelegs? Or maybe the hind legs?"

My breath punched out of me in a wheeze.

Pyonkichi, Pyonkichi. My family.

Stop. If you do that, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!!

"Want me to scoop out its eyes? Or should I rip out its ears?"

"Oi, you're taking it too far."

"Shut up! Look at this, he bit me so hard he left teeth marks. This is punishment for this impertinent brat."

The knife glinted under the light of the lantern that the large-built man was holding up. The smaller-built man licked at the knife blade, as if he was contemplating where he would start cutting Pyonkichi up.

I could feel something buzzing and squirming inside me. It wasn't something that had just started right now.

It had started earlier when I was so scared of the knife that I couldn't move, but seeing everyone getting taken away, Brian getting whipped and the sheep getting kicked... At the moment when I'd thought, 'I hate these people,' it had started smoldering inside me.

When the buzzing feeling had grown stronger, I slowly became able to move my frozen body.

I didn't care what this feeling was. As long it could give the weak me strength, then, I wanted to borrow its power one more time.

"Since you were so unreasonable, this ravi will die in pain. Normally, I would've slit its throat in one stroke then skin it, but today I'll especially take my time and slowly start from its legs."

"I've always thought that you were a bit sadistic, but now you're going overboard. Look at him, you hit him with too much force earlier and now he's barely breathing. If you give him a shock on top of that, he'll really die."

"Shut up, you coward."

If you hurt Pyonkichi I won't forgive you. And I'll definitely save Brian and the others.

If something were to happen to Pochi who's lying on the ground, unmoving, I'll definitely never forgive you.

Intense pain ripped through my body as I tried to get up. It felt like my bones were falling apart, but I gritted my teeth and endured. I supported my swaying body with an elbow and glared up at the man.

I could only barely open my right eye, but through that narrow field of view I could see the two arguing men.

"Look, he got up. He's fine, ain't he?........ What's with that look on your face. You still haven't learned your lesson?"

He kicked my shoulder, and I, who had just gotten up, fell back down onto the puddle-ridden ground.

Muddy water filled my mouth. I spat the grit out, and once again got up.

No matter how many times they kick me down, I'll get back up. I'll save Pyonkichi. That was the only thought in my head.

What I will do after I get up, how I'll save Pyonkichi—I didn't have any plans or ideas anymore. But I would definitely never abandon my family.

The truth was, I'd always felt lonely. I'd known my parents were busy and that it couldn't be helped so I endured it. But I'd always wished for someone to be there for me.

Grandma and grandpa both loved me, and vacations with them had been really fun, but after they were over, I had to go back home to an empty house once again. There were moments that I'd gotten really down about it.

When I came to this world, I was so happy to be able to live with everyone in this house that Norn had prepared for me. I enjoyed greeting the animals, 'good morning!' every day as I gave them water.

Even though we didn't speak the same language, the animals would always look to me when I called their names. That was enough for me. It was more than enough happiness.

I finally had my ideal family. I'll never abandon them.

"C'mon, boy. Waaatch carefully."

Stop it.

"I've decided where I'm gonna start cutting."

Stop it, stop it.

Down on my knees, I put strength into my shaking thighs and finally got up on my feet. I stretched my arms with all my might for Pyonkichi. When I was finally about to touch his legs, the man raised Pyonkichi even higher.

"I'll start from the left ear," he purposely changed the direction he was facing so that I could clearly see what he was doing, and moved the knife towards Pyonkichi's ears.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach Pyonkichi. I lost balance and fell back down once more. Bracing my arms on the ground, I got up on all fours and looked up at Pyonkichi.

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

Buzz, buzz. That something inside me went into an uproar, this time stronger than before. It expanded everywhere throughout my body and surged, as if searching for a way out. It felt like it was about to burst out.

Give back Pyonkichi. Give back Brian and the others. Take back all the injuries you inflicted on Pochi.

It was strange. Though I couldn't feel anything, the grass all around my house rippled as if a strong wind was blowing.

"Say goodbye to your precious animal."

Stop it! Don't hurt my family!!

I was enraged. The rage inside me had grown every minute and every second since I'd met these guys, pushing aside the fear and moving at great speed like wood catching on fire.

That feeling reached its peak when I saw the knife pointed at Pyonkichi, whirling inside me until it and the buzzing in my body burst explosively outwards.

My vision turned dark as I felt knocked back by the force of the explosion.

The reason it was only 'felt' was because I didn't know for sure if I was lying down on the ground or not. Just like when I was passing through the Gate, I had completely lost all sense of direction and didn't know whether I was standing, sitting or upside down.

In that situation, all I could perceive were the men shouting, "Whoa!" and "What the—", but I had no idea what was happening.

Maybe lightning had struck. After all, lightning had been flashing in the sky all this time.

People in ancient times had believed that lightning in the sky was caused by the gods' anger. If there was a god in this world, it would be great if they had smited these bad people with lightning, I thought dazedly as the strength completely left my body until I couldn't move a single finger.

But god, my family hasn't done anything bad. So please save them. I was a petty, small-hearted person who couldn't be happy seeing Krish-san on a date with his lover, so you might want to punish me together with these men, but my family were all good kids.

Krish-san, huh... I missed him.

Krish-san, I did my best, but I couldn't save everyone. My strength wasn't enough.

If you were the one who was here instead of me, you'd probably have mowed these bad guys down and caught them.

Help me, Krish-san. Save everyone.

Come and show up like a hero and save everyone.

I'm sorry for only thinking of taking advantage of you. But I can't do it myself.

And, after you've saved everyone, please hold my hand, even for just a little while. Because I feel so safe with my hand in yours.

I know that your hand isn't mine, but just a moment is fine. And if that's too much, then even just a pinky is fine. Won't you let me hold on to it?

Then I'm sure I'll be able to do my best again tomorrow.

TL Note: Ugh sorry for the tenses being all over the place. I regret so much choosing to translate this novel in past tense, present tense would work so much better... Oh well, too late now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯