Azusa Dark [Prologue]

Monologue

For as long as I can remember,

I was not granted a reality,

in which I could live my life while kept safe,

by someone or something.

The people walking by all looked so happy,

as if everything my heart could ever desire,

came to them naturally,

just like breathing.

And there I was, all by myself,

simply continuing to ponder,

whether I was actually alive,

or long dead.

When I gaze up at the blue skies,

the light stings in my eyes for some reason.

So I figured,

that I was probably alive.

Being alive felt meaningless,

and something I was barely even aware of.

Which conditions one has to meet,

to be able to consider themselves ‘alive’,

even this was a mystery to me.

Does breathing and eating,

equal being alive?

I posed myself this question time after time,

as I opened and closed the palm of my hand.

Unless I was moving part of my body like this,

it almost felt as if,

I was dead.

A proof of living. 

And a reason to live.

That was all I yearned for.

ー The scene starts with a flashback of a younger Azusa in the city

Azusa: …

( The gypsies scooped up an orphan like myself from the side of the road as I was about to starve to death… )

( I’ll stay here by myself like this, to at least ensure I don’t cause any of them any trouble… )

( That is all I can do. I have no other value… )

( My life is completely meaningless…I might as well be dead… )

…

*SWOOSH*

Azusa: Ah…!

Justin: Oi, lil’ stray boy! (1)

Why are you sitting over there? You’re an eyesore!

Azusa: S-Sorrーー

*THUD*

Justin: Shut that annoying mouth of yours!

Azusa: …

Geez…

Christina: Exactly! You tell him, Justin!

You’re still alive because we were so kind to pick you up from the streets after all!

So you better listen to us!

*Smack*

Azusa: ーー!

*Smack smack*

Azusa: Uu…

*THUD THUD*

Azusa: …

Melissa: Ufufu~ He won’t complain at all even if we beat him up…!

I guess trash doesn’t have any pride, huh?

Well…I guess a kid who had to get picked up from the streets doesn’t even know how to talk back. Right, Justin~?

Justin: Yeah, maybeーー!

*THUD THUD*

Justin: Haah, haah, haah…

Azusa: …Uu…

*THUD THUD*

Azusa: …Ugh.

Justin: Nn…?

Azusa: …Fufu…

Christina: W-What’s wrong with him…?

Azusa: Ahaha…!

Melissa: W-Wait! What’s so funny!?

Azusa: …Hey, please? Punch me more.

Justin: Haah!?

Azusa: More, do it more and more. Keep going until I’m completely battered and bruised, I’m begging you…

More…Punch me more…

Justin: …Disgusting…

ー The other kids leave

Azusa: Ah…Wait…Hold up…

Why are you leaving…? Hey! Why!?

…Aah…It hurts…Fufu.

Monologue

Humankind is stuck in a cursed vicious circle,

in which one thing always leads to another.(2)

Without a real meaning, without a real reason.

Those kids who punched me,

are beaten up by someone in town on a daily basis as well.

They have rocks thrown at them, and are yelled at.

And because of this unspoken curse,

they take out everything on me.

Their pent up anger,

eventually all ends up in one place,

and that is me.

It is my duty,

to take their beating,

That is my ‘reason to be alive’

ー The flashback ends as the scene shifts to the living room

Azusa: …

…Uu…He’s…my…

Yui: Azusa-kun…? What’s wrong?

Azusa: They’re all…my…precious…

Yui: ( I wonder what has gotten into him all of a sudden? It’s as if he can’t hear me at all. )

Azusa: …Justin…Christina…Melissa…

Fufu…Fufufu…

Ruki: Oi, Azusa. Cut it out. You can talk to yourself somewhere else.

Azusa: W-Wait…I’m filling them in on the news right now.

Yui: ( Them? Filling in? What is he going on about? )

Ruki: Haah…Oi, you. Are you sure you want this guy?

Yui: Y-Yes…

( Well, we actually decided through the cards. )

Ruki: Hmph. …Okay then. Suit yourself.

ー Ruki walks away

Kou: Fufu~ M-neko-chan, good luck with our troublemaker now that you’ve chosen him?

Azusa-kun can be quite the handful, you know? Although, I don’t think he’s a bad guy at heart…

Yui: Y-Yeah…

( They’re actually leaving him in my care instead… )

Is he that hard to handle?

Kou: One hundred percent! (3) Isn’t that obvious? Fufu~

Yui: ( I-I see…Well, I guess he seems a little off, or rather mysterious…? )

( I probably shouldn’t say this about someone but he might even be a little…creepy. )

Kou: I’m sure you’ll regret it in the end. Finding yourself wishing you had chosen me instead, you see?

ー Kou leaves

Yui: ( There he goes… )

Yuma: …

Yui: Uhm, Yuma-kun…

Yuma: What? Don’t talk to me like we’re pals.

See ya.

ー Yuma leaves too

Yui: …

( They all left… )

( W-What now? I’m all alone with Azusa-kun now… )

Azusa: Fufu…Fufufu…

Yui: ( Uu…What should I do? He’s totally lost in his own thoughts. Can I talk to him…? )

U-Uhm…

Azusa: …Fufu…

Yui: Excuse me…!

Azusa: …Nn? …Yes?

Yui: ( Aah, thank god. Seems like he took notice of me at least. )

Azusa: …Say. Can I ask one thing?

Yui: ( I-I wonder what it could be…? )

Azusa: Do you…like me?

Yui: Eh?

Azusa: Ah. I’m sorry for…startling you. In that case, I’ll change my question.

Can you…punch me?

Yui: Eh…?

Azusa: I’m asking a serious question. Can you hit me, cut me, or kick me away?

Yui: N-No way. I can’t do that. I’m not exactly…

Azusa: …I see.

What a shame, very much so…

I mean…I’m this close to you, yet you won’t punch me…

Yui: ( Azusa-kun actually looks disappointed… )

( However, you can’t expect someone to just punch you out of nowhere. )

Azusa: Do you hate me…? …I see…

Yui: Eh…?

Azusa: But…I don’t dislike you.

Yui: Why? We only just met…

Azusa: Why? That’s because…we have the same scent.

Yui: The same? What do you mean?

Azusa: …So, please…Let me suck your blood.

Yui: Eh? W-Wait…That doesn’t answer my question…?

Azusa: Can I? You don’t mind, do you? It’s fine…Right?

Yui: ( It’s no use. I’m not getting through to him! )

Azusa: Look, I’ll suck youーー Nn!

ー Azusa bites her

Yui: Ah…!

Azusa: …Nn…Haah…

Aah, it’s so delicious…I want more, more…

You’re so lucky to have…this kind of blood…

This is…Eve’s blood…Hah…Nn…

Nn…Phew…

Yui: Stop…!

Azusa: …

Yui: Y-You can’t!

Azusa: Fufu…You’re rather shameless, pretending to dislike it like that.

But you actually love this, don’t you? Being treated like thisーー

Yui: No…!

Azusa: …

…Fufu. The more you fight back, the sweeter and richer your blood becomes…

We really are alike, two of a kind…

Yui: ( We’re two of a kind? What does heーー )

Azusa: Nn…!

Yui: Uu…!

Azusa: Aah…Delicious…

Say, does it hurt…? Where does it hurt the most?

Here, maybeーー?

Yui: Nn…!

Azusa: Oh, right here, huh…?

I’ll suck you more, okay? Don’t worry…You’re overjoyed, aren’t you?

Yui: I-It hurts! Azusa-kun…!!

Azusa: Hurts…?

I see, it hurts, huh…?

Fufu, haah…Aren’t you glad?

More pain is obviously better, isn’t it? I’ll make you feel it even more.

You are so very precious after allーー Nn…

My Eve…Haah…

Yui: Uu…Kuh.

( Why do things turn out…like this? Who is…’Eve’? )

Monologue

The more I protest,

the more intense Azusa-kun’s blood-sucking becomes.

I knew I had to run away.

However, the more I fought back,

the more he restrained me with force,

to the point where I was left wondering,

where he even found such strength…

I had no other choice,

but to let Azusa-kun indulge in meーー

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) Justin calls him 拾われ物 or ‘hiroware-mono’ here, which literally means ‘something which has been picked up’. 

(2) Literally it says that ‘being born eventually results into death, and with each death, new life is born’. In this context, I assume it is referring to something like ‘abuse creates abusers’, pointing towards the strong, natural connection between two different things. 

(3) Kou literally says ‘360 degrees’ but I felt like 100% was easier to understand for most people

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