Chapter 4: Covered with blood, guts and insults

This demon beast is about the size of a large dog and is basically covered in thick fur, making it difficult for a knife to penetrate its body.

However, no matter which animal or demon beast, there are always parts that are easy to handle. It may be a gap between joints or a soft fleshy place, and Takaya was able to find them by feeling.

"--Hmph!"

After laying the demon beast on its back, he put a blade on the throat of the corpse and put his whole weight on it.

After confirming that the blade was firmly inserted, Takaya pulled the blade in a straight line towards the belly.

At that moment, a large amount of red-black blood, from the demon beast, and a large number of internal organs inside popped out from the wound.

"" Ugh-- ""

Akito and Shunichi who witnessed the scene couldn’t help but distort their faces. It's no wonder when the undigested objects in the stomach pop out and give off a bloody stench.

However, Takaya, who is handling it, does not stop. If left as it is, the internal stench and blood will spread through the flesh in the blink of an eye. In that case, no matter how valuable the food is, it won’t be very edible. Especially because some ingredients can be poisonous.

In the beginning, Takaya himself when dismantling animals much smaller than this one, churned his stomach many times, but he gradually got numb to it as time passed. Now he doesn't feel anything anymore. Familiarity is a scary thing.

"... Wow, Nagami. I don't think I can do that."

"This is something anyone in this world can do. Now that you know that, you don’t need me do you?"

I cut the meat into pieces that would be easy to cook later: belly, back, and front and back legs. The thick skin that covered the meat could be cleaned under running water later and used as winter clothes. Of course, it can also be sold.

By the way, when he opened its internal organs, he found a red shining stone in the heart of the demon beast, so he secretly put it in the pocket of his gym suit jersey when Akito and Shunichi turned away. This object, which can be rarely found when dismantling demon beasts, seems to be a "magic stone" and is traded at a high price in the city.

However, Takaya thinks that anyone can do this kind of dismantling with just a little knack. In fact, when he visited a neighboring village with his classmates, a lot of dismantled monsters and animal meat were on sale.

Of course, if you pay for it, they can dismantle the monsters you have hunted.

If you ask outside, they can do it—when this fact was known, Takaya's only identity collapsed.

“You should have just obeyed me from the beginning. Well then, thank you for your hard work, Nagami-kun! You can disappear wherever you want now.”

Putting the meat of the demon beast, which became a beautiful ingredient, in a bag, Shunichi disappeared into the circle where many girls in the class gathered without giving a glance to Takaya.

"Suetsugu! You’re always like that ...!"

"I don't mind, Harukawa-kun. He probably won't hear the words of a decent person."

"but……"

"It's okay. Anyway, this is the last time."

"..."

Takaya put the knife he used earlier in his backpack.

If he leaves it at the party, no one will use it anyway. Akito didn't blame Takaya for his choice either.

"Hey, Harukawa-kun. I want to ask you one last thing.”

"What is it? Since it’s the last time, I'll answer whatever you want.”

"Okay, well, ...... it’s more like a confirmation.”

Takaya turned his hatred towards the group of girls who were still shouting like monkeys in the mountains.

To the idiots who do whatever they want in the upper caste of the class just because they have a good face.

"... They’re the ones who said to kick me out, aren’t they?"

"!--"

Hearing Takaya's words, Akito turned down silently.

Takaya smiles at the overly overt attitude.

He thought the chairman was really a good person and, really, the worst piece of crap.

"I couldn't help it."

Akito continues to make excuses to Takaya, no, to tell himself.

“I tried to stop it, I really did. I said it doesn't really matter if there’s one less person or not, it doesn't affect the party at the moment. But those guys were stubborn and didn't budge. They said, "If we don't get rid of him, we're out. Their reasoning was, well, it was a terrible accusation.”

They may not seem to be thinking about anything, but they were a valuable asset to the class. They were a group that could use a wide variety of magic, from attack to assistance to healing.

" We can't afford to lose them. We can't let them go, no matter how horrible the accusation was to get rid of you."

Takaya, who can only do chores, versus the female groups who have awakened their magic talents.

The choice between the two was clear as day.

"Nagami, goodbye. If you’re still alive, let’s meet again somewhere."

With that said, Akito also easily leaves Takaya.

He made it seem as if he cared about Takaya the most, but in the end he abandoned him for his own reputation. Of course, he didn’t blame him. If Takaya had been in the opposite position, he probably would have made the same choice.

However, Takaya will probably never be in that position.

Yes, forever.

"……good bye"

Takaya slowly turns his back on his classmates and starts walking, leaking a thin mutter that no one can hear.

"Well ... where should I die now?"

    Takaya's tearful muttering melted into the morning sunlight and disappeared.

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