A Butcher's Worries

"Satoru, what is this place?"

Lights of varying colors coursed throughout the large room. It was easy to become disoriented by the vast amount of colors, it could be easily labeled as chaotic and a mess. Albedo wasn't an artist but her noble spirit burned with annoyance. The conflicting colors irked her inner peace but that wasn't just it. Noise blared from all directions and none of it meshed with each other. A competition to stand out from one another. It was not worse than the noise coming from uncivilized insects screaming in fear but it came near. The word 'Barbaric' hung on her mind.

"It's an arcade."

"Aru-ke-du? I'm sorry, I don't know what that is."

Digging into her memories, there wasn't such a thing as an Arcade in her experiences. Nazarick were created by genius minds, everything was made in consideration to a balance of things. Everything complimented each other and if something was out of the balance, it was made to be like that to show it's magnificent traits. Nazarick was a masterpiece. At least this was what Albedo believed to be true. Trying to process it's value, this arcade pained her thinking brain.

"Yeah. Ah, I made a mistake. There's more than an arcade here, like indoor sports stuff. But, going back to the arcade topic, we didn't make one in Nazarick. An arcade is where there's classic game machines. The graphics are pretty ancient but I'm sure they have their own charm. Some of the guild members were talking about this place before. Let's see, what did they say… Hm, I think they said this place was owned by a CEO. To have something like this would take a massive amount of wealth, as expected of a CEO. The collection of games was that guy's hobby, and the money gathered here goes towards gathering more games. It's impressive."

"Is it really that impressive?"

"It is! I know that feeling well. A collector's spirit! That brings back memories-"

"Sir, have you come to a decision yet?"

The young voice belonged to a female human behind a counter, who could be considered in her teenage years. Suzuki Satoru and Albedo had been standing here for quite a while. He had been staring at their menu board the entire time. He scratched his head and gave a guilty smile that silently asked forgiveness.

"Ah- sorry. Can we get an all day pass for two."

"Okay sir the total would come out to be..."

Albedo had never heard of the currency the human had requested for. She was clueless on whether to consider the numbers spoken to be a lot or too little. She could only gauge it's worth by looking at Satoru's troubled face. Watching his Adam's apple move as he swallowed. She wanted to but could not be distracted in flooding herself with wild fantasies right now.

- It seems money is really bothering Satoru. If only I knew how this world functioned then I could be of use. Tch, a useless servant is better off dead.

"If this is bothering you, we don't have to do this."

"No, I want to do this."

"Is... Is this to make me happy?"

Albedo knew this was a cocky and arrogant way for her to ask. If it was someone else, she wouldn't care too much if she needed to be straightforward. She was hesitant to ask, because she knew the relationship they had was fickle right now. Her intense love for him would not change, but she couldn't say the same for him. It was a double edge sword, all she needed to do was turn that blade into her favor. She needed to increase his relationship meter, but if the results caused him to self-destruct, then she could discard the progress without care. She was also confident the percentage of it being true was high. With this short amount of time getting to know him, she believed she generally understood him.

"Ah, yeah I guess you can say so."

"You have already done enough to make me so happy. If this burdens you then I don't need it."

"Hah~ Just let me spoil you today Albedo."

Satoru's voice then became soft and mumbled to the point no could hear. Did he perhaps underestimate Albedo's keen senses? Believing he wanted only her to hear his words, she paid close attention.

"My head is going to hurt if you try to come up with a way to turn this down. This was to apologize to you. We've already come this far, if we turned back now, my efforts would go to waste."

- Kuk! That's not fair Satoru, you know your loyal servant will obediently obey. I swear, I will find a way to be of use to you.

"Then, I'll indulge myself in your highly pleasant offer."

The human figured the couple's quarrel had ended. Taking the opportunity before another quarrel erupted, the human slid two pieces of slim paper on the counter. It was obvious the human's smile was fake. If it was to mock Albedo's master, she would immediately smash that human's face in, no hesitation. Albedo didn't pay too much attention to the human from the start though. She knew that the human's assets were inferior to her in all aspects. Surely something of that level would not capture her man.

To be worried and evaluate humans, she would've scoff at that thought in her Nazarick days. Now that the man she loves had the appearance of a human, there was a chance he would be stolen under her nose. If she didn't remain vigilant, that possibility could be real.

In the chance that he was stolen from him, she was conflicted whether she could be content with sharing him. It was Suzuki Satoru's fault for making her this way, if he treated her as a follower then she would not cross that line. The rules were all a blur to her now. The thought of locking him up forever had indeed come across her mind before. She would need more time to think about what was right and wrong. Even if he wanted to be treated as equals, there were obviously barriers that should not be crossed.

"Here are your wristbands. All the activities and machines here are operated on this. Just scan them and you're all set to play. They're valid for just today and we will not replace them if lost so please be mindful."

"Ah yes, thank you. Mm Albedo, let's get out of the way."

She followed him. Unbeknownst to Albedo, the encounter with the female human set a ripple through her heart. So far it had only been them two since she arrived here but, what would happen if more people entered their life? It would be almost against her every interest, even if the person held a platonic relationship. Unless the person was the sole reason both Satoru and her became official, there was no merit that would outdo the demerit. All they would do is eat up the precious time that she could've had with him alone. Her gut clenched.

- If someone comes… will it be more beneficial to kill them? If it isn't someone from Nazarick, then maybe he'll forgive me… In the case that it would be better to get rid of the pest, how should I get rid of its body? Let's explore our options now. Our walk here, the sight of rotting corpses is common. Laying in the dark spots of alleyways, it seems this society has no regard for their trash. Perhaps it would be fitting to toss the waste there. The idea of tossing the body into the puddles of acidic water sounds appealing but inefficient. Judging by its appearance, it's not strong enough to get rid of the body quickly enough. There's a big chance Satoru would find it and suspect something. I can always cut them into little bits of pieces and stuff them in my inventory.

Albedo's mind raced to the time when she tested this theory. She couldn't shove a dead corpse into her dimensional inventory. When she had cut the corpse in pieces that could be recognized as ingredients, the inventory accepted it. Even with hundreds of years exploring her world, how the dimensional inventory worked still baffled her.

- That'll be the last resort. The thought of shoving insects into my storage is disgusting. What should I do if they're from Nazarick? It's clear he welcomes anyone from there... Ah, how silly of me. It's not possible. It shouldn't be. If they were to come here, they would go to their traitorous creator. I can only think of one person who would dare come here. Pandora's Actor... but if he came here then.. That wouldn't be so bad, he's a friend after all. Ah Satoru~ If only you weren't so kind. It's your fault I want you to all myself. I love you so much, the thought of giving you to someone else makes me want to destroy everything.

"Albedo?"

The charming voice pulled her back to reality. Her heart skipped a beat seeing Satoru's worried face. She enjoyed eating sweets but his expressions trumped all the sweets she could possibly imagine of.

- How rude of me. To be thinking of such bothersome things when I should be enjoying the moment in front of me. I can think of countermeasures when he goes to sleep tonight.

"I apologize for my unsightly behavior."

"Are you fine?"

"Yes, there is no need to worry about me."

His face was an open book that was not wary of her at all. She was not confident that she could match a supreme being nor gauge their intellect. She secretly gave thanks to Satoru's massive amount of considerations towards her. He made his intent obviously understandable by his facial expression, so much that she could easily grasp the content. She hypothesized, he wanted her to stop worrying about useless things and enjoy the moment.

"Hmm really? I wrapped the band around your wrist and we even walked this far. You weren't responding either. I'm not sure if it's possible for you to get sick but.. Are you sick?"

Albedo smiled to put him at ease. It was a foolish mistake on her part. To make him so worried, the embers of anger crackled inside her.

- Incompetent! The effort on making his life easier, only to make him even expend more energy to cover for my carelessness. Such a stupid thing of me.

"Yes, I am perfectly fine. May I ask what this place is?"

Satoru's eyes gleamed and his body language shouted excitement. His adorable cute body gesture conjure Albedo's intense urge to rape him. She always regarded this man as the pinnacle and embodiment of absolute strength. Of course she would be extremely delighted if he took the lead but, the thought she could perhaps easily overpower him, awoke a fetish she didn't know she had. The image of shackling this man and smothering him with her endless supply of love, enticed her. One of the reasons that stopped her, currently she was not too sure if she was stronger or could outwit him. If magic did not exist then that must mean they would have no choice but to be hellish warriors that could put up a fierce fight. So far Suzuki Satoru surely must've gone easy on her and did not use his full strength. If he did, it would've possibly killed Albedo. His extreme kindness had only supported that theory.

"It's a batting cage! I've always wanted to try one of these."