Chapter 010: Pretending

"What's the point of living if I know it's only by your will that I still have your life? I'm better off dying now than being indebted to you." Maou said. "Fine then. If that's your choice, then I'll just kill you now." Okami replied. She sounded a bit reluctant. As if she were carrying a weight which was growing heavier and heavier with every little movement, every word she spoke, becoming more and more unbearable. Ren couldn't fathom why she sounded so burdened, but he figured that it was most likely something in her personal life, which was none of his concern. What else could it be? She couldn't possibly be feeling sorry for Maou. He deserved death for all the things he had done, so why would she? He figured that she probably just had something else on her mind and decided to let it go. When he looked back up at them, he saw that she was still hesitating. "Well, are you going to kill me or not?" Maou asked after a few moments of complete silence. When he said that, she snapped to attention, as if she had simply been lost in her own thoughts. "Wha-? O-oh, right. If that's really what you want, although it seems like a waste of your life, and of my time. I may be an assassin, but I'm still reasonable. Unless I'm ordered to, I try not to kill anyone without good reason. In this situation, I see no reason to do so." That's what she said, although her body-language told a different story. She knew full well that Maou deserved a punishment far worse than death, but it was as if she were trying to hide something. Although Ren couldn't imagine what it might be. "Well, it is what I want. But, before you kill me, I have something to ask, but you have to promise to answer me truthfully. Alright?" Maou requested. "...Fine." Okami agreed after a moment of silence. "Alright then. Tell me, Okami, why are pretending not to know me?"