Chapter 77.5: Hina’s modern past

It was a cold winter day, and everyone in the city was cheerfully preparing for Christmas.

The atmosphere was warm, despite the snow falling and decorating the entire town with its beautiful colors.

There was joy in the air, the same feeling that pushed people to be more loving and kind to one another… but, of course, not everyone was like that.

Since the dawn of time, there has been a feeling that runs against the good of the many, one of those emotions that drives people to madness: hatred.

Many souls have been consumed by it, leading them to the brink of despair.

And within that feeling, some have even found their reason to live: revenge.

Hatred has always sought revenge.

And Hina, that young girl, was full of it.

She had so much hate inside her that even killing no longer brought her satisfaction.

Everything she did was solely driven by revenge.

"I'll kill anyone who dared to tell me even the most innocent lie"—that was the one thought keeping her alive.

She just wanted to live a normal life.

Since she was a child, Hina had been a sort of war machine.

She had a natural talent for killing, but despite that, she always preferred to use kindness.

For some strange reason, every time Christmas approached, her soul would become more and more restless, as if this event were some kind of switch.

She walked down the street with vacant eyes, constantly wondering how people could smile so easily.

"Why is everyone kind only during this time?" she asked herself as she walked.

Every smile she saw fueled both her anger and her sadness.

Hina continued walking with a completely neutral and fake expression to mask everything she was feeling inside, until she stopped in front of a shop that sold comics and magazines.

She gazed into the window and noticed a comic book that seemed really interesting.

The Tale of a Vampire Slayer—that was the title.

Below it, there was also a small synopsis.

"Would you risk going against your greatest contradiction and try to save the one who took everything from you, just for a mere feeling of love? Could you forgive someone who killed thousands just because they claimed to love you? How could you love what you hate? How can you smile despite it all?"—this was the tagline, with two cutouts of what appeared to be the protagonist and a vampire queen.

Hina was captivated by what she had read, as if she saw herself reflected in it.

She then decided to enter the shop, and after crossing the threshold of the entrance, she simply said, "Excuse me."

She walked in.

The comic book shop was small but cozy at the same time.

The scent of paper pleasantly filled Hina's nostrils.

"Welcome!!" exclaimed a middle-aged man behind the sales counter.

In front of him, there was also a tall boy with white hair who was paying for something.

Hina's voice caught his attention, and he turned to look at her.

He smiled at Hina, saying, "Hello!" in a very friendly tone.

Hina paused for a moment, feeling an unusual emotion forming toward her.

For the first time, she didn't feel hostility coming from someone, and this put her at ease.

"Hello," Hina replied politely.

After that, the white-haired boy thanked the cashier, glanced at Hina, and walked out with a bag in hand.

He passed by her and left through the door.

Hina didn't sense any hostility or falsehood from that boy.

He seemed sincere.

But she didn't dwell on it.

"Can I help you?" asked the cashier in a friendly tone.

Hina remained silent for a moment, analyzing the man's face before speaking.

"Yes. I would like the volumes from the first to the current one of The Tale of a Vampire Slayer, please," she said in a formal tone.

"Of course! Just a second, today the special edition should have arrived…" he said, getting up from his chair and opening a door behind him, which led to the storeroom.

Hina waited silently while the cashier went to fetch her items.

Fortunately, money wasn't an issue for her.

The criminal life had brought her substantial wealth.

After a few minutes, the cashier came out of the door with a large book.

He placed it on the counter and smiled at Hina.

"Here you go, miss. It's the last one left!" said the cashier.

"Thank you. How much is it?" Hina asked, her voice cold and formal.

"Well, the total is 20,000 yen… it's a bit pricey, but that's because it includes the creator's signature and a series of art prints—" the cashier's voice was cut off as Hina silently placed exactly 20,000 yen on the counter.

"I'll take it," she said, still in a determined tone.

The cashier was taken aback, then smiled kindly at the girl.

It seemed she really wanted that story.

So, without saying a word, he wrapped the book and took the money.

"Here you go, miss. If you need anything else, I'm always available," said the cashier, handing her the bag with the book.

Hina took the bag from the man's hands and thanked him.

"Thank you very much," she said with a bow.

Then, she turned and walked out the door.

"Thank you! Come back soon!" the cashier called after her.

Hina pretended not to hear and walked out anyway.

She decided that as soon as she got back to her "home," she would read the whole thing.

She was very intrigued by what she had seen in the window.

She had already figured out the plot.

"The greatest hunter with the vampire queen mother…" she thought.

Smiling, she walked towards home, and with each step through that snowy landscape, she felt lighter and lighter.

She had found an interest she didn't know she had.

As Hina walked through the snow-covered streets, the weight she had felt earlier began to lift, replaced by a strange sense of excitement.

The cold air brushed her cheeks, but she hardly noticed it.

Her thoughts were consumed by the comic book she now carried in her hand.

She hadn't felt this kind of curiosity in a long time.

When she finally reached her "home"—a small, dimly lit apartment on the outskirts of the city—she quickly removed her coat, tossed it onto a chair, and made her way to the worn-out couch by the window.

The apartment was modest, with bare walls and minimal furniture, but it served her needs.

For Hina, it was just a place to retreat from the world, a shelter to hide in when the weight of her past became too heavy.

She sat down, carefully unwrapped the comic book from its protective packaging, and held it in her hands.

The Tale of a Vampire Slayer.

The title alone had resonated with her so deeply, as though it were speaking directly to her own life, her own struggles.

As she opened the first page, her eyes scanned the illustrations, each stroke of the pen seemingly alive with emotion.

The story followed a young vampire slayer named Alex, a skilled hunter whose sole purpose was to rid the world of the creatures that had taken everything from him.

But as Hina read on, she realized that the story wasn't as simple as it first seemed.

Aris, in his journey for revenge, finds himself face-to-face with the Queen of all vampires, a powerful being named Maria.

She was the one responsible for the death of his family, the one who had caused him so much pain.

Yet, instead of killing her, Alex hesitates. The comic's narration explains that Seraphine had once loved him—before she had been turned into a vampire.

But there's much more than that… Alex was… a reincarnation.

Hina's eyes lingered on that part of the story. The idea of love, twisted by hatred, spoke to something deep inside her.

She turned the page, captivated by how Alex wrestled with his conflicting emotions: his desire for revenge and his buried feelings of affection for Maria.

She wondered what he would do next.

Would he give in to the hatred that consumed him, or would he find another path?

As the hours passed, Hina became lost in the tale, flipping page after page, unable to stop.

She understood Alex.

She understood his rage, his sorrow.

But more than anything, she understood the emptiness that came with vengeance.

Because she, too, was living in that same emptiness.

But what would Hina do in his place? She paused for a moment, thinking of the parallels between Alex' struggles and her own life.

Her heart had been hardened by betrayal, lies, and the violence she had endured.

She had spent so much of her life seeking revenge, hunting down those who had wronged her, driven by a singular purpose—retribution.

But now, as she read Alex's story, doubt crept into her mind.

Was her path really any different from his? Would she too, one day, face the choice between forgiveness and destruction?

She closed the comic book slowly, her fingers lingering on the cover.

Her heart felt heavy again, but not with the usual anger or frustration.

This time, it was something else.

A question.

One she had been too afraid to ask herself before.

Was revenge all that was left for her?

Was it worth it to live a normal life?

Hina leaned back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

She thought about the countless faces she had seen in her life—some of them enemies, some of them innocent.

Her hands had been stained with blood for so long that she could barely remember a time when they weren't.

And yet, with every act of revenge, the hollow feeling inside her only grew.

No matter how many people she cut down, it never felt like enough.

The hole in her heart only got deeper.

The words of the comic echoed in her mind: "How could you love what you hate?"

Hina scoffed softly at the thought.

Love? That seemed impossible for her.

She always wanted to see what love was…

What it felt to be truly loved by someone…

The world had shown her nothing but cruelty, and she had given it the same in return.

Love was a weakness, an emotion that got people killed.

It was easier to hate, to keep everyone at a distance, to push the world away and let the bitterness fester inside.

But then she thought about that boy with the white hair from the bookstore.

His smile.

The way he greeted her without hesitation or judgment.

There was something about him that had felt… different.

For the first time in a long time, she hadn't sensed any malice, no ulterior motive.

Just simple kindness.

It had caught her off guard.

Could people like him really exist? Or was it just another mask, another lie?

"I have to stay sharp," she reminded herself, sitting up. "I can't afford to let my guard down. Not now."

Still, the image of that boy lingered in her mind longer than she wanted to admit.

She promised herself that she would've done anything to find him.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway outside her apartment door, pulling her from her thoughts.

They were heavy and deliberate, each step sending a small tremor through the thin walls of her apartment.

Hina's instincts kicked in immediately, her body tensing as her hand reached for the knife hidden beneath the couch cushion.

She stood, quietly moving toward the door, her breath steady and controlled.

The footsteps stopped right outside her door.

Hina's grip on the knife tightened.

She could feel the presence of whoever was standing there.

It wasn't someone from her building. She knew the rhythms of their movements, the patterns of their lives.

This was different.

This was someone looking for her.

A soft knock followed. Three slow, deliberate taps.

Her heart raced, but her mind stayed sharp. She didn't answer.

Another knock. This time, harder…