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*”All kinds of folks come through here. From elites fresh out of grad school to sewer rats who survived on muddy water in some back-alley slum. Listen up—if some slum rat comes up to you wearing a friendly face, don’t you dare trust them. Assume they’ll pull something ten times dumber than you can imagine… They live and grow up in a world of deceit and plunder.”*

That’s what Captain told me once, back when a bunch of new staff had just arrived at the facility that was taking care of me. He was uncharacteristically serious back then.

Some of his subordinates had grown up in slums too, in various countries, yet not a single one of them argued back. …In fact, they all nodded in agreement.

They were all kind but quirky people. I remember feeling dissatisfied, like he was belittling them.

So I pointed out that being from a slum didn’t automatically make someone a bad person. And this is what he said in return.

*”Those kinds of people have a fierce sense of loyalty—to their comrades and to their organizations. But they won’t hesitate to steal from anyone outside their circle. If someone’s come all the way to an execution site in Japan just to approach you, you can bet they’re tied to some organization. Sure, maybe one or two of them are decent folks, but you can’t tell that from the outside. Got it? We’re your guardians. It’s our duty to risk our lives to protect you if something happens. We’re not going to gamble our comrades’ lives on the off chance we might stumble upon a good person among them.”*

He said it so seriously, and I realized he was right.

If I ever got myself kidnapped, Captain and the others would be the ones standing on the front lines, fighting to protect me. His bluntly realistic answer left me a little deflated. Out of frustration at losing the argument, I grumbled, *”Then what, elites are fine?”*

*”You think some fancy-pants elite is gonna go out of their way to get close to you? The only ones desperate enough to try are folks like us—the rats with nowhere else to go, the ones betting everything on some pipe dream of a miracle comeback.”*

At that point, I had nothing left to say. He was right, none of the elites in white lab-coats working at the facility had ever tried to approach me anyway.

And honestly, considering the incident that led to bringing in a bunch of new staff, I wasn’t eager to get close to anyone in a lab coat either…

*”—That’s how it is, so let’s give the newbies a big flashy greeting. Make sure they don’t underestimate our little runt.”*

To cheer me up, Captain ruffled my hair roughly and then roped me into another one of his schemes.

In the end, I wound up permanently banned from going outside, and had to write petition after petition begging that Captain and his team not be removed from my security detail.

Not that the ban lasted long—my “friend” got angry on my behalf and ripped the door off the wall, so they lifted it pretty quickly.

As payback, I had to throw myself into holding back that rampaging “friend” so the fresh new staff wouldn’t all quit on us the moment they arrived.

■■■

“Hey, come with us.”
“Nothing good’s gonna come from staying with that half-monster, you know?”

A few days had passed since the commotion. On my way back from relieving myself outside the abandoned building we used as our den, I found myself surrounded by the boys who’d been begging us for food.

That’s why I was staring blankly into the void, reminiscing about Captain from my previous life.

“We got our hands on some good stuff. Bet you’re curious, huh?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll protect you.”

The ones forcing awkward, fake smiles were the same boys who’d picked a fight with Noche. I guess she’d gone easy on them enough not to leave lasting injuries—aside from a few scabs from scratches, they looked perfectly fine.

Even if I wanted to run, there was no way I could escape five of them with my slow reflexes. Getting surrounded was my mistake; I’d been careless.

I’d seen them earlier, lurking in the distance and watching from behind cover. But since it didn’t feel like they were out for revenge, I’d just ignored them.

Then, while I was using the toilet, they closed the distance, and by the time I realized my mistake and tried to hurry back, they’d already caught me.

It’s inconvenient that even for just peeing, girls have to squat down; it makes it impossible to react quickly in situations like this.

“Come on.”
“Say something.”

The two who seemed to be the leaders grew impatient with my silence, starting to show their true colors. Their eyes sized me up like prey, and there was a nasty tone in their voices that reeked of disdain.

Still, I couldn’t figure it out. If they wanted to use me as a hostage against Noche, I should’ve already been pinned down.

Do I just look weak, but they’re wary because I’m a beastkin?

That seems close, but it doesn’t quite add up.

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”
“Ah…!?”
“Whoa!”

Lost in thought, I was yanked by the arm and ended up falling hard. I failed to break my fall and slammed straight onto my upper body. I managed to shield my face with my arm, but the stone pavement still scraped me up badly—it hurt like hell.

Wait a second, this guy yanked me and then just let go all of a sudden!

“Wh-, what?! It’s your own fault for not doing what you’re told!”
“Forget it, this one looks weak. Let’s just take her.”

So it really was a kidnapping attempt. If that’s the case, I don’t need to hold back.

Sure, I’m weak. When I once had a rare fight with Sufi, she had me pinned in under five seconds. I’ve never won at anything athletic. Noche would probably get the same result, though her method would be different.

Filia, despite her gentle looks and demeanor, is strong enough to carry me on her back while running. Out of the four of us, she’s the strongest physically, though her stamina isn’t great.

So yeah, picking me as the target wasn’t exactly a mistake.

It wasn’t a mistake—but they’d pay dearly for underestimating a Wolven, one of the Beastfolk Four alongside bears, lions, and tigers.

“Grrrrrr…”
“Uh…”

I bared my fangs and let out a growl. Unlike humans, carnivorous beastfolk have sharp front teeth, and our jaw strength is far greater. Even someone as weak as me could turn the arm of a kid my age into a disaster with my bite.

“H-hey! Hold her down!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the boy reaching for me, just following orders. Poor kid. But I’m weak—I can’t afford to hold back. I’m not planning to seriously injure him, but he’ll have to tolerate a bit of blood.

Just as I was about to bite, my ears picked up familiar footsteps. She must have come looking for me after noticing I hadn’t come back from the restroom.

The moment she stepped outside, she spotted me surrounded by boys and lying on the ground. Sufi dashed toward us with terrifying speed.

“Get away from Alice!!”
“Gwah!?”

Using the momentum of her run, she delivered a flying kick straight into one of the leaders. I saw her slender leg drive into his stomach. His body folded like a hinge, and after flying about a meter, he tumbled across the ground for a while.

…Well, I didn’t hear any bones break, at least.