This one might become non-canon at some point in the future, so, you could count it as an what-if scenario as well.
Also, it's a little bit more...well...The mood here is certainly different.
To answer the question in one of the reviews: Natsuki's monster form does take some inspiration from that. It's not the only source of inspiration, but it is one of them.
Yuri's POV
Two hundred years...It's been so long since that fateful day...So much has changed...So many things have crumbled into dust and vanished. As regrettable as it is, flow of time is merciless and nothing has the power to alter it.
However, it has no effect on me.
Two hundred years have passed and yet I am no worse for wear.
...Well, that's not entirely correct. While my body shows no signs of aging, my mind is already tired. I've accepted my fate many years ago, but that doesn't make it any less difficult.
Someone knocks on the door.
There aren't many people who visit me these days. I no longer instill paralyzing fear into everyone I do not consider to be a friend of mine unless I want to, but they are still afraid of me. I can sense it. Humans never liked things that were different from them, even more so when those things were not under their control. I can't say that I'm not bitter over that, but I'm not going to slaughter them all for something like that...even if I have the urge to do so at times.
I open the door.
"Hello, Natsuki." - I greet her.
"Hi there, Yuri. Feeling down again?" - she asks.
"Yes...You may come in." - I reply.
Ah...Natsuki. An old friend of mine. Always here when I need her. I'm glad that time didn't have much effect on her body either. She looks exactly like she did when she was eighteen years old...after she became a monster.
...I still remember the time when we were both young human girls, completely unaware of what fate had in store for us. We bickered over trivial matters. Sometimes it all started due to misunderstanding. At other times, we simply couldn't agree with each other. Sayori and Monika were always there to stop it from escalating any further, but it still happened over and over again. I wouldn't say that we disliked each other. We still considered each other to be friends like the rest of the literature club.
Alas, that time has passed long ago. We've changed so much. Even if we had managed to overcome our other selves, we still went through irreversible changes. We put so much effort into trying to hold on to our humanity, but it simply was not meant to be. Every year, we strayed further and further from them until we stopped caring...Well, we do care about some of them, but others have no meaning to us.
They. Us. Humans. Monsters. When did we start separating ourselves from others? Could it be the very day we became what we are now?
"You know, you really should decorate your house a bit. It's all so gloomy." - Natsuki says as she sits down on a rather old sofa.
"I like it as it is. It might look unwelcoming, but I'm fine with it." - I say in response. I can't deny that she's right, but I just...I just don't feel any need to fix it.
"...You're hopeless...Well, I'm not here to give you advice for that kind of shit." - she says. If there's one thing I wish she got rid of, then it's foul language. Even then, I'm not going to treat her any differently if she kept using it.
"Maybe I am...Now then, would you like some tea?" - I ask.
Hm...Tea. It's still just as great as it was back when I was young. I'd take it over any of the, dare I say, drinks humans consume these days. Sure, they are cheap and easy to obtain, but how can they drink something so tasteless?
"That would be great." - she replies.
"...So, how are you and your, um, crew?" - I ask once the tea is on the table and ready for consumption.
"It's not too bad. I'll need to replace my left leg in a few days and my neck already feels pretty stiff, but that's not something I can't fix. My guys are fine too. What about you?" - she replies.
"I'm afraid I've met a writer's block quite recently. Nothing comes to my mind." - I reply.
Honestly, I'm not sure why I decided to start writing books. In this day and age, no one has the time to sit down and read a book anyway. That is why I pity humans. For all the progress they've made over the years, they still don't have any time to actually do anything with it. Their desire to improve themselves is admirable, but they certainly need to take a small break. I will see their civilization collapse at some point in the future, but I'd rather not have it happen so soon.
"Eh, it happens. I'm sure you'll get over it soon enough." - she says.
"...Do you remember how much time has passed since...his death?" - I ask with some hesitation.
"...Oh, that...Yes...It's been a while, hasn't it?" - she replies as her smile drops.
"One hundred forty-three years, to be precise. One hundred forty three years since Kazuki's death." - I say.
Kazuki. That name sure does bring back fond memories. I can't say that he was an exceptional man with extraordinary achievements, but he was someone I still truly care about. He helped us both when we were in peril. Even when faced with the threat of death, he still didn't abandon us. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if he wasn't there.
"...Say, do you regret it? Do you regret not telling him about it? I mean your feelings." - Natsuki asks.
Ah, yes. I would be lying to myself if I said that I wasn't in love with that man. Natsuki caught on to that early on, but she chose to remain silent. She knew that it was something I had to do. If I didn't confess, then she shouldn't reveal my feelings either.
"No. While I do regret not being with him when his time came, I do not regret keeping it hidden. Even if those feelings were mutual, it wouldn't go anywhere. I wouldn't be able to bear him any children and my appetite alone would give him trouble. You remember how horrified he was when I told him that I was always starving back when we lived in his house, don't you?" - I ask.
"Yeah, he really didn't take it well. He even cut his palm just to feed you properly!" - Natsuki replies.
"He also ate less just so I could eat more. What a foolish, but generous man he was..." - I mutter. Maybe I shouldn't have told him that human blood sates my hunger better than anything else.
"At least he wasn't as bad at the self-sacrifice thing as Monika. God, she's done so much for us even when it was harmful for her and we've told her to cut it out. It's a shame that she...well, I feel like we should drop this topic." - she says, her expression quickly changing back to a solemn one.
...Monika...I remember what happened so well. It was so unexpected, too. She just vanished one day. We've been searching for her for weeks...but when we finally managed to find her, it was already too late. She didn't even leave a note or anything. Could it have been something related to...whoever was the man she was in love with? I remember Natsuki telling me about the things she said and how Kazuki was supposed to be his vessel or something, but since Monika never told us anything about it, we can't say anything with certainty.
There is one thing I can say for sure though. Sayori certainly didn't take her suicide well. They were close friends prior to that incident and she always was rather sensitive about this sort of things...We should have paid more attention to her. Kazuki, who was her childhood friend, thought so. He didn't follow her to the grave, but her death left him quite depressed. We tried everything we could to support him so we wouldn't lose another friend, but in the end, it was all for nothing. He still died of natural causes just like all living beings do.
"...Natsuki...There's something I want to ask you...How should I put it...How long do you intend to keep living? Unlike me, you do have a choice on this matter. You can stop whenever you want to." - I ask. I'm not comfortable with asking such questions, but I am curious.
"Really? Do you really want to talk about this?...Fine...Honestly, I don't know. I...I'm sick and tired of all this shit, but...I don't want to abandon you. The thought of leaving you all alone with no one to keep you company disgusts me to my very core." - she replies.
"I...I see...Thank you." - I say.
"Oh, there's no need for that. That's what friends are for, right?" - Natsuki says with a grin.
"...Ah! Sorry! The tea must have grown cold by now! I-I'm so sorry!" - I yelp, but she simply shakes her head.
"Hey, no need to beat yourself up over it. I'm not here for tea...even if it is pretty fucking good regardless of how hot it is. Better than whatever the fuck humans drink these days, that's for damn sure. Like seriously, why would they drink that colorful piss? Not even my guys can handle it." - she says.
"While I agree that it's...not a good drink, they don't have much of a choice. We can't really judge them either." - I say.
"Yes, we can! It's that bad! But let's leave that aside for now. There should be a movie airing on TV right now and I've heard that it's pretty good. You're gonna like it." - Natsuki says, clearly eager to watch...whatever that is. I've lost track of these things at this point.
"I have no doubts about it if you are the one saying this. You know me well enough." - I say with a smile. She gladly returns it.
"Here you go! You really should smile more often. You look so much better with it on your face. Now then, where's the remote?" - she asks.
...Maybe...Just maybe...I can handle this...
