Forced to Raise Yanderes for a Living

1.1 Deep Into the Trenches

As I slowly opened my mint green eyes, I found myself awakening in the most peculiar of places. I was lying down in a field of red spider lilies.

From the looks of it, it was almost dawn as a yellow hue was just barely visible amidst the jam-coloured sky. Rather than move, I decided to simply stay out and gaze longingly at the enchanting sky above me.

How long has it been since I've sat under the stars? I barely remember what it feels like to have to wind blow through my hair too...

What followed next was the cacophonous sound of a crow cawing. It broke my train of thought as I quickly whipped my head around to watch it sit on the rotting fencing behind me.

What an ugly creature I thought to myself. I'd much rather hear a bluebird chirping at this hour. Still, I basked in this temporary break from all of the hardships I had to endure up until now.

As I closed my eyes to become one with nature, I felt myself resonate with this new world I was abruptly thrust into. Taking a deep breath in I let go of all of my anxieties to focus on the now instead.

No more Bennett. At least... in this moment. If he really is in the same world as me, then I'll just need to come up with a smart plan to hide from him.

Speaking of plan, I shot my eyes open and slowly rose to my feet. As I brushed the petals off of my clothes, I then proceeded to pick bits out of my knee-length silver hair.

Huh. That's different. The goddess did say I would be given a different body, but I can't recall any memories from a previous host. I guess this means I'm a mob character. Well, that's fine with me, it'll make hiding from Bennett easier in any case.

I suppose now I just need to pick a new name. I'd be a fool to keep my old one. As I pondered what to go with while stroking my chin, I finally decided on a name. Vana. Something about that name just feels right to me.

Just as I thought everything was about to go to plan, what I heard next only caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. A choking snarl could be heard from the dark forest ahead of me.

I wanted nothing more than to run away, but I suddenly felt a painful throbbing sensation in my head. "Status," I muttered to myself as I massaged my temples.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me! There written before me in plain text was 'investigate the strange noise'. This is just a death flag waiting to happen! I swear if this was a game, I would've hit the quit option immediately.

But despite how much I wished to disobey the command, I knew that it was the only way to start my main objective. So, with newfound determination from my willpower skill, I pumped myself up and made my way into the forest.

Ah... I really wish willpower covered bravery too. I never expected the forest to look this scary. I swear I saw hundreds of eyes watching me as I wandered about aimlessly. Perhaps it was more crows, but nevertheless, it still caused me to work up quite the sweat.

The further I descended into the forest I heard the sound of a stream becoming louder. I should feel relieved since rivers are usually a good sign of life, right? But I couldn't shake off the dread as I noticed more and more trees with fewer leaves, the closer I got. Something about it told me that only further death and decay were waiting ahead for me.

And wouldn't you know, I was right. The blood-curdling snarl I heard earlier was now closed and clearer than ever. The sudden surprise caused me to trip over a tree trunk and fall to the forest floor.

Ouch.

As I went to pull up my dress to check for any cuts, I heard a rustling noise coming from the bushes. I froze to the spot like a deer caught in headlights. I foolishly thought that I mightn't be spotted if I stay perfectly still but the noise only persisted.

Clearing my throat, I nervously called out to the void. "H-Hello?" I said in a shaky voice that betrayed me. "Is anyone there?"

I thought the silence would be my answer but to my surprise, a figure suddenly emerged from the bushes. In a panic, I released a horrifying scream that came from the bottom of my gut.

As I closed my eyes and feebly covered my face, I braced myself for my inevitable death. Not even ten minutes in and I've already failed my objective. How pathetic...

But to my surprise, the death part never came. Instead, I felt a thud collapse on my lap. I slowly lower my hands and peeled one eye open to see a small boy face down on my lap. He looked like the very embodiment of a cold icy corpse.

"Uh... hello, little boy?" I awkward said while hesitantly poking the back of his head.

No reaction. Well, at least I'm not dead. But what the hell do I do now? Luckily for me, the sound of a mob and torches could soon be seen approaching in the distance.

"I think I see him!" One of the voices cried out in joy. And without further delay, the mob quickened their pace as they made their way towards me.

One of the men took the child from my lap and examined his drowsy eyes with his fingers. "It's him, Mr Grigori!" The man exclaimed while enveloping the boy in a suffocating hug.

The man who I assumed was the young boy's father quickly pushed his way to the front and swiped the boy from the man's arms. "Oh, thank god!" As he held the boy for what felt like an eternity, he finally loosened his hold once a thought came to his head.

"Did you examine him? He isn't injured, is he?" Mr Grigori asked the man to his left. Rather than answer the man, he merely took his black hat off and gestured towards me instead.

Once Mr Grigori caught wind of what the man was trying to say, he looked at me in distraught. "You're my boy's saviour, aren't you?"

"Saviour is a bit much," I said while trying to casually play it off. "I was just in the right place at the right time..."

More like the wrong place at the wrong time! If I could have it my way, I'd still be lying in that flower field as we speak!

"This is a pity. For you to find him like this, it could cause problems." Mr Grigori said solemnly to himself.

As I cocked my head to the side in confusion, I looked at the rest of the mob to see not one person making eye contact with me. Everyone's eyes were practically glued to the ground with a sorrowful expression.

Uuu... I have a bad feeling about this. That first crow I saw was probably a bad omen!

As I was lost in thought, a hand was gently placed on top of mine. As I looked towards the hand, I saw Mr Grigori now staring my dead in the eye. "You'll have to come with us."