I Can Speak with Animals and Demons Chapter 1

 Foreign languages are hard

My name is Wato Akira.

I am 20 years old and in my third year at university.

Because i’m on summer vacation, I am currently in a foreign country

I had worked part time almost everyday to save the money for this trip.

I love to travel.

When you travel, you can admire scenery you simply cannot see in j.a.pan. You can meet new people, experience different cultures. Once you experience such extraordinary things, you expand your sense of value. Travel gives you time to confront yourself, deepen ideas and make yourself stronger.

I still can’t forget the experience of being taken to a foreign country with my parents, whilst i was still in grade school. (TLN: Try not to get confused, he just randomly says this, he doesn’t expand on it)

Unfortunately, i’m not very good at foreign languages such as English. However, my friends used to say [You will manage somehow!] and i believed them.

I had more or less studied English, however i was still anxious. I wonder if my p.r.o.nunciation is right? is this the right expression to use?

As this is was unknown land, i had no acquaintances.  Still, i walked around with just notes and a map, using basic English whenever a conversation sprang up.

As the day drew to a close, i managed to finally check in to my hotel.

Whilst feeling slightly excited about being in a country other than j.a.pan, i rolled into my bed.

[Ahh~ I’m tired. I’ve just arrived at the hotel and i’m already so tired]

Whilst staying in that position rolled up in my bed, I fell asleep.

×　　　　　×　　　　　　×

[Ha!]

I woke up and looked at the time, it was already 8pm. According to the guidebook, cheap hotels often serve meals which aren’t very tasty.

If that’s the case, then i should probably eat out.

Fortunately, the guidebook states that there is a delicious shop nearby. I prepare my luggage and step outside my room.

Using clumsy English, i ask the hotel staff to give me directions to the shop.

Apparently, although the store is very cramped, it serves delicious food. It seems to also serve local dishes.

After hearing the staff members explanation, i set off towards the shop.

My surroundings are very dark, the only light seems to come from the street lights and the stores. The buildings seem quite different from j.a.pan’s. The windows, doors and plants are placed differently. Furthermore, there were various types of people walking smartly. I continued walking with the memo in my hands, whilst being impressed by the view.

I walk in the direction shown on the memo. I go up some stairs and turn a corner. I was feeling uneasy as the number of people i encountered began to decrease, however as i had been told this before, i simply continued walking in the direction i was told.

There was a shop nearby with a similar photograph to the one in the guidebook. The memo that the hotel employee gave me and the characters on the sign are exactly the same.

[If only the guidebook had written detailed instructions on how to get here. I don’t think i would’ve found it without this memo]

I immediately build up my expectations and entered the shop.

×　　　　　×　　　　　　×

[Uhh~ I’ve eaten too much]

The night was growing old as i walked back, fighting my nausea.

The amount i had eaten was considerably large. However, as the cooking was delicious, i unintentionally overate.

Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere was good as well. Other foreign guests were there talking candidly.

Regardless, let’s go. Was what i thought in my mind as i slowly walked back to my hotel.

On the way back. Two well-built men were walking ahead of me in a small alley.

In particular, the gait of the skinhead man was considerably sluggish, he seemed to have an air of sadness around him. The other man who saw this, tried to encourage the skinhead.

I wonder what he’s so depressed about.

Although i don’t know this person, i decided to give him some words of encouragement.

[Fight!]

I rushed next to the man whilst putting on a gutsy pose and shouting [Fight!]

At that moment, the skinhead man spun around and punched me in the face.

Why!?

I am immediately blown away by the man’s punch.

As my physique was quite thin, i was blown away easily. As i fell, i felt something hard hitting the back of my head.

Immediately afterwards, it felt like something was missing from my body and my vision grew dark.

That?…….Was i hit? With what?

My mind can’t seem to follow what’s happening.

Aa, i can’t get up and i’m growing cold.

It becomes impossible for me to even hold a thought.