Chapter 10: Metamorphosis, "Shiro" Debuts
Back at the nest, Wakaba recalled the incendiary bomb from earlier that had nearly incinerated the "house" she had built. She suddenly felt that her nest needed a complete overhaul; otherwise, it was simply too dangerous.
Thus, humming a little tune and full of drive, she transformed into a master builder and began to incessantly spin silk.
Shirazawa suddenly realized that having a hardworking "wife" at home felt rather nice. He stood to the side, watching the busy little spider, a faint smile unconsciously playing on his lips.
*However, I remember that in the original story, this house was burned down by a team of human adventurers who came as reinforcements right after it was built.*
*Should I warn her...?*
Looking at the joyfully occupied Wakaba, he didn't have the heart to ruin her mood. But then again, it felt wrong not to say anything...
*Forget it. We threw away the Earth Dragon egg, so maybe they won't care about this place. Even if it burns, it'll help Wakaba face reality and realize how detestable humans can be. That wouldn't be a bad thing.*
With that thought, Shirazawa didn't stop her.
"Whew! Finally finished everything."
A white "love nest" woven entirely of spider silk appeared before them. Wakaba delightedly touched the smooth, delicate silk, a brilliant smile on her face.
"Shirazawa-kun, from now on, this is our kitchen, this is the living room, and this is the bedroom..."
Wakaba excitedly introduced her masterpiece as a warm, cozy atmosphere gradually spread.
"Mmm~ Perfect."
Wakaba was extremely satisfied. Though it wasn't grand, it was warm and snug. She especially loved the soft bed in the bedroom, which was filled with a faint, elegant fragrance—the unique scent of a young girl. She sat on it, clutching a pillow and feeling the soft texture, unable to resist letting out a happy hum as her body grew relaxed and lazy.
The room's windows were connected to distant web traps tied to small stones. If a trap was triggered, the stones would collide and create a sound, acting as an early warning system. She had even left emergency escape routes to make a quick getaway if an accident occurred.
One could say this silk room was built to perfection. Unfortunately, all of it was destined to be reduced to nothing. And the culprits were those detestable human adventurers.
The body of the adventurer Shirazawa had killed was found by his comrades. Following the trail of silk, the group found their way directly here.
"Who killed our brother?!" a human male roared, his eyes blood-red with a desperate urge for revenge.
The furious roar startled Wakaba out of her rolling around on the bed. In the next instant, fire erupted!
*Rumble!*
The fierce blaze instantly swallowed the web, and raging flames shot toward the ceiling! Wakaba stared blankly at the scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
"W-what's happening?! Why is my house on fire?!"
Shirazawa peered through the flames toward the exterior, his brow furrowed. "It's human adventurers."
"Kuso! Are they here to subjugate us? This is bad—if we stay, we'll be buried in a sea of fire. Run!" Snapping back to reality, Wakaba didn't hesitate for a second, grabbing Shirazawa and diving into the escape tunnel.
The heat waves surged toward them along the webbing. The suffocating, searing pain forced them to accelerate.
*Whoosh—*
The two burst through the passage, finally escaping the fire. But they didn't dare stop, continuing their flight. Several of those human adventurers were high-level; getting caught meant certain death.
They fled for an unknown amount of time...
*Huff... puff...*
Wakaba gasped for air, leaning against a cold rock wall, her body drenched. She wiped the moisture from her face and looked up at Shirazawa, tears shimmering in her eyes.
"Shirazawa-kun, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"Aaaaah!!" Wakaba let out a frustrated roar, her front legs pounding the ground repeatedly. "I can't accept this! A home I worked so hard to build... and I could only run away... It's too pathetic!"
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable! I could only run for my life... I'm so weak! I hate this! I hate it so much!!"
Wakaba screamed at the sky, her voice echoing through the tunnels. Hearing her heart-wrenching cries, Shirazawa gently stroked her back, comforting her wounded young soul.
"In my past life, I had no place to call home. I couldn't fit into school life, and my family was torn apart. This home was clearly mine... it was a place that existed only for me..."
Listening to the little spider murmur about her past, Shirazawa felt a wave of emotion, but he didn't know what to say.
Suddenly, Wakaba lifted her head. Her gaze was filled with unprecedented determination and resolve. She took a deep breath, clenched her "fist," and said, "I don't want to just run away anymore! I don't want to lose ever again! I must become strong! To live my life firmly as myself... I will live with dignity! I have to get strong! I'll kill every last one of my enemies!"
Shirazawa stared blankly at the little spider's resilient figure. Memories of the original story flashed through his mind, and he found himself dazed. He suddenly felt that Wakaba had changed.
No! It should be said that the "Wakaba" of the past had gone offline. From this moment on, the spider before him was named "Shiro"—the *Shiro* of *Shiraori*.
A pure white spider, clean and noble.
In this moment, he had an illusion that the Wakaba in front of him was emitting a brilliant, dazzling light. The light was so bright it made him squint, and his mouth slowly curved upward.
"So... Shiro-chan, are you ready to face new challenges?"
Hearing his voice, Wakaba turned to the boy beside her. He was looking at her with a beaming smile.
"Of course. I've been waiting for this." The white spider bared her cold fangs, her voice laced with killing intent. "Let's go. Let's start our brand-new future!"
"Yeah!!"
The two weakest monsters in the labyrinth began to walk side-by-side toward the deeper depths.
...
"By the way, why did you call me 'Shiro'?"
"Well, don't worry about the details."
"Fine. It's just a name, whatever you like."
"..."
Their figures gradually vanished into the darkness as the two points of light drifted further and further away.