Back in the kitchen, Raeya had finished cooking and was setting the table. But before she could call for her little guest, the black cat suddenly leapt off the chair and darted toward the bedroom.
"Eh? I was just about to feed you…" Raeya raised a brow, puzzled, then followed with an empty tray in hand.
She stopped at the doorway. The boy was now sitting up, cradling the cat in his lap and gently stroking its fur.
The once-bright blue eyes from last night now appeared darker, sharper—like walls had risen behind them, unseen but impenetrable.
Raeya didn't approach. She stayed at the threshold, greeting him softly. "Hi."
But instead of a reply, she was met with a wary glare—cold, almost like he saw her as a threat.
Oh no. This isn't going to be easy. What should I even do right now…?
"Hey," Raeya continued, her voice still gentle though her heart shrank a little. "I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe here."
The boy stared at her for a long moment. His eyes narrowed further. "Why did you help me?"
Raeya paused before answering honestly, "Because… I'd help anyone who needed it. I couldn't just leave someone so badly hurt like that, could I?"
"Cut to the chase. What do you want from me?"
𝘖𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?
"I don't want anything from you. I'm not going to hurt you or take advantage of you. Besides… what could I even take from you when you can barely stand?" she said calmly, still not moving closer.
He scoffed softly. "So if I wasn't in this condition… you would want something from me?"
"Huh?"
𝘜𝘶𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨.
Raeya took a deep breath, trying to keep the irritation at bay.
"I don't know," she replied at last. "But I'm not going to force you. Just rest, okay?"
The black cat suddenly leapt from his lap and trotted toward Raeya, letting out a soft meow.
"Goodness, are you hungry? You're being way more affectionate than last night. So clingy," Raeya chuckled as she crouched to stroke the cat's head lovingly.
The boy's eyes widened slightly.
Ash never acts this friendly… Why is he so attached to this girl?
Raeya scooped up the cat and started to walk away, but turned to glance back before leaving the room.
"Oh, by the way—let's have breakfast. You must be hungry, right?"
"…No. I don't need food," he replied flatly.
"What? Come on, our bodies need energy—especially breakfast. It's super important—"
"I said I don't need food! I'm not as weak as you people. Pathetic."
Raeya froze.
Did he… say 'you people'? Wow. What an infuriating little kid.
"Hah. Whatever. But if you change your mind, just call me, okay? No need to be shy," Raeya said with a neutral tone, then walked back to the kitchen.
She sat down and started breakfast with the cat, who was now sitting sweetly on the chair beside her, a small plate of food in front of it.
"Hey, what's your name, hmm? You must know, right? Your master..." Raeya glanced at the cat, then whispered with a grumble, "...is so annoying. Rude and cold. What did I ever do to deserve that treatment?"
"Meow. Meow."
"See? You agree, right? He's really insufferable. Still a kid, but his attitude is just..." Raeya sighed in frustration, "...like the whole world is his enemy."
She scooped up another bite of breakfast. Fell silent. Her thoughts drifted.
Maybe… he really does have a reason. Aunt Lily once said, people who act harsh are usually the ones who've been hurt before. Maybe… even by their own parents.
She lowered her gaze slowly, gently stroking the cat who was now purring contentedly in her lap.
"I'll be patient… I won't give up on you so easily," she whispered softly.
Those words weren't for the cat, or even the boy. They were for herself—a quiet reminder that behind rejection, there are often wounds yet to heal.
｡･::･ﾟ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆
After breakfast, Raeya sat in her room chair, keeping some distance from the bed. Her gaze was fixed on the boy, who was still sitting silently. The space between them still felt vast—not just physically, but emotionally. Raeya didn't want to push, but her curiosity kept growing.
"Hey…" she finally spoke up, gently. "I still don't know your name. What is it?"
The boy turned his head slowly, eyes sharp and cold as he looked at her. His tone was flat, but carried a stinging edge.
"Why do you want to know?"
"Eh?" Raeya blinked, then gave a sheepish smile. "So we could… maybe get along better?"
"We don't need to get along. And you don't need to know my name."
Raeya paused, slightly taken aback by how blunt that was.
Whoa… that was harsh.
She took a deep breath and kept her smile steady. Don't take it personally. Not now.
"Alright then…" she said quietly, trying to lighten the mood. "In that case… let me introduce myself first?"
She lightly patted her chest, trying to look cheerful.
"Hello! My name's Raeya Evaleen Alvera. You can just call me Raeya." She looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Now it's your turn?"
No answer came. The boy simply turned his face away, as if she hadn't said anything.
Raeya held back a bitter laugh in her heart.
Wow, I'm being ignored… by a kid I don't even know. That's just sad…
Resting her chin on her knees, she kept her eyes on him from afar, curiosity refusing to fade.
"Don't tell me… you don't have a name?"
The boy turned his head immediately, eyes sharp with irritation.
"Hey. I do have a name, okay? You're annoying."
Raeya chuckled softly.
Ahaha, you've been annoying too, you know, kid.
The boy just huffed, clearly not in the mood to keep talking.
Raeya smiled in amusement. She knew he wasn't truly angry—just not ready to open up yet. But she wasn't going to give up.
"Hmm… in that case, how about I just call you… 'little brother'?"
A sharp glare answered her. Okay, definitely not the right choice.
Raeya pretended to think hard, then her eyes lit up.
"How about… 'Ches'? I like that name."
The boy frowned. "Why 'Ches'?"
"Because it sounds cool and… cold. Totally fits your ice-block aura," Raeya replied casually.
The boy stared at her a bit longer this time but said nothing. Silent. As if he was considering it.
Raeya raised a thumbs-up, a wide grin blooming on her face.
"Okayyy! From now on, you're 'Ches'. Deal!"
No agreement. But also no protest.
And to Raeya, that was more than enough.