'Has the child's question been resolved?'
It was a message from Knox. It seemed he knew I had been eavesdropping. Obviously, when he had interfered with the System before, I had also been able to sense it.
So, why had he left me alone? The noise had faded in the middle, and I could hear his voice because he allowed it. Could he really give this much information?
"...Shh."
When I fully regained my senses, I found myself almost buried in Kyle's arms. His body was still trembling as if he had been doused with cold water, and his eyes were wide and unfocused.
"Is it over?" I asked Kyle blankly. He narrowed his brows, carefully examining my complexion.
"I hope you don't use that power again."
"...I'm fine, it's okay."
He only knew that I was scared; he didn't know what I had seen. It wasn't easy to explain that I had just glimpsed a clue to my death, the very reason I had come here from another world.
I was sure I had thought so, but Kyle gritted his teeth and pulled me even tighter into his embrace.
"Are you lying like that because you think I don't know what you saw?"
My body stiffened. I knew he was an extraordinary person in many ways, but this time, I was genuinely surprised.
"Shu." Kyle's voice cracked slightly. He looked pained, as if forcibly swallowing surging emotions.
"I spent ten years in this cold land. I crossed the line as if it were routine. One day, the knight who followed me died, and the next day I killed a demon beast. People dying from hunger and sickness, unable to overcome the cold..."
"..."
He swallowed his pain and continued, "I know the eyes of dying people. How a life pushed to its very end struggles. I've seen and experienced it all the time. It was a daily routine for me, so how could I not know?"
Oh, that's right. He could tell just by looking. Kyle Jane Meinhardt, and Kyle Blake, had lived that kind of life.
I understood somehow. At the same time, a bitter feeling settled in my heart.
I didn't have the confidence to make eye contact, so I buried my face in his chest. Kyle sighed and swept his large hand across my back.
"...I'll find a way to reduce the side effects."
"I'm going to do this even though it's not for you?" I said, as if making an excuse. "It's for the safety of the territory. I heard a lot, so I think it was quite useful. I think Knox helped me in the middle. I don't know why."
"No." Kyle kissed the top of my head and whispered. His tone was soft, but the underlying meaning was utterly resolute. "You must never be sure that the side effects have completely disappeared."
"..."
"Until now, you haven't truly thought about death, and you seemed unafraid or withdrawn. I was caught off guard because I couldn't see it. I've asked around. Those who nearly died can't even sleep because of those memories."
"..."
"Yes. I learned a lot about the Ma Towers. That's thanks to you. I won't deny it. As you have always done, you are making a great contribution to this estate."
Kyle gently grasped my chin, his touch careful, as if I might break.
I impulsively gave him a short kiss, wanting to soothe his heart, even just a little. He let out a low groan of pain and hugged me, then settled me onto his thigh.
"But no, Shu. I have no intention of entrusting everything to you. It's even worse if you have to force your most feared memories to surface."
"...What if multiple people can live in it instead?"
"It's our world."
It sounded like he was drawing a clear line, implying it wasn't my burden alone. My heart pounded.
Kyle kissed my cheek and quickly comforted me, as if he knew how I felt. "It's the world you chose, but it's also the land we built. It's like a gift to you, but I don't want to wait for your sacrifice. It means we have to do it ourselves."
"..."
"What should I do with you, Shu?" Kyle sighed and rested his forehead on the nape of my neck. "I don't know. Every time I see you, I get confused. Several times a day, you feel like a miracle, and then like a precarious candle that will soon go out. So, should I protect you, should I believe and wait, should I feel sorry for you, or should I be afraid...?"
All the words, spoken like sighs, were disorganized, yet they conveyed his desperate sincerity.
The tremors hadn't completely subsided, but the pain was almost gone. Best of all, hadn't he protected me when I was having a hard time?
I replied, hugging his body tightly, "Just hug me, Your Highness."
I didn't expect anything too grand. Of course, if I saved Kyle, my miracle level would rise, and it was true that I had worked hard for that...
"That's all I can do."
Even if it wasn't for that, I would have come to like this place. Like Kyle, I must have done my best.
I enjoyed being here. I wasn't lonely, and sometimes my body struggled, but my heart was so warm. Sometimes I couldn't help but wish I had been born and raised in this world.
So, I didn't regret it. No matter how severe the side effects were, I would have been prepared.
"Shu." Kyle hugged me tightly and said, as if confessing, "Remember. You are alive, and I have no intention of letting you die again."
"...Yes."
"If you wish, I will stay by your side forever. I'll protect you."
Was there anything more reassuring than this? I hugged his back tightly.
"I understand."
At dawn the next day, I woke up in the middle of the blanket he had stacked high.
'I can't get used to being a hamster anymore.'
Was it because I slept soundly? Even though it was almost sunrise, my eyes felt heavy. I pressed down on the raised blanket and stood up.
—Chihaaam.
I stretched my limbs, opened my mouth wide, and yawned. I blinked my eyes and called the System.
[Good morning! ヽ(* ̄▽ ̄*)ノミ]
The System, shaking with a triumphant expression, opened the 'Love Love Corner.' Had it gotten a new product? Ten days.
NEW! [Message of Love♡ | ❤x1004]
But why was the price like this? Now it was openly taking four digits. There was no end to it.
I glanced into the air, and the System opened another small window as if to excuse itself.
[Current Holdings | ❤ x 1999]
'What? I bought earplugs last time, didn't I? But why wasn't it deducted?'
[Current Holdings | ❤ x 2005]
[Current Holdings | ❤ x 2015]
[Current Holdings | ❤ x 2022]
—...?
The heart count was increasing in real-time.
I glanced back at Kyle with a trembling expression. He was lying down, half-wrapped in his blanket, still asleep. A peaceful smile faintly touched his lips.
'What the heck? Why do I have more hearts when I sleep?'
'Does he dream of being a hamster...?'
Okay. Let's not dare to look into the abyss of others. If I knew, I would be hurt. I quickly shook my head and bought the new product, 'Message of Love.'
[The Message of Love♡]
'Do you know! Take off your heart! What is it strange?'
The name was a bit absurd, but it was a pretty good thing. It was a means of direct communication with Kyle from afar, and a permanent item like a passive skill. If you thought about it that way, 1004 hearts was a bargain price.
[(*￣︶￣*)]
I shook my head, looking at the System's smug expression. I had taken more than a thousand hearts at once, so it was clearly satisfied. If hearts didn't accumulate so quickly, I might have been a fan by now.
I waved my hand, pushing the System window slightly, and the messenger window opened directly. When I connected communication with Kyle, something like a keyboard popped up in my head, and when I typed, it was strangely sent like a text message.
The problem was that Kyle was a medieval man who had only ever written correspondence...
'Let's wake him up first.'
I walked over with a smile. Kyle's eyes were still closed. Did he sleep so brightly at work? Normally, even if I tossed and turned a little, he would hug me and pat me.
I bit his fingertips slightly.
—Picture. (Get up, you brute.)
"..."
—Chiiwaab. (Wake up.)
'Won't he wake up like this?'
Now I put his little finger in my mouth and bit it.
Then, a slight stiffness in his fingers.
"...Pfft."
—...
"Haha, ahaha. It's tickling. Okay, okay, I'll get up. I wanted to just sit here in a daze, I wanted to do something. Uh, wait and you'll wake me up."
Kyle opened his eyes. Even though he had just opened them, his gaze was almost submerged, staring intently at me.
He probably woke up around the same time as me, but he had just pretended to be asleep. Maybe he was waiting for me to wake up.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you like this, so cute."
(What do you mean?)
'It's been a long time.' Apparently, he meant it was cute when my 'load' was off while I was asleep. He must have been watching me.
When I let go of his finger, he lightly squeezed me and began to kiss me. It had been a long time since this hamster otaku's main reception.
I closed my eyes and let him kiss me as much as he wanted. Okay. Grind, grind. Do as you please...
By the way, before I knew how to use it, I needed to explain what this messenger was.
—Jijijik. (Your Highness.)
"Is there anything you want to say?"
I stared up at him and said,
—Jijijik. Steam. (Have you ever heard of the Message of Love?)
"Yes, I love you too."
He didn't understand. It was natural.
There was still time to explain it. I had woken up early. I sighed heavily. I rested and spread out in the palm of his hand.
There would only be a few minutes left until six o'clock. More on that later. After becoming a human, that would be enough, well.
—Taken. (More on that later.)
Kyle replied with a happy expression.
"You're very cute today."
—Chiy.
'Idiot.'
Still, seeing that I didn't hate it very much, it seemed that I had no way to deal with it.