\[What now?]
The original Kaison didn't know how to cook… so what do I tell her?
*Think! Think!*
…Yes, this will do.
I put on my best smug smile. "Amelia, I secretly learned to cook so I could surprise you… hahaha."
Her eyes narrowed. "You think I'm a fool?"
"Amelia, what matters is that I can cook. The rest doesn't matter."
Without waiting for her reply, I grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her toward her room. "Go freshen up!"
She let herself be pushed along, but just before closing the door, she glanced back with a sly grin. "Don't tell me you got a girlfriend and learned cooking for her."
My voice cracked. "Huh—no, no! I told you, I learned it for you!"
\[Please… please don't ask anything else.]
"Well," she said sweetly, "if you don't want to admit it, fine. But when you introduce me to her, I'll expect an invitation."
"I AM NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP, YOU BRAT!"
"Heehee." She shut the door.
---
"Phew… that was close."
I headed to the kitchen and began cooking. Soon enough, Amelia returned, freshly changed. We ate together.
"Yum! This is delicious!" she said, cheeks full.
"Wow, I can't believe you made this. You must have done it for your girlfriend."
"…I told you, I don't have one."
"Yeah, yeah."
She sipped her tea, then casually added, "Oh, by the way, I met your friend Alan on the way home. He said he'll come tomorrow to take back the book he lent you."
I froze. "Which book?"
"How should I know? He's your friend."
"…Makes sense," I muttered. But in my head—
\[Which book could it be? It's not in Kaison's memories.]
---
That night, after dinner, Amelia went to her room and I returned to mine. The balcony beckoned.
*Just one glance, then sleep.*
I opened the window—and froze.
The moon was red.
My breath caught. My muscles locked. A deep, primal fear surged through me. I tried to look away, but my head wouldn't turn. My hands twitched uselessly. My legs felt like stone.
"I have to… close the curtains…"
But just as suddenly, the paralysis broke. The fear drained away like water from a cracked jar. My body was my own again.
Panting, I yanked the curtains shut.
"What… was that?" My voice shook. "Why did a single glance… feel like death?"
\[Could the original Kaison have feared this same red moon?]
The questions were piling up—more than I could answer now. But one thing was certain.
*Gachigakade. 'He' is watching. Do not seek the truth.*
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind a web of fragments. The only clear thought was this:
I had to be careful.
---
Morning came. I woke early—earlier than usual—and cooked breakfast for Amelia.
She appeared in the kitchen doorway, eyes wide. "Huh? You're awake? No way… you didn't wake up early just to make breakfast, did you?"
I set a plate in front of her. "For my cute little sister? Of course."
She smirked. "Yeah, right. Definitely for your girlfriend."
"That again?!"
We ate, and soon she left for school.
---
Not long after, heavy knocks rattled the library door.
**THUD! THUD!**
"Hey Kaison, it's me!"
Alan.
I opened the door. "You're here."
"Of course. Now return my book. It's been two months. Were you able to translate it?"
I blinked. "…Which book?"
He frowned. "Stop joking. The *Diary of a Revolutionary*."
My blood ran cold. "What…?"
"I'm talking about the *old revision*. The one written in ancient language. My great-grandfather's copy. I thought you could translate it."
\[Old revision? That means there are newer versions too.]
Alan continued, "It's a famous book. The diary of the hero who united the Three Kingdoms after years of war. The new kingdom we live in was built by him. Most copies are in the common tongue, but the original was in ancient language. The scholars translated most of it, but the rest…" He trailed off with a shrug.
"…The rest was left untranslated?" I asked.
"Yeah. No one knows why."
My pulse quickened. \[Wait… could those untranslated pages be the *last entries*? The ones I read?]
The pieces began to align, and a chill settled over me. The original Kaison had translated them. Then he died.
Maybe… the others who tried had met the same fate.
*Gachigakade.*
*'He' is watching.*
If that was true, then he already knew I was alive. And he would try to kill me.
But I clenched my fists.
"No matter what, I will survive…" My eyes hardened. "…and I will find the truth."
Alan blinked. "Uh… which truth are you talking about?"
I forced a smile. "Nothing."
---
*To be continued…*
---