The sun began to enter through the window, its warm light slowly filling the house.
I woke up and felt the weight on top of my body had disappeared.
I opened the blanket I used to cover myself, and there was no one there.
But, when I looked to the side... Cyve was sleeping with her body in a completely messy position.
And... her clothes were slightly open at the top and bottom...
Seriously, her outfit is so distracting!?
(Yukito's face always turned red as he gazed at Cyve's body) (N)
Maybe because she was sleeping on top of me at first, when she moved positions she couldn't use the blanket.
And, instead, she made the blanket into something like a mat on the bed.
I immediately gave her the blanket I used and covered her body.
"If I leave her like this.. it'll be dangerous later" (Me)
If I kept looking at her body... sooner or later I'd lose control.
Besides, last night, my sleep was very sound... maybe because Cyve was on top of me—
——
I got up from the bed and began stretching my body to feel more refreshed.
CRACK (My back made a sound)
"Ah~~~" (Me)
After sleeping, stretching the body feels the best...
This has been my habit since I was little... actually I just copied my father.
"Ah, right.. I haven't checked on Mori-chan yet" (I said)
—
I immediately left Cyve's house and went to the place where I planted Mori-chan.
The sprout had disappeared... and what remained was only empty soil.
I sat down on the ground, unable to believe what I had just seen.
My Mori-chan... was gone in one night... this isn't fair.
I shifted my gaze and looked towards my house.
And my house had been destroyed.
I rushed to the ruins of my house, searching for something inside it.
Two days ago, I found a vegetable field and then took most of its produce and placed it under my house.
And this house... the first building I built... the first house I built...
It took a long time when I searched for food in this place...
I had to eat one fruit and take its seeds to grow into a tree.
But now, everything was gone. As if swallowed by the earth.
I sat on the ground with a blank stare and without thinking of anything.
——
At times like this, I remembered my little dog.
When I was in 2nd grade in elementary school, my uncle gave me a little dog.
Its fur was brown and also soft. Its body was small, which made it even cuter.
The first time I held it, it immediately licked my cheek with its tongue.
Its eyes were black but looked very fitting on its face. In its eyes, I could see it was watching my face.
And I felt, it wasn't afraid of me or my uncle.
Uncle said, that was a dog he picked up when he was walking in the city.
I named the dog "For".
I was inspired by a character's name in a cartoon series I watched every morning.
In the series, For was a hero but he was abandoned and forgotten.
But he still helped the townspeople without their knowledge.
That's why I named him For.
And since then, For and I became family who completed each other.
——
As the first dog I ever had, I loved him like my own little brother.
Every time I came home from school, I played with him full of enthusiasm.
He always licked my face when I got home. As if he had been waiting for me.
His eyes always looked happy when playing with me.
I thought, I really had the dog I had always dreamed of. Because before, I had never owned a dog.
But one day in January—
I came home from school and ran a little towards home.
The night before, snow had fallen heavily, turning the whole city white.
I wore a very warm scarf.
I hurried home, because I just remembered it was For's 5th-month birthday.
And when I arrived, at the pedestrian crossing near home... I saw For on the other side of the street.
"FOR!" (I shouted)
He barked as if answering my call.
The crossing light hadn't yet turned green, and suddenly For ran towards me.
At first I didn't care that he was crossing, because the road looked empty of vehicles.
But from a distance I saw a car speeding towards For.
"FOR!!!" (I shouted, calling him)
TIN!! (The car honked its horn)
And it was over—
That day, For was killed, hit by a car.
The front of the car hit For's stomach hard.
His blood flowed and stained the white snow on the street... turning the snow red.
——
Uncle buried For right behind my house.
I watched from a distance, uncle beginning to cover For's body with soil.
Then he stroked my head—
"Aren't you sad?" (Uncle asked)
"I-I...."
My eyes felt watery and I immediately hugged uncle while crying loudly.
Uncle said the driver of the car at that time, he couldn't control his car because the road was slippery.
And he also didn't expect to hit a dog.
Even though in the end he already apologized to uncle. And uncle also said, that person truly apologized sincerely.
But... that incident really stuck in my memory.
From then on, I didn't want to own a pet again. (That's what I thought back then)
So I lost interest in pets.
——
Ah, I remember.. when I was first transferred to this world (Velmoria), that old man said that my age increased but not my body.
Before, I was still in 2nd year of middle school, wasn't I? (The details are in chapter 2)
At that time the old man (God) said that my age changed to 18 years old.
Well, at first I couldn't accept it either... but since it had already happened... what could I do??
——
(Back to the current situation)
I still couldn't believe my house and my plant had been destroyed.
Maybe because there was rain or strong wind last night while I was sleeping.
"Yukito-sama, what's wrong?" (Cyve asked)
I didn't answer or look at her.
Because I knew it was Cyve, and I was still grieving over the house and Mori-chan.
"Why are you so quiet~? Come back into my house~!" (Cyve said)
"Shut up..."
"Last night there was a storm, so it's still cold out here..." (Cyve)
"That's why, cook for me again~! I just picked vegetables from the field I took from my vegetable patch~!" (Cyve)
"Shut up..."
"Hm? Yukito-sama, did you say something?" (Cyve asked curiously)
I could no longer hold back my overflowing emotions. And I lost control.
"SHUT UP!!" (I shouted at Cyve)
"CAN'T YOU JUST BE QUIET FOR A MOMENT!?" (Me)
"A-ah—"
I realized I had just yelled at Cyve.
I looked back and Cyve's eyes looked teary.
She stood still, just staring at me without saying anything.
Her eyes were watery, along with her expression showing she was scared of me.
I tried to reach her with my hand—
She immediately ran away from me.
I could only stand and look at her with a deep sense of guilt.
I couldn't chase her... either because I felt like a bad person... or because of something else—
But for sure, I hated myself for not being able to move like this.
"Stupid..." (I said, insulting myself)
After losing the house I built and also Mori-chan...
Would I also lose Cyve's trust?
If I couldn't make up with Cyve, this regret would stay until I met Yuu-chan.
Back then... I couldn't protect For... and would my relationship with Cyve end the same way?