"Has it been a month already…?" I mumbled to myself, the early morning sun beat down on my eyes. Birds chirped all around outside. This was how I knew how many days had passed… Since I woke up in this world. There were no calendars, and my system was just as useless. "That's how time flies… I guess?"
Every day felt full of things to do– Mainly with the people around me, they are a lively bunch of people. And it isn't just them. I turned my head, watching as Allisa rolled around her bed, mumbling some sleepy words. "Welp… Time to get my day started."
The normal day for me, it's fairly relaxed. Although I would love to do more, it all ties down to how James is feeling. It's pretty impulsive, after living this long with him… I suspect he has something wrong up there.
After collecting my clothes… And a certain piece I glared at for a bit. I left mine and allisa's room.
"Good morning, Yukina!" Melinda greeted me as I took a foot out the doorway. Looks like she's preparing breakfast. That was all I could note, she wore an apron which I saw as she turned to wave at me.
"Good morning." James followed in her toe, he looked pretty exhausted. There were dark spots under his eyes, and his usual neat hair was in a mess. He had some paper in his hands, and looked like he was completely focused.
"G-Good morning…"
"The restroom is free, you can go ahead and get changed in there. Oh, don't forget to wear that 'thing'!"
"..."
Seriously?!I-Did she seriously- She turned around, whilst singing a happy tune.
"And one more thing, brush those teeth of yours. There's a toothbrush for you, thank your adopted father for that."
"...T-Thank you. A-And got it…"
If you're wondering what that thing is? A bra… It was a white one… When that- That thing that happened just over a week ago happened, Melinda started forcing me to wear one. I lost my last shred of dignity… As soon as I entered the bathroom, I hung my head. At least as a man… What's even crazier about her? She knows if I try to avoid it… She bugs me, tapping my head, or trying to touch my ears to put it on. No matter how defiant I am, she wins…No wonder James doesn't try to argue against her.
Even worse! She forces me to wear a nightgown at night… Just like Allisa. I bought a long sleeved shirt for a reason! Well er… James did, and shorts. I felt my body temperature warm up as I changed. Even a month in, I felt incredibly awkward changing– Despite doing it every day. By the time this body becomes an adult, I might get used to it. Keyword, might.
"How the heck does one do this thing properly?" I fiddled with the bra a bit. After I finally clipped it in, I put my usual shirt on. There is one thing that perplexed me in this world, hygiene is surprisingly advanced. There're soaps, shampoos, and everything necessary. This part of my new life made me thankful.
"Even the tooth paste tastes decently well. Not that minty taste in my past life." I mumbled, whilst standing in front of the mirror. I pulled my cheek to reveal my teeth. I swear whoever reincarnated me wanted me to look cute. I had these two little sharpened canine teeth, rubbing that I'm not a human anymore. "Ugh…"
R-R-Run… Keep running!
Do- Don'-
"I have to live… I want to see momma and dad again!" I want to live… I want to… I want to, want…Those slavers aren't following me… I feel weak… I can't crawl. I need to crawl.
"I want to live….." My arms can't push themselves anymore. I'm losing feeling… I can't feel my body… I'm going to sleep… the world's getting darker… Mom… Dad… I- I want to see you again…
"...."
"..."
"What the h.. Haah…. Hahh…. Calm… Calm down… What the ever loving hell was that…?" That felt like it.. No… That didn't feel like a horror movie scene… Everything changed around me. I was in a forest– Crawling on the ground. My fingernails were broken, that pain even now pranged. I scratched at that forest floor– Crawling. My vision was blurred, and a dull red hue… My mind was in a panic– I wanted to see my momma and dad. Those words– Who was that? "Could it be…?"
"Yukina, dear? Are you okay?" I heard Melinda's voice call out to me. She knocked on the bathroom door a few times, each one bringing back my senses. That- That must've… Despite her calling me, I focused on my hands. I can't stop them from shaking– That was… The real Yukina. "Yukina? If you don't respond to me, I'll have your father break down this door."
"I-I'm fine…"
"You don't sound fine, are you struggling with the bra?"
"No! I'm really fine…"
"M'kay…"
She's really motherly… I don't blame James for marrying her… Anyways… It- That makes sense. In that… Memory, of the real Yukina I could feel her body starting to give out. There was immense pain signaling from her stomach. It was where her kidney was… I can still feel it. The overwhelming hotness coming from it, the nerves that were torn from a blade slicing into it.
"I took over her body… What was left of it…" I mumbled to myself, I managed to pull my body back up. My eyes wandered to the mirror– There was her, the body I stole. She died in so much pain… That memory left a flame roaring in my heart, she mentioned slavers. When that memory flashed back in my mind, the fire in my heart increased, but I could hear yelling and shouting.
"Yukinaaa, please hurry up! I need to goooo!"
"I'm almost done… Give me a second."
Why do they sound so familiar? I wondered, whilst picking up my dirty clothes off the ground. I tossed them into the clothes bin that Melinda told me to use. Those two men's voices– Where did they come from? I set aside those thoughts when I left the bathroom. Allisa had a worried look, as she twisted her legs.
"Finally!" She yelled as she pushed past me. She really had to go, huh? Her shove was so hard, I had to fix my balance for a moment– Living with an injured foot really makes simple interactions like that, hard, huh?
"Yukina, dear… Are you feeling alright?" Melinda asked me as soon as she saw me. "Is your peri-" I cut her off with a shake from my head. Even if I felt embarrassed by… That period. I can already feel that brooding mood in my throat.
"No."
"Hm? Alright. Take a seat. Breakfast will be ready here in a few minutes." How long was I out? It felt like a few seconds. She was already cleaning up the mess she made. And James was sipping on tea, that paper was already set on the table next to him.
"Thank you– Um, how long was I in the restroom?"
"Quite a while, ten minutes? Or thirteen, I don't know." Melinda shrugged as she continued to clean up. "Yukina, can you set these plates down? Sorry, I told you to take a seat."
"Yes…"
I grabbed the plates she already pulled out– Four of them, one for her, Allissa, James and me. And placed them around the table. I finally took a seat after my little job was done, but my ears weren't done listening to everyone.
"The guild sent us another request, would you like to join?" James asked, nonchalantly sipping on his tea, and looking at me.
"Um… What is the request about?"
"It's nothing bad, it's pretty easy." He said. Can't this guy at least clarify?! What do you mean, it's nothing bad, it's easy?! His body flinched from my frustrated look, sweat rolled down his cheek before he clarified everything. Heh. Yes, your 'daughter' is intimidating now!
All in all, it was indeed pretty easy. It was a gathering request, although the place was a bit more difficult. It was a few days out. The biggest issue was the creatures that lived there. Void wolves.
Void Wolves were wolf monsters that hid in the shadows. Lurking them, and waiting for their prey to let their guard down. Out in the open, they were large, and fur that was dark as night. They were not the only monsters that lived there; hobgoblins, and James's ultimate enemy the horned squirrel. His face visibly paled at the name "Horned squirrel."
"Oh, honey… You don't need to be so afraid of those things."
"I am not afraid of them… I'm afraid of nearly losing my face."
"You just started then… You have way more experience now." I said whilst resting my chin on my hand. James's eyebrow twitched at my words. Looks like a sore spot for him.Or could it be… Well, not acting like that timid little girl he "knew" me as.
He looked at me, turned his head to his wife, whilst pointing at me. "Is she on her…?" His voice sounded of concern, either for me or his dignity. Melinda simply shook her head, as well as shrugging to answer him.
We sat there in silence, till Allisa rushed inside the room looking all dolled up. Alas, the simple breakfast Melinda had crafted went down.
She then tasked James to take Allisa and I out, she apparently wanted the home to herself. Physically pushing him out the door, whilst guiding her daughter and I alongside him. The light in his eyes seemed to fade, whilst looking at the morning blue sky.
"What the heck should I do now?" He mumbled to himself. It took a few minutes before the bearings in his head to correct themselves. A slight pow! Later, he struck the palm of his hand with his fist.
Allisa immediately jumped in joy, and her little body shook at his plan.
"How about I show you the adventurers' guild?" He offered with a doting look on his face. With a finger to the lips, he quieted Allisa down, and winked at me. Melinda will definitely not like this. I noted internally.
She practically jumped with joy, then took off before he could move. Whilst she ran, leading us down this path, he stayed by my side. After nearly a month of this racist society, my nerves to their looks and hatred became hardened.
Better late than never. I thought to myself, if I allowed it to get to me even further, it'd just harm my future. He seemed to realize, as he looked at me with a slightly agape mouth, but his lips curled into a proud smile. If I'm going to be his daughter… Adopted or not, I should just accept it. I can't really move by myself with my damn foot! Forcefully I returned his smile, with a thumbs up.
"So, do you want to accompany us on that little mission?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Even though it might be a bit more dangerous?"
"M-Mhm."
YES! I would actually love to! I'm getting so bored at home! Wake up, get dressed… Read, listen to their shenanigans! Heck! It'd be great to practice my spells! I've only been able to use [Palm of Fire]! If there was an invisible me, I'd be jumping in joy at this opportunity! Plus, the chance to level up? Every fantasy geek would love this!
"DADD We're here!" Allisa broke our little "moment". She was waving with one hand, and extending the range of her voice by cupping her mouth with the other. "If y-"
"I'm coming! I'm coming, we'll talk later, okay?"
"O-Okay."
Someday, maybe in the future, I'll be going there myself. The feeling of independence, and the power of going places myself will be exhilarating. I followed these two inside, the grand building known as the adventurers' guild. Struggling, of course due to their longer legs.
"Hm? There's not many people left." I whispered to myself. Inside, the tables and chairs were devoid of others. The only living people were at the counter– The receptionists of course, they all were bored. That lady from the first day was leaning against the counter, resting her head on her arms.
"Welcome, how can the adventurers' guild help you?" She asked in a slow, groaning voice. There was no emotion or energy behind her voice.
"We're here to look around, this litt-"
"I'm Allisa! Future adventurer!" Allisa exclaimed, there was an awkward air after her words.
"Did you pick up another strange girl?" The lady receptionist asked, now resting her chin onto her hand. Her eyes wandered down to me. Is she calling me strange too? That answer was pretty obvious, I do come off as strange… At least to others I assume.
"Nope~ This strange, little one is my daughter."
"I should've figured… She has that same idiotic, but optimistic look as you."
Has this lady gotten more brutal with her words? What about receptionist etiquette?!?
"That's not nice to say." Stole it off my tongue!
"Well… Anyways, how can I help you three?"
James waved her question off, explaining that we were just strolling around. This resulted in the lady huffing, then resting her head again. And exactly like he said, we went around the adventurers' guild. Just like any other, it was built with wood, same with the tables and chairs. Only at the front were windows where you can peer into, or out of.
Some more receptionists came out of their respective cubicles. Either this world has more advanced ideas… Or. Their reactions to both Allisa and I had me hiding behind James. Their damn voices are too loud!
After introducing us to them, we left the adventurers' guild. Allisa was jumping with joy, she was obviously excited.
The patrolling seems to be increased… Is there an actual war going to happen? Guards were on every corner… There was an air of stress around them– Every single one of them had a frown on their face. The usual friendly ones were the same, never greeting their usual friends. James realized this concern too.
He cut our little trip shorter than usual, he pulled both Allisa and I close. She tried to fight him, yelling at him that she wanted to continue looking around. He flicked her forehead, there wasn't a smile or his usual look- He gave her a stern stare, ordering for her to listen to him.
Once we got back to the house, Melinda welcomed us whilst tilting her head. The angle of the tilt grew when she saw James's and Allisa's faces.
"You two, go to your room. Your mom and I need to talk." He commanded that friendly aura he had quickly turned cold.
We're going to need to listen– That look is not good to not comply with… I grabbed his daughter's hand, dragging her into the room. Oh no… Looks like you'll have to apologize when you're better… Allisa was rubbing her forehead, with slight tears that formed in her eyes. I let go of my hand, ready to console her at any moment.
"I'-I'm going to lay down…" She mumbled, with soft sniffles exerting from her nose. And promptly, she did so…
I stood there as a statue, there was an urge to comfort her. Do I still have those sibling instincts? I looked at my hands, back then… Nevermind– Not worth it to dwell. Allisa'll open up when she feels right to.
"My back is killing me…" I mumbled. Do bras hurt this much? My back feels strained, I haven't worn it for that long today. Or it could be just from standing for a long time– That's one issue that's resolved quickly. My seat, my golden throne. Right in front of the door, I navigated my hearing to outside it.
"..."
Eh?
"..."
I can't hear anything! Are they even speaking?! Focus!
"...A-"
…Does he have some sort of sound blocking sound? I can hear them talking, but the sounds aren't clear…They must be talking about the patrolling. James's face seemed super serious, Quickly my attempts of eavesdropping were foiled. Instead of doing something so… Inwolfkin, I picked up the book I left next to my "bed". Now you may be wondering, the writer of this diary, what's your bed? The floor. I had a blanket of my own, plus a pillow. I just wrap myself up into a burrito, and slept there. It's not as uncomfortable as it seems, trust me.
As the morning sun turned to noon, I heard those two voices become clear. They were talking about the normal parenting things; worrying about Allisa's future, but that changed. Two slightly hefty footsteps walked up to the door, and followed up with knocking.
"Allisa! Please open the door, Sweetie."
"..."
"Allisa… I'm sorry for flicking your forehead, I just needed you to listen."
Allisa's head perked up from her pillow, she turned her body. Her eyes bore a hole into the door, they were red… She's been crying all this time. Only when James pleaded a few more times, she stood up and opened the door.
"Listen, I'm sorry, can you forgive your old dad?" He pleaded one last time, whilst on his knees.
"Only if you take me out on that mission."
"You'll have to talk to your mother about that. Right now, I want you to come talk with us."
"Okay."