Rhea's gaze drifted slowly toward the car the red-haired woman was leaning against, then back to the woman herself. Her expression barely changed.
"Eirydra," she said flatly. "What are you doing here?"
The woman simply shook her head and let out a quiet laugh before pushing herself off the vehicle. Hands slipping into the pockets of her black jacket, she approached at an unhurried pace, golden eyes openly studying Rhea from head to toe.
"Strange," Eirydra mused.
Amusement lingered in her voice as she leaned slightly closer, though not enough to invade her personal space.
"You're still capable of writing entire Eras into existence instead of mere stories."
Her eyes drifted toward the daycare behind Rhea.
"And somehow you're spending your days taking care of children."
For a moment, her expression softened.
Only a little.
"Was this really the entire point of creating THAT WHICH IS NOT?"
A pause.
"Or was it genuinely a failure?"
"Don't."
Rhea interrupted immediately.
The change in her expression was subtle, but noticeable. Her gaze shifted away from Eirydra and toward the city stretching beyond the parked car.
"You're risking everything by invoking the Unsayable."
Eirydra froze.
Then both hands went up in surrender.
"Right."
A sigh escaped her.
"Of course."
The two of them fell silent.
As Eirydra turned, her gaze naturally followed Rhea's. Together they watched the city skyline beneath the afternoon sky while clouds drifted lazily overhead. The wind brushed against their hair.
"Remiel no longer exists, huh..."
"That isn't a name you should say carelessly either."
Rhea shot her a brief glance. Even now, her expression remained almost completely unmoved.
"Even so," Eirydra replied.
She stretched her arms over her head, yawning.
"Every other Author outside this place still speaks your name with reverence."
A faint grin tugged at her lips.
"It'd be hilarious to see their reactions if they ever met the actual Rhea."
She gestured vaguely toward the daycare.
"The legendary Original Creator."
"The one they practically treat like scripture."
"And she's spending her afternoons helping children color inside the lines."
The grin widened.
"Some of them would probably have a crisis."
Rhea didn't respond.
She simply watched the clouds continue drifting across the sky. Like a child quietly observing shapes overhead. Meanwhile, Eirydra's expression gradually became more thoughtful.
"Meanwhile, nobody can pin down *The Source.*"
Her eyes settled on Rhea.
"That thing not even you can properly define."
To her surprise, Rhea immediately pointed upward.
"That cloud looks like a deformed hammer."
Eirydra blinked.
Rhea pointed at another.
"That one looks like a whale."
Then another.
"And that one looks like a mushroom."
Silence.
Eirydra stared.
"Is this what happens when you perceive the past, present, and future simultaneously?"
She rubbed her temple with a sigh.
Meanwhile, Rhea continued staring upward, her eyes carrying the faintest hint of fascination. A few moments passed before her hand finally lowered again.
Then she looked at Eirydra.
"Why are you here again?"
"You were pointing at clouds five seconds ago."
Eirydra looked genuinely tired. After another sigh, she finally got back on track.
"I came to tell you about my new project."
"A new project?"
Rhea tilted her head slightly.
"Yes. A new project."
Eirydra nodded.
"Another story."
"I was hoping you'd look it over."
A pause.
"You're the professional here, after all."
Rhea simply stared at her.
Not deadpan.
Not confused.
Just... blank.
As though she were looking through a window rather than at another person.
Eirydra raised an eyebrow. Then leaned forward and waved a hand directly in front of her face.
"Hello?"
No response.
"Earth to Rhea?"
That finally did it.
Rhea blinked.
The silver strands framing her face swayed slightly as she returned to reality.
"A new story..."
Her gaze slowly settled on Eirydra.
"A project."
Then, after a moment:
"What's it about?"
Relief immediately washed over Eirydra's face.
"It's about a boy."
Rhea nodded.
"A boy who's spent most of his life functioning instead of actually living."
"Mhm."
Rhea nodded again.
"That sounds... surprisingly profound."
Encouraged, Eirydra continued.
"He's responsible."
She counted on her fingers.
"Borderline unhealthy."
"Too practical."
"Too efficient."
Another finger.
"The kind of person whose entire family relies on him every morning."
Rhea listened attentively. At some point, a juice box had quietly materialized in her hand. She was already drinking from it.
Eirydra noticed.
Paused.
Then decided it wasn't worth addressing.
"Anyway," she continued.
"One day he wakes up and notices something feels different."
Rhea nodded.
"He goes through his usual routine."
"Gets ready for school."
"Finishes his chores."
"Then eventually looks into the mirror while washing up."
Rhea took another sip.
"And?"
Eirydra cleared her throat.
"And he realizes he's turned into a girl."
"..."
PFFFTTTT—
Juice sprayed directly across Eirydra's jacket.
The red-haired woman froze.
Completely.
Rhea lowered the juice box.
Her expression remained exactly the same as before.
Not a trace of shock.
Not a trace of embarrassment.
Nothing.
"...You."
"Ah."
Almost immediately, a handkerchief appeared in Rhea's free hand.
"Sorry."
She began wiping the front of Eirydra's jacket.
"I was caught off guard."
Eirydra stared at her.
Long and hard.
"You don't look surprised in the slightest."
Rhea paused for a moment.
Then, as though giving the matter proper consideration, she took another sip from her juice box.
"I was surprised internally."
Eirydra stared at her.
For several seconds.
Then she simply accepted the handkerchief Rhea had produced earlier and began dabbing at the orange juice splattered across her leather jacket.
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
"Somehow, that doesn't make it any better."
Rhea quietly continued drinking her juice.
"Either way," Eirydra continued, "it's a concept I've been interested in for a long time."
She lowered the handkerchief and glanced toward the street.
"So I wanted to hear what you thought."
The handkerchief in her fingers gradually dissolved into tiny particles of light before disappearing entirely.
Meanwhile, Rhea stood completely still.
Sipping.
Thinking.
Or perhaps not thinking at all. It was often difficult to tell. After a while, she finally nodded.
"It sounds fine."
A brief pause.
"Weird."
Another sip.
"But fine."
Then she stopped. Her eyes unfocused slightly. Somewhere within her thoughts, an image surfaced.
Kyle.
Long, silky hair.
Amber eyes.
The countless occasions people mistook him for a woman at first glance. For some reason, her attention drifted toward his face.
His jawline.
His shoulders.
The overall balance of his features.
A few seconds passed before Rhea slowly nodded to herself.
"Mhm."
Another sip.
"He still has a few masculine traits."
A pause.
"So he's not a very good candidate."
Eirydra blinked.
"Wait."
Her eyebrow rose.
"Who?"
She pointed at Rhea.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Nothing."
The answer arrived immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without guilt.
Without explanation.
Rhea simply looked back at her.
"So."
She lowered the juice box slightly.
"Who's your protagonist?"
A small tilt of her head followed.
"Can you show me what they look like?"
Eirydra stared at her for another moment, then sighed.
"You know, most people would probably explain the random conclusions they're making."
Still, she reached into her jacket and pulled out two photographs.
"Here."
Rhea accepted them.
The first photograph showed a relatively tall boy standing casually with his hands tucked into his pockets.
Nothing flashy.
Natural hair.
Square glasses.
The kind of appearance that blended into a crowd rather than stood out from it. She gave it a brief glance. Then looked at the second photograph.
Immediately—
Her eyes narrowed.
Her head turned away.
Almost as if she had been physically blinded.
Eirydra's eyebrow twitched.
"What?"
Rhea looked away even further.
"Why is she shining?"
A pause.
"I think you put too much presence into her."
For several seconds, silence lingered between them. Then Eirydra clicked her tongue.
"She's not shining."
She snatched the photograph from Rhea's hand.
Examined it herself. Then shoved it directly back toward her face.
"Look."
"Normal."
"Not shining."
Rhea stared at the photograph again. Then at Eirydra. Then back at the photograph. Finally, she shrugged.
"If you say so."
This time, she actually studied the image.
Silver hair.
A softer face.
The same person, yet not. After giving it a proper look, she lowered the photo.
"Why silver-haired?"
Eirydra blinked.
"What?"
"What's wrong with silver hair?"
Rhea didn't answer immediately. Instead, her hand unconsciously drifted through her own silver hair.
And instantly—
Several people flashed through her mind.
Anathasia.
Francesca.
Egrathiel.
Liscia.
Rania.
…Herself.
One after another.
Each appearance somehow making her expression flatten a little more. By the end of it, she looked mildly exhausted.
"…No particular reason."
She took another sip from her juice box. And very deliberately chose not to elaborate. Then Rhea simply looked at Eirydra again.
"So... is that all?"
She lifted her juice box slightly.
"I still have toddlers to look after."
For a brief moment, Eirydra's expression faltered.
Not because she was surprised.
More because she'd finally realized she had spent the better part of their conversation trying to argue with something that operated on an entirely different wavelength from everyone else.
Eventually, she let out a long sigh.
"Yeah."
One dismissive wave of her hand followed.
"Sure. That's all."
Turning around, she walked toward her car and pulled the driver's door open.
Just before getting inside, however, she paused.
"Though, for what it's worth..." she began, glancing over her shoulder. "I'll make sure the others understand why you're not in the *Real World* anymore."
The wind drifted between them.
Rhea remained exactly where she was.
Quietly standing beside the road.
Still holding her juice box with both hands.
Still sipping from it.
For some reason.
Eirydra stared at her for a few seconds. Then narrowed her eyes.
"Actually."
A pause.
"What's with the obsession with juice boxes?"
Rhea blinked once. Looked down at the orange juice in her hands. Then back at Eirydra.
"It's good juice."
Silence.
Eirydra slowly rubbed her forehead.
"Right..."
She didn't even try asking a follow-up question. Instead, she shook her head, slipped into the car, and closed the door behind her.
A moment later, the engine started.
The vehicle rolled forward.
Then disappeared into the flow of traffic beyond the street. The sound gradually faded. Leaving Rhea alone beneath the afternoon sky.
The breeze gently stirred her silver hair as she watched the car vanish into the distance.
For several seconds, she simply stood there.
Quiet.
Motionless.
Taking another sip from her juice box.
"..."
Her gaze drifted toward the carton in her hands.
Then downward.
Thoughtful.
"Orange juice makes my teeth feel weird..."
A small pause.
"Maybe I should switch to strawberry."
With that deeply important conclusion reached, Rhea turned around and immediately started walking back toward the daycare.
The children were probably waiting.