“Thank you for the al...!”
After playing around for a while, Da-eun let out a satisfied sigh and slumped her body down.
...My cheek isn’t so chewy rice cake, though.
“What’s this ‘thank you for the al’ all about?”
“Huh... With how sticky and soft it is, it’s not a rice cake? That can’t be true, right?”
"...Sotis, I really wonder what goes on in Da-eun's head."
No, not sotis, but quite often.
The reason why I end up making a lot of unnecessary comnts during conversations with Da-eun is probably because her thought process is sothing I can never quite follow with my own.
“That’s not that soft.”
“Huh? Ahaha! Are you checking right now? Really, every little action of yours is just too cute.”
"..."
...Once again, I fell into Da-eun's pace.
This always happens.
Letting out a deep sigh, I turned my head toward the window.
Thunk.
"And it’s not soft, you say? Look, my finger just sinks right in."
"Cheer."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Chiiirrrgg."
“Kana, you really need to speak clearly! I don’t mind, but others might think badly of you. No, wait. Kana is cute, so maybe they’ll just think it’s cute... Ow!”
While Da-eun rambled on, she suddenly scread.
“Ah, I won’t! I won’t tease you anymore, so let go…!”
With the sound of her tapping on the seat, I released the finger Da-eun had shoved into my mouth.
Da-eun, now free, dramatically blew on her finger.
“Like a chihuahua. Look at the bite marks on my finger... But hey, those tiny bite marks are so 'Kana-like.'”
“Grrr…”
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore.”
She said that, but I knew she’d forget and start teasing again in a few minutes.
Humph.
I glared at her and scoffed.
Clatter.
As I shifted in my seat, the cube I was holding bumped into the interior of the car, making a noise.
"Is it alright to hold it like that?"
Da-eun’s voice was tinged with fake concern.
"Isn’t this the thing that caused the strange events in Jeju? Won’t sothing happen if you keep holding it like that?"
"It’ll be fine... probably."
"That’s the sa line you’ve already used."
"Line?"
"...Never mind."
To be honest, holding it like this does feel uneasy.
Especially when I rember the eye I saw when I destroyed the cube, it makes want to throw it far away instead of holding it.
Swoosh.
I ran my finger over the long, black scratch on the smooth surface.
I had thrown it with the mindset that it wouldn’t matter if it shattered, but the scratch was only left on the surface, even though I hadn’t held back.
I wasn’t trying my absolute hardest, but still, the fact that I only left this small mark stung my pride.
...But, thinking about it as sothing tied to that monster, it wasn’t that surprising.
“Huh? Kana, why are you suddenly shaking? Are you cold? Should I turn on the heater?”
“Hmmm.”
"...You’re alright, right?"
“Mhm.”
"..."
Even though I felt uneasy holding the cube, the reason I continued to do so was because of that.
If I took my eyes off it, I wouldn’t feel at ease.
I thought it was better to have it happen in front of if anything were to happen.
‘...Hmm. But still...’
Considering Da-eun sitting next to , maybe it would have been better to put it in the trunk.
I briefly hesitated but quickly shook my head.
If it was the eye I saw that day, whether it was in the trunk or I held it, there wouldn’t be much difference.
If I was going to worry about that, I should have just told Da-eun to co with from the start.
Thinking about it now was pointless.
I should just hope nothing happens.
Thunk.
“...Hey?”
“...”
Thunk-thunk.
“Kana?”
“...Huh?”
I snapped back to reality as Da-eun’s finger poked my cheek.
“You didn’t answer when I called. What are you so deep in thought about?”
“Just... But why did you call ?”
“Why? I called you because you were sitting quietly after we arrived.”
“Oh.”
Only then did I realize that the car, which had been driving down the road, had stopped.
When I looked up, I recognized a building outside the car window.
A pretty tall building.
It was the company that created the globally popular ga Cilia Online... or so it was known.
In reality, it was Demons, the company created by the earth’s administrators and Edel to prevent the dinsional beings from entering.
“We’ve been waiting.”
As soon as we got out of the car, a man greeted us as if he had been expecting us.
“Huh? Us?”
“Yes.”
“...Why?”
“...?”
Da-eun was confused.
And when she asked, the man looked equally perplexed.
Without saying anything, the two of them silently stared at each other, and without either of them saying anything first, they both turned their gaze toward .
What a ridiculous exchange.
“Lead the way.”
“...Yes.”
“Wait! Didn’t my sister say not to follow strangers like that?”
“Does that an it’s fine if they’re not strangers?”
Although I had only t him once, he wasn’t exactly a stranger.
“And he’s not even a person.”
“...Huh? What do you an ‘not a person?’”
“Anyway, Da-eun, hurry up and follow .”
“No, wait a second! What do you an by that...?! ...Kana? Don’t you hear ? Over here~?”
I walked ahead, following the angel in front of .
After all, Da-eun would follow , so there was no need to stand in the middle of the parking lot and have a leisurely chat.
“Coming with !”
As expected, Da-eun rushed to catch up with us after a little while.
She hadn’t even run much, yet she was out of breath, and whether it was exaggeration or genuine, she grumbled as she caught her breath.
“Seriously, you’re terrible. I was just asking because I was really curious...”
The cold Kana.
I responded listlessly to Da-eun, who was pouting and mumbling with her lips sticking out.
“Talking to Da-eun is endless.”
It was definitely a conversation that seed like nothing special, but before I knew it, I’d been swept up in Da-eun’s whirlwind and ended up sinking deep into it.
Wanting to get rid of the cube as soon as possible, I didn’t have ti to waste talking nonsense with Da-eun, as usual.
I said that, but...
Heh.
“...?”
For so reason, Da-eun didn’t show any signs of being upset or sulking but instead lifted the corners of her mouth in a sly smile.
“That ans you enjoy talking with , right?”
“...How does that make sense?”
“Huh? You said it was so fun that you couldn’t stop talking, right? Like the saying, ‘you don’t know when to stop having fun.’”
“Not at all.”
I shook my head.
She really has a talent for interpreting things her way.
Not getting distracted by Da-eun, I quickly moved forward.
As a result, we t Edel, who was waiting for us in the office.
Edel waved her hand lightly.
“Welco. It’s been a while.”
The angel, who had bowed her head at Edel, was leaving the office as we entered.
“It’s not that long, right?”
"...I was just saying that for the sake of it. You really took it seriously? Don’t you have any friends?”
“...”
“Pfft! ...Cough, cough. I didn’t say anything~?”
She was definitely trying to hide it.
Da-eun’s mouth twitched as she laughed uncontrollably.
“...Ack!”
After belatedly covering her mouth, Da-eun kicked lightly in the shin, still chuckling.
“Alright, here you go.”
I tossed the cube I had been holding to Edel.
Though it was a sudden move, Edel easily caught the cube I tossed.
“Is this the one? The one that separated the realms.”
“I’m not sure, but...”
With the light fading from the cube and the rain stopping, and the boundary disappearing, I guess it must be it.
I had called and sent pictures, but Edel examined the cube with interest, as if it were sothing new to her.
Well, it was her first ti seeing it in person, after all.
Just like when I first saw the cube, Edel was carefully inspecting it. I asked her,
“Do you see anything?”
“Hmm, well, it’s hard to tell just by looking at it like this.”
“Eh...”
“What’s with that face like ‘how do you not know sothing this simple?’”
I froze for a mont.
How did she know?
She didn’t even know what it was, but she read my expression so easily.
“You’re just too easy to read. Anyway, if I find out what this is, I’ll let you know right away.”
Clink.
Edel placed the cube on the desk as if she was done with it.
When I last ca here, the desk was piled high with docunts, but today, it looked neat.
Edel sank into her incredibly plush chair behind the desk.
“You said you had sothing to talk about?”
“Yeah.”
I had only sent the cube, but there was a reason I bothered to co all the way to Demons.
Though I was worried about sothing happening during transportation, there was another reason.
“That day, when I broke this, I saw sothing.”
“...Sothing?”
“...Yeah.”
The mont I thought about the eye, my body trembled again.
I knew there was no need to be afraid now.
But my body instinctively responded, staying true to the natural survival instincts within .
Whoosh.
“…!”
“It’s okay.”
Then, a warm sensation enveloped from behind.
For a mont, I felt at ease with the familiar warmth and scent, but I ended up muttering bluntly.
“Da-eun, you don’t know anything. You were scolding for getting wet.”
“Ahaha. You’re upset because I didn’t understand, right? Sorry~”
Da-eun, letting out a quiet laugh, patted my head.
“You’re right. I don’t know anything, like Kana said. But, can’t I hug the cute Kana and make sure she’s not worried?”
“...Humph.”
...What an idiot.
I thought that, but I also felt the trembling gradually subside.
“Can’t bear to watch it.”
Edel scowled and spoke in a disapproving tone.
“Go make out at your place, and let’s get to the point, shall we?”
“Are you jealous? Sorry, but Kana’s my little sister, so I’m not sharing.”
“You want too much. A brat like you wouldn’t ask for it anyway.”
“...I don’t want it either.”
Being with Edel...
Just the thought of it made shudder.
I shook my head to shake off the unpleasant thought.
Then, thinking about that day, I slowly opened my mouth.
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