A Pinky Promise
A Pinky Promise
Kylon hugged me warmly.
He didn't sexually harass me or grope my body like before.
Just him telling me to relax made my body feel like it was melting.
I even wondered if this was the peace I had longed for, even if just a little.
I didn't have to worry about others' gazes, and I could lean my heart, which felt too weak, on something for a moment, finding stability in that.
Ah, so a person doesn't have to be so anxious.
They don't always have to feel uneasy as if being chased.
They don't have to tremble, wondering when they might be abandoned.
With this newfound sense of stability, I involuntarily felt my lungs trembling from deep within.
I was sure my voice would betray my trembling if I spoke now, yet I cautiously addressed him.
"...Tha-thank you."
For understanding my situation.
For knowing why I wanted to go home, and for not just spouting selfish words.
What would have become of me if Kylon hadn't been from the same place as me?
Would I have been unable to even say where I wanted to go, festering with resentment inside?
So, I felt it was fortunate that Kylon was Kylon.
And so, I was grateful.
For his existence, his voice, his heart.
Perhaps it was the first time I had ever spoken so honestly from my heart.
Kylon heard my words, then stopped stroking my head and groaned.
"No. I'm the only one you can lean on, aren't I? There's no one else who understands you besides me."
"Yeah, that's right..."
I knew well that Kylon was the only one in this world who would understand me.
Just as they wouldn't understand the word 'computer' if I brought it up in this world, there was an enormous gap between this world and my own.
I know, but they don't. I don't know, but they do.
Even while feeling a sense of disparity because of that difference, Kylon was the one who could bridge that gap.
So, I fully agreed with his words, my lips trembling slightly.
"I'll listen well."
I said that, thinking it was the only way to stay by Kylon's side and not disappoint him in the future. Hearing my words, Kylon's lips curved upwards as if he had been waiting for that answer.
Then, he moved his left hand and began manipulating something.
'Inventory'.
Unlike the stats he gained as a Hero, it was one of the abilities he could obtain simply by being the game's protagonist.
The storage ability, as if using subspace, was a convenient power that allowed one not to carry heavy bags.
Though it wasn't visible right now, I truly envied that ability.
Pulling a knife from thin air, he extended it to me.
"Alright. Then, I'll trust your word this time, so I'll give this back. They say it's a Sacred Dagger."
This was the Dagger he had taken from me before, no, just two days ago.
It was a Self-defense Dagger hidden on my thigh, but I hadn't expected Kylon to return it like this, so I stared blankly at the Dagger in his hand, then glanced up at his face.
Looking up at him while still in his embrace, he suddenly flushed deeply and mumbled.
"Sorry, but could you not look up at me like that?"
"......?"
I didn't know what the problem was, but I wondered if he was upset. I lowered my head again and looked at the Dagger.
Then, I slowly reached out and firmly grasped it.
As I picked it up and hugged it tightly to my chest, he explained why he had given it back.
"Tomorrow, we'll be setting off, so from now on, monsters will appear on our way. Even if you don't die, it'll hurt if you get injured, so shouldn't you at least hurt less?"
"Uh, yeah..."
"Take this too. Even if it's heavy to carry around, you'll eventually need to get used to it if you want to swing it."
Perhaps because I was now listening well, Kylon was returning the weapons he had taken from me.
He even gave me the Morning Star and offered a wry smile.
"Well... as for the knife, you have a Dagger, so I don't need to give it to you, right?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
Having too many bladed weapons was useless, so I nodded at his words.
Receiving various weapons while still in his embrace, I felt bewildered but couldn't hide my joy at the thought that I had regained the trust I had lost.
As I lifted the corners of my mouth and moved my lips around, Kylon's hand slowly slid down.
My body naturally separated from Kylon's, and we were once again sitting side by side in a straight line.
Kylon looked at me for a moment, then opened his mouth.
"...I'll trust you."
I knew that those words carried a lot of emotion.
Perhaps there was a mix of doubt, wondering if I would truly keep my word. But even so, there would also be a desire to trust me again, thinking, 'You'll do well. You'll keep it this time.'
Feeling uneasy as if entrusting a fish to a cat, yet hearing that I would listen, I couldn't presume to guess his heart, which seemed to be giving me one last chance to trust me. I could only respond with gratitude.
"Okay."
When I gave such a clear answer, Kylon, perhaps finding those words alone insufficient, extended a finger.
His fist was clenched, with only his pinky finger extended.
"...What's this?"
"You don't know this either? A promise."
"No, this is..."
I knew it was a gesture for making a promise.
A pinky promise.
But wasn't this something I only used briefly when I was a child?
Besides, I heard kids these days don't even use it.
"You're really showing your age... How old are you?"
As I grumbled, looking at Kylon's finger with a displeased expression, Kylon, upon hearing the question about age, narrowed his Glabellum and snapped at me.
"Do you want to die? If you don't want to get fucked, hurry up and link fingers."
Come to think of it, wasn't it said that you shouldn't carelessly ask a woman her age?
No, was it weight? Or was it that you shouldn't even mention weight carelessly?
I wasn't sure, but anyway, thinking I should just go along with Kylon's rhythm, I quickly extended my finger.
"Ah, ahh. Alright."
Our two pinky fingers crossed, hooked together so they wouldn't separate, shook twice up and down, and then parted.
"There, it's done now."
"......."
At the gesture that brought back vivid old memories, I had no idea how to react and groaned.
Kylon scratched his head, then, with an annoyed expression, opened his mouth and continued the conversation.
"Ah, right, right. How old are *you* then?"
"...Tw-twenty? Twenty-one?"
"You, you don't even know your own age...?"
Even hearing that, I felt unfairly treated.
Because there was no calendar in my room, and I had never celebrated a birthday.
Of course, I could look at a calendar on the computer, but I didn't even know exactly what year I was born.
Seeing Kylon's pathetic gaze, I couldn't find anything to say and slumped my shoulders.
But Kylon, seemingly having no more intention to scold me, spoke calmly.
"I'm twenty-two. Call me unnie from now on."
"Hey..."
"It's true, though. Ah, or do you prefer oppa?"
Thinking, 'This bastard, isn't he lying about his age?', I glared at him with narrowed eyes, but he spoke slyly and then corrected the honorific for me.
Whether unnie or oppa, neither was an honorific I used, and they were both incredibly awkward.
I wanted to retort, 'Those are just honorifics women use,' but I simply held back and suppressed it.
Because if I nitpicked every little thing like this, I would completely lose control of the situation.
"Well, anyway, it doesn't matter since you can just call me Kylon..."
Kylon changed the subject as if nothing had happened, making my worries seem pointless, and his words contained the plan for the next day.
"I gave you the Morning Star and the Dagger, so no more blaming me, alright? And unless you lost your abilities, which you didn't, your Trauma will still be there, so stick close to me."
"Okay."
"Well, even if you don't die, it'll be unpleasant if you get hurt, so I'll protect you as much as I can. But if I miss something occasionally, you'll have to cover it well with your weapon."
"Okay, okay."
As I nodded and replied to Kylon's words, Kylon slightly lifted the Morning Star he had given me and lightly swayed it up and down.
"It looks heavy. Will you be alright?"
He had chosen that one because it was the lightest Morning Star there, but Kylon seemed to be comparing it to my physical strength, not to other Morning Stars.
If he asked if I was alright, well...
I probably wouldn't be able to swing it properly.
How to put it. When using the weapon, it felt like the user wouldn't be swinging the weapon, but rather being swung *by* it.
To truly use it properly, effort would be needed.
And I'd need to build a little muscle.
So, I smiled cautiously.
"I'll try my best."
At that, Kylon also gave a wry smile at my words and got up from the bed.
"Alright, then I'll be going now."
"Okay, good night."
"Though I probably won't get much sleep tonight."
Then, shrugging his shoulders as if worried about today, he left the room.
Kylon left, and with Flora not yet having returned, only two weapons remained beside me.
But even amidst that, I was savoring the warmth that lingered beside me.