Keep the Promise... Even in Dreams

—Rustle.

"Mmm...?"

Leah woke up in the middle of the night with the moon hanging high. She had a strange feeling that she'd dreamed something odd.

A dream of a red-haired woman who looked just like her, murmuring to herself while gazing at the night sky. Though only a hazy silhouette was visible from behind, the woman had seemed utterly lonely for some reason.

"What a weird dream, you know."

The girl felt a faint sting in her chest. The woman in the dream had spoken of hating someone, but it hadn't seemed that way to Leah at all. On the contrary, she looked like she desperately wanted to see that person.

"So why lie and say she hates them, you know?"

This body wouldn't say something like that. If it were this body, it would always express things straightforwardly and truthfully!

"That woman in the dream is such a fool, you know."

—Squeeze.

Leah scooted closer to Si-hyun, who was sleeping soundly beside her, and snuggled into his arms.

"Mmm... Leah... don't eat too much pudding..."

He mumbled sleep-talk in a small voice. Maybe Si-hyun was dreaming too. And maybe this body appeared in his dream.

"Hehe, Si-hyun really likes this body after all, you know."

It had been quite a while since they'd started living together. Just a few months, but for a girl who remembered neither her name nor her past—nothing at all—those months were her entire life.

And that entire life had been spent with Si-hyun. Always. Every single day.

"Si-hyun, who stays by this body's side... this body likes that too, you know."

Leah took his hand, neatly placed on the blanket, and pressed it to her cheek.

Si-hyun's hand, slightly calloused. The girl liked this rough hand. It wasn't like smooth silk, but that's precisely why she trusted it more. She could think of it as the reliable hand of a man who would lead her to the right path.

"Hehe, Si-hyun's hand touching this body... it makes my face feel a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠little hot, you know..."

Suddenly, the urge arose to place his hand not just on her face, but somewhere else.

But.

—Slide.

"Someday, I want Si-hyun to... do it himself, you know..."

Leah set his hand back down, suppressing the slight impulse rising within her chest.

"It's all because Si-hyun touches this body so freely and comes close. Because he keeps 'educating' this body with all those weird lessons... this body's gotten strange too, you know..."

While being with him, the girl had learned many things. Basic common sense of the human world, greetings, and more.

"I learned 'hello... thank you... goodbye... see ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you again,' you know."

She'd learned to say thank you when someone helped her, and sorry if she made a mistake.

"At first, I thought learning this stuff was useless... but now it's not."

When the girl first opened her eyes in the human world, everything had been unfamiliar. So it was scary. For some reason, none of her immense power could be felt, and not a single memory lingered in her mind.

She was just afraid. So she shouted even louder on purpose. That she was a mengmang-grade ghost story.

"I wanted... the humans to acknowledge this body, you know..."

That feeling still lingered in the girl's heart. But she no longer felt the desperate urge to force humans to accept her like before.

Because.

"Si-hyun... acknowledges this body just as it is, whether it's a ghost story or not, a knight or not, you know."

Si-hyun always acknowledged her. He was always the first to affirm her.

—Squeeze.

Leah drew even closer into the sleeping Si-hyun's embrace.

"So warm, you know... hehe."

His arms were always like that—warm and cozy. The girl cautiously pressed her ear to his chest and focused on the sound.

—Thump, thump.

His heart beating slowly, quietly, and rhythmically—it seemed to say,

'Leah, good job today.'

Drawn by the sound, the girl's eyelids grew heavy. Today had been a tough day. She'd seen a weird subway station and walked until her legs hurt after getting lost. But even so, running errands had been fun, and meeting the big, cute cat ball made it memorable.

"The cat ball said it'd see this body home and then go back... I wonder if it got home safe, you know...... Yawwwn~~"

Leah let out a big yawn, snuggled into Si-hyun's arms, and closed her eyes. His breath gently tickling her forehead was both itchy and comforting.

"Si-hyun... let's meet again in our dreams, you know..."

Mumbling in a faintly hoarse voice, the girl quietly drifted into deep sleep. Hoping this time for a peaceful, fun dream with Si-hyun and the cat ball—not a strange one.

The next morning.

—Slurp.

I'd finished getting ready for work and was sipping coffee in the living room while watching the news.

"Nothing major catching my eye. There's a bit about Leah, though."

The usual weather and ghost story updates. I'd worried the media might report strangely on Leah, but it was nothing like that.

"Well, who'd think Leah's a ghost story anyway? She's way too cute."

I could breathe a sigh of relief for now, but something still nagged at me.

—Click clack.

Three word puzzle pieces neatly arranged on the table.

"Now I'm getting requests from cats, of all things. Haha."

The white cat that suddenly appeared, escorted Leah home, then vanished—leaving this request. Maybe it was connected to Leah's lost past, someone she'd known.

"...I don't know who you are, but don't worry. I'll protect Leah."

I stood from the sofa and approached Leah, who was sleeping soundly with soft breaths. Her red hair slightly tousled like gentle waves.

"You gotta cover up properly with the blanket, Leah."

As I carefully tried to tuck in the disheveled blanket—

—Rustle.

"Yawwwn... Si-hyun...?"

Her eyelids fluttered faintly, revealing her beautifully glowing purple eyes.

"Leah, sleep well?"

"Mmm. Are you trying to go to work already, Si-hyun...?"

"Yeah, gotta head out. Gotta buy pudding for my knight."

At that, Leah stretched her arms out from under the blanket and said in a slightly hoarse voice,

"Si-hyun... hug this body tight before you go, you know."

"Haha, is my knight still half-asleep? You're even cuter than usual."

I leaned down like I was hugging a small animal and embraced Leah. Her sweet body scent, hidden under the blanket, began filling the room like a dream.

'Luna's like this too... both girls have all the elements to enchant a man.'

Starting with their stunning looks, cute behaviors, speech, and sweet fragrance. Maybe they weren't ghost stories at all, but succubi or something similar?

'If Luna and Leah showed up in little devil outfits right now... I'd nosebleed and die from blood loss on the spot.'

I muttered inwardly and instinctively pressed my lips to Leah's cheek.

—Mwah.

"Hot...?! S-Si-hyun...?"

"Sorry, couldn't hold back? Haha."

"Hnnn... Lately, Si-hyun's been coming at this body so boldly, you know..."

"Haha, 'cause Leah's too pretty."

Caught off guard by the sudden skinship, Leah sat up a bit, her face flushed with shyness.

"I always think it, but Leah, you're really pretty."

"Hehe... really, you know...?"

"Haha, for real."

Shy from the sudden praise, the girl pulled up the blanket to hide her reddened face and stared at me intently.

"Si-hyun, this body suddenly has a question for you, you know."

"Yeah, what?"

"Si-hyun... you won't ever lie to this body, right...?"

The girl abruptly asked if I'd never lie to her.

"I had a weird dream today, you know. Some woman in it kept lying, you know."

"Lying?"

"Yeah. Her voice sounded like she longed for and wanted someone, but her words kept saying she hated them. She could've just been honest... This body found that woman so frustrating, you know..."

Leah's purple eyes dimmed slightly with sadness.

"So... don't ever lie to this body, Si-hyun."

She mumbled softly and hid her face back under the blanket. I gently lifted it and kissed her cheek again.

—Mwah.

"I promise, my knight. I won't ever lie to you."

"Hehe... Yeah...! This body believes in Si-hyun!"

The faint unease vanished as Leah beamed and pulled me into a hug.

'What would I even have to lie to Leah about from now on? Haha.'

"Leah, alright, I'm heading to work then."

I laid her back down gently and bid farewell.

"Mmm, don't go to dangerous places, don't stick to girls, and come back quick, you know!"

"Got it. In return, Leah'll wait obediently, right?"

"Hehe, yeah...!"

Leah lay in bed staring at me, then blushed and dove back under the blanket. I tucked it in neatly and murmured softly one last time.

"I'm off, Leah."

As I headed out the door and glanced back—

—Wiggle wiggle.

From under the blanket, the tips of Leah's fingers poked out, quietly waving goodbye.

'Haha, gotta get off work early today for real.'

"Hmm, I could've sworn I promised Leah not to go to dangerous places + no sticking to girls..."

Less than five minutes after arriving at the guild—

"I-I'm only going with you because I have no choice, so don't misunderstand...!"

"What misunderstanding?"

"Th-that I'm going because I w-want to be with you or something—"

"One more tantrum and I'll seriously ditch you."

In my arms was a petite blonde girl clutching a sword.