Relationship
Relationship
Peep-peep... peep-pip....
The quiet, wispy sound of breathing drifted softly through the study.
Through the window at his back, the first light of dawn crept in, slowly overtaking the long-held darkness.
Pip-piiip.......
On the desk, the fist-sized little creature who had been dozing atop someone else's notebook scrunched up her face. She pressed her tiny hands over her eyes and rolled over to face the other way.
I had been watching her back—this creature who had been zipping around the house not thirty minutes ago. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes.
-Ah.......
Late at night.
Claire had suddenly appeared.
Our noses nearly touched. Close enough to feel her small, warm breath. Our eyes locked, and she let out a soft murmur before her eyes flew wide open.
-Th-that, um, this, here.......
Her speech came out badly mangled. Then she shoved the box of her favorite cereal into my hands, spun on her heel, and fled.
Her mana rapidly receded into the distance.
For that brief moment, I had failed to detect her mana—a mana as clear and pure as Baek Ha-na's own. No, I hadn't even sensed her presence at all. That must have been Vuar's doing.
Peep.......
A ticklish little chirp sounded at my ear, and I opened my eyes. The little thing lying with the sunlight at her back shifted restlessly, as if something bothered her.
I had told her several times to go back to her nest.
"Tsk."
I picked up the entire notebook she was huddled on and rose from my seat, heading for the bedroom.
"You're worse than Baek Ha-na...."
When she was small, Baek Ha-na had been extremely energetic and full of curiosity, enough to be a handful on more than a few occasions. But this creature was at least as much trouble, if not more.
I held the notebook over the bed and tilted it slightly.
Sliiide.
The fist-sized thing slid down and settled onto the bed. After a little fidgeting, her tiny frame caught hold of the blanket and rolled herself up inside it. Only then did she go still.
"...Childcare round two is a hard no."
I left the bedroom door open a crack, just as I'd left the study window open. So that when she woke up later, instead of crying noisily, she could just go back to her own nest.
Once the nuisance was sorted, I headed for the kitchen. Claire was due to arrive anytime now. I made a simple sandwich and, as a bonus, tore open the bag from the cereal she'd left behind yesterday—so the fairy could eat—and set it on the table.
Then I gathered the materials I'd need for today's lecture from the study while waiting for her.
"......."
But six o'clock came and went, and when the hour hand crept past seven, Claire still hadn't shown.
She was the kind of person who drew a rigid line between work and personal life. And now she was late. Without a single word of contact.
Normally, this wasn't the season for external disturbances yet. But I couldn't know exactly how events had warped due to my intervention, so I pulled out my smartphone to check the news.
-Ding~!
The screen lit up on its own.
My brow instantly furrowed.
[ (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞ Meanie!!]
"I'm going to break this."
[ (；⌣̀_⌣́) I'm sorry.]
"......."
One of the very few beings who could get under my skin.
Of them all, I addressed the one with a particular knack for provoking my anger.
"What do you want?"
[ (⇀‸↼‶) Well, about that. Claire's a little sick, you see. So I'm contacting you on her behalf.]
"...Her condition."
[ (¬‿¬ )]
"I'm coming over. Wait for me."
[ (,,#ﾟДﾟ) I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it!!]
I sat back down.
I'd never actually planned to go. I was just annoyed by the little creature's antics and decided to apply a bit of pressure.
"So. Her condition."
[ (ง •̀_•́)ง She's not seriously hurt. She was just mentally and physically exhausted, so I forced her to sleep.]
......Mentally and physically exhausted.
My mind naturally drifted back to last night.
"She's not the sort to fall apart over something like that."
[You can't honestly believe that.]
The playfulness drained from the message.
[If you truly believe that, then I'll take Claire back. She isn't the only one who can clean up after you.]
It was a simple mail. A few plain sentences displayed on an ordinary device.
But I could feel a faint anger in those words on the screen.
The sudden shift didn't startle me.
I simply registered that this creature valued Claire enough for that.
[I still consider you a dangerous category. The only reason I've allowed that child to remain by your side is because you brought about a positive change in her. So.]
The light on the brightly glowing screen went dark.
I lifted my head and looked ahead. The desk, which should have been empty.
Right there, a child wreathed in a soft glow—Vuar—sat perched, staring at me.
The mischievous smile I had seen before was nowhere to be found.
A face hardened by a coldness no child should be capable of carrying.
In the creature's eyes, fixed on me, a golden glare like my own flickered ominously.
【Let's get our relationship straight, right here and now.】
Open hostility directed at me.
Yet contrasted by the clear, childlike voice.
Even I felt a sense of dissonance.
"Go ahead."
This creature and I. Our relationship.
Nothing more than two parties with things they want from each other cooperating for that purpose. A bond that could split apart at any moment for self-interest. Just that.
【What I want from you is Ha-na. And Claire. Answer that child's feelings honestly. Don't pretend you don't already know.】
"You helped with that yourself."
Back then, when we went to have Baek Ha-na's ability assessed, the creature had asked me a question as a condition for granting my request. It had asked whether I was interested in Claire.
【And you told me then. That you did feel interested. That you were looking at her in a favorable way.】
"I did."
If you asked me again now, I'd give the same answer.
Only, the meaning would be slightly different this time.
Back then, my answer meant I'd like to know the character Claire a little better.
Now, though...... it's probably closer to romantic interest. No, it is romantic.
The fact that I sometimes let my gaze linger on her was proof enough.
Sure... part of it is that she reminds me of a younger Baek Ha-na.
But the fact that I saw Ha-na in her at all already meant she was a presence as special to me as Baek Ha-na.
【That child already tried to express her feelings to you once. And you blocked her. Honestly, I did not like your behavior then at all. You refused the answer, but you left the door open. It felt like you were toying with my child. Frankly, it was unpleasant. Of course, a person like you has the standing to do such a thing. And I have the standing to protect and interfere with my child in turn.】
The creature glared at me with eyes still radiating that golden glare as it spoke.
【So give her a proper answer. Even rejection is fine. She'll grieve, but that, too, will help her mature. All I ask is that you don't postpone the answer and leave room like last time. If you can't agree to that, I'll take Claire back from you. There is no other option.】
Vuar spread both small hands.
【Choose. Keep Claire at your side and continue this relationship with me. Or end it right here.】
It wasn't a difficult choice.
Leaving room had indeed been my fault, but Vuar was mistaken about one thing. The creature didn't realize that the room I left wasn't for her—it was the room I'd left for myself.
I spoke calmly to the creature as it awaited my answer.
"...I'll give you a proper answer. But I need time."
【Why?】
The creature demanded a response with an intense gaze.
I answered with something that was true, but not the truth.
"My emotions are withered. I need time to identify exactly what it is I'm feeling."
【......You get angry at me just fine, don't you? And you dote on our cute Wolfie just as well.】
Vuar was staring at me with skeptical eyes.
Wolfie, though.......
Thinking that the nickname suited her pathetically well, I continued.
"Baek Ha-na is the exception. You're just a constant irritant, that's why."
【Hmm....... So, you're saying that besides anger, you don't feel any other emotions toward me?】
"If you didn't keep pulling pointless pranks, I wouldn't even feel that. You'd just be a minor nuisance."
【Hmph! With how many children still seek me out, you dare call me a nuisance?! Unacceptable. I'll have to test this myself. Here, close your eyes.】
With the expression of a thoroughly spiteful child, the creature demanded I close my eyes. But contrary to that sulky face, the ominous glare had vanished. In its golden eyes, I could see only the innocent mischief of a child eager to play a prank.
I issued a warning in advance.
"If you try anything stupid, I really will smash your statue this time."
【Whatever. Just close your eyes already.】
"......."
I gave those gleaming eyes—so at odds with the pouting lips—a hard look for a moment, then closed my eyes.
【Are they closed?】
"...They're closed."
【I don't trust you. Can I take off your glasses?】
"...Don't touch them."
Anxious to send this noisy creature on its way, I removed my glasses myself.
"Get it over with."
【This will only take a moment, so sit still and don't open your eyes.】
With that, the creature fell silent.
A brief silence, finally.
Within it, Vuar's presence was gradually sharpening.
The magnitude of power hadn't changed in the slightest.
What had changed was the density of the creature's presence.
What had been faint and unstable, as if about to vanish at any moment, grew steadily more distinct. It drew closer, little by—
Slide.
Something coiled around my neck and pulled me forward.
Something soft and plump pressed firmly against my cheek.
Before I could even push it away, the contact released my neck quickly and retreated.
A vivid sensation lingered on my cheek.
I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand and opened my eyes.
The desk was empty.
I was still trying to shake off the intensely unpleasant feeling as I put my glasses back on. Right at that moment.
-Ding~!
A nerve-grating sound jingled out from the smartphone still in my hand. I flipped the phone over.
There, on the oversized screen that had lit up without permission, I confirmed a new mail.
[ (*≧∀≦*) Kyaa ( photo ) ]
A photo of an innocent-looking woman with her arms wrapped around my neck, pressing her lips to my cheek.
-Ding~
Right after, a new mail flew in.
[ (¬◡¬)✧ Watch your step. Wouldn't want this getting sprayed all over the place... ]
Crunch―!!
Shards of crushed machinery pattered down onto the floor.
I slipped the wrecked smartphone into my pocket and packed my things.
Then I looked at the watch Baek Ha-na had gifted me, lying on the desk.
Am 07 : 17
An hour and forty-three minutes until the lecture started.
Plenty of time.
-Peep... peep-peep....
The little troublemaker who'd been flying around until dawn was, thankfully, still fast asleep.
I left the hallway light on so it wouldn't be dark, then threw on the coat I'd left hanging on the rack. Silently, I opened the front door and stepped outside, moving with purpose.
Not toward the annex to the north, but westward—toward the Street of Light.