A Morning Bathed in Sunlight
Sunlight streamed into the morning.
Birdsong drifted in from outside.
"Mmh…."
At the same time, a cute little voice thick with sleep brushed softly against my ear.
Sunlight slipped through the window and warmed the corners of my eyes. Following that gentle pull of warmth, I slowly opened my eyelids.
"…Hff—…."
"…."
The first thing I noticed was how neat her eyelashes were.
Clear skin. Cheeks that looked soft enough to sink into. Small, delicate lips the color of pale pink. Her even, steady breath brushed against the bridge of my nose, leaving a ticklish sensation that made me want to squirm.
"…You're beautiful."
I murmured it in a dazed voice.
She really was beautiful. Cute and lovely all at once. Those fine lips making tiny sounds of breath, the silver-white hair spilling down across her cheek, the two fluffy ears twitching faintly above her head. Everything about her was beautiful. Everything about her was lovely.
Maybe I was just wearing rose-colored glasses. But even so, I didn't mind.
"…Ah."
"Hff—…."
And then my still-hazy mind caught up, a beat late, to the situation I was in.
Cecilia's head was resting on my outstretched arm. There was a solid weight to it, and a soft warmth. The classic arm-pillow arrangement. My other hand lay comfortably against her back. Something soft pressed against my chest, carrying warmth and a gentle give. We were close. Close enough that even the faintest breath touched the other's face.
"…."
"—Hff……."
Usually, "sleeping together" just means sharing a bed. But this felt like something else entirely. This wasn't side-by-side. This was a hug. We weren't just sleeping near each other — we were wrapped tight around one another.
I could feel Cecilia squirming faintly in my arms. Whatever she was dreaming about, her lips were working slightly, right there in front of my nose.
If she woke up like this, there would probably be another little commotion. Last week, in a similar situation, she'd shoved me square in the chest and sent me tumbling off the bed. That had actually hurt. The memory made me chuckle quietly under my breath.
Thinking about it, I probably should have let go of the hug right then and there. But….
"…Mmh."
…Just a little longer.
I let myself be a little greedy. Pretending to shift in my sleep, I drew her small body deeper into my arms. I pulled her head against my chest and gently stroked her hair.
"Wuh…?"
A questioning little mumble rose up. Right after, Cecilia stirred inside the circle of my arms. Well — of course she was going to wake up. The brief happiness was over.
"Eunhyuk…?"
From against my chest, Cecilia looked up at me. Those clear sky-blue eyes shimmered with drowsiness and something almost mysterious.
"…Good morning, Cecilia."
"Mm…."
Her reaction was quite different from the last time we'd fallen asleep holding each other. Back then, she'd jolted awake in a full-blown panic the moment she opened her eyes—
"…Ears…."
"Hm?"
Then, suddenly, Cecilia spoke. She looked up into my eyes with something like a quiet plea.
"……Pet them, Eunhyuk…."
"…."
And then she gently took the hand that had been resting at the back of her head and guided it up onto her left ear. A soft, fluffy sensation met my fingers.
"Mm…?"
A coaxing little voice followed. I felt my reason start to melt as I slowly moved my hand.
"Mm…♥"
A low purring sound rose from her throat. Looking thoroughly content, Cecilia grinned and nuzzled her cheek against my chest.
"Ehe…."
There was an earnestness mixed into the cuteness. She wanted human warmth, and all I could do was hold her quietly. I wrapped my arms around her back and stroked her ears. The way she occasionally twitched and jumped at the touch was almost painfully adorable.
"It's okay to be happy, Cecilia."
"…."
I said it softly. With everything I meant. At that, Cecilia stopped nuzzling and buried her face deep against my chest.
"…Thank you."
Her voice was thick, on the edge of tears. At the same time, it carried a whole world of feeling.
"Thank you, Eunhyuk…."
A morning bathed in sunlight. We stayed like that for a while, holding each other close.
"Mmh~!"
"Did you eat well?"
"Yeah! It was delicious again today."
Cecilia answered brightly, smiling with a soft little beam. Breakfast that morning was bread and bacon, eggs and hash browns. Ordinary fare, but it tasted good.
"It's not like I even cooked it myself…."
"But you prepared it for me, Eunhyuk. It was good. Mm."
I'd said it without much confidence, and that was the answer I got back. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head.
"…It's still a little early."
"We woke up early, that's why. Up we go. I'll do the dishes first."
Two plates and two sets of utensils. Cecilia stood from her seat with the modest pile of dishes in her hands.
"Thanks, as always."
"It's nothing."
The reply was simple, but a quiet pride glowed on her face. Her tail swayed in a leisurely little swish that was almost too cute.
The sound of running water started up, followed by the soft scrubbing of dishes. In the meantime, I picked up a dishcloth and wiped down the table once.
"Hmm…."
There wasn't really anything spilled, so a light pass would have been enough — but I deliberately put some force into it and wiped carefully anyway. Working the cloth into every corner of the table, I opened my mouth.
"…Did you cry enough?"
"Uh, um. Well, that is…."
"Haha…." An awkward little laugh floated over. The scrubbing sounds slowed a bit.
"…I guess I was pretty drunk."
"I know that much."
"R-right? So. Umm."
A thoughtful voice followed. She seemed to be figuring out what to say. The rush of sink water kept going.
"…I'm not sure."
"Whether you cried enough or not?"
"Ugh. Why do you keep bringing up the crying. It's embarrassing…."
Clack — the sound of a plate being set down. Meanwhile, I dragged the cloth slowly along the edge of the table.
"Honestly, I don't even know how long it's been since I cried like that. Being held by someone, being petted…."
"Come to think of it, I never asked. …You didn't mind, did you? I just grabbed you and held you without even asking…."
"Mmh, I didn't mind. …I actually liked i— uh…. Thank you."
"…."
"…."
A rush of heat flooded my cheeks. I was grateful, just then, that we weren't looking at each other's faces. The sink water kept running.
"So, well, it's been so long since I cried like that. I'm not even sure if I got it all out. …I don't really understand my own feelings yet, either."
"Still, you look a little freer now."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Cecilia turned toward me with a quick glance and tilted her head. Looking back at her the same way, I nodded.
The Cecilia in front of me now was — how to put it — honest. There was no sense of her shrinking back from saying something, no half-step of retreat. She felt open. At least to me, it looked like a very good change.
"Is that… so. Mm. Maybe."
Nodding a couple of times, Cecilia turned her head back toward the sink. The scrubbing sounds resumed.
"…The goal of my life was 'peace.' For more than ten years, that was the only thing I dreamed of and ran toward. And I found it here."
"Peace, huh…."
"Everyone's good people. The kids at school, the teachers too. Maybe they thought the barrage of questions on the first day was too much, because yesterday everyone dialed it back on their own. No over-the-top questions — just ordinary… like friends."
I nodded as I listened, polishing the table with even more care.
"Everyone was kind. Even when the wind blew my hood off sometimes, I never got those horrible stares. There was curiosity, but no contempt."
"People are going to be more curious than anything about other races. …And there's no reason to look down on them, either."
"The peace I'd been searching for was right here."
What followed was less a conversation than a monologue. Clack — another plate set down.
"…But once I actually got that peace, I got scared. More precisely, I'm still scared."
A faintly trembling voice came next. I waited quietly, and she went on.
"I was persecuted for more than ten years. The other world — …my homeland — isn't the wonderful place someone like Eunhwan asked about with sparkling eyes."
"…."
Persecuted.
Just one word. But a word that held so many things inside it. That was the source of the curse that had wounded Cecilia's heart.
"Compared to that, this place is wonderful."
Cecilia continued, her voice very warm.
"The sun sparkles and the birds sing. The river flows and the wind dances. The food is delicious and the bed is soft. …And Eunhyuk is warm."
"So I'm basically being treated like a pillow?"
"Mmh, let's just say yes for now."
A small, giggling laugh followed. Clear and pleasant to hear. Then the water cut off with a soft stop.
"I want to look at this world a little more as it really is. …It'll take a very long time, and it'll be hard, and difficult — but I want to try."
"I'll help you."
"Hehe."
I finished wiping the table and turned around, meeting Cecilia's eyes. A quiet smile played on her lips, and those sky-blue eyes shone beautifully. Looking at her like that, something suddenly made me curious.
I'd been pretty drunk myself, so my memory wasn't perfectly clear — but if I remembered right, right before we fell asleep—
"Hey, Cecilia?"
"Hm?"
"…Do you remember what you said last night, right before you fell asleep?"
At my question, Cecilia tilted her head for a moment. She thought about it, then opened her mouth.
"…What did I say?"
"Mm, never mind. It's fine."
If she didn't remember, that was fine in its own way. Someday I would prepare properly and confess for real.
…Though thinking about it like that made me a little nervous, too.
Well, anyway.
"So, Eunhyuk?"
Cecilia spoke up. A soft but warm smile on her face.
"That thing… the one we said we'd do yesterday…."
"Writing down wishes?"
"Ah, yeah! That."
"Of course. I'll go get some paper."
Morning had come. An ordinary morning, and yet a little different from usual. First things first — we would start by writing down our wishes, one by one.