Slime boss (P.1) – Chapter 9

After a long session of spending our time together in the bath, we finally decided to head out. Our faces were a vibrant shade of red caused by the steamy atmosphere reminiscent of a sauna.

If none of us hadn't let go of our hands, I knew that we would have spent much longer inside the bath. Indeed, staying any longer risked the possibility of passing out from the heat.

Once we got out and took a breath of fresh air, we looked at one another with our faces completely flushed before averting our eyes. It was rather awkward for me, as I wasn't sure what to say. And I could feel the same coming from the pink-haired girl who was by my side as well.

"Um, I'll prepare something to eat," she offered, breaking the silence.

"O-okay…" 

I responded, watching her cute figure retreat towards the kitchen. With a sigh, I made my way upstairs to my room, specifically to the balcony. This space was decorated with seats and a table which offered a panoramic view of the vast empty view around us.

As I sat down on a couch on the balcony, I stared at the nothingness in front of me while waiting for Aoi to prepare food.

Honestly, having a balcony on this land in this mansion was pretty useless because there is nothing on the horizon.

The sky was completely gray. There were no stars, no moons, or anything else. Even the land didn't have any plants or trees other than dark gray grass.

It was as though we were trapped within a limited, gloomy field, a setting that seemed inescapably bleak.

And despite that, I still felt like I wanted to come in here so that I would remind myself that there was no way of getting out of here.

"..."

After a couple of what I would assume were minutes, I heard a rustling noise coming from inside the room. When I looked through the glassy door, I saw Aoi holding a tray in her hands. 

I knew that she wouldn't be able to open the door, so I got up and opened the door.

"T-thanks…."

Once she entered, she placed the tray, which was filled with several sandwiches, on the table and sat down next to me.

"I'm surprised you found me here."

"Since you weren't in the living room, I figured you might be in your room."

Not only did she make me some food, but she also prepared and brought it so I could eat it comfortably in my own room. It's almost like...

"...it almost feels like we're newlyweds."

"You don't need to say it out loud…." As she realized what she just heard, her face became red in embarrassment before she averted her eyes.

She truly seemed like a different person when she first arrived in this place with me. She got to meet an awful person like me who did that inexcusable stuff, and now she is making food for me.

After getting to enjoy one of the sandwiches she had prepared, I looked back towards the blank view in front of us.

For some reason, right now, as we were enjoying the fresh and delicious sandwiches prepared by her, I felt something different about the view. Something that made my heart pound each time I took a bite before glancing at the girl on my side.

Even though in front of us was nothing else but a plain field and a gray sky... Somehow, it felt like I was watching a starry, dark sky with a moon shining over the balcony and a beautiful garden filled with many flowers.

And when I looked at Aoi, I found her seated beside me on the balcony, basking in the faint lunar glow that highlighted her features. The soft light accentuated the deep blue of her eyes, the vibrant hue of her rose-colored hair fluttering slightly in the breeze, and the delicate blush that spread across her cheeks. 

It almost felt like a sudden, sparkling view that came from a fantasy novel illustration.

When she noticed that I was staring at her, she looked back at me with rose-colored cheeks.

"....."

"....is….is something wrong?"

"Ah," I gasped in realization that I had been staring at her for too long. "No, it's nothing. It's just that it feels so different when you are with me. Even food tastes more delicious for some reason."

As her cheeks reddened for a bit, she took another bite of the sandwich in embarrassment. 

"I'm glad..." she said under her breath.

"It's truly a strange feeling." I said with a smile as I continued gazing at the illusion view in front of me.

"W-well, I heard that eating food with the o-ones you love…. T-tastes better.." She responded, her eyes looking to the side with reddened cheeks.

Eh? With the ones you love... Does that mean….

No, no, no. Why would she feel that way about me after all of the awful things that I did to her? That doesn't make any sense to me.

Even right now, the thought that she despises me would still cross my mind.

"...."

My eyes were wide in confusion as I gazed at her embarrassed side as she was trying to eat in silence.

"Hey…. How do you feel about me?"

"E-eh? What are you asking all of a sudden?"

I truly wanted to know what she felt about me. That's why I couldn't help but ask. And the way she responded back, she would seem to be uneasy, as her rose-colored cheeks were visible on her.

"I... just wanted to know," I expressed, my eyes looking at the plain field, "Because ever since you arrived here, you've only suffered because of me."

"....." She looked at my side for a moment.

"I've been in here for who knows how long. I have nothing special other than my skills, and my personality is awful." I expressed my thoughts to her, "And when I should've comforted you when you first arrived here, I did those awful things to you. Even though it was my doing. I still feel guilty about my actions."

As I was trying to be mindful of not reminding her of what I had done, I couldn't resist bringing it up. At this point, it would've been much better if she just said she despises me. At least I would know how to feel and understand the consequences of my actions.

"....I" 

"....."

".....I've never been good at interacting with other people…"

After a moment of silence, as she was attempting to bring herself to talk, she finally spoke in a soft voice as she fiddled with her own fingers.

She hasn't said that much about her past until now, which is why I was rather surprised when she brought up a different subject.

"Even when I was in school, I would usually find myself hiding or avoiding people because of my unnatural hair color. The only people that would try to interact with me were either bullies or other girls that pitied me."

"..."

"That's why I would spend most of it on my own…."

"..."

"I know that this may seem silly," she wryly smiled, "but when I found out that you've been here alone for so long….. I couldn't help but feel—"

"Lonely…. I know..." I interrupted her words before she could finish as I let out a small sigh.

She then looked at me with a slight worried look on her face, as she expected me to continue.

"Honestly, at some point, I got used to living on my own in this place."

"...you had no other choice…."

"I accepted it."

As her eyes looked at me for a brief moment, I let out a smile before we continued staring at the blank view in front of us.

We remained in this place for quite some time before we decided to call it a day and head to sleep.