episode_0075

“… Then the two stopped fighting. They realized that their mothers had the same name. So… … .”

Ray suddenly stopped talking and looked down at the faces of his twin sisters who were lying with their arms crossed.

“Ss …

“Kuu… .”

The children fell asleep with angelic faces. Ray carefully got up from his bed and covered them with a blanket.

“Ugh… Cha. Haam.”

Ray stretched and yawned loudly, then shoved both feet into the tiny fur slippers he could call them. He walked toward the kitchen, thinking of making a cup of tea before going to bed, and then suddenly wondered what time it was, so he went to the window and looked at the night sky.

As always, there were familiar constellations hanging in the night sky, and Ray could roughly figure out the time by judging the positions of the stars. Without a digital clock, he was completely accustomed to the civilization here, and for a while, he would occasionally stare blankly at the sight of a shooting star crossing the sky in the distance.

Could all this be a dream? On the day of his motorcycle accident, he had been lying unconscious on a hospital bed, and the little less than 20 years he had spent here were all illusions created by his brain that was on the verge of death. The same repertoire of thoughts, which had been going on for the past umpteenth time, were passing through his head. As if trying to confirm whether his body was really there, Ray groped both arms with his own hands, and then reached out and touched the surface of the glass window.

It was cold. Could this tingling sensation from the tip of his fingers also be an illusion? I’ve heard countless stories of people not feeling pain in their dreams, but what about hot or cold sensations? Ray thought hard for a moment, wondering if there had ever been a time when warm sunlight or cool ice cream appeared in his dreams.

It seems like it happened, but it doesn’t seem like it happened. Was he the type of person who had vivid dreams that were vivid enough to remain in his memory even after a long time had passed since he woke up?

“… … !”

There is. A dream so stimulating that I can still remember it clearly, and it was the most recent one. The softness of her glossy red hair, the firmness of her pure white, smooth skin, and the feel of her soft, squishy breasts that were too big to hold in both hands.

It reminded him of something he didn’t want to be aware of. He must have missed Mila.

He believed that he would become indifferent to human relationships once he entered the second stage of his life. There was no particular plan for becoming a lover, nor was there any attraction from within his heart. He just let things flow. She was always the one who made the effort to develop and maintain the relationship.

However, it was hard to say that Ray was forcing himself to date her, because Mila’s existence was not leaving his mind even in his dreams or at this very moment when he was far away from her. He thought that it was only natural, seeing her beauty that was almost too much to bear and her body that felt unrealistic.

He felt guilty whenever he remembered that Mila was only a girl in her early twenties, but he consoled himself that it wouldn’t matter because no one could deny that she was older than him, regardless of the content.

“I want to see you soon… … . When will you be back?”

Ray, who was mumbling like that, stopped looking out the window and walked across the room to the closet. He put on a light brown fur coat that he didn’t know when or who gave it to him over his light pajamas, sat on the small closet where his shoes were kept, and changed into boots whose origins were also unclear. It seemed like it was hard for him, who had grown to avoid loneliness due to his long life as a loner, to sleep alone so early in the morning.

dripping

After a short knock on the door, a woman with short hair with faint waves at the ends appeared.

“Re, Ray… … ?”

Kyle asked, his eyes wide.

“I can’t sleep. Can I come in?”

A delicious smell wafted from the room, like grilled fish. Ray was relieved, thinking that she hadn’t been thinking about it yet.

“I didn’t know you’d come by like this. Uh… That’s… … .”

His tone seemed a little flustered. Although it was a sudden visit, he seemed to be less welcome than expected.

“Isn’t she home alone? Is she her lover? Then I shouldn’t disturb her.”

At the sight of her hesitant face, Ray said that and was about to turn around, giving up.

“Oh, no! Where would I have a lover? Haha… Then just wait a minute!”

Then Kyle closes the door and disappears into the room. Soon after, a rustling sound can be heard outside the door.

“What? Who?”

“Get up and clean those things up!”

‘A woman’s voice?’

Not long after, the door opened again and Kyle showed up, leading Ray into the room. Ray felt a little nostalgic at the sight of the room, which had a strong old-fashioned office feel, with its dense bookshelves and the smell of ink and paper.

“… This is Kyle’s room. Something doesn’t seem right.”

“Is that so? I really like things neat and tidy…haha.”

Looking at her like that, it seemed like she was embarrassed, wondering what she had just said, so Ray decided to add the following.

“I thought it would be a little cuter.”

Ray said, recalling a room full of girlish emotions decorated in pastel tones. In fact, he had no idea that he, too, was being perceived by people in this world as spending time in a room like that.

“It feels cute… . I’ll try. Are the kids sleeping?”

“Yes.”

Kyle asked, “Then why aren’t you sleeping?” Ray added, as if they were giving each other the same look.

“I couldn’t sleep because I was bored! Or maybe it was because I was napping with the kids during the day. Kids sleep a lot, right?”

“Ahh… . I feel sorry for something.”

Kyle twirled the ends of his hair awkwardly with his fingers, thinking that he had been too focused on creating comfortable living conditions to consider the boredom he might feel.

“Mr. Kyle? Why?”

Ray tilts his head and asks.

“I think you might have been uncomfortable because there are so many women around you. Oh, should I look into making some friends of the same sex?”

Kyle regretted his words immediately after they came out. He had no way of connecting with men, let alone talking to the opposite sex, so how could he possibly find out?

“That’s okay. I’ve been to places like women’s clubs, but I don’t think it suits me.”

In terms of visuals alone, it had the atmosphere of a middle and high school sports club, but the sight of men huddled together near the fireplace, knitting, and chatting like old ladies was simply too much for Ray to bear. He had prepared himself for it, but his physiological aversion to it was unavoidable, and so Ray failed to make friends of the same sex in this city.

“Oh, ah… … .”

Kyle then remembered that he often received unpleasant postcards in his mailbox. They were written in a rough handwriting full of malice and curses. Judging from the fact that they mostly contained baseless slander about Ray’s chastity, Kyle assumed that the writers were jealous, spiteful men. Of course, Ray would never have noticed the existence of such postcards, since he disposed of them as soon as he found them.

“Don’t pay much attention to those dirty people who are blinded by time.”

“Huh? Not necessarily! People are nice… It’s just that I’m a country bumpkin and I don’t fit in well.”

Look at that beautiful heart that doesn’t blame others. Kyle realized that a beautiful face is infused with a beautiful mind, and that even he, who thought he could live an easy life, was born with his own set of hardships. You could say it’s the fate of a beautiful woman.

“Why, what is that? They say that when men gather and gossip loudly, even green trees turn yellow and wither. Maybe I can communicate better with women.”

Ray adds that maybe Kyle is having some strange misunderstanding. It would be nice if he could just make him understand that his interests are a little different from the average man in this world.

“Go to the fireplace quickly. Where did you hear that? Is it the captain who said that?”

Of course, girls often say such phrases among themselves, but it felt a little strange to hear it from a boy, so Kyle opened the door and asked. Did he accidentally discover Mila’s authoritarian side?

“Well? Where did you hear that… … .”

Ray walks towards the bedroom with the fireplace, mumbling something appropriately.

“This, this is a girl named Frida. This is Ray, whom I serve.… Say hello.”

Kyle reveals the identity of the passenger sitting in the middle of the room and also introduces them to each other.

“Ah~ You’re Kyle’s friend? Hello! ”

She had a slender build similar to Kyle’s, and sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at Ray’s face from time to time before quickly fixing her gaze on the tips of her feet.

“… … … … … .”

“… … ?”

“… … … Nice to meet you.”

Frida bowed her head and greeted him in a faint voice. Just a moment ago, she was lying on the floor, chewing on grilled fish and reading Kyle’s obscene writing. Looking at her, who was now cowering, Kyle felt like he was going to burst out laughing at any moment.

‘Ah, the mood will be better if there’s a man… Hey, don’t you know any men?’

‘When you’re right in front of me, I can’t say a word. Am I you? I’m good at talking, you know. If I just open my mouth a few times, I’ll just…’

Kyle chuckled as he repeated Frieda’s beautiful lines.