"Is this okay?"
"Ou. ...Ah, you'd better wear some shoes. If you are barefoot, you could get hurt just by stepping on a pebble."
"Alright."
he takes off his white over the knee socks and puts on his loafers.
"My shoes are soggy..."
"Be patient. Now let's go."
I started walking towards the forest to return to the hut.
◊◊◊
We made a brief self-introduction along the way.
His name was Nine korncid, apparently.
he was also in the second year of high school and the same age as me.
"This is my cabin."
I took Nine into the cabin and let him rest by the hearth.
The hearth was fueled by firewood, so it made a nice buzzing sound from time to time.
I then put on my spare clothes.
"Nusaibah, are you sure you don't know who I am?"
When I caught my breath, Nine asked me.
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this. But, I don't know who you are."
Apparently, Nine was a celebrity.
he said that he was an idol who appeared on TV.
I don't doubt it because of his appearance.
It's just that--
"I'm sorry, but I don't watch TV."
"I see...*hachoo*"
"You better be ready for tomorrow, it could get ugly."
I poured hot water from an iron kettle hanging on the hearth into a cup and handed it to him.
Nine wrapped his hands around it and took a sip.
"Nusaibah, is there a phone or something like that in this cabin?"
"I've got a phone, but there's no signal. Rest assured, though. grandma will be here tomorrow. Then you can go home."
"Well, then, I guess I'll be spending the rest of the day here with ..."
A hint of anxiety appeared on Nine's face.
"We're not just staying under one roof, we're also sharing a futon. Since there's only one."
"Ugh... I won't be able to survive if the media finds out about this..."
"No, if you're worried, you should be worried about being attacked."
"Haha, that's true. But I think you can't handle something like that."
"People aren't always what they seems to be."
"Is that so?"
"No, I'm just saying."
"What's that?"
Nine smiles cutely, but then he sneezes again.
"Better take some cold medication as soon as possible."
"Do you have it? Cold medicine."
"I'm pretty sure I have some on hand."
I rummage through the cabinets on the wall.
"This is my grandma's cabin, to be precise, but given her personality, she should have cold medicine."
With a thud, I took out a bottle of cold medication.