"I brought my granddaughter here to show her our family history," Manda explained.
"Ah, so she can remember her roots?" Nagisa asked.
"Exactly! That's the whole point of this visit."
"But doesn't she look a bit tired?" Nagisa inquired, glancing at Dove.
"Oh, she's fine," Manda dismissed her concern. "Young people have boundless energy!"
Uncle Antony and I sat in silence, listening to their conversation. Dove, like me, remained quiet, her eyes darting nervously around the room, taking in the strange artifacts that adorned the walls.
Manda turned her attention to me. "Why don't you go outside and chat with Dove? She's a bit shy, but I'm sure you two will find something to talk about."
Both Dove and I were caught off guard by her suggestion. We exchanged a quick glance, unsure how to respond.
I looked at Dove, trying to gauge her reaction. She seemed hesitant, but not entirely opposed to the idea.
"Come on, you two. We need to discuss some private family matters. Go and enjoy the fresh air."
I looked at Dove again, offering a small nod. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded back.
With a mix of awkwardness and anticipation, we both stood up and made our way out of the house, leaving the two grandmothers and my uncle to their conversation
We strolled around the compound surrounding the house, the afternoon sun casting long shadows on the neatly trimmed grass.
"S-So, where are you from?" I asked, attempting to break the awkward silence.
"I just moved here recently," she replied, her voice soft and hesitant. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason," I said quickly. "Just making conversation."
There was another uncomfortable pause.
"...Are you Chinese?" she asked, her eyes studying my features.
"Half, my mother was Chinese." I replied
"I can see it," she said, nodding. "Your features are very... delicate."
"Are you Chinese too?" I asked, returning the question.
"No," she shook her head. "I'm Javanese, through and through. I just happen to have pale skin."
"What was your name again?" I asked, trying to fill the silence.
"Dove... Domura Dove."she replied.
I extended my hand. "Xian Ying."
"Oh, it sounds so Chinese," she remarked, taking my hand in hers.
Her skin was incredibly soft, like silk against my rougher palm.
"Huh... You have very soft hands for a guy," she observed, her eyes fixed on our intertwined fingers.
"I-Is that so...?" I stammered, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.
"They're making me feel insecure," she joked, a shy smile gracing her lips.
I had never really thought about the softness of my hands before. Was it a genetic trait, or perhaps a side effect of the medication?
She glanced at my school uniform, her eyes lingering on the badge. "Rectangle Academy High School, That's around here, isn't it?" she read aloud.
"Yeah, I'm a student there, what about you?"
Our hands were still clasped together, a comfortable warmth radiating between us.
"I'm just a freelancer," she replied, looking away.
"What kind of freelancing?" I asked, curious.
"You know... some weeb stuff," she mumbled, her cheeks flushing with a hint of embarrassment.
"Weeb stuff?" I echoed, tilting my head. "Is that something related to Chuunibyou?"
"E-Eugh..." she groaned, pulling her hand away. "No, I'm not like that. I'm much more normal."
"If I remember correctly, you're the only boy in our generation, right?"
"Yeah, I'm the sole male heir, apparently."
"Hmm... and you're the one who can see ghosts?" she inquired, her voice barely a whisper.
"Y-yeah, did someone tell you?"
"Manda Grandma mentioned it, but she said it turned out you were schizophrenic?"
"Yeah... you could say that," I replied evasively. I wasn't ready to reveal the truth to her, not yet.
"Did you ever see a black thing with a sharp smile and a hood?" she asked suddenly, her voice barely audible.
I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.
How did she know? Was this just a coincidence, or was she somehow connected to the shadowy figure?
"Um..." I hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Before I could answer, she quickly changed the subject. "Nevermind, just curious," she said with a nervous laugh. "You know, like... people with schizophrenia see scary things, right?"
I nodded slowly, a sense of unease washing over me.
She's hiding something, I realized. But what?
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The sound of a phone notification cut through the awkward silence. Both Dove and I instinctively reached for our phones.
I checked mine, but there were no new notifications. It must have been hers.
"Looks like you're a popular person," I remarked, raising an eyebrow at her.
She shrugged, a hint of pride in her voice. "Yeah, people seem to like me."
People like her...?
She showed me her phone screen, revealing her Instagram profile.
"300k followers!?" I exclaimed, surprised.
"Haha... yeah, it's quite a lot," she admitted with a shy smile.
I scrolled through her feed, my eyes widening as I saw photos of her in elaborate costumes, striking poses that mimicked popular anime characters.
"Ah, I see, So the 'weeb stuff' you mentioned earlier was cosplay?"
"H-Hey, don't scroll through my pictures!" she protested, snatching her phone back with a playful pout.
HWOOOONG!
The sound, a deep, resonant wail, echoed through the compound, cutting through the quiet afternoon air. Both Dove and I jumped, startled by the unexpected noise.
We spun around, our eyes searching for the source of the sound. To our astonishment, we saw a massive blue whale soaring through the sky above us. But it wasn't an ordinary blue whale; its body was cloaked in a dark, swirling shroud.
Dove turned to me, her eyes wide with alarm. "You can see it too, can't you?!"
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. This was beyond anything I could have imagined.
"Relax," a familiar voice said, calming my racing thoughts. "It's just passing by."
The shadowy figure from my bedroom materialized beside us, its form shimmering in the afternoon light.
Dove gasped, her eyes fixed on the figure. "Y-You can talk?"
< Chapter 009 > Fin.