『Neizan: Isn't this a bit sudden? My whole body still hurts and... 』
『Lina: ... 』
『Neizan: Ah, ah, ah, see? I told you it still hurts. 』
The girl went over and hugged the boy affectionately, and they spent the afternoon together, enjoying pleasant conversations.
As the afternoon passed, they were still in the room, but this time Lina was helping Neizan with his lessons to learn to read and write in her language.
『Lina: Wow, you learn quickly. 』
『Neizan: It's not that big of a deal, I still have a lot to learn. 』
『Lina: But I'm sure you'll get there with that attitude. 』
『Neizan: Yeah, I think so... 』
『Lina: By the way, why did you bring so much firewood the other day? I was wondering about that while watching you arrive with the cart full of logs. 』
『Neizan: It's to finish some furniture for the house, and now we also have firewood stored for next winter. 』
『Lina: Yeah, the last couple of winters have been getting colder, so it wouldn't hurt to light the fireplace every now and then. 』
『Neizan: Of course! If not, I swear I'd freeze to death in here, sometimes I'm really sensitive to the cold. 』
『Lina: Hahaha, it doesn't seem like it. 』
『Neizan: I'm telling you! By the way, I don't know how to do this part here. 』
The boy pointed at something in one of the notebooks he had on hand.
『Lina: How about we rest and leave it for tomorrow? 』
Lina suggested softly, stretching a little and covering her mouth with one hand as she yawned, the tiredness reflected in her eyes.
『Neizan: Alright, but this time I'm staying in my own bed. 』
Neizan replied with a crooked smile, adjusting his position while glancing at the bed, trying to seem firmer than he actually felt.
『Lina: I wasn't planning on taking it from you. But... I would like to sleep by your side. 』
Lina lowered her gaze, her hands nervously playing with the edge of her clothes. Her voice was hesitant, but there was a hint of sincerity in her expression as she looked up at him again.
『Neizan: Don't you think you're being a little bold for a stranger? 』
Neizan raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise as he crossed his arms. However, his tone carried a mix of nervousness and slight amusement, though he avoided looking directly at her.
『Lina: What are you saying? Please, don't embarrass me more than you already have today. I just... feel calmer when I'm close to you. 』
Lina pouted slightly, giving him a light tap on the arm before turning around with flushed cheeks. Her words were spoken almost in a whisper, her gaze fixed on the floor, waiting for his reaction.
『Neizan: Mmm... Well, alright, I won't say no since you've been the one taking care of me. But it's only until I recover, so don't get used to it. 』
Both of them averted their gaze, overcome by the shyness they felt. Lina got up to turn off the lamps, leaving the room in dim light.
Despite wearing her usual clothes, when she slept, she would take off her old hoodie, revealing a simple white short-sleeved dress that, in the night's darkness, made her look almost angelic.
Neizan, feeling a bit awkward, moved aside, leaving the left side of the bed free. Now he was lying close to the wall. Lina approached, taking the sheets and her pillow, and carefully settled in.
She turned on her side, with her back to him, while Neizan, looking out the window, also turned his back to her.
The silence was only broken by the gentle rustling of the sheets, and after a while, it was Neizan who spoke first.
『Neizan: Good night, Lina. Sleep well. 』
『Lina: Good night... you sleep well too. 』
With their eyes closed, both of them sank into their thoughts, unaware that they shared the same feelings, until slowly, sleep overtook them, passing the night together, their emotions beginning to intertwine.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Slowly opening his eyes, awakening from what could have been a dream.
『???: «Where am I?» 』
In a world full of darkness, there was a boy bewildered by the ominous place. He walked through nothingness, unable to feel, see, or hear anything.
Only his thoughts remained, in an infinite void that seemed to pull him in. As he fell through that void, a light appeared at the end.
『Neizan: «Am I supposed to be dead?» 』
His thoughts were unclear; the only thing he knew was that he had probably died. But, what was at the end of that mysterious light?
Suddenly, he stopped falling, and this time another image appeared before him.
『Neizan: «A door?» 』
In front of him was a red door that emanated a sinister aura. The boy wondered if this door would lead him to the path of hell. Deep in his soul and heart, he never imagined he deserved heaven.
For that reason, he believed that if hell truly existed, this place would surely be his final destination, between life and death.
He knew exactly what his sins were, his fears, his mistakes, his tears, his grudges, his madness, his hatred.
That was it. That feeling still burned inside him like the very fires of hell: hatred. He hated life so much, the lives of so many people who ended up drowning in it, falling into the void from which they would never escape.
『Neizan: «I... I was never a hero, was I?» 』
Asking himself that question, he uttered those words in his mind. In response to them, he saw the red door begin to open.
From it, shadows emerged, invading his mind, filling it with memories: his past, his present, and his future.
『Neizan: «Because my life was always shit.» 』
That's what he thought. However, now that he could see more clearly, he noticed something new: the putrid stench of death.
Then, he observed how the red hue of that door began to slowly spread across the emptiness of that world, staining his now visible hands. In front of him, a mirror appeared, directly opposite the door, reflecting his image.
Wishing to return to the feeling of not being able to sense or know anything, the boy tried to erase from his memory everything that had been etched into his mind.
He began to walk toward the open door. And once inside, the world began anew.