The treehouse was dim and warm.
From beneath the blankets, the silver-haired girl slowly opened her eyes.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Emilia felt as if she had slept for a very, very long time.
But the room was still dark—it must still be early.
Today, we're going to start building that house we spent so long designing yesterday…
Lying in bed, Emilia smiled to herself at the thought.
For the first time, she felt a genuine sense of anticipation for what tomorrow would bring.
Almost out of habit, she rolled over and glanced at the newly added space in the room.
That was where Rikuto slept.
Like a beautiful melody suddenly missing a beat—
Her cheerful thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
The warmth and expectation still lingering at the corners of her smile froze, like a chisel had carved them into place.
Her mind went blank. Her heartbeat skipped.
The spot where Rikuto should've been—was empty.
A sudden wave of panic and uncertainty rushed in, flooding her heart.
She threw off the covers and bolted toward Rikuto's bed.
Pressing her cheek to the mattress—
The quilt was cold.
No lingering warmth at all.
Which meant… he had left long ago.
Before the sun had even risen.
Sitting on Rikuto's bed, Emilia clutched the blanket to her chest.
She sat there dazed, not knowing what to think.
We were supposed to build the house today…
We said we'd live together…
She felt like crying. An aching loneliness welled up in her chest, and her violet eyes began to glisten with tears.
And just then—
"Puck, how long is Emilia planning to sleep, seriously?"
"It's already noon. Like, the sun's literally at its peak now!"
A familiar, slightly exasperated voice came from just outside the door. Rikuto's voice.
"That depends on how late she stayed up last night," Puck replied.
"By the way, Rikuto, care to explain what exactly you and the adorable Emilia were doing last night?"
Even just from his tone, Emilia could picture Puck squinting at Rikuto with an overly fatherly glare, full of silent accusation.
"I told you, we were sketching the design for the new house."
"Ask Emilia yourself if you want details. And hey, Puck—since you're her dad, isn't it your job to wake your daughter up in the morning?"
"How about you go do it?"
Rikuto sounded half-serious.
"You think I'd fall for that?"
"Yanking someone out of bed first thing in the morning is an unforgivable offense!"
"You're the one who told me that!"
Rikuto huffed. "Which is exactly why that job belongs to the father!"
"Getting hated by a daughter going through her rebellious phase—isn't that basically a dad's duty?"
Puck countered, "Rikuto, I think you're forgetting that if I wanted to, I could beat you to a—"
…
Back inside the treehouse—
Emilia listened to the familiar voices, frozen in place for a moment.
Then suddenly, she let out a little giggle.
The tears that were just about to fall were forced right back in.
She laughed out loud and rolled across the bed, still clutching Rikuto's pillow tightly.
"Honestly," she said with a smile, "it's like I don't trust him at all."
"You're the worst, Emilia."
She scolded herself lightly.
Then she sprang out of bed.
Walking to the washstand, she splashed cold water on her face to wash away any trace of tears, then padded barefoot toward the door.
The moment she opened it—
Blinding sunlight streamed into the room, making her squint slightly.
But that didn't stop the cheerful smile on her lips in the slightest.
"Good morning, Rikuto! Morning, Puck!"
She beamed as she flung open the door, full of energy.
---
Outside, Rikuto and Puck were still in the middle of their banter.
The sudden swing of the door caught both of them off guard.
They turned, surprised—only to see Emilia standing there with a radiant smile.
Recovering quickly, Puck slipped back into his "doting father" mode.
"Good morning, Emilia," he said, waving his paw while floating in the air.
"Morning? It's noon already," Rikuto quipped with a grin, pointing at the blazing sun overhead.
"Noon?" Emilia tilted her head and looked up in confusion.
"Looks like that curtain worked pretty well, huh?" Rikuto said.
"From now on, you can join me in my completely healthy habit of sleeping until the sun's right overhead."
Watching her drowsy, confused expression, Rikuto chuckled to himself.
As a proud modern youth who believed in the sanctity of waking up at noon, he was more than happy to lead Emilia down the same path.
Eventually, after Rikuto's explanations—
Emilia realized the misunderstanding she had created all on her own.
"Rikuto," she said softly.
Her violet eyes met his, her tone full of guilt and worry.
"Are you feeling okay? I just learned some healing magic… I can try to help, if you're not well."
Her silver hair fluttered in the breeze, her eyes shimmering with sincerity.
Rikuto: "…"
What kind of sudden emotional ambush is this, first thing in the morning…
It was like she was casting some sort of curse on him.
He glanced sideways at Puck, silently asking for help.
But Puck floated behind Emilia's head—just outside her field of vision—and looked at Rikuto with a smug, "enjoy-the-show" grin.