The young man lay curled up in a ball, hugging his beloved doll, Annabel, tightly. The last rays of the setting sun gently lulled him to sleep.
As for his uninvited neighbor, Eliona, he didn't care what she was doing. Even if she was doing something to his hair, it didn't bother him, so he didn't pay any attention to it. It had been an eventful day, and the boy had forgotten that he had known this woman for less than a day and that they were already in such a strange situation.
"I hope she'll just disappear from here tomorrow," he thought, yawning one last time as he left the world of reality and plunged into the world of dreams.
Today, many days later, his dreams were filled with pleasant things.
"Please don't go..." he would occasionally say in his sleep.
...
Bright rays of light invaded the room and settled on Elion's closed eyelids as if urging them to open.
"Haah..." With a long sigh, he opened his eyes and stared at the beautiful dawn.
Resting his chin on the doll's head, he gently caressed it as he admired the morning spectacle and contemplated pleasant post-sleep thoughts.
After finishing this, he sat up in bed, came to his senses, and listened to the sounds in the room.
—... There was deafening silence; not a single extraneous or foreign sound could be heard. Elion's senses also gave no signals.
— ... Getting out of bed, still not quite believing it, he leaned sharply and stared under the bed.
"It's empty, too," he said dryly.
"Huh. Apparently, even this shameless creature has some kind of limit." The young man sat back down on the bed, placed the Anabel doll on his lap, and began to think aloud.
I have a couple of hours before class. What should I do? I could heat up some leftovers from yesterday. I could do some warm-up exercises and test my jumps here. I could also check the walls for strength. I could also take a shower before I leave. "Sounds good," he said thoughtfully.
"Ha... I hope today continues to be as peaceful as it is now," he said, looking at the sunrise with a relaxed expression on his face. But his hopes were dashed in that very moment.
"Why is it so difficult for you to talk to me like this, huh?" a slightly indignant female voice asked from the bathroom.
Elion's face instantly became stern. Bristling, he turned toward the sound and waited for her to appear.
"I bet you're thinking, 'What the hell is she doing here?!' And you're sitting there frowning, right?" the voice from the bathroom said, parodying him.
"...
"Hehe, well, get ready... I'm coming out," she sang.
—...
The door opened, and a girl wearing only a towel came out of the bathroom, her hair still slightly wet.
"Oh, sorry. I just got out of the shower, and my hair isn't completely dry yet. And my body, too..." She said seductively.
... The young man looked at her silently, his expression sullen.
"The way you're looking at me is embarrassing. If you want to see, then look," she said. She slowly lowered the towel and then let it fall abruptly.
... Elion's expression didn't change. He just stared at her insolently.
"Ooh..." That's not interesting," Noel said discontentedly. She wore a dark knee-length skirt and a beige shirt with soft brown inserts on the collar.
"..."
"But you were talking five seconds ago! Is it really that hard to suppress your stubbornness?!" she said indignantly, completely ignoring the fact that she was an uninvited guest.
... Even if he wanted to, Elion had no intention of answering her. Vowing not to make the same mistake again, he returned to his usual habit of ignoring her and went about his morning routine.
After warming up and postponing his jumping practice until later, Elion made the bed, which clearly showed that two people had been lying there, albeit not close together. After cleaning up a bit, he decided to take a bath instead of a shower and enjoyed the warm, comfortable water. By that time, the girl had already prepared breakfast for two, trying to make up for her unauthorized presence in the room. Seeing food of unknown origin on the table, the young man did not hesitate and calmly ate everything. After finishing his tasks, he spent a little more time with the doll. Then, he quickly got ready and headed to the school building with his uninvited companion.
The whole class waited for class to start with anticipation and a little nervousness.
The students chatted freely, wondering what awaited them today.
Would today's lecture reveal many of the mysteries of this world? Or maybe they would get to see a real mystical artifact. Or would their personal training mentors include famous folk heroes?
There were many questions, and everyone eagerly awaited the answers. Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, and many of the students jumped in fright.
Boom! The door burst open with a loud bang, and many students jumped in fright.
—... A slightly nervous silence followed, and then:
"I told you! That's your thing!"