It has been quite some time since my body changed like this.

Well, it might not feel long to others, but from my perspective, spending time leisurely has felt like an eternity.

Anyway, as time has passed, I’ve started to adapt to this body and this lifestyle.

At first, doing nothing and being still felt a bit challenging, but now I feel accustomed to it.

Ari has played a significant role in helping me manage the boredom that initially seemed unbearable.

“Ari, good morning.”

This is how I’ve been spending my time lately—holding Ari, who has turned into an egg after exhausting too much energy in the fight against Beatrice, and having conversations with her.

It seems to others more like I’m talking to myself, quite a pitiable sight.

Just like how the protagonist from that famous movie named the volleyball “Wilson” while he drifted on a deserted island.

At first, Sylvia thought I was losing my mind out of loneliness when she saw me holding the egg and talking to it, and she even cried.

But I think they simply don’t understand.

Ari is not an inanimate object like a volleyball; she is a living being with her own consciousness, so she is completely different from Wilson.

To be specific,

“Ari, are you listening to me?”

-Slight nod

“Yes, yes, you are listening, huh?”

Ari, indeed, reacts by moving a bit when I talk to her.

I’m not quite sure if it’s responding to my voice or if she truly understands what I’m saying…

Still, when she responds in her way and I can feel her warmth while holding her, it reassures me that I am not alone, making my loneliness less acute than before.

So these days, I almost never let Ari leave my embrace.

By the way, something funny happened because of that.

I usually lie in bed, covered with a blanket, and with Ari snuggled in it. It seems that from the outside, I appear to have a swollen belly.

So one of the friends who visited from the academy jokingly asked how many months along I am.

Isn’t it common for pregnant women to let close friends touch their bellies?

So I jokingly told them to feel it, and just as I let them touch the blanket, Ari happened to move at that moment, leading them to comment about how I’m going to have a strong and healthy baby.

“I really hope it comes out healthy and soon, don’t you think?”

I said that to Ari, smiling softly.

Even though she’s not my real child, I’ve received a lot of help, so I feel quite attached to her.

I hold her like this every day, hoping that if I keep her warm, she might hatch a bit sooner.

So Ari, I sincerely hope you can come out of that egg and be healthy like before.

As I thought this while stroking Ari, the egg shook, as if she too wanted to come out quickly.

While I was spending time stroking her, I suddenly sensed a subtle change in the air flow.

Having grown accustomed to my heightened senses since my transformation, I could tell someone entered my room by the change in the air.

Well, it was pretty obvious who would come at this hour anyway.

Sure enough, after a moment, I felt a smooth finger touch my palm.

Sky-la-re-t.

“Welcome, Sylvia.”

It was Sylvia who wrote on my palm.

Since she comes every single day, I could distinguish her presence solely by the touch of her fingers.

At this rate, I might soon be able to recognize people just by the feeling when they open the door!

As I was lost in these thoughts, Sylvia wrote something else on my palm.

Today, Yoon Si-woo is also here.

“…Aah, I see.”

Yoon Si-woo is here.

Upon realizing this, I unconsciously let out a reluctant voice.

It was an obvious reaction that suggested I wasn’t too happy to see him, causing me to sigh inwardly.

Yeah, I’ll be honest.

I felt uncomfortable meeting Yoon Si-woo.

It wasn’t always like this.

Since my transformation, Yoon Si-woo has come to see me quite often.

Not as frequently as Sylvia, who visits every day, but he would come nearly every other day.

I appreciated the frequent visits.

It was a good thing since I was lonely and bored.

But the problem lay in how he treated me.

I’m sorry.

Those were the only words he had said since the very first time he visited.

No matter how many times I insisted that it was okay and that he should say something else, each time he would hold my palm, contemplate for a long while, and ultimately come out with just that phrase.

It drove me crazy.

I get it.

I understand that Yoon Si-woo has no choice but to feel guilty about what happened to me.

But I said I was okay! So why does he keep doing this alone!!!

So when I could no longer endure it and told him that if he said “sorry” one more time, I would cut ties, do you know how he reacted?

From then on, every time he visited, he would simply remain silent and then leave.

Do you get why I feel uncomfortable around him now?

How could I possibly feel at ease?

I can imagine the expressions he makes when he looks at me every time he comes over.

“…So, is he going to stay silent again today before he leaves?”

It looks that way.

“…Sigh, fine. Then I’ll just have to talk to you, Sylvia, today too.”

Thinking that this would be the case again, I sighed deeply and decided to have a conversation with Sylvia.

But just as I was chatting with Sylvia, something unusual happened.

Suddenly, Sylvia’s finger, which had been writing on my hand, dropped.

I sensed something was wrong.

There was a vibration coming through the mansion floor, like a lot of people inside had run outside all at once.

“What is it? Is something happening?”

Feeling anxious, I asked.

Then someone approached and began quickly writing on my hand.

The finger writing on my hand wasn’t Sylvia’s.

It was slightly thicker and rougher than Sylvia’s.

Yet, it felt just as familiar.

It was familiar because it was the finger of the person who had written “I’m sorry” countless times.

That finger spoke to me.

Nothing. Just stay here quietly.

As soon as those words ended, I could feel the presence of people around me exiting the room.

And I would soon realize that those words were a lie.

“This is…!!”

From far away, I sensed a surge of magic.

A tremendous amount of magic that sent chills down my spine.

 

The door opened.

Scarlet was lying on the bed just as usual.

Noticing the door had opened, she turned her head.

As Yoon Si-woo faced her ash-gray eyes, which no longer held any light, he bit his lip.

Despite the time that had passed, seeing Scarlet still hurt his heart.

No matter how long it takes, this pain will likely never fade.

It would remain as long as Scarlett was in such a state.

“…Did you come all this way just to be silent again?”

Today, Sylvia asked as she quietly observed Yoon Si-woo, who was gazing at Scarlet with a pained expression.

Yoon Si-woo remained silent in response to that question.

It was effectively a confirmation.

Sylvia sighed in frustration as she murmured.

“I understand your feelings, but that doesn’t help either of you feel better…”

Yoon Si-woo knew it too.

Scarlet is a gentle person.

She would wish that he would no longer feel guilty because of her.

But at the same time, Yoon Si-woo also knew.

That Scarlet, who seemed stronger than anyone, had shed tears after enduring just one sleepless night of loneliness following her transformation.

Even though Scarlet thought only Sylvia had seen her cry, that wasn’t true.

On that day, Yoon Si-woo had also been there next to Sylvia.

He had witnessed Scarlet’s fragile side and the strength she put on, trying to accept her situation and live cheerfully.

She always says she’s fine, but in reality, she’s far from okay.

Yeah, how could she be fine?

With her body in such a state, it’s impossible for a person to feel okay.

Yoon Si-woo understood that, which is why he also recognized how kind Scarlet was and how much she cared for others.

That understanding only made Yoon Si-woo feel even worse.

He knew Scarlet didn’t like to hear apologies.

But even if she wished for things to be different, it was impossible for Yoon Si-woo to forget the tears she shed.

Even though he wanted to tell her joyful stories instead of saying “I’m sorry,” whenever he thought of her tears, he couldn’t bring himself to feel joy, leading him to only utter those words of sorrow.

But even that eventually got forbidden.

“……”

Yoon Si-woo realized that Scarlet felt uncomfortable around him too.

Every time Yoon Si-woo came to see her, his heart ached and was tormented.

If that was the case, he should just stop coming, but that was not an option.

The agonizing situation stemmed from their inability to separate easily.

Just then, as Yoon Si-woo was gazing at Scarlet with a heavy heart, the mansion suddenly erupted into chaos.

“What, what’s that!!”

“Ugh!!”

The mansion was engulfed in clamorous noise.

The cause was simple.

The sky outside suddenly darkened in broad daylight.

“What has become dark outside? What could possibly… oh…?”

Feeling that something was off, Sylvia, who had been conversing with Scarlet, walked to the window, looked outside, and froze.

Following Sylvia’s gaze, Yoon Si-woo turned to the window and recalled what the witch had said the other day.

I won’t do anything today; I’ll just let you be. Just today.

You’ll find out soon enough.

“…Was that what she meant?”

Muttering to himself, Yoon Si-woo turned his head to see Scarlet, who was confused and in shock.

He grabbed her hand and began writing on it.

It’s nothing. Just stay still here.

“…This time, I’ll handle this myself.”

After saying that, Yoon Si-woo left the mansion and moved forward.

Toward the massive black orb overshadowing the sun high above the sky.