49 – Mist Lake (3) Rain
-Glance
After the barbecue party, she and I are washing dishes in the lake water.
-Buck buck buck
“You have to drain all the grease. It’s hard to erase later.”
“Uh.”
-Glance
“Do you like apples?”
She asked, still glancing periodically at the sky.
“I like you.”
“What about sugar?”
“I like it.”
“Then what about apple sugar juice?”
“I think you will like it.”
*
For her dessert, she ate the apple juice she made for her. She must have been seasoned uncharacteristically for her, and her sugar was a little too much.
“Just one bite.”
… Eat yours. Was it a f*cking bite?
“Come on.”
“Thank you. Hee hee.”
-Sooooop
“Uh-huh. Put it on put it on After all, it tastes good with a lot of sugar.”
“…”
-Sooooop
I took a sip of her juice without asking her permission. Not as sweet as mine.
“… From next time, put more sugar in yours. You don’t have to yield.”
“…What do you mean? Am i a kid I don’t like sugar very much.”
‘… That’s bullsh*t. He said he was going to scrape up the sugar that had settled on the floor after he finished drinking it.’
Sugar is precious in this world, and of course it is even more precious in the castle of Demon, which is cut off from the outside world. The demon king who likes sugar must have thought that I would too, so he gave me something sweeter.
“Let’s change and drink.”
“… Me, I don’t really like sugar…”
“Then you should just drink it all.”
“…………”
“Would you like…?”
“….. Yes.”
She savored the apple juice in her mouth and drank it for a very long time.
-Glance
*
-Glance
-Look around, look around
She looked impatient at her, but then she couldn’t stand it and she asked.
“… What are you looking for?”
“… Huh? Oh no.”
“Tell me.”
“…Hey, you know.”
“Yes.”
“What if the stars don’t rise today?”
…
“It’s still early evening. There should be a little more.”
“… Yes. Yes.”
-Glance
*
When sewing a dinosaur doll, the demon king often pokes his hand with a needle while looking at the stars on the ceiling. Of course the needle bends…
-Glance
I washed my body briefly in the lake. Now, I’m drying the demon king’s wet hair with a fan. When I got wet earlier, the wind blowing from the lake was a little cold, but now it’s cool enough to feel good.
-Glance
…
“Then shall we set up a tent now?”
“You really don’t have the basics.”
The demon king put his white index finger in front of my face and swung it left and right. What else has offended the hard camper’s soul?
“A tent is originally set up only once during a trip. From the second time on, it’s just a hamster wheel. Maybe a withered tea bag?”
Perhaps it was a recitation of the words in the travel brochure. Her tone, with a arrogant smile as if it were a child, had some truth, though it was rough.
The fun of setting up a tent, the inflated doom shape, the memories inside. If it’s all second, it might be flat. Moreover, even once was not enough.
“Then where do you sleep tonight?”
“Aren’t you surprised to hear? I can’t die of a heart attack.”
“I’ll try.”
She reveals her crooked teeth and smiles. She sneaks up on me and tells me her secret strategy.
“Today I will lie down here on the grass and sleep.”
…
That’s a good idea. In exchange for not hearing crickets in this lake, there are no bugs.
“Like this!”
In a meadow full of green grass the size of a lawn, the demon king suddenly lay down. He stretched out his limbs on his sprawl, and enjoyed nature with his whole body.
“Hee hee hee! Lie down here too.”
“Yes.”
*
The sun went down and the moon rose.
A little, no, a long time ago.
Me and her are still lying side by side on the grass looking for stars in the night sky.
“…”
“…”
…
There are no stars.
I didn’t see a single one.
-Kurleung
The weather is gloomy. The fog grew thicker and thicker. It feels oddly damp.
Why?
Why again?
Are you going to pour rain?
…
Also, she was always unlucky.
…
Ha, f*ck.
Sorry for being so greedy.
To the demon king who is attacked by adventurers who don’t even know him. To the demon king who was satisfied only with crooked stars drawn on the ceiling. To the demon king who didn’t know how to get tired and read until he was exhausted through only five children’s books. To the Demon King who was different throughout the trip.
I’m guessing he won’t allow me to see even a single fragment of a star.
You know what? I don’t know who you are, but you’re such a petty bastard.
…
“…They mean stars.”
She wanted to let go of her barriers to her sorrow to come. She wanted to devalue her for things she couldn’t get her hands on.
She who had been lying on her face all the time looking up at the sky turned her head towards me.
“A star is actually just a collection of dust floating in space that shines.”
“…Yes.”
“You can’t breathe on the stars, no donkeys, no paper cranes, no mayonnaise.”
“… Without you?”
“Yes.”
“… hehehe. Not good. I can’t look at the stars anymore.”
“Yes. I hate stars too.”
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“… Hee hee. I am not that stupid.”
“…”
“Shall we play?”
“…Yes.”
“Can I ask what it is?”
“It doesn’t matter. Anything.”
“… Ok. It’s a game of truth.”
I only did it once. When you drank before.
“It’s good to do it. Can I ask you something?”
“No. Ask the game as well.”
“Okay. What about the rules? Rock Paper Scissors?”
“No! It’s a game in your favor.”
“That’s right. Then what?”
“We take turns asking each other.”
“Yes.”
“Then start with me. Did you like the barbecue earlier?”
“… Yes. Stupid.”
“I’m glad… I was worried because he didn’t look good… hehehe. Now you ask.”
“Why do you suddenly want to play the truth game?”
“Um… Satisfaction survey of this trip? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
“It was fun. Aside from barbecue… Treasure hunting, hibiscus flowers, camping, water swallows, fishing, everything.”
She responded with a blissful face.
“Thank you. For coming with me.”
“Well, it’s a friendship trip, of course.”
After that, the truth game continued. I asked her what she liked about this trip and she only repeated one question to me.
“You like me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like me?”
“Yes.”
“I am the Demon King. Do you really like it?”
“I like you. Because he is the Demon King.”
“Last time do you like me?”
“Okay. I like you.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll bet my origami crane and ask you one last time. I like?”
“It’s okay if I ask more. Uh. I like you.”
I don’t get tired of it no matter how many times I listen to it, the demon lord makes the same expression as when he rolled apple juice in his mouth earlier.
“Uh-huh-huh. Okay, okay… it’s your turn.”
“… Well.”
Her lies were confirmed by the clumsy girl. That this trip was so much fun for her. This game is also a great success.
Suddenly, before starting the trip, I wanted to ask something I was curious about.
“… You know.”
“Yes. Ask.”
“In the past… When you said you were preparing for a trip, you said you couldn’t go right away and it would take a while. Why is that?”
“…..”
At that moment, the demon king bites him in the mouth. It was her habit when she was asked a question that was hard to say. I reacted quickly as if I had put my hand on a hot dish.
“If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. Let me ask you something else…”
“No.”
-Swoop
She stretched out her hand to me. It’s white and soft, and it’s about to break like an ice flower, but the strongest hand in the world holds my hand. He took it and put it behind her neck and into her clothes.
…?
Huh?
“…Is this?”
“… It’s a wound from before.”
“Who? Who did it.”
“…”
“Tell me.”
“… Leviathan.”
?
“What?”
There were rough scars on her soft back flesh.
“… hehehe. Ask me to come down from the 100th floor only once a year. Two days in duration! In two days, I have to go up to the 100th floor again. That’s why I was in a hurry throughout the trip.”
“…Why?”
“……”
Is it because you don’t know the reason, or if you don’t want to talk about it even if you know? This time, she really kept her mouth shut. Then she opened her mouth again.
“… Uh, anyway. Don’t you hate Leviathan too much? Originally, she was nice, but I broke my promise with the kids and tried to stay for a few days. That’s why he scratched me to get him out.”
“… Yes. So it must have been less than a year since she didn’t start.”
“Yeah…”
Why? Why did Leviathan try to lock her up on her 100th floor?
“… Then it’s my turn.”
“…Ask me.”
“…..Whoah.”
Her expression looked painful for a moment. Even so, she held her back and opened her lips with difficulty, like a child walking on her arm to get the vaccine.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
… I’ve asked this before. Drunken night.
Unlike then, now I have written down the answer to this question.
“No.”
“…..Is this a game of truth?”
“I know. I’m not going out.”
“…Why?”
“…Because you are here.”
“…You wanted to go out before.”
You knew that.
“…Yes. But not anymore.”
“Can I ask? Reason.”
“… Even if you put everything outside the tower together… I like you better.”
“… Hiyaaa…”
She covered her face with her palms. Her palm was small, but her face was smaller, so she was able to cover it all. Her trembling voice leaked through the gaps between her knuckles.
“Whoah… Every day is happy when I am with you.”
“…”
“I feel like I can die like this.”
“That is difficult.”
“Why?”
“What should I do?”
“Uh-huh-huh! Hee hee hee!”
-Warak
“I can’t stand it. I like you so much.”
“…”
“Thank you for coming to me. You are my last gift.”
“What?”
At those words, time seemed to freeze. She feels like she’s had a good dream in bed and is woken up by an antimatter bomb on her veranda.
“What bullsh*t is that? That it is the last.”
“… Huh? Did I say that?”
“I did. What are you talking about? That’s the last one. Tell me straight up.”
“… I must have said it wrong.”
Unbeknownst to me, my breathing became rough. When she cleared her mind, she could see that her rough breath was moving in and out of her lungs. She is blushing her cheeks for some reason and purses her lips.
“…Sorry. You’re shooting chain lightning, aren’t you?”
“… hehehe no. It felt good somehow.”
…
After looking at each other’s faces, we turned our heads to the misty night sky again. I rolled my eyes again, wondering if there might be stars.
…
Lying on the grass for a while. The gentle breeze and the swaying grass and trees harmonized with it, creating a calm atmosphere.
-Sueuk
Look back at her. The red eyes, which seemed to be somewhat weak, were still rummaging through the night sky.
-Sueuk
She turned to me too. She reached out and caressed my unbuffed cheek.
“…You can go to bed first… hehehe… I’ll look for a little more and go to sleep. Just in case.”
As expected, he still has lingering feelings for the stars. That’s right, I’ve been waiting for a year.
… Sleeping?
Her Suddenly, there is something I want to ask her. In fact, she wanted to ask all along.
“… Is it my turn?”
“Huh?”
“The Truth Game.”
“… Ah. Did you continue? Yep. Your turn.”
A long time ago… Something I’ve been curious about. However, I buried it because I thought it would only cause trouble if I found out the truth.
I want to open the lid now.
“Are you not sleeping?”
…
“……”
“… You never sleep?”
“…… No.”
The demon king turned his gaze around.
“…Well, I hate to say…”
“No.”
She made her face clear as if she had put down a heavy rock.
“It’s true that I don’t sleep.”
…
She hesitated, then she answered.
“Whoah! Cool inside! Is this the first time you’ve spoken to someone?”
“…Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Uh-huh. If I tell you, will you give me all night every night?”
“…”
“Hee hee hee… Just kidding! Isn’t this necessarily a bad thing? Have fun waiting for you and while you’re making games, making food… You can double your day!”
…
“Can you tell me why you don’t sleep?”
“…”
“Please.”
“… Ok. This is a secret.”
She narrowed her eyes and came to her ear. And she said in a whisper.
“Because all the buffs are canceled while you sleep.”
“… All?”
“Yes. The alarm sound buffs, the buffs I wore on my body, and the things I hung on my furniture. Hee hee… A crappy buff, right?”
…
People invade the 100th floor at any time.
The demon king is not sleepless. I couldn’t sleep because I was anxious.
Keeping her awake isn’t what she wants. It’s just a defense against threats.
How long and how long did I live in anxiety?
…
“…Are you okay? Aren’t you sleepy even if you live like that?”
“Yeah… I can’t help it. Get used to it now.”
…
Her night must have been long.
There must have been many days when I squatted and waited in front of my closed door for a long time.
Maybe more than I know.
…
I can’t spend every night with my eyes open with the demon king. ‘Cause I’m a weak human
Her misfortunes are not something that an incompetent me can alleviate. It must be like scooping out this lake with a cup of apple juice.
…
As always.
As a weak folding screen, I closed my mouth and stared at the empty sky again. The sky covered with fog is… Nothing, nothing.
“…”
-Swoop
I heard grass brushing next to me. She also turned her head to her sky.
We just passed the time again.
“…”
“…”
-Swoop
She naturally took her hand. She squeezed I hoped that the warmth of my less cold hand would be transmitted to her cold palm.
It was then.
“Huh?”
“Ah!?”
A shooting star fell through the sky. It was obscured by fog, but it was unmistakable. Because she reacted too.
“Whoa, whoa, did you just see that?”
In an instant, she opened her bright red eyes and looked back at me.
“I saw it. It’s a shooting star.”
“A shooting star?”
“… Oh, I missed it. If you make a wish there, it will come true.”
“What?! That’s a complete scam!”
“Don’t use that word.”
“Let’s see you again. I don’t know if it will fall again.”
‘… How could that be?’
Even though I thought that I was lucky to have seen her once, I was staring at the empty night sky just like her.
“Huh!?”
“Kyaa!”
Falled again. This time, I didn’t miss it and quickly made a wish before the magic of the shooting star disappeared.
“Did you wish? Did you beg?”
“Uh. You?”
“I begged!”
…
Her empty wish was that I would show her her star, the star hanging in the sky right now.
Maybe she is too.
Please.
One year later.
I want to give her an advance on her future sorrow that she has dumped on her.
‘…’
‘…’
However, no matter how much time passed, the stars were not visible.
“… hehehe. I’ve seen two though. With something pretty!”
She laughed bitterly. You can tell by age. That it’s a laugh that isn’t full.
…
How can it be?
It’s a fantasy world. For those of us who are always unrealistically unlucky, it’s okay for an improbable magic to happen once in a while.
She used to draw stars with white crayons on a tight ceiling. It’s okay to show her the real thing at least once.
Her night, which was dark every day, can be bright for a day or so.
…
-Sueuk
I looked back at the demon king. Unlike the nuance that she was satisfied, her red eyes were clearly opened while searching for the stars.
…
…
“…”
“…”
I guess so.
Unfortunately, the demon king, who would be sad if he was the second, and her friend, who was the second, held hands and prayed.
Can it be done?
…
“Aww?!”
At her startled reaction, she turned her head to the sky.
…
“… Fell again?”
“…Yes! Two, two.”
Then…
“Huh?”
“What?”
-Shuaaa
It is not an illusion.
Obviously.
Obviously the fog is lifting.
“What, what? This?”
“…!”
The fog slowly lifts, and the clouds that even block the moonlight are torn apart.
“Huh!? Star over there!”
“Oh, over there, uh huh? Show me that too!
The stars, the stars that embroider the sky.
It’s starting to show a lot.
That wasn’t all.
“Woo, wow!”
“Wow!”
It rained.
The rain of countless stars.
“Wow, wow… Are those all rice or shooting stars?”
She asked, her mouth not shutting up.
“Uh. And! Damn… No, tear it… No, it’s pretty!”
A little while ago is a cancellation. God. I won’t joke anymore
In the clear night sky, the stars draw beautiful strokes and fall like rain.
“…”
“…”
She looked blankly at her meteor shower and then moved her gaze to her. With her mouth open, the ruby-colored Milky Way was seen in her eyes, preoccupied with the starry sky.
“…”
“…”
Whether it was the magic that happened without probability or the capricious weather phenomenon in the tower, I didn’t mind anything like that.
She likes it like she has her whole world.
She’s always out of luck with her.
A miracle happened today.
*
The meteor shower has stopped, but her fog and clouds have lifted, so the stars she longs to see are dotted with them.
We lay down on the grass again. Holding hands. Holding the stars in the snow
“It was so pretty.”
“Sure.”
“Ah! Picture! I forgot!”
That’s f*cking! Put some please.
“… That, you more than that! What did you wish for?”
I quickly changed the subject before she went to get her camera in her bag.
“…Um… You?”
…
I hope my friend doesn’t suffer too much from what happened in a year.
I hope humans’ hatred of demons will disappear and leave my friend alone.
I hope that my friend will have other friends besides me so that he won’t be lonely.
I hope my friend won’t cry anymore.
I hope my friend who saw Leviathan’s corpse reacts calmly.
I hope my friend won’t have too many nights to spend alone.
And if you can.
Find a way back to Earth without killing my friends.
…
Being a little more greedy here.
From noble mtl dot com
Go back to Earth with my friends.
…
“I just want you to be happy.”
“…”
-Swoop
The demon king lying next to me turned to me.
I turned my head looking at the stars to her face. Seeing her eyes already full of starlight, I don’t feel the need to leave any regrets about the sky anymore.
-Swoop
I also turn her body on her.
“… What did you wish for?”
At the question I asked, the demon lord’s soft cheeks burned red.
“I am like the first empty one. If you make the same wish several times, it might be more likely to be granted, right?”
… The first empty one? Before the meteor shower, when one fell?
Is this a wish to see the stars?
…
The front and back don’t match. Because when the meteor shower was pouring, the stars were already visible.
“What was your first wish?”
“…”
“…”
“…Please let me stay with you all the time.”
Could it be because the starlight was too bright?
On this day. We didn’t sleep
Just silently. We stared into each other’s faces all night. I didn’t get tired of it at all.
It was an exceptionally short night.
I could see why she waited all night in front of her door.
All of this has happend, and they still do not know each others names