Chapter 8

For the time being, guiding him to the bath in the next room gave me a bit of breathing room.

Even though Soh's presence has only been for a short time since last night, it feels as if it's been a long time since I've been alone in this room.

In reality, I've been alone ever since I was put in here.

"…I was so nervous."

I whispered quietly so he wouldn't hear from the next room, and exhaled.

Yesterday was a series of surprises.

Meeting Soh is honestly very joyful.

He's someone I've always wanted to meet since I was reborn in this world.

In my previous life, I decided to play the game world I would return to if I got hit by a car and died.

Now that my life in that world has ended, I can no longer get excited by that game... but the person I thought I'd never see again is now right in front of me.

However, to fully savor this happiness, I need to sort out the massive amount of information that came in all at once.

"I'm a maintainer?"

Even saying it out loud, I still can't grasp the reality of what he said.

I idly flipped my palm over and over, but it seemed there was no change.

Even if I am a maintainer of the barrier, it seems there's some leeway before the external barrier is affected, so the country won't be in immediate danger.

And probably, by the time the effects start to show, Kikyo's status will be clear.

If she becomes royalty in the Western Country, I think she will care about this country to some extent.

The people who were from this country and who admired me were also good friends with Kikyo, so even if the barrier disappears and danger approaches, I think they will help with evacuation.

Thinking about all this, there's nothing I can do while I'm confined here.

Everything I think of ends with "probably" or "maybe."

I have no way of knowing what's actually happening or how to contact anyone to solve the problem.

The people of the country will have to handle it somehow; they have no choice.

My ex-boyfriend seems to have the talent to govern the country, so if his sister's whims don't hold him back, things should be fine, right?

"He has the talent, but his character is another story. To be deceived so easily..."

When we were together, I thought I could cover for his weaknesses, but now the person most likely to deceive him is set to become his wife.

Well, with the former lord still around, I don't think his sister can have her way completely.

"…It's not my place to worry."

I don't like him or his sister, and I don't want to be involved anymore, but it hurts to think of innocent townspeople being harmed.

Even if I want to be involved, I can't, and it feels wrong to leave everything to others, but there's nothing I can do.

I silently whispered, "Sorry, Kikyo, I'll leave the rest to you."

＿＿＿＿＿＿

After a while, when he came out of the bath, I felt a bit relieved.

His expression and complexion, which had been so gloomy, seemed to have improved a little.

Well, he's still mostly expressionless.

"Sorry, I feel much better now."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Thanks to the steam, his voice was a bit hoarse, but maybe the barrier's benefits are helping with his quick recovery.

This space seems to have a mysterious feature where it gradually dries even if you're wet, so by the time you finish drying off after the bath, your hair is already dry, which is very convenient.

If left alone, my body would probably dry too.

It might be the same phenomenon that keeps my clothes in a new state.

Since the culture of this country is similar to ancient Japan, many people, both men and women, have long hair.

While there are few people like Soh who have hair that touches the floor when let down, my hair is long enough to cover my buttocks, so I find this feature of drying hair very helpful.

In the outside world, there are no hair dryers, so the time it took for my long hair to dry naturally was very frustrating.

"Shall we have breakfast? Are you hungry?"

"I haven't eaten in a while, but I want to eat with someone."

Usually, only one breakfast set comes out, but since there are two people in the room, two sets came out.

I was thinking of bringing a set from his room if it didn't, so it's lucky that it saved me the trouble.

I thought it might be awkward to sit side by side on the sofa like yesterday, so I was about to sit opposite, but he grabbed my hand, and I had to give up on that.

He looks apologetic, but there's no sign of letting go.

Maybe he's still unsure if this is a dream, so I decided to sit next to him.

I've never eaten this close to a lover, I thought as I sat on the sofa.

Even though our hands were separated for the meal, just sitting next to him felt different.

In front of us were two white trays, and the usual one soup and three dishes came out, which makes me think this place has quite good service.

Even if a famine were to occur, no one would want to be put in this prison, apparently.

"It's been a while since I've seen a meal."

"Well, in this space, you can survive without eating, so I've been eating every meal out of curiosity since I haven't been here for long."

"Ah, I see. At first, I was also surprised by this."

In front of us, today's menu is white rice, tofu soup, white fish, pickled turnip, and miso soup with white miso.

The trays, plates, chopsticks, and teacups are all white, which is so monochromatic that it almost inspires respect.

"Every meal is so white, it's amazing."

"Sometimes, ingredients I've never seen before come out."

I wonder what the person who created this place was thinking.

Since they could create such a special space, they must be in the realm of gods.

Rather, where are these dishes and the ingredients they come from made?

Since I can't figure it out, I decided not to worry about it and reached for my chopsticks.

It felt different to talk to him while he was savoring his first meal in a long time, so I ate quietly.

He also spoke less during the meal, as befitting someone from a good family.

Still, he occasionally glanced at me as if trying to gauge something.

When our eyes met, I tried to speak or smile, but I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do.

I'm not a counselor, so I just acted on a feeling that this was the right thing to do, but I'm not sure if it was.

Anyway, for now, I'll sit close to him as he wishes.

Since it was breakfast, the portions were small, so we finished quickly, and I poured tea into the teacup.

While sipping my tea, I glanced at Soh, who was staring at his white teacup filled with green tea.

"By the way, when I opened the door to this room, it didn't lead outside but to another white room. Is that your room?"

"Ah, that's right, you haven't added a room yet?"

"Ah, you can add rooms?"

"You can add as many as you want by finding other rooms. Doors are automatically added between rooms. It just speeds up the madness, though."

He said this while his voice was still a bit hoarse from the tea.

Well, adding more rooms would just mean more white rooms.

The more white rooms you open, the more likely you are to go mad.

At least I know I don't have to worry about the room's size if I want to add more furniture or new facilities.

However, I'll have to walk around the outside space to find empty rooms.

"Actually, I have a favor to ask."

"Yes?"

While thinking that finding a room with a mad person or a corpse inside would be unpleasant, Soh spoke to me.

Even though his expression didn't change, his voice carried an apologetic tone.

"I know it's improper to ask this of a woman, but I don't want to be alone anymore. Is it okay if I add a room next to yours?"

"Ah, that's completely fine."

"Of course, I won't do anything inappropriate to you... huh?"

Seeing him open his eyes wide, the widest I've seen since I came to this room, I thought it was rare.

The conversation felt like a comedy routine, but I didn't want to lose the new conversation partner, so I was grateful for his suggestion.

"I did come to this room of my own will, and I have these abilities, but I thought I would eventually go mad. I'm glad I can talk to you."

As he stared at me, blinking repeatedly, I felt a bit embarrassed, but I didn't want to be overly polite to him in the future, so I continued.

"My abilities allow me to see various stories and play with characters, but it's lonely without someone to share it with. We might want some alone time sometimes, but we can be flexible. Since we have to spend eternity here, it's a great comfort to have a neighbor."

"Neighbor, huh? I have nothing to offer, unlike you..."

"But if the roles were reversed, you would do the same for me, right? In this kind of space."

"…Yes, you're right. I'll do my best."

"Thank you, I'll do my best too."

I smiled, and he slightly, almost imperceptibly, lifted the corners of his mouth.

For now, I need to get some furniture for his room and build a wall to isolate my bed.

Since he'll probably be in this room for a while, I don't want to have a bed in a room with a man of my age.

Thus, my life with him in this special space began.