Chapter 20

Rinne's Story.

"Phew..."

To get from the 5th town back to the starting town and then return to the 5th town for Nana, if someone told me to do this kind of shuttle run in real life, I would definitely not be able to do it. But in the game, as long as I have SP, I can do it.

I used the broadcast I started in the afternoon to the fullest and managed to get back to the 5th town, then logged out of the game.

It was already past 8 PM.

The closer I got to the front lines, the tougher the enemies became, and it took an absurd amount of time to move around.

Still, thanks to the monsters I defeated along the way, I managed to level up a bit, so it wasn't entirely meaningless.

"My stomach is growling..."

My stomach, which hadn't eaten anything for quite a while, was complaining.

Although there should still be some beef stew from this morning, there was no smell of anything else being cooked.

I thought Nana might have finished her broadcast before me and made something like a hamburger.

"Nana, are you... logged out yet?"

The sofa in the living room, which we rarely use.

It's a gift from my brother, not my taste, but Nana was lying on it, asleep.

Despite the large and spacious sofa, she was curled up like a cat, looking incredibly adorable.

"She's asleep... right?"

Her chest moved rhythmically, assuring me that she was at least not dead.

Nana breathes so silently that you can't tell unless you look at such things. She might as well be a ninja or something, really.

Still, how long has it been since I saw Nana take a nap?

Before her parents passed away, she used to sleep quite a lot. But I haven't seen her do it since then.

Even sitting next to the curled-up Nana, she showed no signs of waking up.

I ran my fingers through her short hair, which she had cut short to avoid getting in the way of exercise.

Her hair, as smooth as silk, used to be long and straight.

"Rin...?"

Suddenly, Nana let out a tiny voice.

Her eyes weren't open. She was probably judging by smell, as she was sniffing softly, and it must have been a sleep-talking response.

"Hehe, hehe."

Realizing I was next to her, Nana let out a happy sound and rested her head on my lap.

It was a typical pillow position. She stretched out her curled body on the sofa and slept with a contented look on her face.

"Mm..."

When I stroked her cheek, she leaned into me as if asking for more.

It was ticklish to be moved around like that, but it was nothing compared to the charm of this cute creature on my lap.

Really, even in her sleep, she doesn't hide her happy expression.

Nana only shows this vulnerable side to me.

She's naturally unguarded, but I've seen her choke my brother while he was trying to wake her up in her sleep.

This girl has a perfect self-defense mechanism even in her unconscious state. And it doesn't work in front of me.

That's solely because of the trust I've built up. It's proof that Nana has accepted me.

Just thinking about it makes me feel happy, and I found my dear friend's peaceful sleep incredibly endearing.

☆

Nana and I met when we were three years old.

Nana's parents, who were eloping, sought help from my parents, who were their friends, and we, their children, were brought together.

Now, it's hard to imagine, but Nana used to be extremely quiet, expressionless, and like a doll without any emotions.

I was taking care of her because I was asked to, but basically, she just stared blankly at me playing games.

She was so absent-minded that I always dragged her around with me.

After spending every day together for a month, Nana started to follow me without saying anything.

She was always a step behind, walking quietly. I remember thinking that she wasn't unhappy, even though she was still expressionless.

The change came about a year after we met.

By then, Nana had grown to the point where she could respond to me with single words, and I thought of her as a follower.

One day, we ended up playing a game together.

It was a fighting game that was popular at the time but has since faded away.

I was so good at it that I could beat my brother, and I wanted Nana to understand how cool I was, so I played with her, who was a beginner, with that childish intention.

I lost to Nana without a fight.

It was a complete and utter defeat. I couldn't even scratch her.

I tried again, thinking it was because I was careless, but I was thoroughly beaten by a more refined Nana.

No matter how many times I tried, I couldn't win, and I ended up crying like a child.

Although Nana had become somewhat responsive, she was still terrible at reading emotions.

She tried to comfort me by hugging me and patting my head, but I was so upset that I slapped her cheek and ran away.

Nana stood there, pressing her slapped cheek expressionlessly, not knowing how to react to the anger I had shown for the first time.

The next day and after, Nana acted normally and didn't seem to be bothered by anything.

But the Nana who used to only speak when I talked to her started to initiate conversations.

It was a small but significant change.

Now, I think of it that way.

I was the one who felt awkward with Nana, who didn't change her attitude much, but in the end, I was the one who gave in, and that fight... or rather, tantrum ended.

From then on, we became true friends.

And then, the accident happened.

It started when we went to the park together.

While we were playing in the sandbox, we were suddenly attacked.

The attacker was a dog. A Pit Bull, a breed known for its ferocity, owned by some rich person who was also at the park.

Maybe it wanted to play. Or maybe it was excited by something.

As a child, I was so scared of the dog that suddenly rushed at us, barking, that I threw a mud ball at it in a panic.

As a result, it angered the Pit Bull.

A dog breed that can kill even adults attacked a four-year-old child.

I was really scared. I think I was crying.

The Pit Bull pounced, and when I closed my eyes in fear, I heard a squishy sound.

It didn't hurt. There was no impact. Just a warm liquid on my body.

I wondered why, and there was Nana in front of me.

My friend, who had been bitten on the shoulder, was bleeding.

She asked me if I was okay, looking worried.

After confirming I was safe, Nana hit the dog's eye with a shovel to pry it off.

Then, she hit the dog's head with the shovel, over and over again, until its head changed shape and it stopped moving.

After confirming the dog was completely still, Nana also collapsed.

With strength that was impossible for a four-year-old girl, Nana had killed the Pit Bull.

I didn't care that Nana had killed the dog. I was crying, worried about Nana, who was covered in blood and had collapsed.

An adult who heard the commotion called an ambulance.

Nana barely survived, but I later learned that she had been close to death from blood loss.

When Nana woke up, her first words were my name.

When I rushed to her, she was the same Nana as always.

I apologized, over and over, and cried with relief.

Nana patted my head.

After that, my father took care of everything, so I don't know the details.

The dog's owner was very angry, but they were also responsible for not properly restraining the dog.

However, the fact that Nana had killed the dog spread quickly throughout the neighborhood.

She was called a monster. She was called inhuman. People treated her like a sore spot, even if they didn't say it directly.

I don't know if Nana noticed, but even her real parents seemed to be afraid of her abnormality.

But no matter what others said, Nana was my friend, my childhood friend, and my hero who saved me.

So I made a vow.

To always be on Nana's side, no matter what.

Because it was one of the few things I could do.

For my dear friend, it was something only I could do.

☆

"...chan, Rin-chan?"

"...Nana?"

I was awakened by the sensation of my shoulder being shaken.

I must have fallen asleep while she was using my lap as a pillow. Still half-asleep, I hugged Nana.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a dream... about when we were little."

"I see. ...Should we go to bed now?"

"...Yeah."

Nana supported my wobbly legs from the side.

"Hey, Nana."

"What?"

"...Did you have fun today?"

"I had fun today too."

"That's good."

We reached the bed and got under the covers.

I pulled Nana in, and after a moment of surprise, she came in without resistance.

"Good night, Nana."

"Good night."

Nana still has a faint scar from that time on her shoulder.