CHAPTER 16…………………………………………….
I stood frozen, unable to even think about closing the door I had opened.
Uh, this is not how I expected this to go.
Q. I only said hello, but the other person suddenly started crying like they’re the saddest person in the world. Why is that?
Offering 100 knowledge points.
[W-Why are you crying?]
Did I do something wrong? Did I mess up the greeting? Should I step out and come back in?
Flustered by the sudden outburst of sobbing, I asked, and Lous managed to open his mouth in a hiccupping voice after stopping his tears.
[I-I don’t kn-know. It’s just… when I h-heard your v-voice… hngh……]
[I-I don’t know what it is, but I’m sorry for now.]
I actually think I know, which makes me even more sorry.
I awkwardly bowed my head and apologized. If I could, I felt like I should be banging my head against the floor.
I made a child cry.
How do you comfort a kid? I’ve been a kid before, but I’ve never taken care of one…
[Sniff… hic.]
In the meantime, Lous seemed to have stopped crying on his own and began sniffling instead.
Our Lous stops crying all by himself without even being told. What a mature and admirable child.
That’s a relief…
[I’m sorry. I was too late, wasn’t I?]
[N-No.]
Lous hurriedly denied it in a startled voice.
Even though it was still pitch-black here, I could somehow imagine him shaking his head and waving his hands frantically.
The more I see of him, the more he’s like a puppy.
[I-I’m good at waiting.]
That wasn’t an invitation to actually say something like a puppy.
His attitude went beyond being mature—it felt like he was being overly cautious, overly mindful of me. I briefly furrowed my brows, then smoothed my expression.
Last time, it seemed like he could see me. I shouldn’t make a face that would make him shrink back.
‘Still… something feels off. Even when you meet someone you’re happy to see, you don’t usually react this intensely.’
It’s not like we’ve been apart for months. In fact, it’s only been a few days.
[Hey, Lous.]
This could be a sensitive question, so I’d better approach it carefully.
With the gentlest smile I could manage, I asked cautiously,
[What do you usually do? I mean… do you meet other fri— other people?]
Considering he didn’t even know the word “friend” before, he obviously doesn’t have any.
[Usually?]
[Yeah. I mean, this is a dream, right? When you wake up—outside of the dream—what do you normally do during the day?]
I should listen to his daily life first and pinpoint anything strange.
What if he’s locked up somewhere… or completely neglected without any proper care?
[When I wake up, someone usually brings me food. After I finish eating, Father comes and teaches me…]
[Wait.]
You skipped the object in that sentence.
[Teaches you what?]
[What I’m supposed to do. What my ability is…]
[So what is that?]
Judging by how he doesn’t even know basic concepts, it doesn’t seem like he’s received proper education. And yet he’s learning something?
Pressed by the contradiction, I asked again, and Lous stammered out an answer.
[I-I can’t say. They said if I tell anyone else, something terrible will happen.]
What kind of bullshit is that?!
I suppressed the urge to clutch my forehead and took a deep breath.
The day’s not over yet. Calm down, me.
[Th-Then… what do you do after that?]
[I eat again, wash up, and for the rest of the time I just sit still or sleep.]
[You don’t do anything else? Play with toys… look out the window…?]
[Toys? Window?]
[This is driving me insane.]
You’re not supposed to swear in front of a child, but this is a situation that calls for swearing.
In the end, I couldn’t hold back and ran a hand through my hair, letting out a hollow laugh.
Listen to his daily life and pick out the strange parts? There’s not a single part of it that isn’t strange!
What kind of environment are you growing up in?
[Lous. Lous.]
Growing more urgent, I spoke as if pleading with the voice in the air.
[Your dream being completely black is probably a reflection of your subconscious. I don’t know what made you this way—but honestly, growing up in that kind of environment, how could you possibly have normal dreams?]
[I… I don’t really understand what you mean…]
[You don’t have to understand yet. What I mean is… could we change your dream? This place, just a little?]
It was the very same request I had made when I first met him—only to be firmly rejected.
Back then, I had asked simply because I disliked the darkness. Now, it was for an entirely different reason.
Because I want to know this child’s environment. I feel like I need to understand what kind of situation he’s in.
[This place…?]
[Show me where you live. I’m curious about where and how you spend your time.]
We’re friends, after all.
I swallowed the rest of the words before they could leave my mouth.
I couldn’t use the word “friend” as a weapon against a child who was only just beginning to understand what it meant.
[That…]
[I won’t tell anyone. I’ll keep it to myself, okay? There’s no one I could tell anyway.]
So all I can do is ask.
After a long stretch of deep silence, I finally heard an answer close to a whisper.
[…I’ll try.]
Not long after, the space that had been nothing but black slowly began to change.
It felt like a curtain being drawn back, or like a new life being created.
And in the pitch-black space, a new background unfolded.
[This is…]
The place where Lous lived—at first glance—looked unexpectedly decent. No, not just decent.
A bed too large for a child to use alone, luxurious furniture. Wallpaper that looked expensive at a glance, and even a splendid chandelier. The chandelier even seemed to be set with mana stones.
But if you looked a little closer, something felt off.
[…There are no windows.]
First of all, there were no windows. It was impossible to tell whether this bedroom was on the first floor, at the top of a high tower, or in an underground chamber.
So that’s why they installed a chandelier studded with mana stones.
Since sunlight could never reach this place, they replaced it with mana stones that emitted light similar to natural daylight.
“Hah.”
At least I can tell the child’s guardian is extremely wealthy…
Suppressing my growing unease, I continued to examine the room.
The second strange thing:
There was no clock, and no mirror.
No wonder the child couldn’t even manifest his own body in the dream, despite having such clear awareness.
Still looking around, I asked the formless child once more.
[Lous, can you show me what your usual day is like?]
[I’ll… try.]
Contrary to his uncertain voice, Lous complied readily.
The surroundings briefly darkened, and then a day in this room began to replay—from someone’s point of view.
I deliberately quieted my thoughts and let myself follow the flow of the dream’s perspective.
From the low viewpoint unique to a small child, the scene remains fixed in one place, unmoving.
The child only blinks mechanically, sitting still without any other action.
[It’s mealtime.]
With a voice devoid of intonation, a woman in a black dress appears, as if a stage curtain has been lifted.
As though a deep defensive mechanism had activated, her face was roughly obscured, as if someone had painted over it in black.
The child’s gaze, which had been fixed in place, slowly drops to the tray set before him.
The dishes look carefully prepared by a skilled cook—balanced and complete, nothing lacking.
As if accustomed to it, the child picks up the utensils and begins eating.
And not long after—
[…Good. Were you well today?]
Another figure appears beyond the child’s low line of sight—not the woman from before.
The child’s gaze, which had remained fixed on the floor, begins to rise, following the newcomer’s feet upward—
[N-No, you can’t show this.]
A hurried voice filled with fear cries out. At the same time, the scene before the child distorts instantly, as if this part must never be revealed.
[It’s mealtime.]
As if roughly patched together, the fragmented scene begins again.
Instead of the man who had just appeared, the same woman from before sets a tray down in front of the child once more.
The food is of equally high quality—yet nothing has changed. Not even the smallest detail of the plating.
Again, as if used to it, the child reaches for the food.
Another meal ends.
Alone in the room without so much as a proper window, the child blinks in the stillness, using the silence as background music. When he grows tired of that, he lies down and stares at the chandelier.
And when even that becomes boring, he closes his eyes and tries to sleep.
The scene darkens and brightens several times, as though the child repeatedly falls asleep and wakes.
[It’s time for your bath.]
This time, several women enter the room along with a portable bathtub.
Without resistance, the child follows their guidance and steps into the bath.
Only then, reflected on the surface of the water, does the child’s appearance finally become visible.
Hair as white as snow. Deep, shining blue eyes.
Yet those eyes were so empty that it was hard to believe they belonged to a child who should be curious about and delighted by the world more than anyone else.
