Welcome to my humble abode (part 2: Homeless magical puppy)

The walk home felt heavier than usual. Owen couldn't quite put his finger on why – maybe it was the lingering unease from seeing Lilith at school all day, or perhaps it was just the oppressive gray sky pressing down on him like a wet blanket with abandonment issues. Either way, he kept his head down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other in what he hoped was a convincing impression of someone who didn't have an interdimensional princess problem.

But then, halfway through his route, between the convenience store where Mr. Tanaka was still losing his daily battle with the security shutters and the bakery that somehow made everything smell like regret, he noticed it. A faint sound behind him—soft footsteps that matched his pace perfectly. At first, he dismissed it as paranoia, the kind that usually shows up right after watching too many horror movies or remembering that unfinished assignment due tomorrow. But when he glanced over his shoulder with all the subtlety of a giraffe trying to be sneaky, there she was.

Lilith.

She wasn't walking beside him or saying anything – because apparently, that would be too normal. No, she simply trailed along at a distance, her white hair glowing faintly even in the dim light of the overcast afternoon like some kind of supernatural nightlight. Her expression was unreadable, her gaze fixed straight ahead as if she were merely taking a casual stroll through the neighborhood – you know, the kind where you just happen to follow someone home while radiating enough mysterious energy to power a small city.

Owen groaned internally, the sound echoing around his skull. He was torn between irritation and something else he refused to name – probably because naming it would mean acknowledging it existed, and he was already dealing with enough existential crises for one day, thank you very much. Why was she following him? Did she think this was some kind of game? Or worse—did she expect him to acknowledge her presence, like some sort of weird reverse ghost situation?

He quickened his pace slightly, hoping she'd get the hint and leave him alone – though given her track record with subtle hints, he probably had better odds of winning the lottery while being struck by lightning during a solar eclipse. But when he glanced back again, she was still there, keeping up effortlessly without breaking stride.

"Unbelievable," Owen muttered under his breath, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. "She's seriously doing this. What's next – hiding in bushes? Posting up outside my window with a boombox playing alien love songs?"

His thoughts spiraled fast. Was she mad? Hurt? Trying to guilt-trip him into believing her ridiculous story through the power of awkward silence? And why did he care so much about what she was thinking, anyway? He didn't owe her anything. She was just some strange girl who showed up out of nowhere claiming to be from another world—a claim he still firmly believed was nonsense, right up there with "the dog ate my homework" and "I'll start my diet tomorrow."

Still, the longer she followed him, the more uneasy he became. It wasn't just annoying; it was... unsettling. Like she knew something he didn't – which, given the circumstances, was probably a lot of things, but that wasn't the point. She had nothing better to do than shadow him silently, waiting for him to crack like an egg in a pressure cooker. And the worst part? It might be working!

Finally, they reached the familiar streetlamp – Owen's personal landmark of weird – where Lilith had stood every day like the world's most dedicated performance artist. She stopped there, standing motionless beneath its flickering light, her figure framed by the soft glow like some kind of avant-garde photography exhibit titled "Stubborn Princess Under Questionable Infrastructure."

What struck him most wasn't the dramatic lighting or the way she managed to make a broken streetlamp look like a spotlight – no, it was how different she looked now compared to earlier in the day. At school, she had seemed composed, almost regal, despite the chaos surrounding her like she was hosting a royal court in the middle of a zoo. Now, however, the transformation was startling. Dark circles shadowed her pale face, her posture slumped ever so slightly as if gravity had finally gotten its revenge, and her pristine uniform appeared rumpled, as though the weight of whatever burden she carried had finally caught up with her.

Owen blinked, taken aback. How could someone look so perfect one moment and so utterly exhausted the next? It was like watching two entirely different people—or perhaps, two sides of the same coin.

"No way," he muttered to himself, shaking his head with enough force to reorganize his thoughts. "No way she's gonna stay there again. Right? Even stalkers need to sleep... probably."

Against his better judgment—and despite telling himself repeatedly that he didn't care — he turned around and walked back toward her. His steps were slow, deliberate as if giving himself time to remember all the reasons this was a terrible idea. When he finally stopped in front of her, he crossed his arms and glared.

"Hey," he said sharply, his voice cutting through the quiet evening air. "You're not seriously gonna stand there again... are you? Because I've got to tell you, the whole 'mysterious guardian of the streetlamp' thing is getting old."

Lilith looked at him, her red eyes meeting his with an intensity that made him want to look away—but he didn't. Instead, he held her gaze, refusing to let her win whatever silent battle they were fighting, even though he was pretty sure he'd already lost several rounds just by showing up.

"I have nowhere else to go," she replied softly, her tone steady but tinged with exhaustion that felt more real than anything she'd shown so far. There was no defiance in her words, no attempt to manipulate or persuade. Just a simple statement of fact that somehow managed to make Owen feel like he'd kicked a puppy – a very elegant, possibly magical puppy, but still.

For a moment, Owen didn't respond. He stared at her, trying to reconcile the regal, unshakable Lilith who'd been terrorizing his school day with the tired, vulnerable version standing before him now. It was like watching a superhero trip over his cape – both fascinating and somehow wrong. And yet, despite everything, she still carried herself with quiet dignity, as if determined to hold onto whatever scraps of pride she had left.

Owen sighed heavily, running a hand through his messy black hair. Part of him wanted to walk away, to leave her standing there as she deserved, maybe even wave cheerfully as he went. But another part—the part he hated admitting existed more than he hated morning classes—felt a pang of guilt that stabbed at him like a particularly aggressive conscience.

"So," Owen began, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. "You've been standing here for three days, huh? What, did all the other streetlamps reject your application?"

Lilith tilted her head slightly, and despite her exhaustion, a flicker of mischief danced across her features like a cat that just found an unattended glass of water to knock over. "So you knew I was standing here for three days? You were watching. How... attentive of you."

"Oh, great," Owen muttered, throwing up his hands in mock exasperation with enough drama to earn him an honorary theater degree. "Now we're playing detective. Yeah, I saw you. Big shocker. Kind of hard to miss the glowing-haired girl having a staring contest with a streetlamp. What's next? Are you gonna tell me you've been camping out here like some kind of magical hobo?"

"Magical hobo?" Lilith repeated, raising an eyebrow. "An interesting choice of words. Though I must say, your realm's vocabulary continues to... surprise me. But no, I assure you, my methods are far more refined."

"Refined?" Owen scoffed, the sound carrying skepticism. "Standing under a streetlamp for three days straight doesn't exactly scream 'refined.' More like a 'creepy stalker' with a side of 'needs better hobbies.' What do you even do all day? Practice your mysterious princess pose?"

"I observe and wait," Lilith replied simply as if that explained everything from quantum physics to why cats hate water. "Your world is... fascinating. Even its mundane aspects hold wonder."

"Right," Owen drawled, leaning against the lamppost and immediately regretting it when he felt something sticky. "Because nothing says 'wonder' like watching Mr. Tanaka lose his daily battle with those security shutters. Really magical stuff there!"