Unknown house

A gentle breeze caresses his face. Faint light seeps through the slightly open wooden window. The delicate waft of herbal aroma fills the air, intermingled with the warm scent of aged wood. Slowly, Shin’s eyelids open.

The ceiling of the house… wood, sturdy, adorned with a tangle of small roots and unknown carvings. He lies on a soft bed draped in clean linen. The wounds on his body have been dressed, and his body is warm, wrapped in a thick animal fur blanket.

Earlier, his body was carried high—by a great eagle soaring towards the northern mountains of Dreamland. Flying far above the clouds, over the sea of trees and the shadows of the guardians’ silhouettes. Amid dense fog and rugged cliffs, a hidden old house with a small garden and a thin plume of smoke from the chimney awaited.

The eagle landed right in the yard of that house, then lowered Shin’s unconscious body. A young man immediately emerged from the house with a face full of panic and worry. With adept care, he checked Shin’s pulse, lifted his body inside, and then began cleaning the wounds and tending to him.

He was named Soutarou. His gaze was gentle, his unkempt black hair soft, and his hands accustomed to touching wounds and plants. As Shin dozed, he clutched his hand tightly, keeping him conscious… even if only for a moment.

Now, as Shin slowly began to open his eyes, Soutarou was sitting on a chair beside the bed, his body slightly leaning forward, gazing at his face with full attentiveness. That gentle look… was not that of a cruel scientist from a lab. Nor was it like that of an armed guard.

It was the look of someone… who cares.

# 1

Shin slowly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry, but the silhouette of someone sitting by his bedside gradually became clear. The man smiled slightly, his eyes appearing relieved.

---

Soutarou: "Finally... you woke up too."

Shin: (weakly, his voice hoarse)
"Who... are you...?"

Soutarou: "My name is Soutarou. I have been taking care of you since last night. My eagle brought you here."

Shin: (trying to sit up a bit, then grimacing)
"Ahh… it hurts…"

Soutarou: "Don’t force it. The wounds on your hand and leg haven’t fully healed yet."

Shin: (studying him, suspicious)
"Why… did you help me? Aren’t you… human too?"

Soutarou: (smiling faintly)
"If I had to choose between a human or a living being… I’d choose the one who needs help. And at that moment, you were the one falling from the sky."

Shin: (lowering his gaze, his eyes slightly glistening)
"I thought... I was already dead."

Soutarou: "You’re still here. Still breathing. And now, you’re safe."

Shin: (softly)
"For… how long?"

Soutarou: (gazing into Shin’s eyes calmly)
"As long as you want to survive. And as long as I can keep you safe."

---

# 2

The wooden door of Shin’s room slowly opened—not by a human, but by a large eagle that now stepped in with a majestic yet… rather clumsy movement in the small room.

The eagle—Akuro—emitted a noisy sound, like a prolonged complaint in urgency.

---

Akuro: "Kreeeeh! Kreeeek! Krrrrr!!"

Soutarou: (turning his head with a long exhale)
"Haaah, I know, I know. You're hungry again, huh?"

Akuro: "KREEEEEHHH!!"

Shin: (startled, glancing toward the door)
"Is that… the one who saved me?"

Soutarou: "Yes. His name is Akuro. He does have a flair for drama when he’s hungry."

Akuro: (stepping further in, flapping his wing slightly)
"Krrrr…!!"

Soutarou: (taking a piece of dried fish from a container next to the table)
"Here, have this. Aren’t you ashamed of scaring the guest like that?"

Akuro: (catching the fish in mid-air with his beak, then beginning to devour it quickly)
"…Krrr."

Shin: (his eyes widening a little, still weak but with a slight smile)
"He’s... quite funny, huh."

Soutarou: (glancing at Shin, smiling softly)
"Funny, as long as his belly is full."

---

# 3

Shin slowly tried to sit more upright, holding his breath. His eyes remained fixed on Akuro, who was busily munching on dried fish in a corner of the room. But when he tried to lift his left hand—a sharp pain shot through him.

---

Shin: (moaning softly)
"Aah… my hand…"

Soutarou: (immediately standing up and quickly approaching him)
"Don’t force it. The gunshot wound is quite deep."

Shin: (biting his lip, enduring the pain)
"That shot… still feels like it reached my bones."

Soutarou: (carefully examining his wounds)
"I cleaned and dressed them as soon as last night. But you still need a few days of rest."

Shin: (trying to steady his breathing)
"I can’t stay here for long… they’ll be looking for me."

Soutarou: (looking at him calmly)
"If they knew about this place, they would have come by now. You’re safe… for now."

Akuro: (glancing while still chewing the fish, then speaking softly)
"Krrr…"

Shin: (glancing at Akuro briefly)
"He's also… keeping an eye on me, huh?"

Soutarou: (smiling gently)
"More than you know."

---

# 4

Soutarou sat back in his chair, watching Shin who still appeared exhausted. His gaze then shifted to Akuro, who was finishing the last bite, his beak glistening from the fish oil.

---

Soutarou: "He usually brings strange things here. Crystal stones, torn pieces of cloth, sometimes plants that I have no idea where they came from."

Soutarou: "But this time… for the first time, he brought a living creature."

Soutarou: (smiling faintly, shrugging his shoulders)
"Usually, it's… just weird stuff."

Akuro: "KREEEEEEHH!! KRRRRK!!"

The large eagle suddenly let out a loud cry, flapping one wing onto the floor as if to emphasize his argument. Even though his mouth was still busy chewing the remaining fish, he seemed displeased with Soutarou’s statement.

Soutarou: (raising his hand with a resigned expression)
"Okay, okay, I get your point. I won’t say that again."

Shin: (looking between the two in wonder)
"You guys… can really talk to each other, huh."

Soutarou: (smiling at Shin)
"After living together for years… sometimes we don’t need words to understand one another."

Akuro: "…Krrr." (in a low, satisfied tone)

---

# 5

Soutarou looked at Shin gently, letting the quiet atmosphere flow after the brief exchange with Akuro. He leaned his body slightly against the chair, then spoke in a soft, calm tone.

---

Soutarou: "By the way… I still don’t know your name."

Shin: (gazing at him for a moment, hesitant, then nodding slowly)
"My name… is Shin."

Soutarou: (repeating slowly, as if committing it to memory)
"Shin… a beautiful name."

Shin: (lowering his gaze slightly)
"I don’t know if my name is beautiful… but it’s the name I carried from my original world."

Soutarou: (averting his gaze briefly, then looking at Shin tenderly)
"From your original world… so you’re not from here, right?"

Shin: (nodding slowly)
"That place… isn’t the world I’m supposed to live in. But here… I’m not sure if I can survive."

Soutarou: (smiling warmly)
"If you want… you can stay here for now. Akuro and I won’t kick you out."

Akuro: "Krrr." (agreeing with one soft sound)

Shin: (looking at both of them, his eyes glistening slightly)
"Thank you…"

---

# 6

Shin still clutched his blanket tightly, whether from the cold or from nervousness. Soutarou continued sitting in his chair, keeping his distance yet always within talking range. Akuro began to lean in the corner of the room, his eyes half-closed, relaxed.

---

Soutarou: "Shin… if you don’t mind me asking… what exactly happened to you? How did you end up falling from the sky."

Shin: (pausing, his eyes fixed on the floor)
"I was captured… confined… tortured indirectly. Not just me, but many others too."

Soutarou: (his voice lowering)
"Lab 404?"

Shin: (quickly looking up, startled)
"You know about that place?"

Soutarou: (nodding slowly)
"I’ve lived near this forest for quite a while. A lot of rumors… and traces that can’t be explained. But I had never seen a direct victim until you arrived."

Shin: (voice trembling)
"They weren’t just experiments… they were killing. They said I was 'a prized specimen'... but in reality, I was just a puppet for them."

Soutarou: (sighing deeply)
"I won’t let them touch you again. As long as you’re here, you’re not a specimen. You’re… a guest. Even family, if you want."

Shin: (gazing deeply, his eyes gradually welling up)
"Why… do you care so much about a creature like me?"

Soutarou: (with a warm smile)
"Because not all humans are cruel, Shin. And maybe… I need someone too, just like you."

---

# 7

Soutarou fell silent after his last words, then shifted his gaze to the small window nearby. The late afternoon sunlight began to pierce through the gaps in the leaves, casting warm reflections on the wooden floor.

---

Soutarou: (in a soft voice)
"I understand what it’s like to be alone, Shin… because I was too."

Shin: (gazing softly, attentive)
"Alone…?"

Soutarou: (nodding, his smile tinged with bitterness)
"My parents divorced when I was still a child. They were too busy blaming each other to realize… I was caught in the middle."

Shin: (softly)
"That… must be painful."

Soutarou: (shrugging slowly)
"Rather than watching them hurt each other, I left. There was no one to take care of me, no one to hold me back. So I ran away, seeking a peaceful place."

Shin: (lowering his gaze)
"So… you ended up living here, in this forest?"

Soutarou: "Yes. It was hard at first, but eventually… I met Akuro. And little by little, I built this place."

Shin: (looking toward Akuro who appeared peacefully asleep)
"So… you both left your old worlds behind, huh."

Soutarou: (smiling gently)
"You could say that. And now, you’re part of this little world too."

Shin: (softly, still warmed by those words)
"A little world… that’s more peaceful than an iron cage."

---

# 8

Soutarou chuckled softly after Shin’s remark, but the laughter only lasted a moment. His gaze slowly lowered, and his breaths became heavy. He wiped his face, yet tears began to fall uncontrollably.

---

Soutarou: (in a hoarse voice)
"I thought… I was strong already. But it turns out… loneliness still exists…and it hurts."

Shin: (silent, at a loss for words)
"Soutarou…"

Suddenly, from the corner of the room, Akuro opened one eye, looking at his master tenderly. He walked toward a small fruit box near the little kitchen, pecked at an apple with his beak, then with one swift flap of his wing—threw the apple directly toward Soutarou.

Soutarou: (startled, the apple touching his shoulder and falling into his lap)
"Eh?!"

Akuro: "Krrrr." (emitting a short sound, as if urging)

Soutarou looked at the apple, then laughed softly with his tear-stained face.

Soutarou: (smiling gently)
"I understand, Akuro… you don’t like to see me cry, do you?"

Shin: (smiling faintly, softly)
"He’s sweet too, considering he’s such a huge eagle."

Soutarou: (wiping his tears while still chuckling softly)
"Sometimes he understands me better than any other human…"

Akuro: (flapping his wing with a bit of arrogance then settling back in the corner, content)

---

# 9

Shin still watched Akuro, who now appeared calm again in the corner of the room. He drew a slow breath, then glanced at Soutarou who was beginning to smile again despite the traces of his earlier tears.

---

Shin: (softly)
"I… envy you."

Soutarou: (looking over, slightly puzzled)
"Envy?"

Shin: (nodding, hugging his knees slowly)
"You have someone… even if it's not human. I don’t have anyone. In my original world, I was nothing but a shadow."

Soutarou: (his tone gentle)
"You’re not alone anymore, Shin. Here, you’re no longer a shadow."

Shin: (gazing deeply into his eyes)
"Are you sure… I won’t burden you?"

Soutarou: (smiling sincerely)
"If being a burden means having a friend… I don’t mind being burdened every day."

Akuro: (emitting a soft sound, as if in agreement)
"Krrr."

Shin: (smiling softly, for the first time looking truly genuine)
"Thank you… Soutarou… and Akuro."

Soutarou: (lightly patting his knee, then slowly rising)
"Come on, you need to eat. Your wounds won’t heal on an empty stomach."

Shin: (surprised, holding his stomach)
"Eh… turns out I’m hungry too…"

Akuro: (lifting his head slightly, then closing his eyes again peacefully)

---

# 10

Soutarou walked toward the small kitchen on the side of the house, opened a simple shelf, and began preparing something. Meanwhile, Shin slowly tried to stand up, though his hand still throbbed with pain.

---

Soutarou: (glancing over while slicing something)
"Don’t force yourself now, Shin. My own hand almost fell off once because of a fall from a tree, rest is important."

Shin: (trying to sit upright at the edge of the bed)
"I just… feel bad about always being helped."

Soutarou: (smiling softly while chopping the ingredients)
"If you insist on helping now, it’d only mean there will be two people I have to take care of."

Shin: (lowering his gaze slowly, then smiling faintly)
"Alright… just this time, I’ll obey."

Soutarou: (bringing a bowl filled with warm soup to Shin)
"Here, it’s not fancy, but it’ll warm you up."

Shin: (accepting it carefully)
"It smells good… do you cook by yourself often?"

Soutarou: (seating himself on a chair near the bed)
"Almost every day. Living in the middle of the forest, you have to rely on yourself."

Shin: (blowing on his soup a bit before sipping slowly)
"...Delicious."

Soutarou: (smiling contentedly)
"If that’s the case, eat plenty. Your wounds need energy to heal."

Shin: (looking at his soup again, then at Soutarou)
"...Thank you. I… haven’t felt this warmth in a long time."

# 11

As Shin savored spoonful after spoonful of the warm soup, Soutarou stared at her in silence for a moment. A small smile appeared on his face seeing how tired yet happy the girl looked now. Unconsciously, his hand rose and slowly caressed Shin’s head, right between her upright cat ears.

---

Soutarou: (softly)
"Good… finally you can eat in peace."

Shin: (suddenly freezing, then slowly turning with a puzzled look and flushed cheeks)
"W-What are you doing…?"

Soutarou: (quickly withdrawing his hand, a bit flustered)
"Sorry! Reflex! You look… like a cat enjoying comfort."

Shin: (lowering her gaze slightly, her ears twitching a bit)
"Well… I am half cat… so maybe it’s a reflex."

Soutarou: (his eyes widening slightly as he examines her more closely)
"So… you are really 50:50… human and cat?"

Shin: (nodding slightly, then taking another sip of her soup)
"Yes. I don’t know the full details, but… that’s how I've been since birth."

Soutarou: (still silent, but his smile reappears)
"I have to say… you’re unique. But it doesn’t matter. I like cats, so…"

Shin: (glancing sideways, a bit annoyed yet unable to hold back a small smile)
"I’m not a pet."

Soutarou: (laughing softly)
"I know. But you still look cute when you eat like that."

Shin: (pausing her eating, eyes squinting)
"If you stroke me without permission again, I’ll bite."

Soutarou: (raising his hand in surrender)
"Noted. Won't happen without consent."

---

# 12

After that awkward moment, the room grew quiet again. Shin continued her meal, while Soutarou sat relaxed in a chair near the window, gazing at the trees outside. The late afternoon light began to trickle in through the thin curtains, giving a warm atmosphere inside the house.

---

Soutarou: (glancing at Shin)
"Are you feeling better now?"

Shin: (nodding while placing the empty bowl on her lap)
"Better… my arm still aches, but at least I can move."

Soutarou: (rising from his chair, carefully picking up the bowl)
"Good. You’re recovering quickly. But take it slow, okay?"

Shin: (staring out the window, her gaze somewhat blank)
"...They’re still looking for me, aren’t they?"

Soutarou: (pausing before answering, then sitting back down)
"If they’re serious, yes… certainly. But in this forest there are many hidden places. I can help you survive."

Shin: (turning to look at him, her eyes glistening a little)
"Aren’t you scared? They have drones, weapons… even helicopters."

Soutarou: (meeting her gaze calmly)
"Scared? Yes, a little. But I’m more afraid of letting someone suffer alone."

Shin: (looking down, her voice soft)
"...Why do you care?"

Soutarou: (sighing)
"Because if our positions were reversed… I’d also want someone to care."

Shin: (a long silence, before finally whispering)
"...Thank you, Soutarou."

---

# 13

The late afternoon began to fade into evening. The cool breeze from the window gently moved the curtain. Akuro was already asleep in the corner of the room, occasionally emitting soft breathing sounds. Shin sat leaning against the wall, her gaze still fixed on the window, as if her thoughts were far away.

---

Shin: (softly, without turning her head)
"This place… feels peaceful. I almost forget how it used to feel."

Soutarou: (sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall while staring at the ceiling)
"This forest is indeed far from the hustle and bustle. But sometimes… it’s too quiet as well."

Shin: (slowly turning to him)
"Is that why you like living here alone?"

Soutarou: (nodding slightly)
"At first, because I had no choice. But over time, this place became the only one that doesn’t judge me."

Shin: (pressing her lips together, then speaking in a soft tone)
"I know how it feels… being different and isolated."

Soutarou: (smiling gently, his eyes still on the ceiling)
"That’s probably why… we met at the right time."

Shin: (looking at him more deeply)
"...Do you ever think that I’m just a burden?"

Soutarou: (quickly turning to look at her, his gaze full of conviction)
"No. Not at all."

Shin: (falling silent, her face slightly flushed, then turning away)
"Don’t look at me like that…"

Soutarou: (laughing softly)
"Sorry. But you look strong even though you were almost dead not long ago."

Shin: (smirking lightly, then exhaling softly)
"I am strong… but it’s exhausting when you’re always alone."

Soutarou: (sitting a little closer)
"You're not alone now. As long as you're here, I’ll be with you."

---

# 14

The night deepened into calm. Shin began to look sleepy, while Soutarou was almost done extinguishing the oil lamp near the bed. However, a noisy sound from outside the house started to be heard—light footsteps and the scraping of wood.

---

Shin: (half-asleep)
"Hmm… what’s that sound?"

Soutarou: (standing slowly)
"That’s Akuro. Maybe he just finished eating and… well, his usual odd behavior."

The door opened slightly, Akuro swiftly slipped inside and made a ruckus as he flew toward Soutarou.

Akuro: (noisy and chirping loudly, flapping his wings towards Soutarou’s face)
"Skree! Skree!"

Soutarou: (covering his head, then looking at Akuro in surprise)
"What’s up? Calm down, come on… what is it, huh?"

Akuro immediately landed on the floor and with his beak quickly drew on the wooden floor—a small circle and a long line behind it, the symbol of a drone.

Shin: (widening her eyes)
"That… that’s a drone, right?!"

Soutarou: (glancing from the floor to Akuro, his face turning serious)
"...He saw one coming our way."

Shin: (quickly rising despite her pain)
"They’ve started looking even here…"

Akuro: (chirping shortly, then flying to the window and using his feet to close the curtain)
"Skree."

Soutarou: (quickly turning to Shin)
"We have to hide. Now."

---