HOPE THAT WE'LL GET OUT OF THIS OKAY (2)

Brushing away that uncomfortable information for the time being, I finally make my way back to the apartments. It's... already starting to get close to sunrise, so I'll have to be quick in making my way to our room.

Ah... the door's unlocked? That's concerning. N-no, wait. Fueko was watching over me, right? She must've left it open in case she fell asleep.

...

Pulling the door open slowly, Nothing could ever prepare me for what I see.

Tora... Fueko's tiger mascot...

...and Tori, Asahi's chicken mascot.

Both reclining on the couch, watching anime.

...

Well, then.

Not wanting to feel out of place, I summon Shiko to join them.

"Martel-sama..."

I lightly scratch her forehead. "Definitely need to summon you more. Go have fun with the others." I leave them be as I close the door behind me.

It's funny, how even after only being gone for a few hours, it feels so relieving to be back home. Like... I was just so lost mentally that it legitimately feels so nice to return to familiarity.

But... someone's missing.

"H-hey... Tora. Where's Fueko, exactly?"

Tora glances over to me, her usual miserable demeanor being overwritten with an expression of shock as she realizes I've actually returned. Did... she not think I'd be back...? Regardless, she frenetically points to the bedroom.

"Is she asleep...?"

She shakes her head with the most energy I'd ever seen from her in my entire time knowing her. I'm not incapable of reading the room.

Power-walking over to the bedroom, I delicately open the door as quick as I can, immediately spotting my dragon roommate... sitting beside the bed, slumped over and clutching her body pillow. She's... been crying. I can tell that easily, with how shiny the scales on her face are.

"F-Fueko...? A-are you alright?" I think she's recovering from a panic attack. Her body seems weak... pathetic, for l-lack of less disparaging words.

Slowly, she turns her head to face me-- double taking as she realizes who she's looking at. She drops her pillow, rushing over-- and p-pulling me into a tight hug like a mother reunited with her lost child.

"T-t-that's... something I should be asking, Chisaki...!!" She buries her face into my chest, though this time looking up to maintain eye-contact with me. "I-I-I was so s-scared... that you weren't going to c-come back..." She's trembling. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She hangs on those two words, repeating them over and over again as her voice breaks down into tears.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong, Fueko." ...I chuckle, returning the hug. "A-aside from shooting me in the head, I mean... But I forgive you for that."

She laughs a bit, looking relieved that I'm in enough spirits to even joke around with her. "Do... do you want me to make you something to eat...?"

I think about it for a second... ....... "N-no, I'm... I'm full." I break from the hug, if only to approach the bed. "I think we both need to get some rest, honestly."

"H-heh.... y-you're probably right."

I eye over the bed... trying to figure something out.

Am... A-am I going to even fit? I guess, if I curled in, a bit... hmm....

"I-I-I can get some blankets, if you think you will need to sleep on the floor."

"No, I'll... I'll try sleeping on the bed, actually. I-if you're fine with being so close to an Anxi."

She nervously smiles, nodding. "Sure thing."

We both get into bed, and...

...

......

..........well. It's certainly a tight fit.

"G-goodnight, Chisaki..." Fueko mutters, having not even changed out of her clothes out of sheer exhaustion.

...

......

H-heheh.

I wonder...

I roll over, lightly lifting her arm with one hand and flicking her pillow off the bed with the other. Then... I gently turn her body around...

...and pull her into an embrace-- as if she were a pillow for me to cuddle.

"Mmmmphhh...???" She stammers, not expecting me to be so forward.

"I just thought it'd be more cozy this way. L-let me know if you're uncomfortable... o-or if you feel like you're starting to turn." ...God this was so stupid of an idea, why did I think to-

"N-no... p-please.... let's keep it this way." She seems to have noticed my remorse.

"You're sure?"

"I..." She hesitates. "I'm touch-starved..."

I fail to hide a chuckle, caught off-guard by her bluntness. "D-does that body pillow not help any...?"

"It helps... but... well. It's not the same, is it?"

"Because it's not real?"

"Yeah. No? Well. It's..." she pauses for a moment, losing her train of thought. I smile, as if to tell her I'll wait. "It's real to me. The character-- Narce --means a lot to me, so in a way they're real to me. But... well, it doesn't compare. To someone who can touch you back, I guess."

"I get it." G-god knows how many plushes I've loved to death as a kid... and, well... as an adult.

...

...

"H-hey... Fueko."

"Yeah?"

I don't want to ask this question-- but I feel like I have to. It's going to be hanging in my mind all night if I don't.

"If I... I-if I start losing my mind, can you p-please be the one to kill me?"

Her expression turns grim. "No. Not at all. No way."

"...?"

"I... I could never kill you, C-Chisaki. If it comes to that, I'd rather let you turn me instead."

"R-really...? Wouldn't that make things harder for Asahi and Mizuki...?"

She looks up to me, eyes wide with shock. I-I don't know why that is... Her expression melts into a goofy little smile, shortly after, though. Maybe it's a good kind of shock...?

"True... true. Well, I hope it'll never come to that-- but I'll try and make it as quick and painless as possible."

"Heheh...." I match her smile with one of my own, even despite the morbid subject matter.

"Thank you... Fueko."