Chapter 75:

Superhero

New Leaf!


It was the morning of the next day and I was laying in my bed with my eyes closed… Vivid memories of the events that transpired last night lingered in my mind, and I barely got any further sleep because of it…

I was morbidly guilty about being deceptive to Ren… So, to alleviate my guilt, I told Ren about my true past, even if reminiscing was painful… I was an orphan passed between numerous foster homes… And after a year of staying in my latest house— a couple of days before my fourteenth birthday — I fled from that place… I just needed to get away.

But Ren’s response to me… Why did he look that way? He looked so hurt — clutching his right shoulder in pain… But I think something’s been wrong with his right shoulder for a long time. Sometimes, I would catch glimpses of Ren holding his right shoulder… What’s wrong with it — was he wounded? And why did the pain seem so intense last night? We weren’t doing anything. He said that he was tired from work, but I doubt fatigue can cause that type of pain… So, what?

And then, Bailey sprang awake due to a bad dream… I guess I can see this happening — in fact, I’ve sprung awake due to nightmares many times in the past.

But it was what happened after that I’ve been thinking about the most… Ren dismissed what I was saying and just told me to return to sleep… But I sensed something deeper at that moment, but I can’t identify what it was…

I don’t know if it was pity… I don’t know if it was hatred … I don’t know if it was sadness… I don’t know if it was joy… I don’t know if it was fear… But what I did know… was that he wanted me to stop talking…

Was it because it was too much information for him? No, that can’t be… Then what?

I sat up straight in the bed… My eyes were stinging badly.

“Oh, good morning, Camryn.”

I turned my head to the sound. Standing in front of the window was Bailey, wearing a less flashy but similar blouse to what she was wearing yesterday. Her hair was freely flowing down her head, and it looked fresh.

“O-Oh… Good morning, Bailey…”

My voice didn't sound too enthusiastic. Was it because I was still tired? Or was it because I was still dazed by last night?

Bailey walked towards the foot of the bed. But when she was, she was hesitant. She looked like she was deeply thinking about something… But what about? The dream she had last night?

“S-So… Camryn, I’m off to work now… I’m pretty sure the hotel serves breakfast on the ground floor…”

Work!? I quickly and frantically looked around the room.

“W-Wait! Where’s Ren?”

“Oh, Ren? Well…”

Bailey briefly looked down in thought… She also looked somewhat hesitant.

“R-Ren already left for work…”

“Huh?”

“Yeah…”

She reached into her pants pocket and retrieved a small pink object. She tapped on her phone for a bit and handed it to me.

“Here’s the text that Ren sent me…”

I looked at the screen and read the conversation:

Hello, Bailey. This text message is to let you
know that I left earlier to finish some work
at the office. I walked and left behind my
car, so feel free to use it to get here.

What? Seriously? Hold on, I’ll be there in a bit.

When I finished, I gave the phone back to Bailey.

“I see…”

She put it back into her pocket and walked towards the door. But before she entered the hallway, she spoke.

“Well, Camryn… See you. Once again, we’ll be back by dinnertime…”

“O-Okay…”

When she spoke, she did not directly face me… She also sounded sombre, like something major happened recently… But the only thing I recall happening was my conversation with Ren…

Bailey’s POV:

It was a bright summer morning outside… As I drove through the city, I saw crowds of people walking to their destinations, many other cars preoccupying the road, and pedestrians crossing the streets — they were making this commute aggravatingly slow.

But none of those really concern me right now…

Dammit…

Why did I have to overhear their conversation last night?.. It’s not like they were being extremely loud last night, I think my body just naturally reanimated at that moment… Dammit…

I thought Ren suddenly taking care of a teenage girl was odd. But are those true? Camryn is an orphan… She had a terrible childhood… She ran away from her current home six months ago… And while she was homeless, she met Ren and he started caring for her…

I feel bad for receiving this information this way… When I initially asked, Camryn was hesitant about telling me about her connection to Ren… And she phrased telling me about herself as revealing her past, so I thought that it was more significant than it was — and damn, it was… I think that made me more interested, so I tried getting closer to Camryn — I wanted to get her to reveal her secret, but I also genuinely wanted to get to know her. I wanted her to directly explain, not get to know through overhearing… Dammit!

And this is Ren’s first time hearing about this, right? So what does he think of the news — and how did his opinion of Camryn change? Hm…

I bet he isn’t receiving the news well. I don’t know for certain, but I just have a feeling… And last night, I sensed it strongly… Last night, I suddenly sprang awake, and I told Camryn that it was due to a crappy dream… But that’s false. I was still awake and I deliberately acted as if a dream woke me… It was because I sensed that something was off, so I tried interrupting them. Yeah, through closed eyes, I heard Camryn become confused, but I also felt that Ren was upset… It’s a weird feeling and I can’t explain it…

Damn… Ren, what the hell’s wrong!? Leaving for work early… According to his text, he left about an hour before I woke up. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually left way earlier — Ren can be a really sly person.

But I shouldn’t let this distract me for now.

I shook my head and took a deep breath to refresh myself.

Ren… Camryn… What the hell do I do?..

MIKU
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