Chapter 14: Hostile Ally【P1】

Sayoko

Mysteriously, a carton of eggs has materialized in the room. Somehow.

Very mysterious indeed.

Magically, an egg from it falls into my hand as I hold it above the pan, rising steam coating the shell.

…

The egg goes back in its place, and I fold the lid shut.

Not that hungry, apparently.

I unzip the packet, and a sachet of spices dusts the water brown. A few stirs follow before the noodles drop in. They spiral through the simmering pool until the current suffocates them.

Thud.

My eyes dart between the door and my unmade bed before settling on the pan.

Jiro

Light spills through the gap.

I clutch the handle and lock a foot inside the frame, securing my first won terrain.

“Hello? I come in peace.” I raise my hand like a catcher, preemptively shifting it over the gap to catch whatever might fly through.

Nothing answers but the low hiss of the stove and the bubbling of water.

A single knuckle is all I can spare, delivering a knock against the door before it flinches away as if the frame holds a current. “Just coming to grab my things for the night. Out before you know it.”

…

Pressing an ear against the wood, I hear no other sounds.

I toss my bag through the narrow opening.

No traps spring. At least, not yet.

Next up on the chopping block, my head. I slowly crane around the frame.

“Good evening.” A voice speaks.

“Whoa!” My head jerks back, slamming the base of my skull into the doorframe. “Awgh!”

Peering back through the gap, I see the girl standing with her back to me. Her elbows shift in rhythmic motion at the kitchen counter.

“How was your day? Was it... impactful?”

“Oh, hey.” I step inside and guide the door shut. “Yeah, it was... lively.”

I slither across the floor, taking long, light steps toward the beds.

“I am fairly certain that this is the part where you ask how my day went.”

Caught halfway along the narrow aisle, I freeze.

“Right. Um... how was your day?”

“Not interesting.”

No surprises here.

Glancing down to my right, my eyes lock onto her hands, unable to look away as she stands there cutting...

A slice of bread.

Into pieces.

Many. small pieces.

…

“Great!” I hurry my steps toward my bed—or minimal storage unit. “I had an incredible day. Found this amazing spot for the night with an open view of the sky and—”

“You are not going to sleep outside again, are you?” She puts the knife down, tracing fingers over the flat metal.

“I, uh. Maybe?”

Balancing the bag on the upturned rim of the table, I check my food supply in it. Just two packaged sandwiches and a half-filled bottle of water.

“Think you’ll let me boil an egg before I go?” I glance over my shoulder.

“Of course, it is our room after all.”

“Right... Of course. Our room...”

Crouching down, I look under my bed frame. No hidden equipment entrapping me here. Maybe—

“The time has come—”

My spine locks straight. My flat palms shoot out as I spin.

She walks closer, a steaming bowl in hand. “—to make some terms on how we will live out our time in this room.”

Standing where the table used to be, she looks from the floor to the capsized table beside me. “I have been very thorough in my research, and I can assure you that one cannot change roommates.”

She murmurs, “Not peacefully, at least...”

Chopsticks poised, she settles into a lotus position on the floor and starts eating.

“Research, huh?” I skirt around her zen garden toward the kitchen counter. “Well, we could always do a fifty-fifty split. I can stay outside on—”

“No. We will both stay in the room.”

“And by room, do you mean the whole apartment complex, or the entire galaxy?”

Sayoko

A pressing sigh comes out first. “I have plans for my time at this school, and they require patience. And it does not help if I am known for living with a roommate who lives like a traveling merchant. We must... adapt. And you will adapt.”

“Well, unlike local rumors, I actually don’t work at the market—“

“Will you just.” I tighten my grip, taking a deep breath to steady my voice. “Keep your existence at a minimum.”

“Sorry. I’m just... I had a long day.”

Water splashes into metal behind me. Hiss, tick, and a flame flares to life.

“Of course, in return for my vigilance—”

“Vigilance?”

“—I expect you to also contribute a fair share to our living arrangements. Maybe you could do the cleaning, or something with a bit more... substance.”

“Substance...”

The mini-fridge door peels open with a pop, casting a faint blue glow onto the dark window pane.

“Hey, if you want.” The blue-rimmed silhouette in the glass gestures. “You are free to use some of my ingredients if you need—”

“An excellent idea!” I clasp my hands together. “You take care of our food needs, and I take care of the vigilance!”

“That... sounds doable, actually.”

Jiro

Should I even ask her what she means by vigilance..

She stands and picks up a towel from the shelf near the foot of the bed, wrapping her toiletries into it.

Balancing the empty bowl on the fabric, she approaches with an expression far less cheerful than expected. More like a walking funeral.

I offer a flat hand and a small smile, officially initiating terms with my new... “Roommate.”

She holds the bowl over my hand and drops it into my open palm. “I will be taking a shower now.”

Sidestepping me, she flicks on the bathroom light and slips inside. “And do not touch my stuff. I will know.”

The door slams shut, followed immediately by the sound of the lock sealing the sarcophagus.

Looking down into the bowl, small pieces of drenched bread sit soaking in a shallow puddle of broth.

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 14: Hostile Ally【P2】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”

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