3. Elf from Another World (3)

"Shizu-sama? In 3D!?"

A blonde-haired elf cried over me. Her gorgeous face stunned me, an unromantic loner. I slacked my mouth in panic. We gazed at each other for long.

The scent of flowers invaded my nose. It was more pleasant than Minoru's wives. Moreover, she smelled like the forest. Her smooth skin slid across mine without friction.

Shizu-sama in the flesh? I'm not buying that. I liked Shizu-sama because she was a 2D character. If someone with the same face as she existed…

Only cosplayers do that.

Still, even with her burned clothing, she passed my criteria for cosplays! Her natural face and her simple sleep dress shouted her resourcefulness at me. She was unlike the famous Kisara who only bought her costumes online.

I claimed that she was a prankster hiding in my closet. I, the expert of cosplay, would never get fooled by this absurdity. It's far too early for the peasants to surpass me.

But if she's pranking me, why is she crying?

Her pupils dilated. Her tears dripped down my cheeks. She gasped and jerked her head back. It turned out that I was not the only shocked one.

"Humans… Devils… Stay away…" She rasped her breath and stepped away while sitting until she leaned back after reaching the edge of my bed.

"Be careful!" Before she fell, I tried to reach her hand. I saw an unsightly view that poisoned my otaku status. Even if it was dimmed, I witnessed the straight line under her skirt.

I could have helped her, but my instincts acted differently. My head flinched and locked away from her. My face turned beet red.

Thud! I could only pray that she didn't hit her head. That view demoralized my virgin eyes. A man's instinct was the enemy of cosplayers.

My face remained red. I turned back at her and saw her gritting teeth. She grabbed her back and hissed while crying. I tried to reach her hand.

Instead, she shouted at me with a cracked voice, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

"H—Hello, Miss. You hijacked my room, you know? I'm willing to extend my help to you, and this is how you respond to me? Are you nuts?"

"SPARE ME, PLEASE! SPARE ME! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" She wailed.

"Do I look like a murderer to you!? Your false accusations were enough to send me to jail… even though I'm still 17."

"ANYONE! HELP ME! SOMEONE! ANNIETTA…" She covered her eyes and howled louder. She acted like a kid who had her candy stolen.

Why did she assume that I'll kill her? That thought never crossed my mind. Was this still a part of the prank? She looked like an actress, and I assumed that she could act.

I knew it! This was all a test!

"Hmph! You can't fool me!" I smirked, standing up on my bed and connecting my fists beside my waist. "There's no way I could be fooled by some God-tier acting! You're still too early to mock MagnusK! You're an idiot who—"

She ignored me and continued howling. My words didn't reach her ears. It irritated me. I crossed my arms and squinted at her… but the more I watched her, the slower my heart beat.

She covered her eyes with her arm and stuck her other hand over her chest. Her tearful voice muttered a name in repeat, 'Annietta.' It sounded like a foreign name.

I couldn't utter a phrase. I turned my body away from her and sat on my computer. That was when she asked me.

"Human… Please… Let me go…"

"I never intended to lock you here. If you wanted to go, you should have done it instead of crying," I sighed, resting my jaw over my arm and scrolling through Chitter.

She ended her drama, sat straight, and gasped at me. "W—Why?"

"If you're pranking me or not, I don't care anymore. I still have problems to resolve. This was the worst time for me to be bothered," I said and sighed.

I was never a fan of pranks. It was a play of lies turned into reality, a total waste of time. If someone wanted to say something to me, I wanted it to be direct.

My phone on the ground spoke with a cheerful voice. "Kou, you're a hardcore! It felt like I was reading a smut with Text-to-Speech! When will the live-action come?"

My eyes bulged. I escaped my chair, sat on the floor, and grabbed the laughing phone in haste. I positioned it before my mouth and shouted.

"D—Damn you, Minoru! You're listening!? Don't show your face to me if you don't want your ears to get plugged!" I ended the call and exhaled. Why did he have to hear all of that?

I gazed at the elf who slacked her mouth at me. "What are you waiting for? Go out."

With her trembling legs, she stood and grabbed the doorknob. The door won't budge. She tackled the door instead of rotating the knob. I pinched my forehead by watching her.

"Are you still going on your acting? Only skilled actresses could act like an idiot like you." I sighed and stood up. "Fine. If you want me to—"

The knob twisted on its own. The door opened but not from the inside. The elf flinched back when Mom, holding a spatula, appeared before her. Mom winked her brows each second while smiling.

"Kou-kun… don't bother wasting your breath in explaining nonsensical reasons. How did you sneak a girl into this home… while I'm here?"

"But Mom… I'm innocent! God only knows who she was or why she's here!"

"Are you going to leave us, your parents? Are you planning on having your own family? Is that why I found a scattered parenting book the other day? Moreover, she's a cosplayer…"

"Heck did I know, Mom. I only brought one girl here once in my life, and it was still when I was a kid. And that parenting book has nothing to do with me! Where did you even find it?"

Mom stared at the elf whose chin and lips trembled. "Why is she crying? Kou-kun… Did you make her cry?"

She shook her head while backing with jerky steps. "Human… Please spare me…"

She ran out the door, bumping Mom's shoulder, leaving trails of tears on her route. I thought she would rush out of our house. Instead, she halted, gaped at Mom, and shared her reaction.

Their eye contact had strength that no one could bother. Their mouth hung open, sucking massive air. Shock rooted them in their place.

What happened between these two? Are they shocked because they're both blonde? Girls do have telepathy installed since birth.

Seconds after, the elf ran down the stairs. Mom followed her. They left me hanging without explaining everything. I thought Mom knew the elf and her plans. She doesn't.

I squinted and gawked at the upper corner of my room.

How did that cosplayer get here?

***

Sierra ran down the lounge, witnessing a box that projects moving images and produces sounds. Modern appliances astonished her. She gazed at the two doors, the only familiar thing to her.

The first leads to the bathroom, while the other escorts her out of the house. She didn't know which was which.

Maki, Kou's mother, stepped down the stairs and asked. "Where will you go?"

"…Somewhere… Anywhere… Away from you… Away humans…"

"And? Where was it?"

"…I don't know… I'm sure there exists a place…"

"And your home?"

"Home… My home… Annietta…"

Stuttering, Sierra kneeled and bowed, facing the floor. She clenched her chest like her heart ripped out. Her tears dripped and flooded the smooth wooden flooring.

Maki headed to the door that led outside and opened it. Sierra peeked outside with her drawn brows. The wind howled through the night like a pack of wolves.

"Beyond here was the world you hated, a world filled with humans that you fear, a world of reality and cruelty. A safe place? A haven? Heaven? No such thing existed. If you're going or not, I have a warning for you. The world wasn't ideal like you dream of."

"There was…my home… My home was the safest place! My home was filled with smiles, with care, with people who loved me!"

"And that is why I'm asking you. Where is this thing you called home?"

"…I—I don't know," she cried. "… I don't know… I hated myself for not knowing…"

"Are you going?"

Sierra clenched her fists on the floor, pushing her body to stand. Unfortunately, her trembling legs didn't follow her wish. She shook her head, splashing her tears around her.

"I'm weak… I'm born weak… Why? Why am I so weak? In the end… I'm still scared… I couldn't… do anything…"

Maki smiled and closed the door. Judging Sierra's words, she knew her answer. She approached Sierra and embraced her head on her chest. Sierra tried to escape, but for some reason, she couldn't.

"It's alright to be weak, little girl. People were born naked and talentless. You're still young. You can turn that weakness into strength. You're strong already."

"But… Annietta… I couldn't help Annietta… It's my fault that she…"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dear, but people come and go. You can't let someone stay with you forever. It would be a pain, don't you think? Once you realize that it was, you're already maturing."

"W—Why? Why would you… Why would a human talk like that? Y—You're the one who caused all this!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dear… Oops! I said it twice! My bad."

"You, humans, took away our home! You took away those important to me! You took away Annietta…"

"You're lost, it seems…" Maki rubbed Sierra's hair to calm her. "…You can always go back to your home, to those lovely people that waited for you. But, if you don't have a destination… If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can stay with us…

"You're safe here."

Sierra hugged Maki with little to no awareness. Maki could feel the vibration resonating from Sierra's heart. Sierra tightened her grip which shouted the pain she held deep inside her.

Why!? Why do I feel connected to her deeply? Why does she have the same ether as my brothers? My family? She was a human. Why do I feel assured in her hands? Why am I longing for it? Why did open my tears to her? What was happening to me? What will happen to me? I couldn't think straight.

But… releasing it all to her was much better, much calmer, much more peaceful that I couldn't care less. She was like… Annietta.

Her wails echoed in the corners of the living room, dominating the noise of the television. She rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably.

Maki rubbed Sierra's back to soothe her pain. Not knowing what Sierra went through, Maki believed that this was the only thing she could do.

Minutes after, Sierra calmed down. Maki released her hug. Sierra sat straight, wiping her tears.

"Thank you… Mom…"

"Mom? Hmm…" Maki pinched her chin, then smiled. "Not gonna lie, it was pleasing to my ears."

"But… Wasn't it what the boy called you?"

Maki giggled. "My name was Maki, Maki Sugiyama. The boy up in the room was my son, Kou Sugiyama. I'm her mother, that's why he called me 'Mom.'"

"Mother? Wait—Did I just call you mother!?"

"It's not like I hated it, though," Maki pouted. "By the way, I haven't heard your name yet."

"…Sierra," she muttered, gazing away with a downturned look.

Maki complained. "Too wordy, too foreign, too alien… Why don't we call you Sera instead?"