Guardian of My Heart

Chapter 7: Wake Up to Reality

Iruma's POV:

It had been six hours since breakfast/brunch, and I actually found that I was enjoying myself! The games Ameri had taught me how to play were really fun, both the board games and the video games. I had a lot of trouble understanding the rules and controls of the various games at first, but over time I felt myself fall into a comfortable rhythm. Ameri went easy on me of course, though I could tell she was impressed with how fast I was picking things up. After a while, we decided to watch a movie together to further pass the time. It was a children's animated film. Ameri explained that she didn't want to show me anything that was too graphic or violent, so no action or horror movies for now. "Besides, this was my favorite movie growing up. I would always bug my father to take a break from working so much just to watch it so we could spend time together." Hearing her say that a couple hours ago, it had gotten me thinking again. Her dad loved her so much, and she obviously cared for him. I was happy for her, but it still stung pretty bad the more I thought about it. Sometimes I couldn't help the envy I felt when I heard that other kids got the love they deserved. Meanwhile my own 'parents' had abandoned me to a literal gang, and my actual biological parents didn't sound much better.

Henri had said the situation was forced and that they had to give me up, and I was willing to believe him. But the bitterness of being forgotten was still wrapped around my heart, and its tendrils sunk deep. You'll never be good enough for anyone. Not on Earth, and certainly not here. Just give up. The voice of that ghoulish demon hadn't stopped taunting me ever since I first spoke to it, and I was starting to lose my patience with it. Shut up. Just, leave me alone already. Haven't you done enough? "Iruma? Iruma, are you okay?" I opened my eyes, seeing Ameri looking at me with deep concern. I put on a smile, though I knew by now it wouldn't fool her. "Yeah, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a bit." From the look in her eyes I knew she didn't buy my excuse for a second. But thankfully she decided to let it go. "Well, you should probably get cleaned up. Father will be home soon to start dinner, and our guests won't be far behind." "Right, yeah, I'll go take care of that." Ameri had fortunately helped me figure out how the shower worked earlier, so I went upstairs and started taking care of things alone. As the warm water soaked over me and matted down my hair and fur, I let out a deep sigh I had been holding in for a while.

In my excitement at actually enjoying my time in the Netherworld so far, I had completely forgotten about the dinner tonight. I didn't feel ready to meet more new people yet and recalling Ameri's descriptions of one of them in particular, I felt like the night was already doomed. Why does everything have to be so confusing and different? Why couldn't I just live a normal life like everyone else? Of course, I knew the answer, deep down I had always known it. I just couldn't take having to deal with it all the time anymore. So, I shoved it down into that dark place where I kept all of my other unhealthy thoughts. The warm water flowing over my skin felt comforting, and I lingered in the shower a good while after I finished cleaning myself, not wishing to step out into the cold once again. But time waits for no one, and eventually I relinquished the feeling of warmth cascading around me and got changed. Henri had taken some time to briefly stop by earlier and drop off a couple sets of clothes that actually fit me properly, which I was immensely thankful for. I just hoped I could find a way to repay his kindness. He was already doing so much for me, and I couldn't help but feel like a burden on his shoulders. Heading back downstairs, I could smell the man in question cooking a delightfully smelling meal. Though I was still very nervous about interacting with more people, who were also going to be some of my teachers soon, I was never someone to turn down food.

Henri looked up to me, briefly flashing me a smile before returning to dinner preparations. "Good to see you again Iruma. I hope a nice honey-glazed roast is to your liking." It certainly smelled divine to me, and my previous worries were nearly forgotten as I saw the large plate of meat sat at the center of the table. "I can't wait to dig in! Thank you so much Mr. Henri." He gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked by to grab our drinks. "Please, just Henri is fine for now." "Okay, if you're sure about it." I was still trying to be respectful to the man, but I knew he was trying to get me to come out of my shell, so I did my best to drop the honorifics. It was still a bit weird to me, but I figured that repetition would help ingrain it into my mind. "How do I look father?" Ameri called out to Henri as she descended the stairs, having changed from casual clothes into something more akin to an outfit one might wear on a fancy date. She wore a black sleeveless dress made of silk, over which she had a dark red shawl. Her red hair was tied into a long ponytail that stretched down nearly to her ankles. She looked stunning to me, and I was beginning to wonder if I was in the presence of royalty. "You look wonderful as always darling."