On the Run with a Ghoul!

A Ghoul's Morning of Confusion and Cinnamon Buns

Yulia rubbed her bleary eyes as she sat up from the couch. She expected to find Tom by her side, but instead was met with the stoic gaze of Ms. Emiko. The elder woman furrowed her brow as she looked down at the young soul sorcerer.

"How did you sleep?" she asked, her tone sharp.

Yulia felt a shiver run down her spine. She hadn't expected Ms. Emiko to be in such a mood this morning. Nervously, she replied, "I-I slept okay. Where's Tom?"

Ms. Emiko's frown deepened. "You should give him some space," she replied, annoyance in her voice.

Yulia's confusion only grew. "Space? What do you mean?" she asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Tom needs time to figure things out for himself," Ms. Emiko replied, her tone softened a little. "He's been through a lot lately, and he needs to process it all. You should respect that."

Yulia nodded, though she still felt a little uneasy. She didn't like the idea of Tom being away from her, especially not when she felt like they were making progress with their relationship.

But she knew better than to argue with Ms. Emiko. The elder woman had always been like a mother figure to her, and she trusted her judgement. So, she decided to focus on her own personal growth and training for the time being.

"Ms. Emiko, where's Erdwin?" Yulia asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Erdwin is out with Tom on a coffee date," Ms. Emiko replied in her usual monotone voice.

"A what?! I didn't know they were dating!" Yulia exclaimed in confusion.

"No, no, no. Tom needed a breath of fresh air, so Erdwin took him out for a walk," Ms. Emiko explained.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?! I was so confused!" Yulia yelled comically.

Ms. Emiko simply shrugged and walked over to the kitchen to prepare Yulia's breakfast. "Here, eat this. You'll feel better," she said as she placed a plate of steaming eggs and bacon in front of Yulia.

Yulia dug in eagerly, still feeling a bit disoriented from the events of the previous night. As she ate, she couldn't help but wonder what Tom was up to and why he needed a break from her company. She knew she could be a bit much at times, but she never imagined he'd want to take a break from her.

Yulia's eyes widened in surprise, nearly choking on her food as she felt Ms. Emiko's hands on her hair. "What are you doing?" she asked, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening behind her.

Ms. Emiko simply chuckled and continued to braid Yulia's hair. "I heard a rumor," she began, "about a young ghoul who fell in love with a blind human girl. The two of them were happy, but then the ghoul's father found out and tried to kill the human for weakening his daughter. The two went into hiding, splitting up so the human could stay safe."

Yulia listened intently, her face growing more uncomfortable with each passing moment. Ms. Emiko noticed and stopped braiding, giving Yulia a worried look. "Why didn't you tell Tom about this?" she asked. "I can see how he feels about you, and I think it would have been better for both of you if he knew."

Yulia sighed and looked away, feeling a mixture of guilt and sadness wash over her. "I don't know," she replied softly. "I didn't want to hurt him, but at the same time, I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth. It's complicated."

Ms. Emiko nodded understandingly and placed a hand on Yulia's shoulder. "I know it's not easy, but you have to be honest with him. He deserves to know how you feel, even if it hurts him. It's better than leading him on."

Yulia sighed, knowing deep down that Ms. Emiko was right. But the thought of having that conversation with Tom filled her with dread. She pushed the thought aside and tried to focus on the present moment, finishing her breakfast.

"Erdwin walked into the room with a confused expression, the smell of cinnamon buns in the air. "What are you two up to?" he asked, looking between Yulia and Ms. Emiko.

Yulia put down her fork and looked up at Erdwin, "Is Tom back yet?"

Erdwin grumbled and shook his head, "No, he's still at the café with Lily."

Yulia raised an eyebrow, "Lily? Who's that?"

Erdwin sighed, "That darn soul cat decided to play in the road and almost got itself run over. Tom and Lily had to save it."

Yulia let out a wry smile, "How great," she said, feeling a twinge of jealousy. "Who is Lily?"

Erdwin shrugged, "Some girl he met at the bus stop. Apparently, she can see soul beasts."

Yulia's eyes widened, "Really?" she asked, intrigued.

Erdwin nodded, "Yep. Tom owes her coffee now, after she saved his soul cat from getting hit by a truck."

Yulia couldn't help but smile at the thought of Tom and Lily on a coffee date. She looked up at Erdwin and asked, "What are you going to do with those cinnamon buns?"

Erdwin looked down at the bag in his hand and smiled, "I was going to have them with Tom, but I guess I'll have to save them for later."

Yulia sat on the couch, surrounded by a pile of empty snack packets and takeout containers. She couldn't stop thinking about Tom and this mysterious "Lily" that he was seeing. Every time she tried to push the thought out of her mind, it would just come back stronger.

"Why does this bother me so much?" she muttered to herself.

Just then, Erdwin walked into the room with a grumble, holding a bag of cinnamon buns.

"What are you two doing?" he asked, surveying the mess that surrounded Yulia.

"Stress eating," Yulia replied, not looking up from the TV.

"And I stood in line for five hours to get these buns," Erdwin grumbled.

Ms. Emiko walked into the room, a smile on her face. "Amused as usual, I see," Erdwin muttered.

"Well, it's not every day that we get to see Yulia stress eating," Ms. Emiko said with a chuckle.

Yulia just sighed, feeling overwhelmed. She didn't know what to do about her feelings for Tom, and now there was this Lily person in the picture. She just wanted to curl up and forget about everything for a little while.