The Butterfly Effect [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 2.05ー You'd Love Me At Once...

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Kᴏᴛᴏɴᴇ

I nodded, very, very, slowly.

"Oh, you're just a damsel of a girl, aren't you?" the masquerader murmured, gloved hands ever so gently raising my chin to meet their gaze. "Full of compassion and justice. Let the crows peck out the heart of the world so long as the princess gets her happy ending--

"Watch your tongue. Slander will get you nowhere," I snarled back, swatting their hand away.

"Or what? What can those calloused hands of yours do?"

"Strangle you."

"That's harsh. All I did was compliment you,"

I furrowed my brows. "Accusing me of such selfishnesses isn't a compliment in the least!"

They mused, "Such a damsel."

Yessiree, I was having a spectacular night. I hope you can pick up on my sarcasm there. I was practically a puppet held by wretched strings, and all I wanted was my first good night's rest outside that cursed manor in a decade. A ruffled pillow, clean sheets, and an intact mattress. Heck, I didn't care if I had to share a bed with my brother. I kick a ton in my sleep--he wouldn't have lasted a night. Is one good rest too much to ask for?

We arrived at Jun's house a few hours after Hibiki. Jun and Haruka had some big conversation, staring at each other a little too much and speaking with both admiration and disgust. Daichi and I were told we were on our own after that, but we could stay with Jun as long as we felt, unless Kaosu came back for Daichi or something. The two of us made refuge in the guest bedroom, which was identical to Jun's own.

After sundown, Sora ran off with Jun and Haruka to go fetch a sword. I would have believed if they were lying, because the look she had in her eyes at the mere mention of it had her ghostly pale. Maybe I would have accompanied her if I hadn't seen it.

It wasn't long until Hibiki passed out, and I couldn't bare walking past that room for a single moment. The same way you get a shiver running down your spine--if that feeling could materialized, then it would have been creeping under the door's frame like smoke creeping through vents. I didn't care enough to investigate though.

The guest's room was bland and empty, yes, but the bed was still comfy, save for how stiff it was. I had the whole mattress to myself after Daichi rolled off. On his own accord too. It surprised me that Tomoe didn't fight us for the free room, instead taking a place on the living room couch, until Sora very specifically said:

"Tomoe's sleeping on the couch because he's too good for the floor, and too handsy in general for bed sharing. Not that he wants to get handsy with anyone, specifically. His is more of a hands-on-anybody sort of thing."

And thus, I neither wanted to check on Hibiki nor Tomoe, even if it would have been nice to converse with someone while my mind was too lively for rest.

A digital clock rested above the door, shining a prominent 2:03. Moonlight curiously peeked through the window, as if to laugh at my tossing and turning. The room would have been too bare if it weren't for a closet, empty enough to hide in. The door creaked open and closed and open and closed, repeating adjacent to the howl of the wind.

I laid awake for another twenty minutes or so, puzzled over how my brother and I would make a living in such a city, until the wind howled a bit too much for my comforts.