After leaving the restaurant, I took Noah to a nearby park. The park at night was dark and empty, making it very peaceful.
“Hoooo…”
I sat on the bench and laid Noah down beside me. Noah is now asleep, using my thigh as a pillow. His eyes are swollen from crying.
Watching him made me feel sorry. The image of his once-smiling face now distorted was etched in my mind.
“Umm…Dad…”
Noah mumbled in his sleep, searching for his father in his dreams.
When I gently stroked his head, he made an expression of utter happiness.
Looking at the sleeping kid, I整理ed my thoughts.
To be honest, I did have some hesitation.
Isn’t that right?
‘Villain?’
Sure, there are many cool villains, but a villain is clearly an antagonist. As long as you live as a villain, you must accept the risks.
Getting captured, sustaining serious injuries, or even possibly dying.
For someone who hasn’t stolen anything, it’s a terrifying prospect.
Of course, one could ask:
How about joining the Association instead?
Regarding that, I can answer with certainty.
‘The Association guys are too rigid. There are also some shady aspects.’
Though it’s called the Association, in reality, it’s no different from a blacklisted company. Though I wanted to discourage Noah from joining, …
‘Listening to Father, I don’t know what to say.’
In the game, Noah received a large sum of money in exchange for joining the Association. Probably for his father’s medical treatment.
If I couldn’t prepare the money, Noah’s father would die. In other words, discouraging Noah from joining the Association means letting his family die.
“…I’ll do my best.”
Let’s thoroughly prepare.
“One year. No, it might take a bit longer.”
The main event starts next spring, not long after Noah enters high school.
I remembered.
The first boss—Orc Lord, the tutorial boss and a servant of the Demon King.
He was a demon who kidnapped people.
If Noah were defeated by him, he’d be kidnapped too, leading to a bad ending.
With little experience, Noah found it difficult to defeat the skilled Orc and had to flee inevitably.
That was exactly what worried me.
“Will Noah run away?”
…Probably not.
In the game, since I controlled him, he ran. But based on what I’ve seen so far, Noah isn’t the type to run away from an enemy.
I pondered and spoke to Kkomkmu.
‘Kkomkmu, can you absorb mana?’
‘Yes.’
‘Demons too?’
‘It doesn’t matter if it’s a demon or a human.’
Good.
Choosing Kkomkmu as a partner was definitely the best decision.
For a while, let’s secretly hunt demons and villains. Let me appear in front of Noah as soon as possible and become his rival too.
“There’s a lot to do.”
I caressed Noah’s head, who will suffer ahead.
It’s strange.
I’m not usually the type to get attached to others.
Is it because our intimacy has grown through the game, or am I just anxious about the world ending?
‘Love.’
‘Shut up.’
Even though I like Noah, it’s only ‘like,’ not ‘love.’
Chuckling at Kkomkmu’s comment, I stared blankly at the night sky.
“…Phew. It’s gonna be tough.”
“What is?”
“Just…why is life so hard?”
“That’s how life is, isn’t it.”
“Kkomkmu, you speak well. You should talk like that normally-”
“Who is Kkomkmu?”
Kkomkmu, who are you? Aren’t you…
I swallowed my words mid-sentence.
“…Did you sleep well?”
“Thanks to you.”
There was a gaze staring at me.
It was Noah.
“What time is it now?”
“Now? Somewhere around one in the morning.”
“How long did I sleep?”
“About three hours?”
Noah slowly got up. Unlike before when he was sobbing, he looked refreshed and smiled at me.
“I’m really weak against alcohol.”
“Yeah. Don’t drink anywhere else.”
“I guess I should. Phew…so embarrassing.”
The kid twisted his waist around and soon sat beside me.
“Does your leg hurt?”
“Not really. You’re not heavy.”
“Is it because I haven’t eaten much?”
“You should eat more. Next time, I’ll pack you lunch, so take it with you.”
Of course, convenience store bento isn’t healthy.
It’s greasy…high in calories. Continuously eating ramen and bento will ruin your body.
Next time, if there’s a chance, I should teach you how to cook.
Since I’ve lived alone for a long time, I have decent cooking skills.
“…”
“…”
A single streetlight illuminates us.
We silently watched the faint light for a long time.
I didn’t know what to say.
Noah probably felt awkward too.
In such situations, it’s better to stay quiet without interference. There’s no one to meddle anyway.
Such mutual understanding brought silence.
“Uncle.”
Then, a voice broke the silence.
“Thank you.”
My gaze turned to Noah.
“Thank you for listening to my worries.”
You’re welcome.
Before dinner, Noah was suspiciously eyeing me, but now he was smiling at me.
“It’s the first time. That I’ve opened up to someone like this.”
“Alright. Do you feel relieved?”
“Yes. Truly, sincerely.”
As Noah said, he wore an expression of relief.
Fortunately, before I could say something, my words were interrupted.
“Then I’ll go first.”
“Hmm, then I’ll see you home-”
“I’m fine. I’m strong.”
“That’s irrelevant.”
“What is?”
“Don’t worry. It’s something I do to feel at ease.”
I stood up and walked over to Noah.
“I’ll see you home.”
“But I’m fine…”
“I already said it’s something I do for my peace of mind.”
Helpless, Noah walked with me. Thus, we strolled through the night streets together.
About 20 minutes later.
“Here it is.”
A shabby dormitory greeted us.
“Looks worn out, huh?”
“Not really. I used to live in places like this too.”
“Where do you live now?”
“Basement. It’s decent.”
“I should check it out sometime.”
“It gets flooded during the rainy season though.”
“Ew…that sounds unpleasant.”
Afterward, we exchanged some more conversation.
Noah seemed somewhat reluctant to part.
His expression was much more relaxed. Fortunately, even if I’m not a friend yet, it seems he doesn’t consider me an enemy anymore.
Then, when I yawned, Noah started waving goodbye.
“I’ll go now.”
“Yeah. Go carefully.”
“Goodbye.”
I waved back at Noah’s retreating figure until I lowered my hand.
Now, I should go home and rest a bit.
Many things happened today…or rather, it’s not just today anymore.
“Yaaawn…”
A long yawn.
At the same time, a reproachful voice came from within me.
“Tch. So annoying.”
“Kkomkmu. Why are you complaining again?”
“Really, are you planning to end it like this?”
“What?”
“So frustrating.”
Quietly staying inside me, I could feel Kkomkmu entering my body.
There was no time to stop him. In an instant, he seized control of my body.
“Terterter.”
The footsteps moved.
“Thud.”
I grabbed Noah’s arm.
“Uncl…e?”
“…Uh…it’s that…”
Noah’s flustered expression.
I quickly questioned Kkomkmu.
“What are you doing?”
“Shut up and prepare a cool line.”
Prepare?
What am I supposed to prepare?
But my words disappeared into thin air, lingering only in my mind and firmly imprinted in my eyes.
Noah’s startled face drew closer. Noah was getting closer to my body, or rather, being pulled closer.
Until finally.
“…”
“…”
We ended up embracing Noah.
Our bodies were tightly pressed together.
So close that I could hear Noah’s small heartbeat thumping.
“Noah. This…it’s that…”
What excuse can I come up with for this situation?
Another guy inside me did this? I’ll be treated as insane.
Doing this because of love? What am I doing with a minor?
Because it’s like having a daughter? This is the worst. This is pure sexual crime.
My vision spun. We’ve just barely become friends. If Noah starts guarding against me because of this, all my efforts will be wasted.
“…Bang my head.”
Sincerely apologize. Whether I claim it was a joke or a mistake.
Maybe he’ll forgive me if I apologize.
Just as I was about to bow my head, I met Noah’s gaze directly.
“…”
It was an unfamiliar expression.
Cheeks red like a ripe tomato, his breath exuded a sweet fragrance.
Noah’s small hand gripped my shirt.
As if unwilling to fall.
“Noah?”
“…”
“Noah…?”
“…”
Noah remained silent, staring at me intently.
Thus, time passed until our body temperatures became similar.
“…See you tomorrow, Uncle.”
Noah hurriedly fled into the dormitory.
Leaving behind a deep warmth in my chest.
+++++
“Haa…haa…”
Noah, covered in blankets, clutched her chest.
“Calm down…calm yourself…me…”
Thump.
But her heart wouldn’t listen.
It pumped relentlessly, regardless of its owner’s will.
Why, exactly? Though the question lingered at the tip of her mind, she might already know the answer.
It was probably because of…
That man who shared his body heat with her.
Was it because of that? She thought it would be nice to stay like this forever.
If, perhaps, they had gone further.
If the embrace hadn’t ended and had progressed further…to the next level.
“Wh-what am I regretting?”
Thumpthump.
Noah forced down her restless heart and lay down on the bed.
Why does the bed, usually soft and warm, feel so cold and lonely tonight?
“Uncle…yeah…it was warm…”
Thumpthumpthump.
It was probably because…
She tasted that warm and kind warmth.
“…Ugh…ughaaa…! How can I face Uncle now…!”
Every time I see him, this feeling will come back, and my face will turn red.
“Ugh…ughuuuuu…! What’s wrong with me…!”
Closing her eyes brings his face to mind.
Uncle’s face.
Blue eyes, cherry-like lips, a gentle smile.
“…I must be going crazy…”
That night, Noah spent the whole night awake.
His face kept appearing in her mind.
Does Noah realize?
Far in the future, when reminiscing about this moment, her future self decided to call this memory…
The sweet memory of her first love.
“Uu…uuuuu…”
Although Noah hasn’t realized it’s her first love yet, she keeps stomping her feet helplessly, thinking of the man’s face that keeps coming to mind.
“…What should I do now…”
She had absolutely no confidence in facing the man again.
