Today.

whoosh

From the sky, white snowflakes gently fell.

swish

The rocky desert was lightly covered in fluffy white, but after a brief moment of being colored white, it vanished as if it had never happened.

Well, it’s a rocky desert because it hardly rains.

I’m out here for exercise.

I paused my running legs and stood on the uneven rocks, quietly looking down.

Even though I’m looking down, it’s from the eye level of an adult male. Being short, even standing on the rocks, I still see this way.

Still, this is on a hill. When I look down, the Future Hope Church village is visible below.

This village, which is one of the underground temples, has grown quite considerably. Each time I come out, the houses have been increasing little by little.

The problem is, as they increased, houses started popping up right on my exercise route.

So, nowadays, I have to go around using the hills that are farther away instead of the flat ground.

What’s strange is that even after changing my route, all the believers know it. Even through those blessed by me, I can see that there are many people running the path I took when I’m not exercising.

It’s like how people flock to a store that a celebrity has visited.

“Outsider!”

“Wow, it’s the Outsider!”

“Over here, Outsider!”

From quite a distance away, kids are waving at me.

Yeah.

That’s right.

I succeeded.

While complex sentences or information are still difficult for me, I can remember simple words.

And it’s not just the ones blessed by me; most people can do it.

But it can only be done by those with a significantly unstable mind or children.

In short, people with little warmth.

When I looked up at the endless, cold sea of the night sky, I thought that the nearby light might be something like that.

But there is a problem…

Quite far from me,

hiding in the shadow of a rock, holding tightly to her staff and staring at me is Hyungkesuni. I thought I had gradually won her favor, but at some point, it turned out like this.

I shouldn’t have used the term Outsider.

It’s obviously strange, right?

This is my mistake.

If I had used another word instead of Outsider, I might have understood immediately. But a word from a completely different world would be even stranger, right?

I can’t tell if it’s pronounceable nor if my message would be conveyed properly.

So, Outsider.

In exchange, the chance to gain Hyungkesuni’s memory slipped away.

Hmm.

That’s already in the past.

Instead of obsessing over what has passed, it’s healthier to think about what to do next. Of course, I’ve properly reflected on it to avoid making the same mistake.

Then, shall I run around this area one more time before heading back to my room?

I waved back at the kids waving from a distance and dashed along the path again.

*

A few days later, in the evening.

At a time when most people were fast asleep, someone shook Rebecca Rolfe awake.

So, when I opened my eyes, Hyungkesuni was right in front of me. And she was standing over me.

“Hello, Hyungkesuni.”

“Honestly, that greeting is too contrived, Rebecca.”

Outside the window was filled with darkness, and everything around us was very quiet.

It wasn’t just quiet; it was covered in an ominous atmosphere. Joanna, who was sleeping in the next room, couldn’t hear the voices of me and Hyungkesuni.

Normally, she would, because Joanna’s hearing is incredibly sharp.

So even while sleeping, she can recognize very faint sounds. I could physically feel Joanna monitoring my condition even when I occasionally put Rebecca Rolfe to sleep and checked around.

In other words, the silence was due to this ominous energy. Simple logic.

Hyungkesuni was standing on the bed with shoes on. My old memories were going wild for the first time in a while.

Standing on the bed with shoes on…

It’s a terrible act, but isn’t it something not too strange in this world?

I briefly thought of something else, but to be honest, this was a pretty dangerous situation.

Hyungkesuni was standing over me with her staff, the sharpened end aimed at my heart.

“You’re not even changing your complexion.”

Well, it’s Rebecca’s body, isn’t it? I won’t die; I’ll just revert back. It would annoy me a bit if a game character dies, but that’s all.

“Why do you want to stab me?”

I have a rough idea of what she’s thinking, but I’ll ask anyway.

“Don’t you know? Tell me the word that the church is using to refer to you right now.”

Yeah. I was thinking what I had guessed.

“Outsider.”

“That’s a word I coined. Can you explain why so many people refer to you as that? Huh? Rebecca.”

She seems a bit impatient, doesn’t she?

Like she’s afraid of something.

No, she’s afraid of me.

But I won’t say much. I don’t even know how to soothe her, and I don’t think she’ll think I’ll say much nice.

So just the facts.

“Yes, Hyungkesuni. That’s a name you gave me, right? So I used it.”

Oh?

It seems like Hyungkesuni’s fur has bristled. She’s looking down at me with a rather creepy expression.

“You said to use it. But you’ve never said such a thing until now!”

That’s right. I’ve never directly said it. After all, someone has always been watching whenever I meet someone, how could I say anything?

To put it simply,

ding ding ding

I’ll just say:

“Must I say it?”

The implication that I could force her to say it even without words.

Of course, it’s true.

It’s pure fact, and it’s only natural because I can do it. I never really needed to say it, and I didn’t do so maliciously!

Hyungkesuni’s grip on her staff trembles.

The veins in her hand gripping the staff are bulging. Is she going to stab me?

I’m fine.

On the first day,

I could lick those who attacked me. Even when attacked with arrows.

In other words, I can lick those who attack me. If that happens again, I can gain Hyungkesuni’s memory.

I stare up at Hyungkesuni, who is looking down at me from the bed.

I still have a smile plastered on my face.

Scary and terrifying.

But it’s the only expression she knows how to show when she’s scared. I really wonder how well those I’ve licked understand faces.

Or maybe the ones at the bottom experience all those emotions before they fall.

“You…”

Hyungkesuni stopped speaking.

So I waited. After all, I’m not the one who’s in a hurry; it’s Hyungkesuni. And I don’t want her staff to end up stuck in my chest for no reason.

“You are an Outsider that we cannot comprehend.”

Eventually, Hyungkesuni abandoned understanding.

Then she raised her hand gripping the staff and right before plunging it into my chest, she stopped.

“People close their eyes when dying.”

“I’m not a person, Hyungkesuni.”

If she’s going to give up on understanding, it’s to my advantage either way.

Anyway, I doubt I’m going to die. I might even be a little disappointed.

Hyungkesuni stepped off the bed. With the space opened up, I sat up on the bed.

When I looked down, Hyungkesuni’s footprints were left on the bed.

I lightly patted them off with my hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Who climbs onto a bed with their shoes on?”

No.

It slipped out of me without realizing it. I thought the feelings I had when I was human would be gone, but I can’t help it.

It’s such a trivial matter that maybe it has stayed with me until now?

“You seem to think your nest is important too.”

Hyungkesuni sneered. But calling it a nest is a bit too much of a term for a little beast, isn’t it?

Well, it’s not wrong.

Hyungkesuni turned from where she had fallen and looked at me. Her expression was mixed with fear, confusion, blame, and relief.

Then she pointed a small finger at me.

“No, if you see that body as a nest, you must be someone who cares for their own nest dearly. You’re maintaining your body by exercising every day.”

That’s true.

When summer turns to winter, my once small height has grown just a little bit. Still, I’m still short, but I’m taller than Hyungkesuni now.

I sat on the bed, taking a look around. The surroundings were dark as pitch. The walls were covered in ominous energy.

“What is this?”

“Magic. You might think it’s crude.”

At that, I shook my head.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Does that mean you have something more amazing?”

Hyungkesuni flared up. It’s like she heard, “You can’t do what I’m good at.” But I shook my head again.

“Being able to bless someone or convey my wishes to someone, I only learned all those after coming to this world.”

Or maybe…just maybe?

“Will you tell me about that?”

Hyungkesuni stared intently at my face, then quickly turned her head. The blackness that tainted the wall turned into deep blue smoke and disappeared.

“No.”

Is it indeed a technique of the inhuman?

“Isn’t that what you’re best at, Hyungkesuni?”

Ah, strangely, the walls of my heart have come down now.

But she never said she would tell me in the end.

Things don’t always go as planned. So, maybe I should tease her a little.

“No, what you’re best at is smiling when you’re scared.”

Hyungkesuni, who had turned her head, looked back at me. She appeared to be very surprised.

Hehe.

Yes.

I can read your expression.

I made a show of holding my cheeks with both hands and smiling. I’m not human, so I won’t close my eyes when I die, but…

“People should smile when they’re happy.”

Hyungkesuni glared at me, then quickly left the room.