Chapter 13: Chapter 3: When the Sun Goes Down (2/2) [CHOICE POLL]

 

I slowly made my way back home. It was night, and the fields were peaceful. I could hear beasts in the distance, but they were too far away for me to have to worry about them attacking me.

"What a day… "

I complained as I looked back at the Radiant City. Its bright lights lit up the land. Everything in me didn't want to go back, especially after that battle with that demon. My shoulders slumped. I sighed and continued my way back home.

When I saw my cabin, my relief couldn’t be mirrored. There it stood, alone in the land, just how I should be. As I approached, a bright pink-haired girl came running in front of my cabin. With both her arms spread out, she chased a bunch of fireflies and butterflies as she cut through my grass. I was surprised to see her again.

 

 

“Zoom! Zoom!”

She made strange noises as she played with the outdoor animals. Nothing could take away how adorable she looked. The pain in my body became background feelings as everything focused on her. It was like she numbed the ache as she spun about, freely enjoying her time out there.

“Mr. Wings! Mr. Wings!”

She cried in joy. The moonlight cast an off blue light on her as the fireflies lit up her body, making her appear nothing short of magical. Like a bird to her nest, she put out her wings and soared into the nearby bushes right behind my house. Suddenly, the pink bunny appeared again from the bushes. She danced around then ran into the nearby forest, the place I found her yesterday.

“She… likes being alone, doesn’t she?”

I asked myself with a smile on my face.

“Could she be… like me?”

The thought of it warmed my chest a bit. It made me want to watch more. Admire the way she enjoys the nightlife. I removed my jacket and set it on the porch. As I felt the ripped fabric my mind... couldn't stop thinking about that bunny that ran by.

“Hm…”

My home was right there. I could go inside, take off my clothes, take a nice bath and go to sleep… but I found myself drawn to her now. My cabin faded in the background as I walked towards the forest.

"Just a little peek won't hurt… "

Silently, I convinced myself. Maxwell told me to avoid people, stay in the shadows, and live a peaceful life. But this person reminded me… a lot of myself. This bunny enjoyed her solitude in the night… and I became a little interested in her because of it.

Slowly, I approached the edge of the forest. When I walked inside, I found myself in a scene similar to the one the previous night.

 

 

Casting a beautiful glow in the moonlight, that pink-haired girl was on her knees. She reminded me of a princess from those fairytales with all the wildlife around her. They would run up her legs, arms, and some even her shoulders. Fireflies would light up the isolated space, and butterflies would suspend their bright blue wings above her.

“Hehe, zoom!”

My lips curled every time she would make those strange noises. It was the kind a child would make because they lack the shame and self-awareness associated with embarrassment. Just to have fun for the sake of having fun, that's what this timid loner reminded me of.

“Oh, a bunny!”

Her tender voice spoke up as a bunny ran to her. It was pure white, like a cloud as it jumped around her. Suddenly, it jumped in her arms, and she held it close to her cheeks. It wasn’t long before many others surrounded her too. It was as if she attracted them to her… just by being as sweet as she was.

“…That’s nice.”

I whispered. I knew when to take my leave. As I backed up, the fatigue of the day made me a tad dizzy, and I clumsily stepped on a branch. The crack under my shoes caused the life around her to scatter in an instant.

“Ah?”

Suddenly, she looked at me. I looked at her. We met eyes and, before she could run, I called out to her.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

 

 

The fatigue finally kicked in, and I fell to the grass. My knees hit the dirt, and my hands caught me from faceplanting into the ground.

“…Sorry…”

It was the only thing I could say. I was… too tired to stand. So, I sat on my bottom and tried my best to look up at the coy girl. I was dizzier than ever. The pink bunny took to her feet. She looked as though she was about to start running from me like I was a monster.

"…Again, sorry for scaring you… I was just… "

Before I knew it, I closed my eyes and fell to the side. I wasn't sleeping, just in a slight haze as I laid my cheeks on the grass.

“Are you… alright?”

Her soft voice whispered in my ear. Before I knew it, she held my shoulders, and I felt a cushion on my head. I wasn’t able to identify what my head was lying on yet. My body was too weak to even move around. It was then that the fireflies returned, lighting up the world around me. With that crisp moonlight tricking in… it made me appreciate the night more.

“… I like the night.”

I whispered. That alone took a lot out of me. I'm not sure why I even said it, but I did. It was then that a soft hand was placed on my head. From that, I concluded what was happening… This pink bunny put my head on her lap… and she was treating me like a small animal.

 

 

“Ah… oh… ah… are you okay?”

She asked again…

“…It’s just been a long day. T-Thank you, I guess?”

My cheeks warmed up as I realized what was happening. I felt guilty as I tried to lift my head, but her touch was like a numbing spell. My body wasn’t hurting… but it wasn’t reacting to my movements either. I could feel her gentle hand brush my hair.

“… You don’t have to do this. My home… is right there. Sorry… I guess I was spying on you a little.”

She didn’t respond… but she caressed my head with compassion. Out of her tender lips, she spoke.

“It’s… okay.”

The peace she brought made me at least want to… know her name. My focus drifted in and out… but I had to keep myself awake, or else the night terrors would assault me and probably scare her away for good.

“My name is… Feodora Cicer.”

I pushed out as my cheeks went deeper into her thighs. They were like pillows, and everything in me wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep. Bunnies approached her again, but this time they jumped around me too. I… didn't understand how she attracted them like this.

I was in a daze and couldn't make out what was actually happening. But I forced myself awake… I didn't want this coy girl to see that side of me. I... didn't want her to see me scream like a banshee.

Strangely, she didn't answer me. She just continued to rub my head.

“You know… I like the night.”

I confessed, trying to keep myself awake.

“It’s quiet, peaceful… and lonely, but I like it.”

How gentle my voice felt was a surprise to me. The timid girl brushed my bangs back with her fingers. This reminded me of when I was little, Maxwell would do the same as I laid down.

“Is that why you’re out here alone… because you like the night too?”

For a moment, she looked away and gazed up at the trees. Her bright eyes stared there for a moment. With her free hand, her thin fingers touched her lips, and she nodded slightly.

“…Me too.”

I calmed my excitement as I smiled brightly at her.

“Do you always come out here at night to play?”

I curiously asked. The pink-haired bunny just continued to pet my head.

"... Do you like playing out here?"

I tried my best to get at least an answer from her. She was so mysterious as she coyly looked about. She waited for a moment, looked back over her shoulder, then turned back to me. Out of her lips, soft words finally came out.

“…N-No... I-I mean… yes. A-Ah… are you going to make me leave?”

Her voice was a tad shaky, and that started to worry me. It woke me up a bit, and I noticed that I had little to no anxiety around her… unlike others. I firmly shook my head from side to side, casually brushing her thighs as I did.

“N-No, I wasn’t going to make you leave...”

“R-Really?”

 

 

With all the energy I could muster, I got up and off of her thighs. The animals around us didn't scatter like before. No, they continued to bounce around us. It felt like I became a piece of this picture now. As if I was a small animal that belonged in this space.

“P-Please continue to play… I’ll leave you be.”

I slowly got to my feet. The pain in my body wasn't there any longer. The pink-haired girl took to her feet too. With us being this close, I could see that she was slightly shorter than me. Her body seemed slim, and she wore a backpack that was dark blue. That only added to her unique charm.

Her eyes looked me up and down as she put one hand behind her back.

“Ah… my name is Feodora Cicer. I live in the cabin nearby."

“Yes, you told me...”

She smiled…timidly. Embarrassed, I looked to the side too. The wildlife around us bounced about at my feet. The mysterious girl bent down and patted a white bunny. She didn’t say anything else as she let them touch her hands and jump on her shoulders like before.

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I watched in amazement as they tenderly flocked around her.

“Yuuna…”

She whispered. Closing those bright pink eyes of hers, she confessed.

“Hm?”

I tilted my head. I wasn't sure if I caught her words right. They were light as a feather and made my heart… throb a bit.

“My name is… Yuuna.”

She finally expressed, showing me her bright pink eyes. Yuuna got to her feet, looked back at me, and held her chest.

"But… I'd like it if you'd call me... Yuu Yuu, though."

My eyes lit up as I was finally able to put a name to the face. After seeing her last time, I couldn't get her out of my mind for a while, I'll admit. But that was a distant memory. She was a girl named Yuuna who liked to be called Yuu Yuu.

“Alright, Yuu Yuu.”

I was finally close to her. Because of that, I could see her uniform was just like Vivian's. It begged me to ask the question.

“Yuu Yuu… do you know someone named Vivian Heart?”

For a moment, she turned to the side. Her expression darkened momentarily then, with a shake of her head, she concluded.

“Nope.”

Timidly, she walked to the side, and all the animals around us scattered into the forest. It was strange but magical as they did this.

“I got to go… F-Feodora.”

The bunny began running into the forest. Timidly, Yuu Yuu put her arm behind her back and scratched her cheek.

“I-If… I come back…  would you play with me?”

Her words sank into my chest as I stepped forwards. I knew nothing about this woman. The thing that first captured me about her was her love for the night. But that alone… made me want to know more about her.

“… S-Sure.”

I agreed. Never have I ever wanted to get to know another person like her before. People are… stressful to deal with. But Yuuna wasn't like that. Her presence felt calming… and that alone made me a bit more… excited when I saw her.

With a bright smile, she ran away into the dark of the night. How someone so bright and alive could be so mysterious. I closed my eyes and put my hands on my hips.

“… I guess today wasn’t so bad, was it?”

I concluded as I made my way back home.

 

---

 

As I lay in bed, awaiting the night terrors to assault me, I began to question what happened in the past few days. More than ever… I associated myself with others.

 

Jade is a strong-willed woman who will do anything to reach her goals.

 

 

Eve, a slightly shady but hard-working consultant. It was strange that she didn't remember interrogating me… or even the events surrounding it. But then her abilities in battle were precise, calculated, and in the end, we survived because of her.

 

 

Vivian Heart, a tenacious girl with a seeming heart of gold. Justice was her priority, and she still has a long way to go in terms of fighting and decision-making, but… she is a genuinely kind individual.

 

 

Then there’s Lana Pasco, the little sister of the one they call a goddess, Abigail Pasco. They have a cult following that even has the chance to rival the Radiants if they don’t keep tabs on them. I fought Lana… I’m just lucky none of their followers retaliated against me, I guess.

 

 

But something was captivating about Abigail. For a brief moment, after she suggested "dancing for her…" as ludicrous as the idea was, it came into my mind briefly. There’s a reason why… people follow her, I guess.

 

 

And then…there was the human and demon, Mellissa Ann Cafree. She was dangerous and someone I better avoid if I wanted a longer life. But then she had another side to her that Jade brought out. I… have no idea what to make of her. All those kisses and touches were like sensory overload for me. Mellissa… is a lot to take in.

 

 

But then…

After the long day…

I was able to meet the one person who actually made me feel calm…

Yuuna or Yuu Yuu as she likes to be called. A recluse, like me, who seemed to be so kind and gentle. Something is strange about her… and it makes me want to know more about her. And that never happens when I meet people. Something about her… is special.

 

 

 

My goal wasn’t changing. I need to solve this mystery so I can live my life in peace, and that starts with finding the woman who attacked me during our investigation. That orange-haired woman… was the key to my freedom.

“Jade told me to take tomorrow off… I’ll decide what I should do then.”

I closed my eyes and let the horrible night terrors assault me…

 

---

Radiant Age, April 4, 1127

---

 

When I woke up, my pain was nearly gone. The medication I took last night did wonders, just as Mellissa told me it would. My room was a mess, pillows in strange places, things knocked to the floor.

“…I really did a number on my room.”

Slowly, I cleaned up the place. It took around ten minutes or so. Once it was finished, I noticed it was very early in the morning.

“Well, I have the entire day to relax.”

With a smile, I thought about it.

“I’m still curious about those phone… things. But I might not have the money to even get one.”

I walked about my cabin. The floors creaked as I went into the kitchen.

“I can use my day productively and look into these missing people without Jade hawking over me… The sooner I solve this mystery, the faster I get back to my normal life. I do have a promising lead regarding the Baron Group… If I go alone and look around, I might find something.”

I sighed.

"Or I can get a few things from the city and come back home quickly. I still need those tomatoes."

I crossed my arms, thinking about it.

“But then… I could just spend my day here… not socializing with anyone. That… sounds wonderful too.”

 

---

[Choice]

 Talk to Jade about the investigation. (Jade) LOCKED UNTIL 3 ROUTES ARE COMPLETE.

Go look at phones. (Vivian Heart)

Look into the investigation more. (Eve Seed)

Search the Baron Group for clues. (Lana Pasco)

Question the Baron Group Leader (Abigail Pasco) 

Pick up supplies. (Mellissa Ann Cafree)

Stay Home. (Yuuna)

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