Volume 3 - CH 2

“Onee-san has the tendency to get into trouble or rather you bring trouble on yourself.”

“I’m always getting dragged into things. This is troubling me, too.”

“I think all of those troubles are Onee-san’s fault.”

It’s this dream again. In the same space where the boy introduced himself as Remn, the God of Darkness to me. He was dressed in black, top to bottom, which I could instantly recognize as high-quality clothing, who gave off a young master from prestigious family vibes.

How could I forget about his dream when I was awake?

The self-proclaimed God smiles, showing his white teeth.

“Do you remember your dream last night?”

“We were talking about my holiness or lack thereof.”

“At least you remember it.”

He tilted his head and laughed cutely, making him look very ungodly. I wanted a younger brother like him. God, please give me a brother.

“Maybe you should ask your parents for that instead of me.”

“Never mind, I don’t want a brother anymore.”

Having a younger brother right now would be awkward. It’s time for me to face reality and embrace being an only child.

Huh? Did I ever mention that I want a younger brother?

“You don’t need to say anything for me to understand. Because this is a dream. There’s no truth or fiction in dreams, is there?”

“Don’t think about it, clear your mind. This isn’t real, clear your mind.”

Don’t think about anything. Don’t even try to think about anything. Empty your mind. Don’t even think about meditating. Once you achieve enlightenment, even mind-reading spirits are no match for you.

Clear your mind, empty your thoughts.

“If that’s what it takes to free your mind, you’ll have no trouble. —Patrick.”

Clear your mind I love Patrick empty your thoughts I love Patrick… This is bad, Patrick keeps getting in my head and interrupting my attempts at liberation.

No matter how much he stands in my way, there’s no way I’m going to hate Patrick. I love him. Love cannon, four sixteen barrels firing at once!

“—What’s a love cannon?”

“Aaaaaaahh.”

Remn raised a valid point and I fell to my knees. I screamed as I hit my head repeatedly on the black floor made from unknown materials.

I need to wake up quickly. I would like to escape from this public execution.

◆　◆　◆

I jolt up with a groan. This is my room.

The light was softly streaming in through the curtains as I wiped the sweat from my forehead and glanced out the window.

It seems that I woke up early again.

Getting out of bed, I made my way slowly towards the morning sunlight.

The window was opened and my eyes squinted against the light. It felt good basking in the fresh, cool air.

The sunrise seemed to have reduced the worst sleep I’ve ever had to zero. But then I had a dream about God. Did my death flag just rise?

“That was a strange dream, huh.”

“It wasn’t a dream.”

“Whoa!”

I heard a voice behind me from a very close distance. The voice sounded like a boy who hadn’t gone through puberty yet.

Immediately I turned around to look around the room, but I couldn’t find the voice source.

Am I still dreaming? While trying to remain vigilant, I pinched my cheek.

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“No, Onee-san’s sense of pain is dead. I’m here.”

I heard the voice again. My feet… there’s something about it. It was my shadow, cast by the sunlight on my back.

The shadow shimmered as I stared at my own shadow. Like ripples on the surface, a dark-haired boy appeared from my shadow.

“It’s good to see you in real life, my Miko. I’m—”

I had experiences with something coming out of my shadow.

There was a monster called Shadow Assassin that would appear in the dungeon I used to frequent. They would launch a surprise attack from my shadow. It takes some time to get used to, but I can deal with it on a conditioned reflex.

The moment something comes out from my shadow, my body moves on its own. That’s how my body works.

That’s what happened to the boy who appeared from the shadows. I unconsciously kicked the boy’s chin, whose body hadn’t fully emerged from the shadow.

“—God of Darkness… aahhh?!”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I was able to weaken my kick just in time.

He was blown away and bounced off the ceiling before falling onto the bed. His well-groomed face seemed to be unaffected. Safe… safe, huh?

Holding his chin in his hands, he got up and said.

“Ouch… I knew this but Onee-san, you’re a bit rough around the edges, isn’t she?

“Sorry, it’s a conditioned reflex. Who are you?”

“As I have introduced myself in your dream, my name is Remn and I’m the God of Darkness. Please feel free to call me Remn-sama.”

The self-proclaimed God smiled as he said this. How can he be a normal human when he appears from the shadow, is he really a God?

What kind of being is God? Why does he call me Miko? Can I do that shadow technique? There are too many things I want to ask for the answer.

The most important thing is how to get inside the shadow? Compared to that, everything else is a trivial matter.

Just as I was about to ask my question, I heard Patrick’s voice from outside the room.

“Yumiela, are you awake? What was that noise?”

“Ah, that was….”

Patrick must’ve heard him hit the ceiling. He asked because he heard the commotion… wait, what?

There is a mysterious pretty boy in my bed… no doubt he will suspect I’m cheating on him.

No matter how much Patrick trusts me, I was always doomed to be misunderstood. It would be awful to be suspected of infidelity when the wedding was scheduled shortly.

The door started to move slowly as I froze in fear.

“Yumiela? I’m coming.”

“Wait! I’m n-naked!”

“What?”

When the door was about to open, it slammed shut. That would buy me some time.

Remn, the one who got us into this predicament, was sitting on the bed happily.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you wearing clothes?”

“Come on, hide quickly.”

Where do I hide him? Closet? It might expose him because it’s a common hiding place.

How is this happening? I believe he just appeared out of nowhere from my shadow… my shadow. The boy who came out of the shadows should return to the shadows. Back to where he belongs.

Instead, I yanked Remn off the bed and shoved him back into my shadow.

“Here, get back inside the shadow.”

“Ow, ow, that’s hurt. You can’t do that!”

When I shoved the boy into the shadow with all my strength, the floor creaked.

Is it not enough? I grabbed him, lifted him up and slammed him to the floor as hard as I could over and over again like soba noodles.

“Uhh.”

“Ouch, ouch, ow.”

The black-haired boy is raised and repeatedly slammed down. You can hear the bang bang bang noise.

Did I do it in the wrong direction? He came out head first, so does he go back in headfirst?

I held him upside down and tried to put him headfirst into the shadows. Moving him up and down repeatedly like the kind where you shake and a fortune slip comes out. Since brute force doesn’t seem to work, we’ll have to make a few more attempts.

“Go back, come on, please for the love of God.”

“………”

It didn’t work, he was still here.

Patrick seemed to hear my trials and errors’ noises from behind the door. He entered my room after growing impatient for waiting.

“Hey, what’s that noise?! I’m coming in!”

“Ah, please wait.”

When he saw me, Patrick’s body stiffened.

Of course, he is. His fiancee is alone in the bedroom with a mysterious, beautiful boy. It was understandable that he would be suspicious.

Don’t worry, I have nothing to be ashamed of. If I explain it sincerely, he will understand.

“It’s not what you think it is! Come on, Remn-sama, you can help me to explain.”

Huh? God, please say something. He remains silent, eyes closed as I hold him upside down. Remn, seemed to have gone limp?

Patrick, who had been standing frozen, finally speaks up.

“Finally, you’ve done it….”

Under these circumstances, it was probably inevitable that he would be suspicious of infidelity.

Also, what did he mean by “finally”? He thought I would do it someday. Am I that untrustworthy? This fact weighed heavily on my mind. I can’t help but feel pain and sadness.

That’s not what happened. It was just a misunderstanding….

“Did you finally kill someone?”

“Wait, I’m not killing anyone.”