Roommate Wanted. No Betrayers.

Chapter 2

Even though Mumei's house viewing didn't last long, Kronii couldn't help but feel exhausted after she had left. Was she really this out of practice at interacting with Humans? To be exhausted after an hour and a half? Was it even exhaustion at all?

"Urgh, even thinking about this is too much energy." Kronii groaned, falling into a heap on her couch, soon to once again not be just hers. "Only two more days here alone huh?"

Kronii's gaze drifted across the spacious living room, years of history replaying in her mind between the furniture, she remembered everything that had ever happened here. That was her blessing, her curse. Every shared meal at the table, every movie night, every little moment of gentle unspoken affection. Did they even remember half of it? Maybe it's easier to forget when it's not always all around you.

Before she knew it her phone was in hand, contacts were open, and a trembling finger was above her name. Kronii's heart beat hard in her chest as she contemplated closing the centimetre gap between finger and screen, and then, it was done. Her screen lit up with that silly selfie she'd set as her contact image two years ago, tongue out, face scrunched up, two delicate fingers throwing up a peace sign.

Kronii had always lied, and said she didn't know how to unassign it. She'd never once just admitted how happy it made her, how even this photo would make her heart flutter when she got a call. It was too late now. She pressed the button to open the messaging history.

Happy New Year! 1/1 Unread

Merry Christmas! 12/25 Unread

Will you be coming back for the Holidays? 12/1 Unread

Hey. 11/14 Unread

She didn't need to scroll. She knew exactly the last message that was read. The date and time lived in her head along with everything else she couldn't forget.

Kronii sighed. This little reminisce session wasn't helping anyone, least of all her. "I should at least try to tell her, shouldn't I?" She muttered to herself.

Hey, I finally rented out the third bedroom. Thought you ought to know. Hope you're well.

Kronii's finger hovered over the send button as she reread her own message over and over. "Come on Kronii. It's one message. Not like she's gonna read it anyway."

Kronii pressed send.

Mumei's move came and went and for a couple of days Kronii barely felt the difference. Mumei would leave for work before she woke up and invariably returned after she had started streaming for the night.

This didn't bother Kronii too much. She'd not expected a roommate to cure her of her loneliness right away. Still, a little bit of her couldn't help but look forward to the first day off they both shared.

"Hey, you have tomorrow off right?" She'd casually asked the night before while pulling a drink out of the fridge.

"Mhm!" Mumei nodded,"Finally! I've been really busy at work so I've been looking forward to having a break!"

"Any plans?"

"I was going to just stay in honestly."

"Cool. You wanna hang in the lounge, watch some movies, play some games or something?"

"Yeah! Sounds nice." Mumei smiled.

Back in the present, Kronii busied herself with making breakfast, as a sleepy Mumei watched on.

"Are you secretly a morning person?" Mumei asked between blowing on her morning coffee and attempting to sip it. "How do you have this much energy?"

"Just cause I wake up after you doesn't mean I can't be a morning person." Kronii shrugged, omitting that this morning she'd already been up three hours after not accounting for the fact Mumei would sleep in on her day off.

"I have wondered what your mornings are like. When do you normally wake up?"

"Uh, like 9:30? I don't set an alarm or anything so it varies a lot." Kronii said, placing a plate on the kitchen table and sliding it over to Mumei.

"Sounds nice, maybe I should start doing later shifts. I picked up the morning ones because Bae didn't have a spare key so I had to be out of the house when she was."

"Oof." Kronii said, placing her own plate down. "How long were you living like that?"

"Uhhh..." Mumei tapped her chin. "A couple of months? I don't really remember sorry!"

"Oh, no worries. If you want my advice-"

"And I do." Mumei interjected with a sweet smile.

"Ah, well that's good, er" Kronii stammered, feeling her cheeks getting just a bit hot. "I think a lot of the time, people can be quick to change habits that are just fine just from some, like, weird aversion to habits in general?."

Mumei was quiet, her face ponderous.

"Not that I'm saying you absolutely shouldn't change, or that I'd dislike our schedules matching up more or anything." Kronii rambled in lieu of a response.

"Kronii, it's okay." Mumei giggled. "I'm taking your advice and thinking about it."

"Ah, right." Kronii mumbled, her cheeks practically burning. "Well, uh, better start eating, before it gets cold."

In a remote corner of the southern hemisphere, under the bright summer sun, a girl wipes a bead of sweat from her brow with the outside of her wrist. From her small bag, she pulls out a phone to check the time, and for the first time in months, realises she has reception.

A flood of texts fills her notifications, many spam, but one notification draws her attention more than any other. She smiles as she reads it, and types a reply.

Meanwhile in the cold dark northern hemisphere, the phone of Ouro Kronii vibrates face-down on a coffee table, unnoticed against the background noise of Mario Kart and loud conversation, proudly displaying to nobody.

1 new message from Ceres Fauna.