The Boy by the Shore (Olikase Vocaloid AU)

Chapter 17: Verdant

Afternoon came and went in a hazy blur. I woke up briefly and noticed that Fukase had left a bottle of aspirin on my nightstand along with a neatly penned note and a glass of water.

I took one aspirin tablet to dull the throbbing in my head and tried to read Fukase's note. Something about staying in the cabin for a few days and a... a study? Why was there a study in a cabin in the middle of nowhere? I ended up dozing off in the middle of reading, and before I knew it, the next morning had arrived.

I awoke to the dawn sun's red rays streaming through my window—it was becoming a trend, I couldn't help but notice.

I trudged downstairs, still covered in a lethargic haze from sleep, to see Fukase already cooking breakfast for the two of us. The cabin seemed much brighter and alive than it had last night. It took me a moment to notice the reason why.

Fukase had cleaned up the place. Like, a lot.

The curtains had been properly dusted, letting daylight stream into the room much clearer; he had cleaned off most surfaces, too. The cedarwood table looked perfectly maintained—polished, even.

He must've spent the entire day yesterday cleaning, I thought. Well, it's not like he had much else to do. I felt a bit guilty about him working hard all day while I slept, but I decided not to think about it too hard.

"Good morning," Fukase said when he finally noticed me at the foot of the stairs. "You're awake early today."

"Good morning to you too." I crossed the dining area to where he was in the kitchen to see what he was making.

Pancakes.

It was all I could do to stop myself from hugging him right then and there. I hadn't had pancakes in what seemed like forever—

"I was going to surprise you," Fukase said, pouting slightly. "Well, cat's outta the bag now. Can you get syrup from the cabinet over there? It's on the right."

I grabbed the maple syrup and set the table with giddy excitement. What did I do to deserve this? I wondered as happiness bubbled in my chest. And also, why were pancake ingredients just lying around in this cabin, anyway? I resolved to ask Fukase about it later, not wanting to dim the mood.

A few moments later, he set a stack of steaming pancakes in front of me. I poured a generous amount of syrup on top and downed the whole stack within minutes. I grinned and finally looked up to thank Fukase when I noticed him staring at me.

Oh no, did he think my smile looked weird? Or, heaven forbid, was there food stuck between my teeth?

"Is something wrong?" I asked tentatively.

"Huh? No, of course not." He cleared his throat. "It's just... I'm glad that you can still smile in a situation like this."

Oh. So that's what it was.

"I mean, before, you seemed really anxious about our... predicament. So I'm glad you're doing okay," he continued.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm okay."

Fukase cleared our dishes and took them to the sink, so I stood up to follow him and help.

"It's okay Oliver, I'll do it."

"Don't be ridiculous." I nudged him out of the way to make space for myself at the sink. "I rested all day yesterday, so you don't have to worry about me." He looked like he wanted to object, but didn't say anything. I smiled triumphantly.

Suddenly, I had an idea. "By the way," I said, "I was thinking. Let's go for a walk or something. Explore the area, maybe, and see if anyone's around."