The perfect | TBATE X COTE

Chapter 20: House

AN/I'm not satisfied with this chapter, but if I kept putting it off it was never going to come out.

The small wooden house was hidden in a clearing, among a dense thicket of trees. The structure, though weathered and aged by time, exuded a certain charm with its quaint design and rustic facade, the purple light only adding to those factors.

The girl approached the door, as she turned the knob of the gnawed wooden door, the creaking hinges soon announced the arrival of a visitor.

"Come in, make yourself at home." She said, though she hadn't let go of my hand since we had started walking.

With no choice but to assure her, I entered the house. The interior was cozy and modest, with just a few pieces of furniture.

To the left was the kitchen, a small space with a simple stove and a handful of pots and pans hanging on the wall. The faint smell of herbs and spices hung in the air, evoking a sense of warmth.

Across from the kitchen was the bed, covered with a patchwork quilt and flanked by a bedside table adorned with a few worn books. The mattress was lumpy and uneven, testimony to its age and frequent use.

In a corner, opposite the bed, was a lone armchair bathed in the soft glow of a nearby candle. The upholstery was threadbare and faded, testimony to the many hours spent resting and reading.

"Sorry for the mess." She said, glancing nervously around the place.

I took a step forward, following her into her house. "Don't worry."

The girl moved gently but quickly, scrubbing some areas with her hand where there was almost nothing to cleanse. "I wasn't expecting visitors." She excused herself.

I looked around her house more closely, noticing anything of interest, but her reply caught my attention. "I thought my arrival was destined?"

Her movements came to a sudden stop, and she turned to face me with an awkward expression. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her dress, and her gaze darted away momentarily before she forced herself to meet my eyes. "Ah, yes, but... mmm, you know, my dad just said. 'He'll get here' he didn't say when. So..."

"I see."

As my words hung in the air, the room fell into a sudden silence. The girl's arms crossed tightly behind her back, her eyes downcast as she shifted nervously from foot to foot. I could tell she was uncomfortable, but she tried to hide it behind a stoic expression. With a sudden sense of purpose, she strode towards the cupboard, her bare feet thumping against the wooden floor in a steady rhythm.

However, as she searched, she seemed to comprehend something and her hands froze in the middle of their work. "You... you're not that hungry, are you?" I just stared at her, not knowing where she was heading with that inquiry. "Ah, I was planning on feeding you, but I only have mana cores." She reddened slightly, but her face remained expressionless. "Lessers don't eat those, do you?"

I gave her a slight glance at the use of the word 'Lesser' was unfamiliar terminology to me. However, I still answered her question. "No."

She thought for a moment, and brightened as if something occurred to her. "If you wait for me here, there's a lake nearby, I can go hunt for a bit and I'll be right back, okay?"

I decided I was tired of beating around the bush, so I got straight to the point. "No need to. You promised me answers, so I have questions for you." 

The girl deflated as she responded to my question, her voice low and almost defeated. "Oh..." she said before taking a deep breath. "Well, okay." Despite her initial reluctance, she gave me a firm look, as if to say that she was willing to answer my questions.

I leaned in, curious about the terminology. "What is a Lesser?" I asked, hoping for some clarification.

Girl's expression tensed as she explained, "You who live on this continent are so called by us, the Asuras." Her words hung in the air for a moment as I processed what she had just told me.