Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 103: Mighty Aygor

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10th Muriel, 1093.

"... Hello, Hello,

Can't you hear my voice?

Hello, Hello,

Can't you hear my song?

Hello, Hello,

I am standing here, right here,

Why can't you hear me?"

Kashi felt his chest constrict as the familiar song drifted in his subconscious. It took him back to that familiar, hopeless 20 sq.m apartment. A young woman, barely out of her teens, sat in the unfurnished room, blank sunken eyes and disheveled hair robbing her of whatever beauty she once had.

Kashi—no, that's wrong.

Suzuki was huddled in the corner of the room, his school bag on the floor ahead of him. Consciously, or not, the bag seemed to resemble a wall between the vacant-eyed woman and him. From the woman's throaty voice came a song whose lyrics Suzuki had memorized in and out as he had heard it every day for as long as he had lived. But this was not the part that scared him. It was the silence that would follow when she finished singing that song. Or even worse...

The woman suddenly turned to Suzuki, an enraged, mad glint in her eyes. "Why can't he hear me? It's your fau—"

Terror seized Kashi's heart as his eyes snapped open, red with panic. Surprisingly, the song continued, but this time, something about the lyrics soothed his frantic soul. Unfocused eyes cleared, to see a beautiful petite face, adorned by a crown of aqua blue hair. Her eyes were closed, and from gentle lips suffused the song that he never thought he would hear again.

Only after he had finally relaxed did Kashi realize his head was resting on her lap, and her fingers were gently combing through his hair. He gazed at the songstress, reluctant to move an inch in fear of alerting her to his woken status. Unfortunately, movement on his chest forced his gaze downwards. Luckily, his head was elevated, or this would have been annoying.

Scratch that thought.

It wasn't very pleasant, regardless.

Kashi groaned as he weathered Kira's mocking leer. The direwolf—who retained her cub form—smirked, laughing eyes mocking the daeben. She looked up at Lunette, then back down at Kashi. Her smirk widened even larger. What delighted her even more was that she could tell Kashi wanted to throttle her but did not want to risk moving.

Intending on taking full advantage, Kira's placed her right-foreleg on Kashi's nose with a devilish grin. At least for these precious few seconds, she was Kashi's master. Kira recalled how Kashi had tortured her with that sand-like thing as a cub whenever she failed to hunt. Since then, she'd never gotten a chance to gain an overwhelming advantage as he'd had then. Now, she had it, and she fully intended to maximize it.

Kashi's eye lightly twitched as Kira's claws extended from her paws and dug into his nose. He loathed to admit, but it seriously hurt! Kira noticed the daeben's pained expression, and with a triumphant snort, hopped off the daeben. She snickered silently then dashed off for the exit, most likely to inform the others that Kashi was awake.

Realizing this, although Kashi wanted to stay as he was a little longer, he knew the others would soon arrive. The last thing he wanted was for Syèl to walk in on them. He could only imagine the grief that would follow. So, he reluctantly raised his right hand and tapped Lunette on her cheek. He felt Lunette slightly tremble from his touch and struggled to keep his racing breath in check as a pair of aqua-green eyes gazed lovingly down at him.