- Episode 2
That black cat had a neat personality and was just arrogant like an aristocratic lady. If my heart didn't like it, no matter how much I asked, I wouldn't answer.
Estio sighed and tried to take off his clothes.
"I got it."
"......Yes?"
sniff
Tsuki, who jumped gracefully from the tall tree, rubbed his head on his leg and meowed.
"You got it. I will present that to Estio again."
"......"
Estio looked down at Tsuki with questionable eyes. Green and yellow, the thin pupil that could be seen in the eyes of the Odd-Eye was staring at him as if stabbing him.
'Fuck!'
'Go, thank you.'
'My daughter, are you okay?!'
'I want to give you something in return, what should I give you?'
Memories of what he did not know had transferred to him. I don't know the details, but there was a girl who smiled brightly and handed me clothes in my memory.
Tsuki was clearly telling the truth. Perhaps the girl who had been saved by Tsuki must have given her a pair of clothes in return. Estio, who roughly grasped the situation, sighed and placed a hand on Tsuki's head.
"Hey, I must have been very stubborn to ask for this again."
「……」
"But you did a good job saving me. You're kind, Tsuki."
Nyaan.
Tsuki just frowned with the face of an innocent cat. Estio's black cat would often find the wrong gift in this way. On days when he was in pain due to a terrifying fever, he obtained medicine bags from somewhere and brought them well-packaged bread on days when he was so hungry and drowsy in a year when farming was ruined.
It was a way of watching him like a magpie repaying favor, and when he desperately needed something, he noticed it like a ghost and brought it back.
Of course, the timing and standard of the gift was only the heart of a proud cat, so he didn't always get everything he needed. To celebrate his coming-of-age ceremony, Tsuki bought clothes for Estio, who had almost participated in the event like a beggar.
It wasn't much to be called a prize, but Tsuki enjoyed the warm hand scratching his neck, making a pleasant gurgling sound.
"Estio!"
At some point, new guests were added. The bellbird, who was wandering in search of food, landed on his shoulder. Estio, who was wiping Tsuki, stood up with a welcome smile.
"Ah, Pyria, it's been a while."
Beep~ Beep~.
The bellbird flapped its wings and cried vigorously. Then, this time, the small customers gathered around showed their guns.
Wandering dogs, stray cats, filthy mice and even fist-sized sparrows flocked around him. Like a piper, all kinds of animals approached him and showed affection.
"It's been a while, Ben too. Ricky has a baby? The weather is cold, so be careful."
moon month!
Dogs with good hearing barked excitedly and wag their tails.
"Tsuki?"
Estio, who had been sharing greetings with the animals, looked around in search of Tsuki, who suddenly disappeared as the number of guests increased. Tsuki disappeared without a mouse or a bird. Tsuki, a wild cat that doesn't follow people, has always been like that, so Estio let out a long breath through his nose in regret. Perhaps because of the robes, his body temperature got warmer, and his snort spread out as a particularly long vapor.
crumble.
"?"
A girl came into the sight of Estio, who was looking around wondering if it was Tsuki at the sound of rustling leaves.
"...Bella?"
"Eh, that, that. Who... are you?"
It was Bella, who lived as a neighbor in a village. She was a 17-year-old girl whom Estio had not spoken to since she was very young.
Bella, with her long, voluminous blonde hair hanging down to her waist, was standing in a neat pink dress, although the colors had faded over time. She was a rare beauty in a small rural town.
Estio was always locked up in a corner of the room alone or was only intimate with wild animals, so it was in some ways that Bella, the princess of men in all villages, did not recognize him, who was dressed in a glossy white robe, away from his dirty appearance that was dripping with firewood. It was natural. Estio, who had gone crazy with that thought, took her gaze away from her bitterly.
The stray dog that sat at his feet and wags its tail croaked. Bella, who had been staring blankly at him, suddenly saw his dark hair and muttered.
"Are you sure, Estio oppa?"
"......!"
Estio suddenly shook his head. It was just a guess because she was the only black haired person in town, but it was surprising that Bella remembered and spoke to her. Bella smiled shyly and waved her hand as he looked at her in surprise.
"Today's coming-of-age ceremony, aren't you?"
"I was about to go..."
Unlike his lively greetings to the animals, he responded small and spirited. In the meantime, the animals surrounding him did not leave his side. Bella thought that she looked like a wonderful protagonist from an oral fairy tale. At first glance, Estio, who was roughly stripped of his dirt and dressed in clothes, was flowing all the way to Guiti, with his white skin and clear features.
"I was on my way, too."
As Estio, who could not understand the meaning, looked at him blankly, Bella laughed softly.
"Let's go together, brother."
A gentle hand reached out like a butterfly.
* * *
"Come on, get some drinks!"
"Take a glass of wine~ Si~ Oh!"
Although it was a cheap grain wine made directly in the village, all the people gathered at the coming-of-age ceremony received the glass with joy.
Although the purpose of the coming-of-age ceremony was to congratulate the new bachelors who became adults, it also had the meaning of opening a new year. It wasn't a crowded city, and I thought they were 19-year-old youths from the small town of Selvia, but this time there were only three people.
Two of them were girls, and Estio, who had not arrived yet, was the only man.
The village chief, who had poured a glass of wine for the two girls who were coming of age, scratched their gray hair and looked around.
"Estio, don't you think that child came?"
"......"
Estio's family exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. In my mind, it would be nice to congratulate and just bring the other two girls, but since it's a small town, one vacant seat stood out too much.
My sister, Rosette, smiled warmly and answered the village chief's question.
"He's a lazy kid. He wants to go out without washing, because it's the new year, so I asked him to wash it, but it takes all day."
The villagers who were holding glasses for a toast frowned at each other with uncomfortable faces.
"...just take it out."
"that's right."
Children who were more honest than adults could not stand it and complained. His family wasn't the only one who was reluctant to see Estio. To be precise, the entire village of Selvia regarded him as a stone between their teeth.
An uncomfortable, disgusting existence.
Such an existence did not appear on its own, but he did not want to wait and see it in front of him. Adults pretended not to win the children's request and held up a glass of wine.
"Hum-Hum. Then it's cold to wait longer, so let's say a toast……"
"Wait! Chief, hold on a second!"
Louise, a young man from the village, who Rosette was looking at, waved her hand. When the speechless village chief glanced at him, Lewis protested in a strong voice.
"Bella hasn't come yet!"
"That's right, Bella has to wait."
"How upset would that child be if I told him to toast me first?"
It was the complete opposite from Estio a while ago. Especially among young people and boys, opinions about waiting for Bella flowed strongly. The village elders also agreed with this and shook their heads.
"Now that I see it, what is it that is just empty?"
"Yeah. It's useless when we play with each other over pretty things."
"Oh! It's here!"
Just in time, Bella arrived there. In her winter sunshine, she was greeted with cheers for her bountiful blonde hair shining like her snowflakes and her pretty figure like her freshly bloomed petals.
Rosette licked her lips as she saw Lewis running away from her seat with joy.
"Bella!"
"Brother Louis."
"Why did you only come now? You didn't want to see my face, so you didn't come, so you were worried."
"Fufu, no way. It's not like that, I was about to go out, but my shoelace broke."
"What! Didn't you fall? No injuries?"
"It's okay. And on the way home, I met Estio oppa..."
Lewis hardened his expression at the name he never thought would come out of Bella's mouth. As she shifted her gaze to follow her Bella, who looked back at her shyly, the figure of Estio, who had followed her one step behind her, caught her eye.
Lewis, who had a frown on his forehead, saw Estio and his eyes widened even more than when he saw Bella.
"...Eh, Estio?"
"It's been a long time, ...Louis-hyung."
"Really? Are you really Estio?"
It wasn't the Estio he knew. Although his body was thin, he was rather tall and did not look shabby. From his white face, to the robe with flowing gwitti, and to his shiny black hair with ice cubes hanging on it, he looked like a slick master.
If you look closely, you can see that his chapped lips, flaky keratin, and open hands, etc. were unappealing, but in the rural village of Selvia, he was surprisingly handsome. Even though Bella, a famous beauty in the village, stood next to him, there was no sense of incongruity.
When Louise hesitated in embarrassment, Bella smiled and took Estio's hand and headed forward. Estio, caught by her fine fingers, followed her as if being dragged along, reluctantly.
It was then.
Paat.
Bella's unconscious flowed into his head. The unfamiliar memory that unfolded in her mind recreated her teeth, which had been sleeping deep inside her.
'Mom, when are you coming?'
'Good, wait. Let's have dinner together.'
'mom.......'
Bella grew up in a home without a father. Her mother, Bella's, who became her head of household, put her young her on her own for a living and worked her whole day from morning to night.
'Bella, I love you.'
'Me too, Mister.'
'Bella, I can give you everything. Will you marry me after the coming-of-age ceremony?'
'Of course, Dino oppa.'
'Bella. Bella. Bella.'
Bella, who grew up beautifully, dated men of all ages with a princess-like smile. She was severely lacking in affection and had a pathological affair. She was never satisfied with one man and she sometimes dated several people at once.
There was no bachelor who did not meet her in the small town. She even said she had recently met a man she was married to.
Her thoughts penetrated Estio's mind like a serpentine snake.
'boring. Will there be more new encounters? Someone who will cherish and love only me like a wonderful prince... A love like a novel.'
"Estio oppa?"
Pak.
Estio hastily removed his hand from Bella. Bella, who suddenly dropped her hand, looked up at him with big brown eyes in embarrassment.
- Episode 2
That black cat had a neat personality and was just arrogant like an aristocratic lady. If my heart didn't like it, no matter how much I asked, I wouldn't answer.
Estio sighed and tried to take off his clothes.
"I got it."
"......Yes?"
sniff
Tsuki, who jumped gracefully from the tall tree, rubbed his head on his leg and meowed.
"You got it. I will present that to Estio again."
"......"
Estio looked down at Tsuki with questionable eyes. Green and yellow, the thin pupil that could be seen in the eyes of the Odd-Eye was staring at him as if stabbing him.
'Fuck!'
'Go, thank you.'
'My daughter, are you okay?!'
'I want to give you something in return, what should I give you?'
Memories of what he did not know had transferred to him. I don't know the details, but there was a girl who smiled brightly and handed me clothes in my memory.
Tsuki was clearly telling the truth. Perhaps the girl who had been saved by Tsuki must have given her a pair of clothes in return. Estio, who roughly grasped the situation, sighed and placed a hand on Tsuki's head.
"Hey, I must have been very stubborn to ask for this again."
「……」
"But you did a good job saving me. You're kind, Tsuki."
Nyaan.
Tsuki just frowned with the face of an innocent cat. Estio's black cat would often find the wrong gift in this way. On days when he was in pain due to a terrifying fever, he obtained medicine bags from somewhere and brought them well-packaged bread on days when he was so hungry and drowsy in a year when farming was ruined.
It was a way of watching him like a magpie repaying favor, and when he desperately needed something, he noticed it like a ghost and brought it back.
Of course, the timing and standard of the gift was only the heart of a proud cat, so he didn't always get everything he needed. To celebrate his coming-of-age ceremony, Tsuki bought clothes for Estio, who had almost participated in the event like a beggar.
It wasn't much to be called a prize, but Tsuki enjoyed the warm hand scratching his neck, making a pleasant gurgling sound.
"Estio!"
At some point, new guests were added. The bellbird, who was wandering in search of food, landed on his shoulder. Estio, who was wiping Tsuki, stood up with a welcome smile.
"Ah, Pyria, it's been a while."
Beep~ Beep~.
The bellbird flapped its wings and cried vigorously. Then, this time, the small customers gathered around showed their guns.
Wandering dogs, stray cats, filthy mice and even fist-sized sparrows flocked around him. Like a piper, all kinds of animals approached him and showed affection.
"It's been a while, Ben too. Ricky has a baby? The weather is cold, so be careful."
moon month!
Dogs with good hearing barked excitedly and wag their tails.
"Tsuki?"
Estio, who had been sharing greetings with the animals, looked around in search of Tsuki, who suddenly disappeared as the number of guests increased. Tsuki disappeared without a mouse or a bird. Tsuki, a wild cat that doesn't follow people, has always been like that, so Estio let out a long breath through his nose in regret. Perhaps because of the robes, his body temperature got warmer, and his snort spread out as a particularly long vapor.
crumble.
"?"
A girl came into the sight of Estio, who was looking around wondering if it was Tsuki at the sound of rustling leaves.
"...Bella?"
"Eh, that, that. Who... are you?"
It was Bella, who lived as a neighbor in a village. She was a 17-year-old girl whom Estio had not spoken to since she was very young.
Bella, with her long, voluminous blonde hair hanging down to her waist, was standing in a neat pink dress, although the colors had faded over time. She was a rare beauty in a small rural town.
Estio was always locked up in a corner of the room alone or was only intimate with wild animals, so it was in some ways that Bella, the princess of men in all villages, did not recognize him, who was dressed in a glossy white robe, away from his dirty appearance that was dripping with firewood. It was natural. Estio, who had gone crazy with that thought, took her gaze away from her bitterly.
The stray dog that sat at his feet and wags its tail croaked. Bella, who had been staring blankly at him, suddenly saw his dark hair and muttered.
"Are you sure, Estio oppa?"
"......!"
Estio suddenly shook his head. It was just a guess because she was the only black haired person in town, but it was surprising that Bella remembered and spoke to her. Bella smiled shyly and waved her hand as he looked at her in surprise.
"Today's coming-of-age ceremony, aren't you?"
"I was about to go..."
Unlike his lively greetings to the animals, he responded small and spirited. In the meantime, the animals surrounding him did not leave his side. Bella thought that she looked like a wonderful protagonist from an oral fairy tale. At first glance, Estio, who was roughly stripped of his dirt and dressed in clothes, was flowing all the way to Guiti, with his white skin and clear features.
"I was on my way, too."
As Estio, who could not understand the meaning, looked at him blankly, Bella laughed softly.
"Let's go together, brother."
A gentle hand reached out like a butterfly.
* * *
"Come on, get some drinks!"
"Take a glass of wine~ Si~ Oh!"
Although it was a cheap grain wine made directly in the village, all the people gathered at the coming-of-age ceremony received the glass with joy.
Although the purpose of the coming-of-age ceremony was to congratulate the new bachelors who became adults, it also had the meaning of opening a new year. It wasn't a crowded city, and I thought they were 19-year-old youths from the small town of Selvia, but this time there were only three people.
Two of them were girls, and Estio, who had not arrived yet, was the only man.
The village chief, who had poured a glass of wine for the two girls who were coming of age, scratched their gray hair and looked around.
"Estio, don't you think that child came?"
"......"
Estio's family exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. In my mind, it would be nice to congratulate and just bring the other two girls, but since it's a small town, one vacant seat stood out too much.
My sister, Rosette, smiled warmly and answered the village chief's question.
"He's a lazy kid. He wants to go out without washing, because it's the new year, so I asked him to wash it, but it takes all day."
The villagers who were holding glasses for a toast frowned at each other with uncomfortable faces.
"...just take it out."
"that's right."
Children who were more honest than adults could not stand it and complained. His family wasn't the only one who was reluctant to see Estio. To be precise, the entire village of Selvia regarded him as a stone between their teeth.
An uncomfortable, disgusting existence.
Such an existence did not appear on its own, but he did not want to wait and see it in front of him. Adults pretended not to win the children's request and held up a glass of wine.
"Hum-Hum. Then it's cold to wait longer, so let's say a toast……"
"Wait! Chief, hold on a second!"
Louise, a young man from the village, who Rosette was looking at, waved her hand. When the speechless village chief glanced at him, Lewis protested in a strong voice.
"Bella hasn't come yet!"
"That's right, Bella has to wait."
"How upset would that child be if I told him to toast me first?"
It was the complete opposite from Estio a while ago. Especially among young people and boys, opinions about waiting for Bella flowed strongly. The village elders also agreed with this and shook their heads.
"Now that I see it, what is it that is just empty?"
"Yeah. It's useless when we play with each other over pretty things."
"Oh! It's here!"
Just in time, Bella arrived there. In her winter sunshine, she was greeted with cheers for her bountiful blonde hair shining like her snowflakes and her pretty figure like her freshly bloomed petals.
Rosette licked her lips as she saw Lewis running away from her seat with joy.
"Bella!"
"Brother Louis."
"Why did you only come now? You didn't want to see my face, so you didn't come, so you were worried."
"Fufu, no way. It's not like that, I was about to go out, but my shoelace broke."
"What! Didn't you fall? No injuries?"
"It's okay. And on the way home, I met Estio oppa..."
Lewis hardened his expression at the name he never thought would come out of Bella's mouth. As she shifted her gaze to follow her Bella, who looked back at her shyly, the figure of Estio, who had followed her one step behind her, caught her eye.
Lewis, who had a frown on his forehead, saw Estio and his eyes widened even more than when he saw Bella.
"...Eh, Estio?"
"It's been a long time, ...Louis-hyung."
"Really? Are you really Estio?"
It wasn't the Estio he knew. Although his body was thin, he was rather tall and did not look shabby. From his white face, to the robe with flowing gwitti, and to his shiny black hair with ice cubes hanging on it, he looked like a slick master.
If you look closely, you can see that his chapped lips, flaky keratin, and open hands, etc. were unappealing, but in the rural village of Selvia, he was surprisingly handsome. Even though Bella, a famous beauty in the village, stood next to him, there was no sense of incongruity.
When Louise hesitated in embarrassment, Bella smiled and took Estio's hand and headed forward. Estio, caught by her fine fingers, followed her as if being dragged along, reluctantly.
It was then.
Paat.
Bella's unconscious flowed into his head. The unfamiliar memory that unfolded in her mind recreated her teeth, which had been sleeping deep inside her.
'Mom, when are you coming?'
'Good, wait. Let's have dinner together.'
'mom.......'
Bella grew up in a home without a father. Her mother, Bella's, who became her head of household, put her young her on her own for a living and worked her whole day from morning to night.
'Bella, I love you.'
'Me too, Mister.'
'Bella, I can give you everything. Will you marry me after the coming-of-age ceremony?'
'Of course, Dino oppa.'
'Bella. Bella. Bella.'
Bella, who grew up beautifully, dated men of all ages with a princess-like smile. She was severely lacking in affection and had a pathological affair. She was never satisfied with one man and she sometimes dated several people at once.
There was no bachelor who did not meet her in the small town. She even said she had recently met a man she was married to.
Her thoughts penetrated Estio's mind like a serpentine snake.
'boring. Will there be more new encounters? Someone who will cherish and love only me like a wonderful prince... A love like a novel.'
"Estio oppa?"
Pak.
Estio hastily removed his hand from Bella. Bella, who suddenly dropped her hand, looked up at him with big brown eyes in embarrassment.
