Ring Ring

Is this a dream?

Shiori floated fluffy in the air, looking at the other self downstairs. Shiori there is still a college student. He is busily moving around the hall in his part-time restaurant uniform.

"Sorry to be late. You can go up now."

"Ah, yes. I'll be right ahead."

Speaking to the manager, Shiori pulled into the back of the kitchen. I leave work, go into the dressing room, change into my personal clothes immediately and come out. Looks like we're in a bit of a hurry.

"Umeboto-san, you can take this home"

When I tried to return, the manager would call me back and I would be handed a white plastic bag. The letter 'Deep-fried Chicken' was floating around there. It's also frozen for business purposes that we serve in the store.

"Uh, okay?

"I really shouldn't be doing this much, but Umeboto-san is doing her best. But this expires soon, so eat as soon as you can."

"Yes, thank you"

Oh, I remember. And Poetry Weaving floating in the universe thought.

This is a memory of the past. I dream about past events that have been replayed.

Sure enough, this was a Saturday and we had a lot of customers and we were busy. Besides, my part-time child, who was due to be in the same time zone, suddenly took a break, and Shiori had to work about an hour and a half more than usual.

He leaves the store in a hurry, grabbing a bag and a bag containing fried frozen dishes, and worrying about the crust if he doesn't return soon.

But when I opened the back door, Shiori almost screamed unexpectedly. A shadow that blended into the darkness of the night appeared suspiciously illuminated by the lights in the store that leaked through the door.

A long-lasting man, wearing a black hoodie hood to deepen.

Shiori observed the man with frightened but vigilant eyes,

"... that? Could it be a crust?"

That's what I said in a distracted voice. I judged it by the height of my shoulders and the tightness of my body, even when I was wearing clothes.

In response to Shiori's voice, the man softly raised his hood. The silver hair looks like a cold moon. I knew it was a crust. Shiori rushed over to him in peace.

"You picked me up? I'm sorry I'm late. Lots of customers."

Would it have already been more than two months since I started living with Crust at this time? It was around the time when he also demonstrated remarkable learning and adaptability and became quite accustomed to life in Japan.

Crust had learned how to use vacuum cleaners, washing machines, etc., and instead of Shiori going outside, he had taken on almost all the chores, etc. To him who also does the cooking and so on almost perfectly, "Perfect daughter-in-law......!" and so on, "Shiori thought.

Though I didn't put it into words because it was going to hurt my knight's pride.

In addition to his chores, Crust did what he could. For example, picking up a part-time poetry weave that tends to be late at night.

However, the appearance of the crust is still noticeable, so Shiori did not allow it. but if Shiori was slightly delayed in his usual return time, it was often the case that the crust would pick him up this way.

I didn't want him to go out as much as possible to keep the crust out of the weird commotion, but it's pathetic to tie him up in the house too, and more importantly, I'm glad he's worried about himself, so Shiori couldn't always scold the crust for picking him up at work.

"What's that?

I noticed the plastic bag that Shiori had, and the crust asked in Japanese.

"Deep-fried chicken. You liked the crust too, didn't you?

"Oh, there's something similar going on over there."

Over there is the world of crusts. When he talked about his hometown recently, for some reason, Shiori's chest hurt a lot. Doesn't Crust want to go back to the original world? And I feel anxious and restless.

And so, in the hope that the crust will stay here forever, I'm disgusted with myself thinking about it.

The crust, of course, is determined to want to go home. If that's what he wants, I have to hope for it, too.

"It'll be heavy"

Crust took the bag from Shiori's hand and started walking. As you exit onto the street through the parking lot of the store, continue along the sidewalk towards the direction where the apartment is located.

Poetry Weave looked up when she heard a sweet talk from the front. A young couple. We seem to only be in sight of each other, intertwining flirting and gazing as we walk towards this one.

I didn't even want to take a closer look at how angrily friendly lovers looked at each other or anything, but in their hands lit by the convenience store lights, Shiori's gaze was stitched hard when.

It is the so-called 'lover connection'.

If I held hands like that with my crust, I would rub it off with honesty envy about the couple. A crust that remained silent until then opened its mouth a little further away from them.

"You really have a lot of dark hair in this country. Dark hair is not uncommon in my country, but not so many."

Shiori was paying attention to them at hand, but Crust was apparently paying attention to his hair. "If I held hands with the crust," and so on, I was kind of embarrassed to be delusional by myself, and a little vain.

A little nagging, Shiori laughs bitterly and talks to each other.

"Because that's like one of the characteristics of the Japanese. From a foreigner, he looks alike and hard to tell, and so does Crust. What? You can't tell the Japanese from their faces, can you?

From him, I guess everyone, including me, can't replace him with a flat face. That's what Shiori thought.

"Right. They all look the same."

Though a little sad, it was a poetic weave that laughed "I knew it" and tried to give it back, but I accidentally opened my eyes to the words of a continued crust.

"-- except Shiori"

She is told with a mesmerizing smile that she loves, and instantly the heat gathers on the cheeks of the poetry weave.

I didn't want to overreact, but I can't help but get upset. I praised myself for not being the girl I just found out about love.

But the crust chases after the poetic weave, which has turned red like an apple.

"Dangerous"

A crust noticed the bike running down the sidewalk from behind drew him to his side with the wrist of a poetry weave. The bike passed with nothing, so I thought my wrist would soon be released.

……

Crust stared silently at the two connected hands, then moved those hands softly. His long fingers and thin fingers of poetry weave intertwine.

Like a couple earlier, lover connection.

"Oh, uh..."

"Let's go home."

Ignoring the bewildered poetry weave, Crust walked out. Of course, keep your hands tight.

Maybe Crust, I was looking at the couple earlier, not just the hair, but also the hand. Just like me? Shiori was happy to think so. Her face becomes even more red and warm as she twitches behind her chest.

The body temperature of the connected hands is pleasant.

Wake up on a hard bed in the attic and be discouraged.

"Uh, I'm awake..."

You wanted to dream a little more, and Shiori nodded her face on the pillow. In the past, what actually happened was just replayed in a dream, but it was much more immersive to dream than to think back in my head when I was awake. I even feel like I still have the stuffiness of Crust's hand on my right hand.

At that time, Crust kept Poetry Weaving's hands off him until he got to the condo. Even after entering the room, his hands remained connected until Shiori said, "Well, I'd like to get dressed..."

Because of that behavior ——

(At least then, did Crust not hate me?

That's what Shiori thought, "No, I knew you were over-conscious?" and twist his neck. He shouldn't have hated me, but I'm not sure he was favored as a heterosexual.

I don't know how much I thought about it, so Shiori stopped guessing how Crust felt and got out of bed. Seeing the sky through a small round window, the clear blue sky in the morning was widening.

It is today that there will be a tournament of horseback riding matches in which the knights will participate. Of course, there will be a parade.

Quiet tension fills the chest. Today, for the first time in three years, I can see Crust.

With joy and anxiety, Shiori began his discipline.