I brushed my teeth beside the lovely Ms. Elf, and she glanced at me through the mirror. She blinked, her purple eyes like sparkling gemstones under the morning sun. Her hair was white like cotton, and her youthful skin looked radiant. She wore pajamas with a sheep design that included cute little curled horns on her head.
After rinsing out her mouth with some water, she wiped it with a towel. Her amethyst eyes then met mine directly instead of through the mirror this time.
“The mornings are getting colder and colder,” said Marie. “What do you use to stay warm in this world? I haven’t seen any chimneys on the houses here.”
I rinsed my mouth, wiped myself with the towel she had handed me, and turned to her to respond.
“Usually, we use AC or gas heaters in the city. You can find fireplaces in colder regions like Aomori. Oh, and around here, it’ll get colder than where you grew up.”
“Oh, that sounds awful. I really don’t like the cold. Whenever someone was hogging the spot in front of the fireplace, I’ve always thought about moving them out of the way,” she said as she frowned, which got a laugh out of me.
The forest where she and her elven tribe lived had a very mild climate. It only snowed lightly there, if at all, and she didn’t do well with extreme cold or heat because she was so used to that comfortable environment. To be honest, I kind of liked it when she complained like this, so I just chuckled as I left the washroom.
Marie followed me with my sleeve in her hand, bringing up one random topic after another. Come to think of it, I didn’t just like when she complained; I also liked talking with her in general. She was in a better mood than usual because it was my day off, and so was I.
We returned to our room to find a woman spreading open the newspaper. She glanced at us as Marie and I chatted, her long black hair tied back behind her head. But she said nothing and simply went back to her newspaper as if she was used to our noisiness. The woman had taken a liking to wearing glasses, maybe because I had told her she looked smart in them last time. Combined with the long skirt, she almost looked like a different person.
She was usually lazy in her cat form, yet she was enjoying the morning sun with a cup of coffee with plenty of milk today. According to her, she had come to Japan for the first time in a while since there was something she wanted to look into.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Good morning, Wridra. Have you sobered up yet?” I asked.
“Hah, hah, I can sober myself whenever I wish. Whenever I am inebriated, it is because I choose to be.”
Wridra had a high tolerance not only for alcohol but the cold too. Her outfit left her upper arms bare, even though we were already heading into winter. Her exposed collarbones and smooth, shapely nose made her look like a model. She didn’t like to wear makeup and only used lipstick or gave herself a manicure at most.
She held out her empty mug, and I accepted it smoothly without thinking about it, perhaps because of my time working at the mansion. It was almost like I was her servant, but I shrugged it off and walked toward the kitchen to brew some tea.
Part of the reason Marie was in such a good mood was due to her friend Wridra being present. The elf girl walked over with a bounce to her step and sat next to me, with her eyes full of joy.
“Do you get cold when you’re a cat, Wridra?” asked Marie. “Do you think we should get a heater?”
“A soft futon and some warmth would be nice, although the cold does not bother me too much. Unlike a certain elf who cannot handle a little chill,” replied Wridra with a teasing smile.
Marie puffed out her cheeks a bit and said, “No fair! You can’t compare me to a cat covered in warm, fluffy fur. I may not like the cold, but that went for everyone else around me.”
“Then you should have that man buy you some warm clothing,” suggested Wridra. “Wear something that covers you up to the neck. Even the cold winds should not bother you. That one is thick-skinned when it comes to the cold, so do not hesitate to raise your concerns.”
With my back turned to them, my ears perked up when they mentioned me. I had grown up in Aomori but had moved here in my later elementary school years, so it wasn’t as if I was remarkably tolerant of the cold. This year, it would be best to get some real thermal clothing and a heater.
As I considered this, the kettle went off with a high-pitched whistle. I turned off the stove, then I recalled something.
“Marie, can we use Fire Lizards as heaters? Like when your jellyfish spirits helped us in the summer,” I said.
“Hmm, that would be difficult,” Marie said. “They’re very curious creatures, so it could be dangerous to bring them out here. I might keep them contained. They could wander off and start a fire, which is why they’re prohibited in a lot of cities in the other world.”
That sounded scary. Since we lived in a condo, a fire would put other residents at risk. It was probably better to use a gas-powered heater or something instead.
We had already eaten in the dream world, and there was no need to prepare breakfast. All I had to do was make some tea we’d brought over to enjoy this refreshing morning. Going into the dream world also benefited us financially. We could probably even bring some food back here if we wanted to. Even though Wridra usually did her own thing, Marie was a hard worker and a savvy shopper, so she had been helping me a lot with household finances and chores.
I brewed some tea and turned around to find the ladies talking about their outfit for the day, chattering away as if they were close sisters.
“We’ll be meeting up with the Ichijos today, so you two should try to figure out your outfits soon,” I said.
“Okay!” they said in unison and giggled. I couldn’t help but smile at how in sync the elf and dragon were.
That was how my day off began.
§
A man groaned as he stared at a car. He was a man who lived in the same building as me and was the husband of Kaoruko Ichijo.
When I saw his overweight body, I couldn’t believe he was the same boy I’d seen in the dream world. I couldn’t blame Kaoruko for getting so excited on the other side after seeing how much he had changed. Yet when he turned around, he had that same friendly smile on his face.
“I was never really into cars, but I envy you for having one,” said Toru.
“It wasn’t friendly on the wallet, though,” I said. “I’d always dreamed of having a car since I grew up in a rural area, but I was seriously considering selling it before Marie came here.”
Toru made a face as if to say he understood how I felt. Transportation was so convenient in the city that there was no need to have a car. That convenience melded into the high rent, making paying fees for parking and vehicle inspections difficult.
As we were talking, the ladies stepped out of the condo building. Marie waved, and Kaoruko was behind her in an outfit fitting for the autumn season, looking at us with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Her attire was more youthful than usual, and I assumed Wridra had something to do with that. The Arkdragon had been learning more about fashion by the day and making a game out of honing her feminine charm. Toru was dazzled.
“I get it,” he said. “When you’re with an adorable woman, you want to drive them around everywhere.”
“Exactly. That’s why I kept the car, even if I had to tighten my budget elsewhere,” I said.
“You did the right thing,” he agreed, and I nodded.
I opened the passenger-side door for Marie as she stood in front of it, and she smiled. She looked a bit embarrassed as she showed off the flower-embroidered cardigan, even though her eyes sparkled with anticipation as if she wanted compliments. Toru and I swooned, which seemed to satisfy her and deepen her alluring smile.
“Good morning,” said Marie to Toru with a bow, then turned to me. “Sorry about the wait.”
Toru glanced at me as if saying the greeting with her beautiful voice was too much for him. I couldn’t blame him since she had that effect on people. Marie knew this and looked at me with her lovely amethyst eyes.
He looked back at the car and shook his head, indicating he wished he had one too. But I wouldn’t let him have it. Guys were capable of communicating wordlessly like this.