I was still completely frozen by the time I heard the sparrows chirping outside to indicate the weekday morning had come. I finally let out a breath, coming out as a sigh heavy with the troubled thoughts in my mind.
I blankly looked out the window and muttered to myself, “Guess I didn’t get a wink of sleep...”
That wasn’t very surprising, considering there was an elf girl sleeping in my own bed. I’d question the sanity of anyone who could go back to sleep in that situation.
My eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to her. As the room grew brighter, the elf’s presence became harder and harder to ignore. Her hair gleamed like silk, and the beauty of her facial features almost made her look like a full-blown fairy. She was ridiculously pretty, with her pale skin and lips that were as bright as a blooming flower, and I couldn’t help but stare, stare, stare at her.
She was an elf, which was obvious from her long ears, and a user of Spirit Magic and Sorcery. The fact that she was sleeping in my bed was like a dream in itself, ignoring that this was, in reality, just a condo in Tokyo.
But how exactly did she appear before me? And what is that world I thought only existed in my dreams...?
I couldn’t find any answers, and I simply let out another heavy sigh.
Her name was Mariabelle. I’d always called her Marie in my dreams, and it was only recently that we became close enough for her to smile at me. But last night, we were hit with an arkdragon’s breath attack while I held her in my arms, and I woke up with her here next to me, for some reason or other. On top of that, we woke up in my bed (which was very comfortable, if nothing else).
So many questions...
But first, I’d need to make sure she didn’t wake up in a full-blown panic. After all, she was transported from the world I thought was a dream to here in Japan. If I were in her shoes, I might not be so calm with all the questions I’d have. Actually, I probably would’ve been full of excitement from the inexplicable events... but knowing that I had to tell her there was no guarantee she could go home was a hard pill to swallow.
As I struggled with those thoughts, the elf girl’s eyes slowly opened.
Her clear, amethyst eyes...
It was like witnessing a vivid flower blooming in front of me, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had some sort of charming effect. They were just that beautiful, and I could feel my heart fluttering despite my age. I simply watched as her bright lips gradually opened and uttered words in Elvish.
“...Kazu...hiho?”
“H-Hey there, Marie. Nice morning, isn’t it?”
Marie’s sleepy eyes regained their luster, and the corners of her eyebrows perked up as she looked up at me. I didn’t blame her; I mean, I looked fifteen in my dreams, but I looked drastically different now as a twenty-five-year-old.
“Huh? Wait, are you... actually Kazuhiho? Not his dad or something...?”
“Yeah, it’s me... I’ll explain later, but first, are you hurt? You got hit by that dragon’s breath earlier...”
She seemed to finally recall last night’s events and threw the blanket off herself in a fluster. I had a bad feeling when I saw her bare shoulder, but I suddenly got a full view of the elf’s skin. I looked away, but it was too late.
“Wh-Whaaaaaat?!”
It might have been the most hysteric scream I’d ever heard. The image burned into my brain was that of clear, white skin, and... Oh, I shouldn’t think about it. My face turned bright red, even though she was just a younger girl.
I heard a sound I assumed was her throwing the blanket back over her head. I was too scared to make sure, but I was pretty sure that was it. My back and neck were sweating profusely, and I could almost feel her staring daggers into me; but then, her voice trembling with rage, she spoke to me.
“Y-Y-You!”
“Sorry! I-I didn’t know, and I didn’t lay a finger on you, really!”
I’d be incredibly happy if she just took my word for it, though I’d also probably have a hard time believing that if I found myself naked in someone’s room. The real question was, how trustworthy of a person was I?
She exhaled loudly from her nose, which I took as her considering my words despite her obvious anger. We weren’t particularly close, but all I could do was hope she understood what type of person I was.
After waiting for a long time, she finally let out a sigh. “Maybe it was thanks to you... but I haven’t been hurt. I trust you’re going to explain what’s going on?”
“Absolutely!”
“Bring me some clothes first! And don’t you dare turn around!”
A pillow hit me right in the face, and I was forced to go buy some women’s clothing. I looked all over my place, but I didn’t have any sort of clothes, equipment, or bags a girl could use.
“Yes. Yes, Sir. I’m very sorry. I’ll be absolutely sure to go in tomorrow.”
I bowed my head deeply and hung up the call on my smartphone. I couldn’t help but sigh, considering I was standing in front of people in suits who seemed to be on their way to work and staring at a clothing shop that was about to open for the day. I didn’t like taking days off when I wasn’t even sick, but I had no choice. It wasn’t like I could just tell my boss I had to deal with an elf who came out of my dreams.
But... what’s done was done, so it was time to find something that fit her, without it being too expensive, of course. I was sure a cute girl like her would look great in nice clothes, but I didn’t have the greatest fashion sense. I didn’t go out often, let alone buy clothes for a girl.
“Hmm... I think I’ll just buy something for now and go get the rest with her.”
So it was decided.
I had no idea what size or type of underwear she’d want, so I’d get her the athletic type with stretch. Thinking so, I went to find some underwear and put it in my basket, along with a pleated skirt and high socks. Then I picked out a white, long sleeved shirt and some sneakers that seemed to go well with them. I wanted to at least get her some nice shoes, so it was a shame I didn’t know her size. Not that sneakers were bad, but I did spend an unnecessarily long time wondering if they’d go well with more formal outfits...
I definitely need to bring her next time...
The reason I was grumbling to myself was because I was beginning to understand that it was somewhat fun shopping for such elegant women’s clothing. They were all bright, spring colors, and the vibe of the outfits changed completely depending on the combinations. It was a completely different experience from buying men’s clothes, which aspired to have just enough “normalcy” so that you wouldn’t stick out. It was always such a shame I only ever saw Marie in robes, but now I’d get to dress her to my preferences...
Ah... I should stop myself there...