Side Story 1: Rifae and Est
RIFAENOTIS was not a morning person. Staying up late at night had something to do with it, but the primary issue was his terribly low blood pressure.
The day after he found the boy and brought him to his house, the morning sunlight shined brightly through his windows, and Rifaenotis struggled to keep the blankets over his head.
Let me sleep just a little longer…
Sleep was a sweet temptation, and with no reason to resist, Rifaenotis flipped over in bed, putting his back to the window. With each breath he took, he fell deeper into the folds of sleep.
CRASH! It sounded like something broke. The sound of destruction came from within his house.
Where did that come from? Why is there sound coming from my house? Aaah, now that I think about it, I picked up a boy last night and let him sleep here. Then the boy is the source… Rifaenotis sleepily concluded, and shot out of bed like he had been electrocuted. Is the boy all right?
Rifaenotis jumped out of bed and fell because in his haste he had forgotten to attach his fake leg. He frantically fumbled around for the wooden leg with eyes straining against the blinding morning sunlight. He grabbed the leg, attached it quickly, and dashed out of the room ignoring the slight wobble. The sounds were coming from the living room.
“What’s going on here?!”
He threw the door open and spotted the boy—Est—sitting on his rump. He stared blankly at the avalanche of junk sliding from the kitchen into the living room. As soon as he noticed Rifaenotis, he sharply glared at him.
“Why is it so filthy here?!”
“…Pardon me?”
Est dusted his clothes as he got to his feet. Dust floated in the air and he coughed.
“I asked you why the kitchen is so filthy!”
“…Hah.”
Eyes turned watery from too much coughing, he rubbed them and glared up at Rifaenotis. “You were still asleep so I thought I could make you breakfast as thanks for a night’s lodging and meal, but there’s nowhere to even cook in here! What do you normally eat? Where do you eat?!”
“Eh? Oh, dried meat, dried fruit, and the like.”
“That doesn’t make a meal!”
Est was so small yet his intensity packed a powerful punch. Rifaenotis was dumbfounded.
“Listen up, okay? Food is the source of life. You talk weird because you don’t eat right!”
“No, I’ve always talked this way, hon—”
“Zip it! Anyway, I’ll clean up and cook, so wait till I’m finished!” Est said, going through the room without permission and pulling out cleaning equipment Rifaenotis didn’t even know he had. Est set about cleaning as if he forgot Rifaenotis existed.
“Damn it! Even the broom is covered in filth! It was too dark yesterday to tell, but this place is a pigsty! It’s such a pigsty! The pure definition of one! Do humans even live here? Where are the pigs?!”
“I—”
Est spoke over Rifaenotis, “You’re a pervert! You don’t count as human!”
Pervert…
Rifaenotis could only wordlessly watch as Est promptly cleaned the living room and kitchen.
“…I didn’t even ask you to clean or cook for me,” he mumbled to himself.