Chapter 116

 

The next morning.

 

As I came out of the room and pulled back the window curtains, I noticed something strange that I hadn’t noticed yesterday.

 

The fact that only the time of my body has stopped, but I have spent over 200 years in another dimension hasn’t changed. I’m really…

 

“I’m really doing it naturally, am I not?”

 

For someone who had spent so much time in another world, I had no hesitation in handling things here.

 

I’m not saying that the blurred memories have become clear again, ignoring the long passage of time, but somehow… The feeling of moving like a habit.

 

However, these habits were clearly things I had completely forgotten while living in the other dimension.

 

“…”

 

Come to think of it, I naturally entered the password when I returned home from buying Dante’s clothes yesterday.

 

It was an item I hadn’t used in a while, yet the moment I got my hands on it, I remembered how to use it. Even as I thought about what this could be used for, my body was already moving on its own.

 

When I realized the identity of the strangeness, I realized that my body was definitely waiting for the day to return here. I see the habits I had before moving between dimensions slowly coming back to life.

 

It was convenient that I didn’t have to worry about re-adjusting to this dimension, but I couldn’t help but feel strange.

 

I stood there in a daze, thinking back on yesterday’s events, but then I remembered that even basking in the sun like this was just another habit, and I forced myself to take a step back.

 

Even though I moved to the side and went into the shade, a small patch of sunlight still stayed near my legs.

 

No matter which world I was in, the feeling of warmth was the same.

 

“…Ei?”

 

It was a while as I endlessly stared at the sunlight hitting my feet. I heard the door open behind me, and Dante called my name.

 

I turned around with the intention of asking if he had just woken up, yet as soon as I made eye contact with Dante, I immediately forget what I was going to say.

 

“Whoa. You really…”

 

“…?”

 

“…It feels very awkward to see you here.”

 

Dante is in my house, I mean, the house in this dimension. Yesterday, I thought it was just the clothes that made Dante look like an alien person, but now that I look at it, it seems like it’s not just the clothes that are the problem.

 

Dante raised his eyebrows as if he had heard something unexpected and slowly walked out of the room. Unlike me, who stood in the shade avoiding the light, Dante, who came next to me, stood in a position directly exposed to the sunlight.

 

Under the morning sunlight, Dante’s hair took on a more vivid color and each strand sparkled.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

Fortunately, the night spent here wasn’t all bad, as Dante woke up from a good night’s sleep and looked refreshed. Yesterday, his complexion seemed a little dark, but today he is fine again, and of course he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. Hmm.

 

He just woke up and looked disheveled, but if he was handsome like this… Isn’t the world unfair?

 

As I narrowed my eyes and looked at Dante, he looked embarrassed and asked if there was anything strange. That’s because there’s nothing strange. That’s the problem.

 

But regardless of feeling unfair, I liked Dante like this, so I reached out one hand and stroked Dante.

 

His purple-black hair was scattered here and there by my reckless gesture. If his hair was curly, it would have gotten tangled like this, yet his hair, which had an annoyingly fine texture, didn’t even show any signs of tangling.

 

While I was messing with Dante’s hair, I realized a beat later that Dante was calmly receiving my touch.

 

“You don’t even stop me from doing this?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Your hair is almost becoming a magpie’s nest.”

 

No matter how much Dante tosses and turns, he won’t be any worse than what I’ve created now. I stopped messing around and began to roughly restore Dante’s hair to its original state, when I made eye contact with Dante, whose eyes were wide open.

 

Dante, who looked confused for a moment, blurted out as if he was asking everything.

 

“Why would I stop you?”

 

“I just patted your hair roughly.”

 

“Yes, you patted me.”

 

“…”

 

If you answer that way, I have nothing to say. I suddenly closed my mouth, and Dante, who still had an expression of incomprehension, slowly smiled brightly.

 

Meanwhile, the sunlight was still lingering on Dante’s face, which only made his smile brighter.

 

Now the world seems like a stage for him to shine, damn it.

 

“Ei, you’re embarrassed now, aren’t you?”

 

“No? I’m not embarrassed or anything like that. Anyway, we need to eat breakfast.”

 

“Why are you embarrassed? Haven’t I always told you this? I like it when you pat me.”

 

“Yeah, got it. I got it, so please be quiet.”

 

“Tell me if it’s true that you were embarrassed, and I’ll be quiet.”

 

Then why not just be quiet? I quickly got out of there and headed to the kitchen, and Dante kept chasing after me, pestering me.

 

It was a peaceful and warm morning that felt like it had been a long time since we spent time together.

 

***

 

After a quick breakfast of eggs, time was rushing towards the afternoon. I looked at the calendar on the wall and fortunately, today was the weekend.

 

September… For some reason, it was neither hot nor cold. I guess it was because it was a deep fall day.

 

“Dante.”

 

“Hm.”

 

“You don’t think you can find a way back quickly, do you?”

 

Dante paused at the sudden question, but then slowly nodded his head.

 

“If I had found it sooner, I would have told you first.”

 

“Alright, then we shouldn’t be playing around like this today.”

 

As I put down the calendar with a loud click, Dante’s puzzled gaze followed me.

 

“Why can’t we just chill around?”

 

“Because I have a lot to teach you.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Dante, who had been unable to move since he came here, nodded slightly as if he understood what I meant. It seemed like he was trying to touch various things out of curiosity, but I stopped him, saying it was dangerous because they all used electricity.

 

First, I need to tell him the very basics. Well, the basics…

 

“…What do you usually teach someone from another dimension?”

 

This was the problem. I knew that there would be many things that were unfamiliar to Dante, but there were so many that I couldn’t figure out what to tell him first.

 

Should I teach with the mindset of going back to the beginning? This is a table, this is a chair, something like this?

 

Unlike me, who began to worry untimely and seriously, Dante, who had no worries, began wandering around the house again.

 

Even though I said it was dangerous earlier, he’s still like that.

 

As it was a small house for one person, the tour, which had nowhere to look, ended in a trivial way when Dante’s feet stopped in front of the window.

 

“…”

 

“…? Is there anything strange?”

 

I thought I would just look around for a bit and then step away, but I ended up standing in front of him for a long time. Even though the sunlight was stinging my eyes, I couldn’t take my eyes off the scenery beyond the window.

 

As I got up and walked to the window, I realized that the scenery outside would be the most unfamiliar to Dante. Just like I did a long time ago, right after I moved between dimensions.

 

As I followed Dante and moved my gaze outside, I saw a familiar scenery, although it felt awkward since it had been a long time since I had seen it.

 

What is Dante most curious about in this unfamiliar place?

 

Tall buildings? Cars running on the road? As I thought about it randomly, I found it fascinating that I wasn’t in that dimension.

 

Hmm, I think I have a sense of what I should teach first. The moment I was about to lose myself in thought, Dante suddenly opened his mouth.

 

“Ei.”

 

“Uh, huh?”

 

“Do all the people who live here have dark hair?”

 

Ah. When I naturally looked outside again, I saw people outside on a weekend afternoon.

I thought he was just looking at the entire scenery, yet he was watching people passing by closely.

 

I nodded and then added further explanation.

 

“To be exact, the people who live in this country are like that. Most of them have black hair and black eyes, brown at most. If you go to other countries, there are even brighter hair colors.”

 

I didn’t bother to mention that it’s not as colorful as his dimension. It’s not really that important that there are different types of hair colors, right?

 

This was the first time I realized that everyone having the same hair color could be seen as strange. As I looked outside as if I were in Dante’s shoes, I noticed that the spot next to me had suddenly become quiet.

 

Is that all he wonders? As soon as I turned my head, our eyes met as if he had been waiting.

 

When the serene purple eyes were completely focused on me.

 

“Compared to the people outside, your hair color looks particularly bright.”

 

Dante’s fingers passed my cheek and touched my hair. I heard the sound of hair fluttering next to my ear, and a body temperature hotter than mine briefly brushed my ear shell.

 

Unlike the way I had rudely ruffled Dante’s hair in the morning, it was a gesture that felt simple and even cautious.

 

In order not to let anyone know that I had a strange feeling at the moment, I focused on managing my facial expressions and picked up random words.

 

“I have an unusually bright color. In the past, I often heard people ask me if I dyed my hair.”

 

“Dyed?”

 

“Yeah. Then, there was a time when I got really annoyed and dyed my hair black…”

 

The moment I said that, curiosity began to sparkle in Dante’s eyes. I stopped talking and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

 

“…Are you curious?”