Ren couldn't stop feeling the soft fabric that now made up his body. The world around him felt vast and strange, but something inside him whispered that no matter how confusing this new existence was, he couldn't give up. He was trapped in the form of a puppet, yet he still had the mind and soul of his former self.
"What the hell just happened?" he thought—or at least tried to. It was hard to stay calm when he couldn't move like before, but somehow, he found a strange peace.
The worst part was not being able to truly speak. He could only produce faint whispers, barely audible, trapped within the puppet. For some reason, his eyes—still the same honey color as before—glowed with a new intensity, as if his soul were desperately trying to be heard.
The girl who had taken him held him in one hand as she briskly walked down the street. Her pink hair was tied in a high ponytail, swaying with every step. Her posture was proud, yet there was a hint of insecurity in her demeanor.
Ren didn't know what to think of her. She was the first person to interact with him since his transformation, and though she had taken him rather abruptly, he couldn't help but wonder why she'd done it. Did she feel sympathy for him, or had she just wanted a new plush toy?
"Ugh…" the girl grunted, clearly annoyed. "This place smells so old… Hey, why do you have to be so soft? Can't you be firmer, like the other plushies?"
Ren didn't fully understand what she meant, but there was something in her tone that didn't feel like disdain. It was as if she was annoyed, yet somehow, treating him like he was part of her world. It was… strange, but also oddly intriguing.
"Do you think just because you're a plush puppet now, you don't have to talk?" she muttered as she stuffed him into her bag a bit roughly. Ren was plunged into darkness, surrounded by the cloth walls of her purse, but he could still hear her voice—distant yet clear.
"Don't look at me like that!" she suddenly exclaimed, as if she'd noticed his gaze, even though he couldn't actually move. "I know I'm a bit tsundere, but don't think I like you just because I stole you, okay? It's just… I couldn't leave you there. The shopkeeper didn't want to sell you, and that annoyed me. No one tells me what to do."
Ren remained still—confused, but also fascinated. Was this girl really a tsundere, like the ones he had read about in manga? If so, what could he expect from her? He wondered if he would ever understand the complex nature of the girl who had stolen him—or if he would simply spend his life as a puppet stuck in her bag.
After a while, the girl arrived at what seemed to be her apartment. Ren could feel the motion of her bag as she walked down the hallway. Finally, she set the bag down on a table and pulled him out, placing him gently on the surface.
"Ugh, I'm such an idiot!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "First I stuffed you into my bag like you were just some object… now, what am I supposed to do with you?"
Ren took the chance to "move"—or at least, he tried. He lifted his head slightly, his plush eyes glowing under the soft light of the apartment. If he could speak, he probably would have thanked her for not abandoning him. But for now, all he could do was observe the girl.
She looked at him as if evaluating him, then dropped into the chair across from the table.
"You know what? I don't even know why I took you," she sighed, crossing her arms. "It's not like I need you. But… there's something about you that makes me feel weird. Like you're more than just a stuffed puppet. Maybe… maybe I feel guilty about what I did. But what can I say? I'm not good at taking care of things."
Ren, though silent, felt a strange sensation as he listened to her. There was a mix of frustration and tenderness radiating from her. Despite her tsundere attitude, there was a vulnerability in her voice that Ren hadn't expected.
Suddenly, the girl stood up, picking him up with both hands. "Well, I guess I'll have to keep you around. Maybe you'll make a good companion or something… Don't give me that look! It's not like I'm happy to have a plush puppet living in my house."
Ren couldn't do much except sit in her hands, watching her intently.
"My name's Aoi," she said, almost impulsively. "And don't get the wrong idea—I'm not your friend or anything. Just… stay here if you want."
Ren, now trapped in his little plush body, realized something. Aoi didn't see him as just another puppet. She wasn't treating him like a mere toy. There was something more—something Ren couldn't quite understand. Something that kept him tied to her, even without words. His life as a puppet had only just begun, and though everything seemed uncertain, Ren couldn't help but feel that this girl had changed something in his world.
"So this is my destiny now," Ren thought as Aoi left him on the table, staring at the small, empty living room. "To be this girl's puppet… I hope this all has a purpose."
End of Chapter 2.