After returning to the room, they enjoyed their date, but Michael felt uncomfortable after encountering the Elf girl.
Michael kept thinking about it repeatedly, but he remained nonchalant so Chihiro wouldn't feel Michael was burdened and wouldn't ruin the date they had.
Michael sat on the sofa, opening the first volume of the Light Novel he had bought.
He was reading while thinking about the incident at the mall.
'Why do I feel like I'm being haunted? And why am I so eager to know about her?'
He turned the page of the book.
'I don't get it.'
Then he read the section where the main character in the Light Novel befriended a large black dragon.
Michael smiled, remembering something.
"I really like it. They're friends even though they're different races, but they still help each other. This reminds me of that time..."
...
Michael was adopted by the church.
When he was seven, he often saw other children being bullied because of their dark skin.
Michael, seeing the incident, felt a slight pang in his heart.
He said in his little heart, hiding behind a tree.
'Why are they doing that?'
Michael saw the boy being kicked in the head while the bullied child was curled up covering his head.
'He's a human like us, but why do they act as if they don't accept his presence in this world?'
Michael heard their faint laughter.
There were three white, delinquent boys.
The leader of the group, who was kicking the victim, was a boy with curly blond hair who clearly seemed to be their boss. His two friends only sneered.
One had straight hair and wore a white T-shirt featuring a rapper holding a mic.
The last boy, missing a front tooth, seemed to enjoy watching his boss repeatedly kick the victim.
"Feel this, you low-life, haha."
Michael gripped the tree bark tightly; he wanted to save him but saw he was too small to fight those who looked three years older.
'Does appearance influence someone's perspective?'
Then, not long after, someone ran quickly from behind the church door, shouting.
"Stop it, all of you!"
That person was none other than the eldest brother in the church.
He wasn't a biological brother, but he was older as they were adopted in the church at that time. His name was Tanaka Fuji.
Fuji, who had Japanese blood from his father and was born in Mexico, had been adopted in that church for five years.
Fuji ran toward the bullying children, raising his hand, clenching his fist, frightening them.
Then Fuji kicked the child who was stomping on his head, right on the side of the stomach.
The child was hit by Fuji's kick. He was thrown against the church fence wall near him.
"Ugh!"
The child held his stomach, coughing repeatedly.
His friends were shocked after seeing Fuji, who looked extremely angry, staring at them intensely.
"Hey, you guys! Where is the humanity you have? If you were in his position, would you want this?"
Then his friend shrieked.
"Oh Shit, that Asian guy is coming! Let's run!"
The child quickly stood up and ran away with his friends.
After Fuji dispersed them, he helped the child.
He offered warmth by smiling and extending his right hand.
"Are you okay?"
Then the child replied with sobs.
"Waaa! I'm okay, big brother, thank you for saving me!"
The child's hand grasped Fuji's right hand, and he stood up, crying while rubbing his eyes.
Although the child said he was fine, his face was bruised as if he had been kicked repeatedly.
Fuji saw the bruise on the child's temple, and he gritted his jaw.
"Damn that brat, he enjoys bullying adopted children like us."
Then Michael, who saw Fuji from a distance behind the tree, hiding, saw him as an angel without wings.
That smile, that sincerity, that warmth, was something incredibly beautiful.
That admiration filled his heart.
Michael was essentially a quiet boy, unlike the other children.
Michael himself rarely left his room; he liked assembling his own toys.
He often played alone in his room, and only the nurse often accompanied him.
Then Michael slowly walked toward them.
He greeted them shyly.
"Hello, big brother, g-good afternoon."
Michael was nervous.
Fuji turned, looking at Michael, who was bowing his head while holding both hands hidden between his thighs.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you're the quiet boy! It's okay, it's good that you're opening up. Sorry I rarely see you, even though we're in the same church, haha!"
Fuji laughed cheerfully, not mocking, just encouraging.
Then Fuji patted Michael's shoulder. He raised his left hand, giving a thumbs-up.
"Relax, don't be scared, we're brothers. Big brother will always protect his younger siblings. Look! Just like Big Brother protected Frane!"
The thumb pointed toward the child who was just bullied.
Fuji smiled, his teeth showing, cheerful.
Michael, hearing that, felt his heart slowly open up, and then he also smiled.
"Okay, big brother, hehe."
Michael held Frane's hand, and the three of them went inside the church for lunch.
...
And this Tanaka Fuji is currently S No II, Michael's most loyal subordinate and also a big brother he always admired.
Then Michael closed the Light Novel.
His face was turned toward the ceiling of the room.
Michael smiled after remembering the childhood incident after reading the Light Novel.
He closed his eyes.
'This feeling will never fade, and this memory is proof of my journey.'
Then he opened his eyes again, looking around the room, daydreaming for a moment.
'After remembering that, the haunting feeling is gone instantly; I am calmer now.'
Michael rose and went to the closet to swap his clothes for pajamas.
He chose his favorite plain, muted bluish-green set.
After changing, he left the room and proceeded to the kitchen for dinner.
"Honey, is dinner ready?"
Michael asked while opening the door.
He saw Chihiro sitting, looking seriously at Michael.
Chihiro wore a dark blue dress made of a slightly sheer, revealing fabric that clearly accentuated her curves.
Her long, lustrous black hair was pulled up and secured with a sparkling ornamental hairpin.
The food was ready in front of Chihiro, complete with empty plates and cutlery and drinks.
Then Michael pulled out a chair, sitting down casually.
"Honey, what's wrong with you today?"
Michael gazed into Chihiro's eyes, which were staring seriously at him.
Then Chihiro sighed.
"Oh, my husband, what was on your mind when we were on that date?"
Michael was slightly surprised; it turned out Chihiro could not be fooled as usual.
"Well, nothing much, I saw it again."
Michael said while taking the inverted glass in front of him and filling it with cold water.
Chihiro felt disbelief after hearing it because she didn't see the girl he mentioned.
Even though Chihiro had carefully observed the surroundings with Michael at that time.
"Honey, this really scares me, like you're being haunted. Aren't you afraid, dear?"
Michael drank the water slowly, every sip until it was empty.
Then he put the glass down.
"I feel that way too, but I'm sure she's real, just like the character description in the Light Novel we bought."
Chihiro held both his hands.
"Honey, calm down, I'm always with you. If that girl is bothering you, what will you do to her now?"
Michael looked calm, speaking gently while rubbing the back of her hands.
Seeing Chihiro looked anxious thinking about it.
"I've forgotten about it, relax. Let's eat now."
Then Chihiro released his hands, now looking a little calmer.
"Okay then, let's eat."
Michael opened the food cover placed next to the other dishes.
Under the food cover was a birthday cake with unlit candles.
The cake looked a bit large, with many colors of cream on the top and sides.
And the candles were shaped like the number 45, indicating his current age.
Michael was surprised after seeing it.
"Honey, is this my birthday?"
Chihiro stood up and cheered while clapping her hands.
"Yes, honey, it's your birthday now, did you forget, haha? I ordered it earlier while you were engrossed in reading the Light Novel."
Then Chihiro approached and poked Michael's nose.
"What do you think of your beloved wife?"
Chihiro smiled gently, her slender finger touching the tip of Michael's nose, who looked slightly surprised.
Then Michael quickly stood up and hugged her tightly.
"Kyaaa~"
Chihiro was surprised in Michael's warm embrace.
"You are the best, my wife, I love you very much, haha."
A small laugh whispered in Chihiro's right ear.
Then Chihiro, in his embrace, felt something stirring within her.
"Honey, I wan..."
Michael cut Chihiro off; he opened his eyes wide when he heard that.
Then he quickly sat back down, turning his face away.
"For now, no."
Chihiro felt annoyed, then she sat back down in front of Michael.
Her expression was pouting but very cute.
"Fine then."
She crossed her arms.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Michael broke the awkwardness, then he took his food.
"Let's eat first before enjoying the birthday cake."
Chihiro, who was still pouting, became cheerful again.
"Okay, later we'll celebrate after eating, then we'll read the Light Novel together."
They both enjoyed dinner together, filled with the lingering awkwardness.