"How do I look, Minato?" Amelia asked as she stood in front of Minato, fidgeting.
Minato's eyes widened as he pulled back, dropping some of Amelia's freshly worn clothes.
Amelia's expression changed. "What were you doing with my clothes?"
"I was about to put them into the washing machine," Minato quickly pressed back, trying to ease the suspicion.
That was a lie, and he knew it. But he also knew he couldn't let her realize he had almost sniffed her dirty clothes. If she found out about it, she would surely be creeped out.
Amelia studied him for a few seconds, then tilted her head. "…What is a washing machine?" she questioned with curiosity in her eyes.
Minato blinked twice, caught off guard by her immediate change of topic. "It's… a device that cleans clothes for you," he explained.
She walked up to his face and then poked him on the chest with her index finger. "Show me."
Minato hesitated for a moment before pointing to the left side of the hallway and sighing. "It's over there."
He picked up all her clothes from the floor and took a few steps into the hallway. Amelia followed him quietly in anticipation.
They both walked into the small, makeshift laundry room by the end of the hallway, where a white washing machine stood against the wall.
"This is it," Minato explained, setting the clothes on top of it. He opened the round door and pointed inside.
"You put the clothes in here, add your detergent, and it washes them automatically."
Amelia leaned in closer, peering inside the empty washing machine with curiosity.
"…Strange," she murmured.
She then stepped into his living room, dwarfed by his gray jogging shorts. His black t-shirt hung down past her shorts, and the sleeves nearly covered her fingers.
She looked less like a fearsome demon princess and more like a very cute girlfriend who'd borrowed her boyfriend's clothes.
Minato was breathless for a second; she was just too cute in his oversized clothes.
She then wrinkled her nose as she looked around the small apartment. "Is this truly the extent of your dwelling, Minato? It is... rather pathetic for a summoner."
"It's a cheap apartment in Shibuya, Amelia. It's what I can afford," Minato retorted, walking up to her, adjusting her collar.
Amelia slapped his hand off her collar, and walked past him and sat down on the edge of his bed... the only comfortable-looking spot in his room, because of how unkempt everywhere else was due to the summoning ritual.
Minato noticed it and then went to the corner of the room and pulled out his vacuum cleaner. Setting it on the floor, he pressed the switch, and the motor started turning.
The hose moved violently, pulling in dust and small bits of dirt from the carpet.
Amelia leaned forward, her eyebrows narrowing at the loud noise.
"…What is this one?" she asked over the vacuum cleaner noise.
"This," Minato responded, lifting the hose up slightly, "is a vacuum cleaner. It sucks up all kinds of dirt from the floor."
Amelia folded both her arms, watching the machine carefully, as if she were trying to decide whether it was useful or dangerous.
Then she sighed as Minato turned it off after he was done cleaning.
"Very well. It seems my pride must be swallowed for the sake of survival in this primitive Realm," she announced, crossing her legs. She gestured for him to speak. "Now ask your questions, Minato."
"Really?"
"Yes..." she smiled with pride, like she was looking at a peasant.
Minato began looking around, his eyes scanning his living room. Then he found it... the summoning book.
He picked it up and held it toward her.
"Here. I want to know if you can understand the language. This is the book that has the instructions for the summoning ritual."
Amelia's gaze shifted from his face to the book in his hands. She leaned closer, her fingers brushing against the worn-out cover before she took it from him.
She opened the first page slowly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the strange letters and symbols.
"…Where did you say you found this book?" Her facial expression suddenly became serious. "It's not an ordinary book."
"I know that much," Minato responded, with a calm and low tone. "Which is why I wanted you to have a look at it, to see if maybe it came from your realm."
Amelia slowly glanced up at him, then back at the book pages. Her fingers traced one of the markings slowly.
"…Some of it is familiar," she admitted, biting her fingernails, "but not all. It feels… altered, like someone changed or added new words."
She closed the book halfway and held it against her chest... "This is dangerous, Minato. Whoever wrote this knew about the existence of different Realms."
Before Minato could respond, his alarm clock started ringing.
He walked over to his small table and turned it off.
"It's already 9 a.m., huh?" he muttered to himself, yawning.
Amelia sat quietly on his bed, still holding the book in her arms, her eyes following him...
"What was that?"
"It's an alarm clock," Minato responded, walking into his bathroom...
After some time, he came out yawning in different clothes...
"Why the change of attire?" She responded plainly.
"I am going to the supermarket," Minato explained as he grabbed his keys. "I was already running out of supplies, and today is a buy one, get one free. I don't want to miss it, since I now have an extra body in my house."
Amelia lifted her eyes from the book, her facial expression still calm despite her curiosity.
"…Supermarket?" she questioned.
"Yeah," Minato exclaimed. "It's where people go to buy food and other stuff."
Amelia closed the book and held it at her side.
"We have one of those in my Realm. I would like to come with you," she uttered with a tone of determination.
Minato blinked once.
"You… want to?"
"Yes," she answered simply. "If I'm going to stay here, I need to see and learn about this realm with my own eyes."
Minato rubbed the back of his neck twice.
"I don't know if that's a good idea, Amelia. Today, the supermarket will be a lot more crowded than usual. Lots of people, lots of noise, and you'd stand out too much. I don't want that kind of attention."
Amelia's eyebrows narrowed slightly as she questioned him.
"…You don't trust me?"
"It's not just about trust. It's about keeping things less complicated. You'll draw attention, and that's the last thing I need right now."
She stared at him in silence, her expression becoming unreadable even for Minato.
"I'm going alone," Minato declared, his tone hardened. "You'll stay here. It's safer and better that way."
Amelia tightened her grip on the book but didn't pursue or argue with him. She only turned her gaze away from him.
[DING]
[FAMILIAR AFFECTION DECREASED: -5%]
His eyes widened in shock.
"It can actually go down…" he whispered.
He glanced back at Amelia. She was sitting there with the book in her hands, her expression calm, but he could tell that she was angry with him.
Minato exhaled briefly, realizing that the system was serious about how he treated her.
He then shut the system screen with a thought and rubbed his face twice.
He didn't say anything to Amelia as he was about to go. There was no point in stirring things up again.
He quickly grabbed his wallet and his apartment keys from the table.
"I'll be back soon," he declared flatly, putting on his shoes.
Amelia didn't respond at all, still focused on the book in her lap.
Minato then stepped outside, his apartment door clicking shut behind him...