The next morning, I—Rowe—opened my eyes with two huge dark circles under them.
The bed beside me was empty. Helena was nowhere to be seen.
I let out a big yawn. Last night's "sleep"… yeah, it's hard to describe.
I mean, who could possibly sleep soundly while being cuddled by the tentacles that once killed them? Saying I wasn't nervous would be a lie. The whole night felt like torture.
And Helena didn't sleep quietly either. Her tentacles kept brushing against me—sometimes the texture even changed depending on her dreams. Suddenly they'd turn spiky, hard, or scaly without warning…
I rubbed the red marks all over my body and sighed in resignation.
Mumbling under my breath, I opened the door and went to wash my face.
As soon as I splashed water on my face, the tempting smell of food drifted from the kitchen.
My stomach growled loudly. Understandable—I barely slept or ate last night.
Following the aroma, I walked to the dining room.
"Ah, you're awake already?"
Helena peeked from the kitchen doorway, wearing an apron. The sound of clattering utensils echoed behind her.
"Yeah, I'm up… You're making breakfast?"
I raised an eyebrow. Why did it sound like a small war was happening in there?
When I stepped inside, I instantly understood why.
Helena was multitasking: one tentacle holding a pan, another cracking eggs, two more chopping sausages on the cutting board… and the last pair tinkering with the toaster in the corner.
Ding!
Two slices of bread popped out, perfectly toasted to a golden brown.
Watching Helena's six tentacles move in smooth, rhythmic harmony, I realized—I wasn't that scared of them anymore.
Who would've thought the same tentacles that once killed me would now be busy sprinkling spices on sandwiches?
It looked… strange, but warm.
---
"Tadaaa~!"
Helena blinked playfully as she set down a heart-shaped breakfast in front of me.
I looked at her expectant face, then picked up a fork and took a bite of the fried egg.
It tasted great—perfectly cooked, not too runny, not burnt either. She even added ketchup and a bit of black pepper.
Without saying much, I gave her a thumbs-up and finished it in one go.
Without pause, I grabbed a sandwich stuffed with bacon and veggies, taking big bites.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, softly illuminating our faces.
Helena rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching me eat.
There was no morning more peaceful than this.
A simple routine like this—just being here with me—was enough to make Helena happy.
Ah… if only every day could be like this.
Her gaze softened, as if lost in thought.
"I'm full," I said, finishing my milk and cleaning my plate.
I let out a small burp and looked at her. "Why are you zoning out? Haven't eaten yet?"
I picked up another piece of fried egg and held it out in front of her lips.
"Open your mouth, aah~"
The smell snapped Helena out of her daze.
She smiled and took a gentle bite.
"Mmpf… too big… I couldn't bite it right…"
A piece of egg fell to the floor.
"Clumsy as always."
I frowned slightly. "Look, now it fell. What were you thinking about?"
One of her tentacles picked up the dropped egg while Helena giggled softly, her eyes curving like crescent moons. "I was just thinking about something that makes me happy. About you, of course."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Guess what I was thinking!"
"Hmm… maybe about lunch later?"
"What? Geez, why are you always thinking about food?"
"Ahaha… wrong?"
I scratched the back of my head. "You just looked really serious, so I thought you were thinking about something big… like, what to eat later."
Helena puffed her cheeks, but ended up laughing anyway.
She leaned closer, gripping my arm and shaking it playfully. "Come on, guess again~!"
"I really don't know."
"Pleeease, guess~!"
...
Morning light filled the wide house.
Our laughter echoed softly, like an ordinary family having breakfast together.
But behind my smile, my mind didn't stop working.
Everything was going too smoothly. After holding herself back for days, Helena's mental state finally seemed stable.
Tonight, I could probably use my skill again.
I might be able to restrain her this time, though it would still be risky. Maybe I could use the sedative I hid on the second floor…
But Helena wouldn't just let that happen. She'd resist.
And I wanted to avoid that.
If I waited just one more day, the success rate would be almost a hundred percent.
After running the plan through my head again and again, I looked at the cheerful girl before me and her tentacles scattered around.
They seemed harmless now, but I knew—they could pierce my chest… or my skull… in an instant.
I couldn't let my guard down.
I decided to act on the third day, even if something unexpected happened before then.
Patience—I had plenty of that. One more day wouldn't hurt.
---
The next few days went peacefully.
I rarely left Helena alone. We spent time together at home, side by side.
She seemed completely normal now, almost like a regular girl her age.
Most importantly, she really believed that I wasn't lying anymore.
"So you really won't go back to school, huh… You'll stay home with me."
That meant she wasn't afraid anyone would "take me away" anymore.
But...
Sometimes, when Helena saw me looking bored or lost in thought, guilt flickered in her eyes.
Someone like her shouldn't be trapped here with me…
She used to be incredible—solving cases, traveling the world, meeting all sorts of people.
She was supposed to be free, walking through those dark, unfamiliar places, unbound by anything.
Maybe… keeping her here was wrong.
She stared at me quietly. If she truly wanted me to be happy, maybe there was something she could do.
If I kept being good to her… maybe someday, she'd let me go back to school.
Meanwhile, I had no idea what was going on in her head. There was just this uneasy feeling that wouldn't leave me—like I was being watched.
Everything felt too smooth. It didn't make sense.
Helena even let me go outside for a bit, saying I could take a walk around the neighborhood.
But I was sure she'd follow me, quietly.
It was still morning, and my plan wouldn't start until eleven tonight.
I decided to go out anyway, to buy a doll for Helena.
I remembered from her character notes that she liked cute, soft things.
Back when I thought of our relationship as just a "mission route," I never cared about that kind of stuff.
Now, at least I could make it up to her a little.
I didn't know why she liked dolls, but if it could make her happy or calm her down, why not?
Every small advantage counted.
Smiling to myself, I got ready and called out, "I'm heading out for a bit, just going to buy something. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, got it," Helena replied casually from the sofa, reading a magazine.
No strange reaction at all.
But as soon as I turned around, she slowly closed the magazine and looked toward me.
I reached the front door and grabbed my coat.
Just as I was about to change shoes—
Knock, knock.
The sudden sound made my heart jump.
A bad feeling crept up instantly.
"Rowe?" Helena appeared silently behind me, nearly making me jump.
"Who's that?" she asked.
"How would I know?" I frowned.
At this hour, in such a remote place, who could it possibly be?
The knocking continued—soft but steady—as if the person outside wouldn't leave until someone answered.
Helena glanced at me, then stepped forward.
"Please stop knocking. May I know who's outside?"
The knocking stopped immediately.
Then came a gentle, rhythmic voice from outside—warm and polite.
"Hello, you must be Rowe's family, right? I'm his teacher, Evel."
"Sorry for the sudden visit. He hasn't been to school for two days, and I was worried he might be sick."
Her voice was so soft it instantly painted the image of a kind, beautiful woman in my mind.
Ms. Evel…?
Why now, of all times?
My stomach tightened.
Seriously, the worst timing ever.
I turned toward Helena.
Her face was blank.
"Rowe," she said quietly, "your teacher seems very concerned about you."
Her tone was low, like she was holding something back.
The cheerful Helena from the past few days—completely gone.
I hurried to explain, "U-uh… she's just a really responsible teacher. She cares about all her students, not just me…"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Her blue eyes locked onto mine—sharp and emotionless.
"Rowe."
She emphasized my name. "That's a pretty close way to call you, isn't it? No one's ever called you that before, right?"
My smile froze. I had no idea that Ms. Evel actually called everyone that way.
Damn it…
"And…"
Her gaze dropped to my freshly changed clothes. Her voice sounded gentle—but off.
"You got ready pretty fast… Did you and Ms. Evel make plans today?"
[TO BE CONTINUED]