I open my eyes and see a white ceiling.
A ceiling that takes me a little out of place.
Hm? Where did the holes covered with old wood go? I used that to keep water from coming in when it rains through the holes Mr. Ghoul made years ago. There are no cobwebs hanging in the corners or dust floating around either. In fact, this ceiling is completely clean.
Umu. Umu. That's strange.
The bed beneath me is soft too. Well, I used to be unable to feel these kinds of things properly, but I'm pretty sure my original bed is hard because it's old and worn out. The springs dig into my back when I lie down, and it makes strange noises every time I move.
Now I feel like I'm lying on a cloud.
What exactly happened?
As that thought crosses my mind, I lean on my arms to sit up. I feel the soft texture of the sheets sink between my fingers.
"Hehe..."
I'm already starting to feel things because I ate a ghoul's organ last night.
I get excited just thinking about it because I feel more alive than before. Although the sensation is still weak compared to what a normal human feels, at least it makes me realize that my body is waking up from a long sleep.
With my train of thought heading towards what happened last night, I begin to remember.
Ah, that's right.
Actually, from now on, I will be living in the Takagi mansion with Saya and Mrs. Yuriko.
Of course, if I like living here, I can stay as Mrs. Yuriko's adopted son. But I'm still very hesitant about that. There are so many things that could go wrong, so it's probably better to accept the offer of a separate house when the time comes, right?
Although this bed is really comfortable, let me sleep for about five more minutes.
"Gah!"
At that moment, bright sunlight suddenly spills directly onto my face and startles me.
I immediately close my eyes as if someone had thrown acid in my face.
"It's time to get up, Arata."
Hearing Saya's annoyed voice coming from somewhere in the room.
I slowly open my eyes before blinking several times to adjust to the light.
Looking in the direction of the voice, I see Saya standing in front of the large window with her hands on her hips. She was the one who opened the curtains, and now my eyes are almost blinded.
My eyesight is already quite poor during the day compared to my night vision, and now with this direct light, it's even worse as everything looks blurry and too bright.
But I can make out her silhouette. She's wearing a pink dress with white ruffles, and her hair is styled in twin pigtails that bounce when she tilts her head.
I try to put on a smile as bright as the sun and raise my hand.
"Good morning, Saya."
She snorts.
"Good morning. And Merry Christmas."
"Ah..."
That's right.
Today is Christmas.
I had forgotten about that.
I don't know if I used to celebrate Christmas in my previous life, but in this life I'm sure I was always alone eating raw meat.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Saya."
I return her greeting as I look out the window Saya opened. It doesn't seem to be snowing despite it being winter and Christmas. Instead, there is plenty of sunlight shining in the cloudless blue sky. The breeze coming in through the window is cold but not too cold, and I find that breeze on my skin to be pleasant.
With her hands still on her hips in a rather authoritative pose, Saya looks at me while I remain in bed and asks.
"How did you sleep here?"
"Pretty well, actually. Fufu. I've never slept so late before."
Most days I would get up when sun just rising, or even a little earlier to go bathe in the river. I had to do it early so that no one would see me. But now I look at the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed and see that it's nine in the morning.
Ugh...
Feeling ashamed of being so lazy, I quickly get out of bed. My bare feet touch the floor at the same time that I feel my body is numb. Did I sleep in a bad position?
'Ah...'
Now that I'm starting to feel again, that means I can feel pain again or when my body is stiff.
The problem is that my body is always numb because I'm a zombie. My muscles are half dead and my joints don't work very well.
I have no choice but to swallow that bitterness and get used to it.
Saya nods as she watches me stretch to relieve the numbness.
"That's to be expected. After all, you've been living in a place that's basically no better than having nothing at all."
That hurts. But what she says is true.
"It's lunchtime."
She suddenly gives me a sharp look as she says that.
"Just for today, you're allowed to get up late since it's your first day here. From now on, you will get up early. And I will personally supervise your diet so that you grow well and stop looking like a malnourished corpse."
I am startled by that statement.
'Please, no. Not only Rei, but you too?'
I am grateful that they are trying to feed me so that I grow well, but what they want to give me is not my diet.
"Are you really the right person to supervise my diet? You're just a ten-year-old girl, right?"
She makes a proud sound as she lifts her chin.
"I'm a genius! Preparing balanced and nutritious meals for you is nothing. I've read books on nutrition and child development, so I know what you need to eat to regain your health."
I look at her with raised eyebrows, flashing a mocking smile.
"Heh... Weren't you going to supervise my diet? So it's not just that, but you're also going to prepare my meals yourself?"
I see Saya's cheeks turn red while her eyes widen when she realizes what she just said. She turns her face sharply to one side, causing her twin pigtails to flutter in the air.
"I'm only doing this because it's sad to see someone so malnourished, you understand?! It's not like I'm practicing to be your wife someday or anything like that!"
"..."
I stare at her blankly.
Honestly don't know what to say about that.
Wife?
Where did that come from?
Realizing what she just said out loud, and seeing me staring at her speechless because I don't know how to respond to that, smoke seems to come out of Saya's head.
"Kyaaa!"
She screams before running out of the room at full speed.
I hear her screaming while she runs down the hallway.
"Okaa-san! Arata is bothering me!"
Her voice gradually fades away until I hear a door closing somewhere in the mansion.
"..."
"This tsundere..."
I mutter to myself as I shake my head.
×××
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