The room was surprisingly free of dust. I lit up the oil lamp, a dim, orange glow illuminating the small space.

  I took off the pouches on my sides and untied my blades off my arms, heading straight to the bathroom. I took a look at myself in the old, stained mirror……and almost startled myself.

  Wow, I looked way worse than I'd imagined. I……can't believe that guard really let me back in looking like this.

  I grabbed a quick shower……or I planned for it to be quick, but scrubbing off all the dirt and grime on my body took a while. I let out a sigh of relief as I finished cleaning myself.

  Oh, wow……it felt so good to be clean again!

  I dried myself and picked up the wooden comb I'd left in the room. I was going to sleep now, so I don't need actually need to comb my hair, but I really wanted to straighten out the mass of tangles in it.

  And, admittedly, I also wanted to see exactly how long it had grown out. It turned out to be about a centimeter past my eyes.

  Should I cut it, or should I leave it?

  Eh, I'll decide some other time.

  I jumped up and belly flopped onto the bed, sinking my face into the below and sighing contentedly.

  A real, actual bed instead of a rock……I was so happy that I could cry.

  I was back, baby!

  I let out a long, loud yawn, my eyes watering with drowsiness.

  I couldn't wait……for……tomorrow……

  With that thought, my consciousness started slowly drifting away, as I fell asleep……

  I woke up the next day around evening time, my face and arms covered in those sleep marks that get imprinted on your skin after a good nap, as I let out a yawn and stretched out.

  I stared up at the ceiling with a slight smile, still finding it hard to sink in that I was really back. It felt almost too good to be true……

  Well, then……time to get up.

  I washed up and got dressed, putting on a black v-neck t-shirt and black trousers. I then combed my hair, brushing the front straight down, covering my forehead and eyes, before tucking the left third of it behind my ear.

  Hey, I kinda liked this look on me……I'd probably have to use a headband or something when I fight since this hairstyle kinda obstructs my right eye's view, but I think I'll style it this way when I'm taking it easy.

  Assuming that I don't decide to cut it later.

  The mechanical clock in my room had stopped working, but based on the hue of the sunlight, I'd say it was somewhere between 5 and 6 PM. Well, that was the most comfortable sleep I'd gotten in a month, so it's no wonder I'd fallen so fast asleep last night.

  Now, then……I had been holding back for a while now, but I couldn't suppress this one desire any longer……I wanted to see Persia!……

  how though? Was today a weekday or weekend?

  Guess it didn't matter, even if it was a weekday, Academy classes would have already ended a couple of hours ago, so I was unlikely to run into her there.

  I could go to her house, I knew where it was since our group had met up there a few times to hold study groups before our exams……but if she wasn't home and her parents answered the door, that'd be too awkward for me to handle.

  Too bad calling or texting weren't a thing in this world. I hid my blades and anything else valuable under the floorboards, tidied up the room, put on a pair of black sandals and left, locking the door behind me.

  I headed out, and began walking around the area.

  This felt……nostalgic.

  It was strange, a month really wasn't that long if you think about it, but it turns out……I had missed this place.

  "Hm, isn't that……?"

  That's when I spotted two familiar faces walking together, talking with each other.

  I began to call out to them, before stopping as an idea hit me.

  Let's see how long I can walk right behind them without them noticing me.

  "……and you need to keep studying everyday for a couple of hours at least, do you want to fail and have to retake an exam again?"

  "Aw, loosen up! There's still a lot of time before our final exams, Key-Key!"

  "D-don't call me that, idiot!" She stuttered with a frown, her face turning a bit red.

  Huh? That was a new reaction.

  What in the world had happened between these two while I was away?

  "Hehe," Rai grinned, "Anyway, cut me some slack. I'm, uh……yeah, still grieving, you know!"……

  he better not be referring to me.

  "You need to stop using someone's death as an excuse not to study, it's seriously messed up. Kuro will end up haunting you at this rate," Key replied with an exasperated sigh, punching his shoulder.

  Rai, you little- ……well, I can't ignore that perfect cue.

  "Actually, I'm already haunting you……boo!" I loudly whispered in a raspy tone, stepping forward and leaning next to his ear.

  He jumped as his expression turned startled, the fur on his tail standing up. Key looked alarmed too, stumbling back.

  "Ahh, fu-! What the-!? Huh……wait, Kuro?"

  "Yo," I greeted, with a small wave.

  They looked at me with stunned expressions, their eyes wide open.

  "Come on, guys. Don't kill me off that easily," I sighed, with a mock look of disappointment.

  Hey……this was fun.

  "I'm……surprised, to say the least. But it's good to see that you're alive," Said Key, after several seconds of silence.

  "Yeah, so glad you're okay, dude! I-I totally knew that you had to be still alive, so, you know, the whole thing about me using your death as an excuse to not study or whatever was just, uh, some subtle dark humor on my part!" Added Rai, with a sheepish grin.

  "Yeaaah, sure……anyway, you guys sure seem to have gotten close while I was away, huh?" I replied with an inquiring look.

  "Yeah, I know right-!" Began Rai, smiling widely.

  "A-absolutely not, it's j-just your imagination!" Blurted Key, turning red.

  "And yet, I've never heard you stammer or seen you blush before. But okay, I'll take your word for it," I shrugged, before letting out stifled snort of laughter.

  "I-I just have something stuck in my throat, a-and I'm not blushing! A-anyway, I should get going, I need to get back home. It was good to see you, Kuro. Um……bye, Rai," She said, clearing her throat to regain her composure, before leaving in a slight hurry.

  "Alright, see you tomorrow, Key-Key!" Rai yelled back cheerfully.

  "N-not so loud, you idiot!" She snapped back, before walking away in a huff.

  Huh……she was more easily flustered than I remember.

  "No, but seriously……what happened between the two of you while I was away?"

  Oh, I almost forgot, Key was Azyl's neighbor, I should have asked her how he's doing, or to pass a message on to him……well, I guess she'll probably tell him I'm back regardless.

  "Hm? What do you mean?" He asked obliviously.

  Seriously?……

  in that case, I won't meddle too much.

  "Uh, never mind I guess. Hey, I've got something I want to ask you, well actually a couple of things."

  "Sure, ask away!"

  I wanted to ask about Persia, as well as Azyl and the others, but I also had another question……something that I had found myself thinking about way too much while on the way back here.

  "Alright, first of all, and this is important so listen carefully……I need to know……

  what are the terms used for breasts in this world? Boobs? Tits? Melons? Gazongas? Cantaloup-?"

  "Wha- dude, keep your voice down! Why are you asking me that!?"

  Ooh, a rattled Rai……this was a rare sight.

  "Oh, it's just been bugging me, so I wanted to clear it up. You know that feeling when you're trying to go to sleep, and then you think about an anime or movie, and then you think about one of the characters, but no matter how hard you try, you can't remember their name, and it bothers you so much that you can't fall asleep till you get up and look up the character's name on your phone……it's like that, know what I mean?"

  "I……know exactly what you mean, but over something like boobs……really?" He sighed, raising an eyebrow.

  "How dare you, sir!"

  Wait a sec……was he the straight man and I the comic relief right now?

  "You've……gotten a lot less serious. And, uh……to answer your question, I've heard people here use the terms, er, 'boobs' and 'tits', I guess. So, uh……are you going for the hentai protagonist look, what with the hair over your eyes and all."

  Less serious, huh? Yeah, I guess he kinda had a point, but I was also in an especially giddy mood right now, so I'll probably be more or less back to normal once a day or two has passed……I doubt I'll stay in this kind of state for too long.

  "Hey, I think the long hair looks good! Besides, only one eye is covered not both, so it's more like a……generic protagonist……ugh never mind. On second thought, I'd rather be a hentai protagonist than a generic one. Anyway, what day is it today? And what's the date?"

  "It's Friday. And the date is……the 29th of August, I think," He replied, a bit uncertainly.

  "Cool, thanks. So, uh……do you know where Persia might be?" I asked, a bit awkwardly.

  "Wait, you haven't seen her yet? I'd have thought she'd be the one you went to see first!" He said in surprise.

  "It's not like I didn't want to, but it's not like I can text her or whatever and ask her where she is. And I'm, uh……kinda too nervous to go to her house by myself," I reluctantly admitted.

  "Huh, I guess that makes sense, I can see how that might feel awkward. But……didn't you take on like a million Zombies to buy time for her, Az and Fuo to get away? After that, how can anything scare you?"

  Well……if nothing else, I was still deathly afraid of frogs.

  "I mean, a million is kind of an exaggeration, but point taken," I grumbled in reply.

  Was he giving me sensible advice right now……this felt weird and out of character.

  "Oh, congrats, by the way! I heard that you two became a couple, way to go!" He grinned, slapping me on the back.

  "Uh, th-thanks, I guess. So……how's Az and everyone else?"

  "Well, everyone who made it back are doing fine, I guess. Az is the same as always, though he has gotten a bit more talkative lately."

  "That's good to know. Yeah, he was pretty talkative on the way to and in Goldway, it was pretty surprising at first. Well, anyway……I'm off to Persia's place now, I need to go before I chicken out and change my mind."

  "Oh, alright then……I was gonna ask you about what happened after you helped the others escape, but it can wait. You know, you really have changed. I mean, you seem to be in a really good mood, but it's not just that. It's like you've gotten……warmer? Not that you were heartless before or anything, but when I first met you, you gave off a kinda cold vibe……no, it was more like distant, I guess. That seems to be gone now, you seem more……present and genuine, I think? Not sure if I explained that properly……heh, sorry, I don't know if that makes sense or not……," He laughed sheepishly.

  Oh right, I should probably let everyone know at some point that the Zombies were wiped out……along with what remained of Goldway. I'll do that tomorrow, I guess.

  "Oh, I'll tell you about it later, for now I'll just say that Zombies aren't a worry anymore. Nah……that actually kinda makes perfect sense. Well……I'll see you later, Rai. It's……good to see you again."

  "Oh, now I'm curious……you better give me all the details another day! Yeah……see ya later, it was good to see you again too, Kuro!"

  As we split up, I thought back to what he said.

  Warmer, huh……I suppose I had become a more empathetic person than I was before, and most notably, I wasn't as indifferent towards death as I used to be.

  Of all the worlds I could have reincarnated in……I had no regrets about reincarnating in this one.

  The main reason?

  Obviously, the person whose house I'm heading for right now……

  Her house soon came into sight, and I took a deep breath as I closed the distance. As I neared it and approached the front door, I couldn't deny that I was extremely nervous.

  Come on……like Rai said, after the past month and a half, nothing should be able to scare me anymore!

  No, it's not use……I can't trick myself into not being nervous.

  Okay, time to go past the point of no return……I held my breath and rang the doorbell. As I did, I felt the urge to run away, but forced myself to stand my ground.

  I heard footsteps approaching, stopping behind the door, before it swung open.

  "Yes? Can I help you?" Inquired the man who opened the door.

  He was in his mid-forties, with graying hair and a short beard. Must be her dad.

  "U-uh, hi. Sorry t-to bother you, um……my name is Kuro, and I was wonderin-," I began nervously.

  "Oh, you're-! Please, come in!" He interrupted eagerly.

  "Uh, that's oka-," I started to protest, before he opened the door wide and pulled me in.

  Okay……I did not see this coming.

  Alright, no choice but to just go with it, make sure to stay calm……don't make a fool out of yourself!

  "U-uh, sir?"

  "Honey! Come quick!"

  A shortish woman in her late-thirties then appeared, with graying blonde hair tied in a bun.

  "Yes? What is it? Who might this young man be?"

  He walked over to her and said something, I didn't quite catch what he said, but as he did, she turned to me with a smile.

  "Welcome, please make yourself at home, Kuro. Here, have a seat," She beckoned to the sofa in a friendly tone.

  Huh……in my head I had been preparing for so many ways that this could go wrong, but……it was going really well so far, if anything they were being almost too nice.

  "Uh, that's okay, really! I, uh……was just wondering if Persia is here," I replied nervously.

  "Oh, she just left a few minutes ago on an errand, she should be back any minute now. You don't need to look so stiff, relax and sit down!"

  Damn it, I should have come here a lot sooner instead of hesitating!

  Guess I don't have a choice.

  I slowly sat down on the couch, my palms beginning to sweat. Despite how welcoming they were being, this was still ridiculously nerve-wracking.

  Persia's mom brought me a cold drink, I nervously accepted, nearly dropping the glass in the process.

  To all the anime rom-com protagonists who I laughed at during their awkward meet-the-parents scenes……I sincerely apologize, I had no idea.

  I was handling it a lot worse than any of those protagonists.

  Persia's parents were giving me no reason to be nervous, if anything they were almost trying too hard to make me feel comfortable, but I was still nervous as hell.

  I might be a lot different to who I was when I came to this world, but holding small-talk with people I'd just met, and didn't want to antagonize in the slightest, was still a bit beyond my social skills.

  "Anyway……we really want to thank you for saving our daughter's life. Thank you so much, we owe you a great debt," Said her father, bowing his head.

  "Y-you don't owe me a thing, so please lift your head, Mr Gerit! If anything……I should be thanking you two, for taking her in those five years ago……I know how much that meant to her and how much she appreciates it, so thank you. And besides, I might have never met her if it wasn't for that."……

  wait, what did I just say!? I just blurted out whatever popped into my head.

  Oh, God……that sounded really cheesy and stupid didn't it, they probably thought I was sucking up to them or something-!

  "I see……we're glad she met someone like you, and we hope you'll continue to take good care of her," Replied her mother, with a warm smile.

  Or……maybe I'm just negatively overthinking.

  "Y-yeah……I promise that I will. Um……how is she these days?"

  "Oh, she's doing just fine. She was holed up in her room for about a week after returning, but she slowly got back to normal after a few days. She was quite adamant that you would survive and return, and it looks like she was right. She does get a bit down every now and then, but……I suspect that won't be happening anymore," Answered her father, smiling.

  I was……kinda overwhelmed at how openly receptive of me they were being.

  The sound of the front door opening suddenly echoed into the hall.

  "Mom, dad……I'm back!" Came a familiar voice, making my heart race.

  Her mother then whispered something to her father, who smiled and nodded. He then stood up and headed in the direction of the front door. Her mother then beckoned to me to follow her.

  "Uh……what are-?"

  "He'll buy you some time, meanwhile I'll show you to her room, hide somewhere and surprise her!"……

  for real?

  "W-wait, hold on! I do like the idea of surprising her, but……her r-room, are you sure that okay?" I asked, stuttering slightly.

  "Oh, of course it is. We don't mind, and I doubt that she will either, she's been hoping and waiting for you to return, after all," She said, stopping in front of a door and opening it.

  "It has her scent," I accidentally blurted out without thinking, "U-uh, I mean-!"

  Not good-!

  "Oh, that's right……the other day, she did accidentally let it slip that you two have already had se."

  "O-okay, I'll, uh……look for a place to hide!" I interrupted, as my heart stopped for second.

  Yikes……

  I went into the room and silently closed the door with a sigh. Her room was pretty tidily kept, and……ahh, I was too distracted by her scent to focus.

  Alright, uh……what was I doing again? Right, I need to find a place to hide!

  Under the bed? No, it was too narrow for me to crawl under.

  Closet? No, not big enough, I might break the shelves.

  I heard her footsteps approaching and frantically looked around, before stepping into the corner beside the hinges of the door, as it swung open.

  She shut the door and walked towards her bed, failing to spot me. As I saw her, I struggled to contain myself and stay still, barely suppressing the urge to jump out and embrace her.

  "What is with them, they were acting kinda weird," She muttered to herself in bemusement as she flopped down on the bed, "Maybe I'm losing my mind……I could have sworn that Kuro's scent in that room had gotten stronger today."

  Wait……what?……

  did I hear that right?

  Ohh, that explains it……

  "Oh, now I get it……so that's why my room wasn't at all dusty……also, I didn't know that you talk to yourself," I said in a nonchalant tone, stepping out of the corner.

  She jumped in surprise, before quickly getting up onto all fours as her tail stiffened and the fur on it and her ears stood up, and she let out a hiss.

  She……looked just like a spooked cat.

  Her startled expression quickly softened, as she stared at me wide-eyed, her mouth opening to speak but no sound came out.

  She slowly got off the bed and walked towards me, without saying a word.

  "Hey," I whispered softly, opening my arms to embrace her as she neared me.

  Instead of a warm hug, I got a sharp slap across my cheek……

  should have seen that coming.

  "That was for tranquilizing me, you idiot!" She cried, before hugging me tightly as tears ran down her face.

  I felt my emotions welling up inside me, as her warmth flooded me.

  "Heh, yeah……sorry about that……I missed you," I sighed contentedly with watering eyes, as I hugged her back.

  "Y-yeah, well……I didn't miss you at all! Idiot! Why did you have to do that……I was so worried, dummy……I was afraid that you were……that you were dead," She replied, her voice softening towards the end as she rested her forehead on my chest.

  "What's with everyone killing me off so easily?" I ruffled the top of her head, "I'm sorry I worried you……and I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner."

  She shook her head.

  "No, it's okay……welcome back, Kuro……I missed you so much," She wiped away her tears with a watery smile, before leaning up and kissing me.

  I cupped her cheek with my palm and pulled her closer to me, as the familiar, warm feeling of bliss enveloped me.

  "So……thanks for taking care of my room while I was away," I said, as we pulled back to catch our breath.

  "I-i-it's not what you think, I was j-just keeping it clean, that's all!"

  Okay, that was a suspicious reaction.

  "Hm? That's exactly what I assumed, but now I'm thinking that's not the whole story," I smirked, eyeing her inquiringly, "Well, it's not like you were rolling around my bed while sniffing my pillow or something else weird, right."

  "W-well, uh……," She stumbled back and stuttered as I said that, a sheepish expression on her rapidly reddening face.

  Huh? No way……

  "Wait……you actually did that?" I asked incredulously, struggling not to laugh as I pictured it.

  "N-no, I……I, uh- maybe a little bit," She admitted as her face turned red.

  "……"

  "……"

  "Heh……Cat in Heat."

  "Shut up!"

  She sighed and sat on the bed, patting the spot beside her, as I sat next to her. She rested her head on my shoulder as I wrapped an arm around her.

  "By the way, your parents are really something else. I was so nervous about coming here, but they were so nice that I got too overwhelmed to be nervous," I laughed sheepishly, as she laced her fingers with mine.

  "Yeah, they can be easily excitable……they didn't say anything weird, right?"

  "No, I don't think so. Well……I was surprised to learn that you, uh, told your mom that we……you know," I replied a bit awkwardly.

  She looked at me with slight confusion before her eyes widened in horror.

  "Oh, no……w-wait here a sec……I'll be right back," She said, standing up and leaving the room, "MOM! What did you say to……!"

  She soon returned with an exasperated look, slightly red-faced.

  "S-sorry about that! I feel so embarrassed!"

  "Hey, don't be……it caught me off-guard, but it's really not a big deal."

  "I-if you say so……"

  She walked over to me, sitting on my lap and rubbing her cheek against mine. My heart skipped a beat.

  So cute!

  "Kuro……what happened after you stayed back? Don't get me wrong, I'm so, so, so glad that you're alive, but……I have to admit, a part of me was terrified that surviving what you were up against was impossible. Did you manage to escape the Zombies?"

  "No, not exactly. Actually, the Zombies were completely eradicated, not a single one remains."

  Her eyes widened as I said that.

  "Wait, you defeated all of them? W-wow, that's so-!" She began to exclaim.

  "No, I definitely didn't. At most, I'd say I took out a couple hundred of them. Let's see, where do I begin……"

  I proceeded to explain the events that had occurred that night, though I left out the part where I had been buried under and swarmed by the horde of Zombies, brushing over it by just vaguely describing it as 'I was having a hard time against them'.

  From the effectiveness of my Healing Factor against Zombie bites, to the explosion that flattened Goldway, to the appearance of Rion Xester, everything I'd learnt about the now-called Valaque Empire, and finally about Karma and my journey back.

  "What do you think, looks pretty cool, right?" I inquired, as I showed her my black lightning, forming a few sparks in my palm.

  "Oh, wow……it's completely black, it looks so much more intimidating than normal! But……ugh, this means I need to work a lot harder to keep up with you now, this power boost is totally unfair!" She sighed in mock irritation, lightly punching my shoulder.

  "Yeah, I suppose it kinda is……one multiplier boost alone is a powerful weapon, two multipliers is kinda ridiculous. If someone else had that, I'd definitely think it was unfair."

  "You know what, I'd say you earned this power……you went through hell that day. Side note, your eyes look so cool like this!"

  Huh? What was she talking about?

  "My eyes? What do you mean?"

  She stared back blankly before a look of realization hit her.

  "Oh, I see……you haven't seen yourself in a mirror while using Karma, have you?" She exclaimed, before picking up a hand-mirror and showing me my reflection.

  Woah!

  My eyes……the whites of each eye had turned into a deep black, while the blue of my pupils had gotten a bit darker in shade.

  "Oh, wow……not to sound narcissistic, but I look so cool! Damn, I'd totally do me if I was a girl," I mumbled without thinking.

  "Oh, is that so?"

  Damn it, a month of talking to myself had lowered my self-control when it came to filtering what I say out loud!

  "U-uh, that came out wrong-!"

  "You know what……," She leaned in and whispered softly, "I'm a girl……and I would 'totally do you'."

  "H-hu……wha-! U-uh, I-I-," I sputtered, unable to say a word as my heart skipped a beat and my face turned warm.

  "What's the matter……cat got your tongue?" She quipped with a wink, tracing my lower lip with the tip of her tongue.

  Wow……she timed that line perfectly. Now, that was hot.

  "You're amazing," I sighed, placing my forehead against hers.

  "By the way, I'm really liking the long hair, you look good. Now then……," She replied, kissing me as she ran her hand down my chest.

  "Wait, are you sure……your parents might come in or something," I reluctantly interrupted.

  She stared at me with a blank expression before her eyes widened.

  "I-I……forgot that we're at my house……oh my God, y-you're in my room! Th-this is embarrassing……I completely forgot where I was the moment I saw you!" She exclaimed, hurriedly sitting up.

  "B-but, you even went to talk to your mom in the middle of it, remember?"

  "Oh, yeah……I think I forgot again when I came back to the room and saw you," She replied with an embarrassed smile.

  "You're so cute," I grinned, stroking the top of her head.

  "C-cut it out," She muttered with a red face, before reaching her hand up and twirling the hair over my right eye between her fingers.

  "No, you cut it out……don't get it tangled!"

  "Hey, you're always messing up my hair, I've never complained!"

  "……fine, fair point."

  She stood up and stretched after a bit, her cat ears twitching slightly.

  "Hey……I was wondering, what was the person who raised you like? Do you remember your parents? You told me about your old life before, but you didn't get that specific about that part of your life."

  "Yeah, I did kinda gloss over the details……alright, if you really wanna know, I don't mind. No, I have no idea who my biological parents are. The earliest thing I can remember is being in a cage. When I was around five, the place I was held captive in was raided by an assassin. He opened all the cages where I and a bunch of other kids were held, but I was the only one who got out of the cage……the others were all too terrified or traumatized. As he moved in to kill a man who had been violently abusing me, I grabbed onto his shirt to get his attention and pointed at the dagger in his hand. I didn't know how to talk back then, but as I watched him kill the people in that facility, I felt an urge……I wanted to kill the guy who had constantly whipped and hit me for……well, I don't really know exactly how long, but regardless, I knew that I wanted to kill him. The assassin understood, and handed me the dagger. After a brief struggle, I managed to stab the guy in the middle of the head before repeatedly plunging the blade into him in a blind fury……and then the assassin took me in, saying something about having been looking for an apprentice, and that I had potential."

  "So he saved you……how did he treat you after taking you in?"

  "Well, he first taught me basic stuff like reading and writing and whatnot, and then he trained me in a variety of assassination techniques, both physical and mental. It was pretty rough and strenuous, but I turned out to have a knack for it, and I even enjoyed it at times. During my free time, I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, except go out, since his house was more like a hidden hideout. There were a lot of entertainment options though, so I was able to keep myself occupied, and I'd say watching those series and playing those games had a big part in forming my personality, I would sometimes mimic and integrate traits of characters who appealed to me into my personality, which was a blank slate for a while. While I had plenty of digital entertainment, I never had any human contact though, Lagusa- uh, the assassin who took me in, Arturo Lagusa, rarely ever spoke to me outside of training or teaching, so I wasn't exactly close to him. Our relationship was as neutral as could be, nothing beyond master and apprentice. And I had too much pride to attempt to get his attention or something like that. When I turned eleven, I was finally allowed to go out, to meet a client for my first assassination mission. Lagusa told me to choose a name for myself, since I had been nameless till that point. So, I picked Kuro, which means black in a different language in my old world. After that, I met many clients, killed many targets, and made occasional fake relationships with targets that which the mission required infiltration and information before assassination. But I never had a real, genuine human connection in my old life. The last time I saw Lagusa was a few days before I became a lab rat, no idea if he's still alive in my old world or dead."

  As I finished explaining, she blinked away her tears and held my hand.

  "When I think about everything you went through……my chest gets tight, it hurts and makes me sad……it's not fair that you had to go through all that. Alright, I've decided……I promise to make sure that you're never lonely or-!" She began to declare, before I pulled her close and hugged her tight.

  "That really means a lot to me. But you don't have to go out of your way or anything……honestly, I'm perfectly content with just being able to be near you like this."

  She blushed and buried her face in my chest, before looking up at me.

  "Let's go to your place……I don't think I can hold myself back much longer," She whispered, blinking slowly as she stared at my lips seductively.

  "I'm not gonna say no to that……," I replied with a smile.

  We both got up and left her room, before she went to let her parents know that she was staying the night at my place.

  I thanked them for their hospitality, though it was a bit awkward since Persia's mom gave us this knowing look we left.

  "You know, it's great that your parents are so open-minded and accepting, but."

  "Yeah, I know……you don't have to tell me," She sighed in exasperation.

  As we walked towards the inn, arm-in-arm, a smile spread out across my face.

  The fact that I was really back had finally, properly sunk in……and I had never been so grateful to be alive as I was in this moment.

  "What's that look about?" She inquired curiously.

  "Hm? Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking……its good to be back home."

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  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism! Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.