Chapter 5

< The Beginning of the Story [5] >

I didn’t understand what it meant when they were given an oracle that I

was the one who brought bad luck to the village. But I knew it was time for

me to get out from here. In these conditions, I couldn’t check if Michael

was in the bar, and it wasn’t a pleasure to be hated by someone even a

small child.

I left the place as if running away.

But soon after, I overheard other people’s conversations by accident at the

corner of an alley.

“Really Rose, are you saying she brought bad luck?”

“It is precisely said that there are many insects entangled next to beautiful

flowers.”

“She is the only child in our village who has flowers in her name.”

“Tomorrow, the heroes are leaving. What if she calls another monster

after they leave?”

Michael is leaving tomorrow?

There is nothing like it for me. Although I know that is not the case, I am

the most important person to know that Michael is leaving.

“Brother, I can’t. That kid, Rose.”

Until I heard another word that followed.

“I have to kill her.”

Even after hearing that, I didn’t fully understand the meaning. Then, after a

few seconds, I understood what he was saying, and took a quick breath.

Even so, I closed my mouth with my hand in case the sound would leak

out.

“Isn’t she a girl who has both her mother and father died? Still, it’s a girl

who sacrificed to a monster and returned alive.”

“Even if you kill her, do it after the heroes leave. It gets complicated if you

get caught for nothing.”

I was well aware of how harsh the world can be for a child who has no

place to lean on and shelter. But on top of that, the oracle gave them

justification to hate me.

My name wasn’t even mentioned exactly in the oracles they had heard of.

There was no guarantee that the flower would be the name of a rose, just

because a lot of bugs would be tangled next to a beautiful flower. They just

want to hate me, the weakest in town.

Slowly retreating, as soon as I got some distance from the alley, I ran

without looking back.

It wasn’t my home where I ran. It was the house where Michael was

staying.

The villagers gave them the homes of those whose families had died

during the monster’s attack, and I was unconsciously running to the place

where Michael was staying.

“Michael! Michael! Open the door!”

Forgetting that it was late at night, I knocked on the door at will. Not

knowing that my hand was sore, I knocked on the door until my hand

trembling.

“What? What are you doing here?”

It was one of Michael’s colleagues who opened the door. Maybe her name

was Becky? In fact, her name didn’t really matter to me. Because only

Michael is important to me. Every time Michael looked for me, I

accidentally and learned only the face and name of his colleagues.

“Baby, why are you crying?”

Upon hearing Becky’s words, I touched my eyes with my hands. Until she

told me, I didn’t even know I was crying.

“Becky, what’s going on?”

“The little girl you think is cute has come.”

Behind Becky’s, I could see Michael, who had just washed out, undressing

his jacket with wet hair. I forgot about being polite, I pushed Becky and

went inside.

“Rose?”

“Michael…!”

Michael, who noticed something, ran and hugged me. I was embarrassed

and quickly he stroked my head.

“What made you cry like this?”

I can’t take it off. I couldn’t tell Michael that people were trying to kill me.

When I didn’t say anything, Michael patted my back without asking

anything.

“Why is that little kid in our dorm?”

“Be quiet, Pavice. Can’t you see the kid crying right now?”

“So why is that kid crying here.”

In fact, it didn’t matter what other people thought of me. For the first time

in Michael’s arms, I cried like a child and clung to him for a while.

“Now, can you tell me now? Why did you cry.”

When the crying stopped, Michael sat me on the chair.

I was hiccups and hiccups, and then I barely spoke.

“The Oracle… exactly! They call me bad luck, and……”

“Is that the Oracle you heard today?”

When I nodded, Michael laughed in an embarrassing expression. I

shrugged my shoulders, wondering if I had upset him.

“Are you imagine that because you heard something somewhere.”

It wasn’t what I imagined. It was heard directly by the villagers.

“Oracles are up to interpretation. Not all flowers mean roses. It doesn’t

mean a person’s name.”

“…”

“Did you come up here after imagining that nonsense in the middle of the

night?”

Perhaps Michael was unaware that the villagers were connecting me and

interpreting the Oracle.

Then Michael wouldn’t think of me as bad luck. Probably, even if the

villagers told me their interpretations, they would be dismissed as bullshit,

and I was relieved that there was someone who would be on my side even

if everyone was not on my side. Separately, however, I wasn’t confident to

tell Michael the truth and ask him to help me.

I’ve never asked anyone for help. It was me who was dragged away

without rebellion even when offered as a sacrifice to a monster. Just say a

word. Ask for help, ask people to side with me.

Or can’t he take me away? I just have to say whether the idea of ​​wanting

to take me is still valid.

But from the start, I was hesitant to talk about the offer because of the

possibility of being rejected by him.

Michael thought that the child who heard the contents of the Oracle was

alone in a strange imagination and ran away with crying. It’s seemed

absurd, but it’s seemed I love him. The back of Michael’s hand briefly

rubbed my cheek.

“Rose was a child with deeper imagination than I thought.”

“I’m sorry, I took your time…….”

“It’s not a waste of the time I devote to you.”

I was relieved by Michael’s words. I was glad it didn’t bother him, and I was

glad he told me that the time with me wasn’t a waste.

“It’s late today, so go to bed here.”

“Oh, Michael! Can I take her to sleep?”

Becky popped out and suddenly hugged me.

“We don’t have a woman here other than you, of course, you have to sleep

with her.”

In an unsolicited voice, I observed Michael with widened eyes. Michael,

who always had a soft tone when dealing with me, used a pretty hard tone

when dealing with his colleagues.

“The little one follows me.”

As soon as Michael’s permission was given, Becky took me to her room.

When I got to the room, she took out a comfortable outfit from her bag

and handed it to me. I took off my coat to change my clothes, and then I

felt the gaze of Becky sitting on the bed watching me and hesitated.

“What are you doing, why don’t you change your clothes?”

“Can’t you turn around?”

Becky looked at me as if she had heard strange words, and soon burst into

laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! What is it because you’re shy?”

“…Uh?”

“You’re a shy little kid. Okay, I will turn around.”

“You can’t look at it secretly.”

I thought she would remain like that, so I said carefully, and Becky laughed

out loud, clutching her stomach. Of course, changing clothes in front of

someone I don’t know would be an uncomfortable thing, but I felt as if I

had a useless grievance.

I hurriedly changed clothes and called her before Becky saw me, and Becky

kindly wrapped me around my shoulders and led me to bed. I was

awkward and a little stiff, but Becky casually lay on the bed and touched

the mattress next to her, motioning for me to lie down.

It wasn’t really intended, but the movement wasn’t natural. I was anxious

that Becky would feel uncomfortable. But Becky laughed meanly and

hugged me as soon as I lay down.

“Looks like you haven’t lost your cheek fat as a baby.”

Becky pulled my cheek without pain.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you from before, but you are so introverted

that Michael had to approach carefully.”

“Michael… did that?”

“Yes, it’s difficult to handle.”

You said it was difficult for him to handle? I didn’t know Michael would

think that way. I rather thought Michael was good at dealing with people…

In short, I feel that I depend on Michael until now. Of course, it’s also

because I like Michael, but…

“And you’ll have to fix your reticence in the future. How many new people

do you meet when you hang out with us.”

Talking as if I was going to go together…… I already rejected Michael’s

offer to leave with him.

I’ve been regretting it now, but anyway, Michael knows I don’t want to go

with him. So did you tell me to get ready to go?

In fact, I wasn’t ready to let Michael go. There was a fear that I would

really die if he left.

I was hoping that Michael would again tell me to go with him.

In the morning, I put the blanket on Becky, who was fast asleep, scratching

her stomach, and quietly walked out of the room.

“You woke up so early?”

The one who spoke to me was Pavice, one of Michael’s colleagues. He was

friendly like Becky, even though he never properly exchanged words with

me. It seemed to be the characteristic of Michael’s colleagues that they

were friendly to those who were awkward.

“Are you okay with sleeping? Becky must have kicked the blanket and

snore.”

“At first I was embarrassed… I was so sleepy that I thought I fell asleep

fast.”

“I thought you’d tell a white lie because you’re timid, but you’re

surprisingly honest, is not it?”

I’ve heard that a lot. I can’t tell a lie that I don’t even have in my heart. I’d

rather not talk at all and let it slide in my mind.

“Would you like to eat bread?”

“No, besides, where’s Michael?”

“In the warehouse. Because we are leaving today.”

“… So, really, today will be the last.”