CH 14

Chapter 14: A Dream-like Exchange

The incident occurred late at night.

I was sleeping in my bed when I heard a noise coming from somewhere.

“A lot of… Beautiful pebbles…” (Dorami)

Dorami was sleeping next to me.

I thought she had fallen off the bed.

If it wasn’t Dorami, was it just an auditory hallucination?

—Thump! Bang! Don!

It wasn’t a hallucination!

I listen closely.

The sound doesn’t seem to have come from the next room or downstairs.

Where the heck is it from—

“—?!” (Jade)

I-I just heard someone scream!

It’s Garnet-san’s voice!

Why is she screaming—could it be that robbers broke into her house?!

“This is bad!” (Jade)

“Hiii?! W-what’s going on?!” (Dorami)

“I heard Garnet-san scream!” (Jade)

“That’s really bad!” (Dorami)

“Right! I’ll go check on her!” (Jade)

“Dorami is coming too!” (Dorami)

We ran out of the house.

I reached Garnet-san’s house and knocked on the door.

“Excuse me! It’s Jade! I just heard a really loud noise, is everything okay?!” (Jade)

The door opened and Garnet-san appeared.

Her face is pale and her bangs are clinging to her forehead with sweat.

“I need help.” (Garnet)

“Of course! I rushed over here with that intention!” (Jade)

It was definitely a robbery. She must’ve taken advantage of a gap and escaped.

I won’t let them get away with sneaking into Garnet-san’s house.

I’ll punish them so that they won’t do anything bad again!

We went up to the second floor and stood by the door.

“Oh no!” (Dorami)

“W-what is it?” (Jade)

“I forgot my pebbles…” (Dorami)

“Just leave the fighting to me. Dorami, you protect Garnet-san.” (Jade)

“Leave it to me!” (Dorami)

Dorami nodded and tried to look brave.

I opened the door and entered the room by myself.

…The bedroom was in a terrible state.

The bed is a mess, clothes, and books are scattered around on the floor, and there’s a water jug upside down.

“Are you bad at cleaning?” (Dorami)

“It’s usually cleaner than this.” (Garnet)

If that’s the case, then this is definitely a sign of a scuffle.

I’m getting angry just thinking about it.

I won’t forgive them for attacking Garnet-san.

I want to vent my anger on them but… I can’t see the robbers.

The closet is empty and the gap under the bed is too small. The window is also locked from the inside…

“There’s nobody here.” (Jade)

“I’m sure it’s still under the bed…” (Garnet)

“In this small gap…?” (Jade)

I pressed my cheeks to the floor and peeked into the gap under the bed but it was dark so I couldn’t see very well.

So, I decided to lift up the bed.

And then—

Kasakasa!

T/N: Actual words on the thing, just think of it as the spider’s noise.

Something brushed past my feet

“Hyaa!” (Garnet)

Garnet-san let out a scream.

She hid behind Dorami’s back, grabbed her shoulders, and trembled.

“Don’t worry! Dorami is here to protect you!” (Dorami)

“So reliable…” (Garnet)

I’m jealous! I wanted to play that role!

But, this isn’t the time to get jealous. I have to get rid of the root of all evil first.

I looked around the room and found it jumping from the bed.

It was a palm-sized spider crawling on the floor.

“What the, so it was just a spider?” (Dorami)

“Spiders are scary.” (Garnet)

“I guess so. When I ate one before, my stomach became really messed up… Remembering that makes it pretty scary…” (Dorami)

It looks like she ate one during her wandering days.

Garnet-san looked pale when Dorami mentioned the taste.

Anyway, whether the opponent is a robber or an insect, I have to eliminate the existence that threatens Garnet-san!

In order to respond to the spider’s agile movements, I strengthened my physical abilities.

Kasa?! Kasakasa!

Perhaps it sensed my murderous intent, the spider panicked and fled under a pile of clothes.

“Kuh!” (Jade)

Hiding under clothes is cowardly!

It’s impossible for me to touch Garnet-san’s clothes! It’d be too stimulating for me!

The stalemate continues.

“What are you doing?” (Dorami)

“Are you also bad with spiders?” (Garnet)

“N-no, that’s not it at all!” (Jade)

This is bad. At this rate, people are going to think I’m bad with spiders.

I have to show my reliable side and get rid of the spider to reassure Garnet-san.

Hardening my resolve, I gently lifted the clothes.

The spider tried to move back under the bed.

“Like I’d let you escape!” (Jade)

I immediately shoved my hand under the bed and grabbed the spider.

Baki!

At the same time, my head hit the side of the bed. The horizontal board cracked due to my headbutt.

Before everything else, I threw the spider out the window and lowered my head to Garnet-san.

“I’m sorry, I accidentally broke the bed…” (Jade)

“I don’t mind. It was about time to buy a new one anyway.” (Garnet)

She’s so kind!

“Thank you very much!” (Jade)

“I should be the one thanking you. I’m glad that you’re my neighbor.” (Garnet)

Oooooh!

OOOOOOOOH!

Garnet-san told me that she was happy to have me as her neighbor!

If I get to know her more as a neighbor, it won’t be long before we become friends!

Anyway…

“The broken bed is a problem… The store is still closed at this time.” (Jade)

“It’s just a broken side.” (Garnet)

“But it might fall apart. It would be a disaster if it broke while you were sleeping.” (Jade)

I won’t be able to accept that she’s unable to sleep because of me…

If that’s the case—

“Umm! If you don’t mind, I can give you my bed!” (Jade)

“If you give me yours, you won’t have one.” (Garnet)

“I’m fine! I like sleeping on the floor!” (Jade)

“Dorami can sleep on the sofa!” (Dorami)

“I’d feel bad for you two.” (Garnet)

“Please don’t worry about it.” (Jade)

“That’s right! There’s nothing to worry about! As friends, this is the normal thing to do!” (Dorami)

Garnet-san smiled happily.

“It’s nice to be friends with you two.” (Garnet)

W-what the?! You two?!

This means… I’ve finally become friends with Garnet-san!

It isn’t strange for friends to hang out, right?

If that’s the case, where should I invite her? Where does she like to go?

Well, whatever. I don’t really know, but I don’t have to think about it right now.

Now that we’re friends, we’ll have plenty of chances to talk about where we’d like to hang out!

“I’ll bring the bed right away, so please wait here!” (Jade)

“I’ll clean the room while waiting.” (Garnet)

“Dorami will help too!” (Dorami)

I left the two of them behind and returned to my house.

I carried the bed and went back to Garnet-san’s house—carefully trying not to hit the door.

“Sorry for the wait!” (Jade)

“…It looks very expensive.” (Garnet)

Garnet-san who put her scattered clothes into the closet looked apologetic when she looked at the bed.

The bed is custom-made so it IS expensive, but Garnet-san doesn’t need to mind that.

After all, the bed was made as comfortable as can be for her to use one day.

Even if we can’t use it together, I’d be happy if Garnet-san could use it by herself.

“Please feel free to use it!” (Jade)

“I’d feel bad just taking it for free.” (Garnet)

“Ah, how about this?! We can just take this bed over here!” (Dorami)

Eh?! We’re going to take Garnet-san’s bed?

Will such a dream-like exchange actually come true?!

“I don’t mind.” (Garnet)

It really happened!

“I-is it really alright for me to have it?” (Jade)

“Yeah, it’s fine.” (Garnet)

“Thank you so much!” (Jade)

After swapping the beds, I carry her bed and went outside.

“You helped me a lot today.” (Garnet)

“You’re welcome! If another spider appears again, please don’t hesitate to rely on me! I’ll do my best to help you as your friend!” (Jade)

“I’m counting on you.” (Garnet)

I’m so glad I was born!

It’s the first time I’ve ever felt so happy.

I think I’ll be able to sleep comfortably tonight.

“See you!” (Jade)

Garnet-san sent us off as we headed back home.

When I put the bed in the bedroom, Dorami immediately laid down.

“How is it?” (Jade)

“It’s comfortable. Fuwaa~ I’m getting really sleepy…” (Dorami)

“It’s already midnight, isn’t it? We’re going to leave at noon, so sleep well.” (Jade)

“I’ll do that…” (Dorami)

Dorami, who was already dozing off, immediately fell asleep.

I also lie down on the bed while feeling nervous.

…It smelled like Garnet-san.

It’s as if I’m wrapped in Garnet-san’s clothes.

Thanks to that, my heart was pounding the entire night and I had to depart without getting a wink of sleep.