THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"Then it creeps slowly along your legs, with the feeling of water droplets on your skin…"

Since everybody was bored, we all ended up in my room, Meetia knows why, to tell scary stories to each other. It was Keltia's idea and I don't know where she got it but still, it is pretty funny. Esteressa is the one currently talking about some sort of worm that can suck your brain out or something.

"Then when it reaches your head…"

"W-what happen?"

Farner seems way into it. The fact that there is only a candle at the center of the room to enlighten it may play a big role.

"It slips through your ear and starts pumping…LIKE THIS!!" Esteressa jumps on Cordel and slightly licks his ear.

"Kyaa!!" How did you get afraid of this, Farner? Just like Esteressa, Farner falls on me, making me bump into Lanuvel who was sitting near me.

"You really got afraid?"

"Why not?! That story was pretty scary, right, Lanuvel?"

"You said it yourself. Kevin is way too insensitive."

"I am not."

"You are."

"I am not."

"Then prove it."

"Yeah, they are right. Tell us a story."

"What does it have to do with anything." Esteressa butts in the conversation and asks me to tell a story. Where is the link with me being insensitive?

"A story! A story!" Everyone starts asking for a story as well.

"Come on, you are not going to tell us that you don't have a story, right?" Farner looks at me with a smug face. I am going to make you regret that.

"Okay."

"Yeah!" Esteressa is way too into this…

Hm…A story…what can I speak about? I don't have anything in particular to…Ah, yeah. Let's go with that one.

"Once, I was fleeing from a certain place, as I was being chased by-"

"Wait, that's a real story?"

"Yeah?"

"Huh…Okay." Esteressa's face distorted a bit. What is her problem?

"Anyway, I was chased then I fell into a hole. I fainted for a while but when I woke up, there were barely any light. There was that mushy-like smell in the air and creeping sounds were surrounding me. There were holes visible here and there. I walked towards a big hole in front of me but…"

"But?"

"Slowly, the creeping sounds got louder, heavier, more frenetic until suddenly…RAHH!!"

"KYAA!!" As I make a movement with my hands, all the girls except for Lanuvel scream like little girls. Is it that scary?

"What was it?" Cordel seems interested, though.

"I don't know. It was a big worm with a large mouth."

"Ah…a SLICKER."

"You encountered slickers. Wait, where was it? I thought they couldn't be found outside Floras."

"I don't know, Esteressa. Anyway, Kevin, how did it end?"

"You guys have spoiled his story." Farner intervenes and cuts off Cordel and Esteresa who changed the mood.

"Well, the rest is not really scary. I ran away and it pursued me until I escaped. Though it did use acid to burn my back at some point."

"Wait, what?" Esteressa's eyes open like they are about to pop out.

"Seriously?" Cordel is surprised as well.

"Yeah. The smell was bad. Like rotten eggs or something."

"And you didn't faint?"

"I can't feel pain. So no, I didn't faint."

"Were you born like this?" Cordel asks me while looking straight into my eyes. Like he wants to see if I will lie.

"Nope."

"Then will you finally answer my question?"

"Eh?" Farner grabs my hand and comes closer to me, my heart almost skips a beat seeing her close, smelling her perfume…

"I asked you once. How many times have seen death?" Right now, it feels that there nobody else except us in the room.

"Ah, that one. Well…"

I can feel everybody's eyes fixated on me but I don't know why, my eyes can't leave Farner. Her crystalline and shinig blue eyes are just so... 

"If I remember correctly, it was one, two…" There was the time with Tatiana, with Kalok as well. Can I consider my fight with Mark as well? I don't think so. I just got careless that time but I think I would have survived.

"Yeah, three times if I count the Longinus' fight."

"Three times…" Farner's face darkens so much it almost disappears in the slightly dark room.

"So many…" I can hear Lanuvel's comment as well, behind me.

It seems the joyful mood from earlier died down because of me. Nobody seems happy anymore.

***

After the mood died, everyone took a corner of the room and start cuddling. Esteressa and Cordel, Peter who is still trembling for no reason, and Keltia, Samson is alone, I wonder why, and the three heroes are all together, their heads bumping against each other while they are silently sleeping. Farner looks really beautiful when she is sleeping.

As for me, well, I ended up with Lanuvel sleeping on my shoulder. Her slow breathing sometimes brushes her hair which flies softly as it does.

"She must have been tired, I guess."

"Not really." As I speak, she opens her eyes.

"You weren't sleeping?"

"And you didn't get flustered?" 

"Not really. You can't sleep?"

"No, I…I wanted to say something before."

"What is it?" We are whispering so I don't think people can hear us. Though I can hear Farner's heartbeat accelerates. I guess she isn't sleeping as well.

"I…I wanted to tell you that…You deserve to be happy as well. You deserve to smile…"

"No, I don't. Please let's not talk about it." You are only saying that because you don't know what I did.

"Yes, you do."

Lanuvel faces me and before I know it, she kisses me. her kiss is hot. Like Farner, I feel my body being electrified, the taste is incredible... but my mind isn't accepting it, I can't accept such pleasure coming from you. I don't deserve it.

As she removes her lips, I grab her hands that she has wrapped around my neck and slowly remove them. Not only can I not accept your feelings, but I can hear Farner's heartbeat like a drum being beaten. Actually, I think everybody can hear it.

"Lanuvel, I-"

"I know. But just, please. Give me a chance."

"A chance for what?" I am the one who should be saying that.

"A chance to show you a different future." Saying so, she places her head on my chest. "And If I can't, then... I will leave, as silently as I came."