<\/p>\n
Tonight was finally the luminescent moss festival. Couge was probably feeling nervous right now.<\/p>\n
I wondered if he was able to finish the necklace. He told me he would be closing the restaurant today and tomorrow, so right now he should be simulating how he was going to propose tonight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I knew all along that Couge was preparing to propose, so when Norn came to me last week to invite me to watch the luminescent moss with them, I really panicked.<\/p>\n
Norn had probably been worried about me since he knew that I lived alone and didn\u2019t have any family to spend the festival with.<\/p>\n
I refused and made the same excuse about being afraid to walk home alone in the dark, but Norn didn\u2019t back down and offered for him and Couge to send me home after.<\/p>\n
Perhaps he still felt guilty and responsible about the matter with my inability to return to my home world.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He shouldn\u2019t though. I\u2019d already sorted out my feelings about it, and resolved to continue to live my whole life here.<\/p>\n
In the first place, the gate disappearing wasn\u2019t any of Norn\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n
But still, I was happy that he cared so much about me. I was happy, but I definitely couldn\u2019t agree to go with them this time.<\/p>\n
This chapter was brought to you by perpetualdaydreams.com<\/span><\/p>\n Feeling like Couge\u2019s plans might go to waste if I didn\u2019t make Norn accept my refusal, I hurriedly tried to give an acceptable excuse. Unfortunately, what came out of my mouth was a really childish \u201cI feel sleepy really early in the night.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he\u2019d looked disappointed, this time, Norn easily acquiesced. I had just felt relieved when he followed up with, \u201cLet\u2019s go together once you get bigger then,\u201d with a fully affectionate expression on his face. This time I was the one who couldn\u2019t accept things.<\/p>\n It seemed Norn would sometimes forget that by this world\u2019s standards, I was an adult.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope the proposal goes well.\u201d<\/p>\n I was certain that it wouldn\u2019t fail, but I still couldn\u2019t help but pray for success.<\/p>\n Norn and Couge were my important friends, so I wanted them to be happy.<\/p>\n Just as I was getting my thoughts about their upcoming happiness tonight ahead of me, I heard something that had lately become a daily occurrence: the sound of a horse galloping.<\/p>\n I took a rest from watering my plants to aim my gaze towards the road. Even from far away, I could see a cloud of dust rapidly approaching. When my eyes landed on that shining armor, I grinned.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since that day, Krish-san still came by every day in the midst of his errands and always asked how I was doing.<\/p>\n Last time I was at Nott\u2019s house and wasn\u2019t able to meet him, I\u2019d made him really worry, so afterwards, I made it a point to let him know if I was going to be out of the house the next day.<\/p>\n Krish-san was a really busy man, so I\u2019d told him I was fine and he didn\u2019t have to keep worrying about me, but he said it was a part of his duties to confirm the well-being of every citizen. And so he\u2019d kept on checking on me every day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cKrish-san, good afternoon!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Today the same as usual?\u201d<\/p>\n Under the bright sun, Krish-san looked, as ever, like he was shining in his armor. So cool…<\/p>\n \u201cYep, same as usual,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pochi had long gotten used to him too, and didn\u2019t make a fuss when Krish-san entered my property. Not only that, but he would even sit obediently and gaze at Krish-san with sparkling eyes.<\/p>\n Did Pochi see Krish-san as someone heroic as well?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of trouble lately, so if something happens let me know as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I have Pochi. Right, Pochi?\u201d<\/p>\n Sitting beside me, Pochi replied, \u201cArf!\u201d<\/p>\n I patted Pochi\u2019s head. He really barked at the right moments.<\/p>\n I\u2019d never met any trouble ever since I came to this world, but I was confident in Pochi. After all, even Japan\u2019s security firms paled in the face of his protectiveness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not heading out tonight?\u201d Krish-san asked.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the luminescent moss festival? Nope, I\u2019m not going. Going home alone in the dark is too scary for me. And even though Nott and Norn both invited me, I don\u2019t want to get in the way of their families spending time together. Plus, Couge is gonna propose tonight. I can\u2019t be a third wheel, right?\u201d<\/p>\n I said the last part in a quiet voice, as if sharing something secret. There wasn\u2019t actually any point to it, since there were only the two of us here. But I just felt that I had to.<\/p>\n \u201cI see. So you\u2019ll be alone tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYup. If someday I feel that it\u2019s not scary to walk alone in the dark, maybe I\u2019ll go take a look.\u201d<\/p>\n But I was probably going to be alone then too.<\/p>\n Nott said that he would ask me to go with him once he grew up, but by then he\u2019d probably have a girlfriend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Besides, I\u2019d noticed something back when I first met Nott\u2019s mother. Even the women of this world were so much taller than me.<\/p>\n Would there be a woman who\u2019d be willing to date and even marry someone like me who looked like a ten-year old? I didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n Well, there might be a curious person who\u2019d agree, but finding them would be next to impossible.<\/p>\n So I was already a little prepared to spend my life as a bachelor.<\/p>\n After all, I was already at this age. Of course, I wanted to try doing things even just once with a cute girl too, but well. That was only if I found a partner.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was fine. There was a saying back in my original world that once you passed thirty as a virgin, you became a wizard<\/span>