Chapter 11 : Memory Gap II

Had everything that happened been a dream?

A small wish I held onto right before falling asleep.

I wanted to dismiss everything that had happened as a nightmare and return to my normal life.

But.

What greeted me as soon as I opened my eyes was the ceiling of a battered and collapsed building.

A sigh escaped me naturally.

In this situation, where reality seemed more dreamlike than dreams, how could I not sigh?

As I rubbed my eyes and tried to get up, I felt a strange sensation.

“Ah?”

A small groan escaped my lips as I moved.

It felt like someone had tugged on my hair.

I naturally frowned and looked towards the source of the sensation.

“…Ha…”

A sigh escaped as I confirmed the situation.

My long silver hair and Aurel’s golden hair were tied together in a heart shape.

An impossible knot to form naturally.

There were only Aurel and me in this building.

Which meant Aurel was the one who tied our hair like this.

I looked down at Aurel silently.

Her face was serene, without a hint of worry.

The slight curve of her lips suggested she was happy.

Was she dreaming a happy dream?

I reached out and untied the heart-shaped knot.

The knot came apart easily.

Although I couldn’t tell how long it had been tied, thankfully, my hair was intact without any damage.

As I ran my fingers through my silky hair, I frowned.

Since when did I start caring about the state of my hair?

I wasn’t feeling good.

I gently tapped Aurel’s cheek as she lay beside me.

Tap-

“Ah!”

Aurel woke up with a start from the sudden impact.

As her wide eyes recognized me, a smile naturally spread across her face.

“Hehe… Did you sleep well?”

I wanted to scold her for tying our hair together, but her bright face made me hold my tongue.

I watched Aurel silently.

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and stared blankly at the ceiling.

A few minutes passed.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked down at her right hair.

“Oh…”

A regretful sigh escaped her lips.

Aurel regretfully stroked her hair.

I got up.

Watching Aurel was quite amusing, but since the sun had set, it was time to move.

“Let’s go.”

Aurel and I left the building.

I wondered if another human might come, but that worry was unfounded.

I thought the world without electricity looked like a stage with its lights off.

The faint moonlight and the shorter daylight seemed to highlight the protagonist.

A needless thought.

I shook my head, looking at the large full moon.

It was a full moon.

A time when werewolves’ abilities were especially strong.

Yet, why did I lack such information in my absorbed memories?

The Blood Carnival [Full Moon] buff wasn’t a hidden easter egg.

It was common knowledge. Anyone who raised a werewolf or faced them during a full moon would know it.

The game developers didn’t feel the need to announce it.

“Aurel.”

“Yes?”

“It’s a full moon.”

I cautiously began, doubting my memory.

“Yes. It’s a beautiful full moon!”

“The werewolves will become stronger.”

“Do werewolves get stronger?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No! I’ve never raised a werewolf.”

I fell silent at Aurel’s response.

The world had changed five years ago.

How could she not know that werewolves became stronger on full moon nights in all that time?

Moreover, werewolves and vampires were allies.

They regularly met and shared information. How could she not know such basic information?

Of course, someone like Aurel might not know.

She was likely a newbie before the world changed.

“What’s strange?”

“Hmm…”

I crossed my arms and thought.

The problem was Ravina’s memory.

Ravina was the leader of a vampire clan managing an area.

She also regularly met werewolves and exchanged information.

Not to mention, the amount of information collected by clan members was significant.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head and turned away.

This needed confirmation from another werewolf or vampire.

Aurel stayed silent as we walked.

She seemed quite taken with the large full moon.

I glanced at her profile.

After walking for a while, I noticed a bicycle inside a building.

It was dusty but in decent condition.

I naturally walked towards the bicycle.

“Charlotte?”

I ignored Aurel’s call and inspected the bicycle.

Despite some rust from neglect, the chain seemed fine.

If I could fix the tires, I could ride it immediately.

“Are you going to ride a bicycle?”

“It seems faster than walking.”

Running on my own two legs might be faster, but it was dangerous to waste energy unnecessarily.

“Can you find a pump?”

“A pump?”

Aurel tilted her head at my words.

Could it be that she didn’t know what a pump looked like?

Well, if she had no interest in bicycles, it was understandable…

I was about to explain what a pump looked like but shook my head at the thought of its complicated appearance and spoke.

“Just bring anything long and suspicious-looking.”

“Yes!”

Aurel and I split up to search for the pump.

Various maintenance tools were scattered around the bicycle, so there had to be a pump somewhere in this house.

After some time, Aurel came running to me with a long object in her arms.

“Charlotte! I found it!”

“This is…”

I let out a small groan as I looked at what Aurel had brought.

I had told her to bring anything long and suspicious-looking because I was too lazy to explain…

But this wasn’t a pump; it was a belt barrier.

Aurel looked at me like a puppy expecting praise.

“This isn’t it.”

“Oh…”

Aurel turned away with a dejected expression.

What kind of person lived in this house to have a belt barrier?

After some more time, Aurel came back with an excited expression, holding another long object.

“Charlotte! I found it!”

Of course, it wasn’t a pump this time either.

Aurel had brought one leg of a camera tripod.

“This isn’t it either.”

“Oh…”

Aurel looked dejected again.

After some more time, I found the pump tucked away in a corner of the building.

“Aurel! Come here!”

Aurel ran over as soon as I called her.

She looked at the pump I was holding with sparkling eyes.

“This is a pump.”

I placed the heavy pump on the floor and unfolded the footplate.

Then I naturally assumed the position.

I looked at the hose on the floor and spoke to Aurel.

“Aurel, can you connect that to the bicycle tire?”

“Got it!”

Thanks to Aurel’s diligent small and soft hands, the bicycle was ready to be pumped.

“Phew!”

I took a small breath before starting to pump.

Swoosh… Swoosh… Swoosh…

With each push and pull of the handle, my arms stretched out, pressing down hard.

Swoosh…

Push!

Swoosh…

Push!

After several rounds of pumping, the bicycle tires became fully inflated, almost like they had new life.

I worried there might be a leak, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

With the tires inflated, the only thing left to do was adjust the seat and handlebar height.

The previous rider must have been quite tall.

I firmly pressed down the seat that was raised too high.

The same went for the handlebars.

After completing all the settings, I had a perfect bicycle just for me.

“Sit at the back.”

“You’re giving me a ride?”

“Do you want to walk?”

If there were two bicycles, we could each ride one, but there was only one.

Unless we found another on the way, we had to ride together.

I sat on the bicycle and pointed to the back seat.

“Um…!”

Aurel cautiously approached and sat at the back.

She seemed uncomfortable and kept adjusting her position.

“If you let your clothes hang like that, they might get caught in the chain.”

“Really?”

I pointed out her attire as I checked her position.

Her long skirt could get caught in the chain.

Aurel lifted her skirt slightly.

“Is this okay?”

I nodded silently.

Her thighs were a bit too exposed, but I didn’t mention it.

Just as we were about to start, Aurel tugged at my clothes.

“Uh, Charlotte.”

“What…?”

“Can you make this seat more comfortable? My thighs are sticking out through the holes, and it’s a bit uncomfortable…”

Indeed.

The back seat with all those holes was understandably uncomfortable.

I managed to tear my gaze away and went inside the building to fetch a cushion for the back seat.