The Way We Spent Our Days

“By the way, little Daisy, you said before that you lived with that dragon woman in a cave for hundreds of years, right?”

After Daisy left the Mountain Eagle Guild hall with Katie, the two walked through the brightly lit streets of Gran City looking for a place to stay for the night.

Katie seemed to suddenly remember what Daisy had said a few days ago—that she had barely ever left the cave during those hundreds of years with Viola—and casually asked, as if trying to cover up the awkwardness from earlier when she had cried.

“Spending that long in a cave with nothing but rocks and hay… doesn’t it get boring?
What do you usually do to pass the time?”

“Mm? Viola and I… usually…”

Daisy was caught off guard by the question and couldn’t quite explain it properly, so she spoke while thinking.

“We eat, sleep, roll around on Viola’s wings…
Viola tells me lots of stories about the outside world, and… she also plays with me.”

“Play?
What kind of games do you play?”

Katie seemed genuinely curious now.

To humans, dragons were distant, powerful beings that were hard to approach.

Very few people had any idea how dragons actually lived, let alone how they spent their time playing.

“Let me think…”

Daisy recalled slowly, then began describing how she and Viola spent time together in the cave.

“Mmm… mmm…”

In those memories from hundreds of years ago, inside the cave deep within the forest where Daisy and Viola lived—

One day, after eating their fill, Daisy leaned against Viola’s wings, which had spread out like a feather sofa, and let out soft, idle murmurs out of boredom.

“Mmm…”

“What’s wrong, my Daisy?”

Beside her, Viola turned her cold yet beautiful face slightly, a faint smile forming as her silver-grey eyes softened.

“Feeling bored?
How about we play something?”

“I want to play!”

Daisy instantly brightened up.

Wrapped in the grey-black fox fur, she flipped over and jumped up excitedly.

It wasn’t even about the game—

She was just happy to play with Viola.

“Then… let’s play catch.”

Viola smiled knowingly, like someone coaxing a child, and picked up a fist-sized round stone from the ground.

Living isolated in the wilderness, without treasure or tools, stones and wood were basically the only “toys” available.

“Let’s play catch!”

Daisy agreed happily.

Inside the wide cave filled with dry grass, the two stood about five or six meters apart.

Then the game began.

“Ready… start.”

Viola, completely unbothered by being unclothed as usual, casually threw the stone toward Daisy.

The heavy stone arced through the air and flew straight toward Daisy’s fluffy little head.

Daisy raised a hand and caught it easily.

She wasn’t an ordinary child—

She was a young dragon.

Holding and throwing a heavy stone like this was effortless.

“Pass!”

Daisy shouted, pretending to be professional, and threw the stone back.

“Second pass.”

Viola caught it effortlessly and tossed it back again.

“Spike!”

Daisy caught it and threw it with force—

But misjudged slightly.

The stone flew off to the side at high speed.

In that instant—

Viola moved.

Her tall figure blurred forward like a gust of wind.

She caught the stone midair and lightly tossed it back.

“Playing like this is a bit boring.
Just throw however you like…”

She landed lightly, her body swaying slightly from the movement, but she didn’t care at all.

A faint, proud smile appeared.

“No matter how you throw it…
I’ll catch it.”

“Then try it!”

Daisy shouted, refusing to lose.

She spun and hurled the stone sideways.

In a blink—

Viola dashed again, faster than the stone itself, caught it, and tossed it back.

“Again.”

“Grr—!”

Daisy got more competitive.

She faked one direction—

Then suddenly threw it behind her.

But Viola was faster.

Wind surged as she appeared there instantly, caught it, and tossed it back again.

“Again.
Again.”

“Grr—!”

Daisy started throwing randomly in every direction.

Viola moved like lightning, catching every single throw effortlessly and returning it.

After a while—

Daisy suddenly felt something a bit weird.

The way she was throwing the stone and Viola kept chasing it and bringing it back…

…it kind of felt like throwing a frisbee for a dog.

…well.

Still fun.

“Besides that, we also play dodgeball, kicking games, punching and kicking practice, sword sparring with wooden sticks… basically a lot of things!”

Back on the street, Daisy spoke excitedly.

Then her voice softened a little.

“As long as I’m with Viola… even hundreds of years wouldn’t feel boring…”

Thinking back—

Most of those “games” were actually training.

Dodgeball trained her evasion.

Combat games trained her strength.

Viola had been preparing her all along—

So she wouldn’t be helpless.

“So that’s how it is… that dragon lady really knows what she’s doing.”

Katie said softly.

Her gaze dimmed slightly, likely thinking of her own struggling family.

Then she forced a smile and changed the topic again.

“Look, Daisy, that’s the inn I’m staying at.
We’re almost there.
Let’s go take a bath together?”

“Um… about bathing…”

Daisy hesitated.

But Katie grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.

As they ran through the street—

Behind them—

Under the glow of the city lights—

A dark figure lingered on the rooftops.

Watching.

Following.

Not letting them out of sight.

World… world… what exactly is the world?

From the moment she hatched until now, Daisy had lived for hundreds of years with Viola in a cave deep within the Demon Forest.

Before Katie and the others intruded into the forest, Daisy had basically never stepped outside—
or rather, never stepped out of the cave at all.

And yet, in all those centuries, she had never felt bored.

Because Viola had always been there.

Whenever Daisy started to feel even a little restless, Viola would come up with all sorts of games—endlessly varied, endlessly creative.

And she would also tell Daisy about the outside world, since Daisy, after reincarnation, barely remembered anything from her previous human life.

“According to what humans commonly believe, this world is divided into three overlapping realms.”

“The Human Realm, where humans dominate, and where elves, beastmen, dwarves, giants, and merfolk coexist across the continent.”

“The Demon Realm, hidden in a parallel dimension, filled with monsters and unknown horrors, ruled by intelligent demons, and which opens spatial gates every few hundred years to spread calamities into the Human Realm.”

“And the Divine Realm, also hidden in another dimension—more mysterious than the Demon Realm—where only angels occasionally appear in the Human Realm to convey the so-called will of the gods.”

“That’s… roughly how the structure of the world is described.”

“…By the way, are you even listening, my little Daisy?”

That was long ago.

Back when Daisy was even smaller than she was now, her tiny body wrapped entirely in the oversized scorpion-tailed fox fur.

Viola had been idly explaining the nature of the world.

Daisy couldn’t remember exactly when it was anymore.

But she had never forgotten what Viola said.

Even if she hadn’t really understood any of it back then.

“World… what is that?”

The little Daisy from back then was curled up in the fur, leaning against Viola’s soft, warm body.

Her mind was hazy from listening.

“Hmm… that’s quite a deep question.”

Viola thought for a moment, gently stroking Daisy’s messy white hair and small red horns.

“It can simply mean the place we exist in… or everything as a whole.”

“Just understand it like that for now.”

She continued casually.

“To put it simply, the difference between the Human Realm, Demon Realm, and Divine Realm likely comes from variations in the flow of magic.”

“The invisible magical particles that fill the world influence environments—and even the formation of magical circuits within living beings.”

“That’s why humans differ from demons…
why normal animals differ from monsters…
and even why humans differ from the so-called gods.”

“…Though honestly, you’re about to fall asleep, aren’t you?”

“Mm… I’m not… not sleeping…”

Daisy mumbled weakly.

Her head rested against Viola’s soft chest.

Her brain couldn’t handle the lecture.

She was drifting.

“Hey, wake up.

It’s still morning—you already went to sleep before sunset yesterday.”

Viola sighed.

Then—

She slipped her hand inside the fur wrapping Daisy.

And started tickling her.

“Ahh—! Hahaha! Viola!”

“Come on, wake up. Pay attention.”

“Stop—ahahahaha! It’s too ticklish! I’ll listen, I promise!”

“This texture… really is amazing.”

“Ahahaha—stop it!”

Daisy writhed and laughed, completely awake now.

Viola only stopped once she was satisfied.

“Anyway,” Viola said, returning to her usual composed demeanor,
“there’s no point explaining all that in detail yet.”

“Let’s talk about something more important.”

She looked at Daisy seriously.

“Let’s talk about humans.”

Daisy had known since childhood—

That she had once been human.

That she had shared a special bond with Viola.

That she had died in some unknown conflict.

And that Viola had placed her soul into a dragon egg.

“So technically… I suppose I’m still human,” Daisy had once thought.

“To be honest,” Viola said coldly,
“I hate humans.”

She turned her gaze away.

“Humans always put themselves first.”

“They redefine right and wrong, good and evil, entirely based on their own benefit.”

“Selfishness, prejudice, inconsistency, cunning, greed, cruelty…”

“All of it is inherent in human nature.”

“They harm even their own kind—
even their own family—
for the sake of gain.”

“They commit evil, yet call it justice.”

“They claim to rule the world…
yet can’t even control their own fate.”

“Weak, yet arrogant.”

“They embody the worst traits of every race.”

“That is humanity.”

“……”

Daisy listened quietly.

Something felt off.

“The nature of the world is best seen through humans,” Viola continued.

“In ancient times, humans once had a flourishing magical civilization.”

“Far beyond what exists today.”

“But it collapsed.”

“Because of internal wars.”

“After that, humanity nearly went extinct.”

“And how did they recover?”

Viola’s voice grew colder.

“They befriended elves—
and stole their magic.”

“They allied with dwarves—
and learned forging.”

“They used beastmen, giants, merfolk…”

“One by one.”

“They took what they needed.”

“And then—
they betrayed them.”

“They expanded.”

“They dominated the continent.”

“And now they seek to eradicate every other race.”

“And still—
they fight among themselves.”

“Truly beyond saving.”

“……”

Daisy finally realized what felt wrong.

“Then why…”

She spoke softly.

“Why do you like me?”

“If you hate humans so much…
why did you love me when I was human?”

“…Still asking that?”

Viola let out a faint sigh.

She stood, walked over, and knelt before Daisy.

Then—

She pulled her into an embrace.

Forehead against forehead.

Eyes closed.

“I love you…
has nothing to do with humanity.”

Her voice was soft.

Almost wistful.

“Do you need a reason to love someone?”

“We were meant to love each other.”

“And we met.”

“That’s enough.”

Daisy relaxed.

At ease.

Even as a child, she had felt it—

The world didn’t matter.

Humans didn’t matter.

As long as she could stay with the one she loved—

That was enough.