If daily life can continue

“Water…”

When Eileen woke up the next day, it was thirst that woke her.

And the instant that unconscious murmur left her lips, a glass of cool water was pressed to her mouth…

“Mm… so cold…”

A tight embrace.

“My back hurts…”

A gentle hold, rough fingers pressing and kneading again and again.

“You scared me so badly… you don’t have to treat me like this.”

Eileen stared helplessly at Utoya, who was clinging to her like a golden retriever seeking comfort.

She listened to her every word as though she were an obedient maid.

Damn it… why wasn’t she this obedient at night?

Eileen could barely even get out of bed…

“Can we do it again?”

Hearing Eileen’s weak voice, for some reason, Utoya’s heartbeat quickened again—so much so that even Eileen in her arms could feel it.

“Stop! It’s… it’s morning already… damn it, don’t you have work? How are you supposed to support a family!”

Eileen quickly pushed Utoya away.

This terrifying woman was clearly up to no good!

But… that feeling of being wrapped in tenderness…

It was like the last struggle of a drowning person.

Maybe dying peacefully like that was a kind of release.

“Mutant creatures sell for very high prices.

Even special forces soldiers struggle to deal with them.

Only hunters like me can catch them for those scientists.

So, don’t worry about money.”

“I’ll give you half of my earnings.

Do whatever you want with it.

Later, the money I save will be your dowry.

So… stop doing this to yourself.

There’s no need.

Stay here, okay?”

Utoya’s voice was no longer hoarse.

Perhaps her throat had been soothed enough…

She took Eileen’s hand, her fingers tracing up her shoulder.

If not for the sticky atmosphere of the moment, it would have looked like a graceful dancer inviting her to waltz.

She’s good at this…

But…

It was impossible.

Eileen smiled, but in the depths of her violet eyes, hidden where Utoya couldn’t see, there was only shadow and haze.

Her own feelings carried no impurities.

And she never expected anyone to return them in kind.

Utoya had already given her more than enough—enough to face death with dignity.

She needed nothing else.

She could take everything back with her own hands… her life, her death, whatever it may be.

Sensing the little cat in her arms suddenly stiffen, Utoya closed her eyes.

So it still wasn’t possible.

How she wished Eileen’s movements could remain carefree forever, lazy and untroubled.

“As for money… I can support you too.

I can give you anything, everything…”

Eileen gently shifted the topic, her voice turning into a soft murmur.

Before the warmth could completely shatter, she slipped free from Utoya, jumped down from the bed, and with a smile, pulled a potato out from under the table:

“For example… what do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”

…….

Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Conversations, movies, books.

Kisses, s*x, sleep.

Day after day after day…

It was like the holidays of childhood.

Eileen had never felt so at peace.

She was drowning in a tenderness that made her not want to wake up, not even to breathe.

Neither of them did anything serious.

Utoya stopped hunting.

Eileen stopped going into the radiation zone or buying supplies.

They lived off the stored food at home.

It was as if the world had ended, and only the two of them remained.

A vast, gentle, absolute love wrapped around her, mending her fragile, stagnant soul.

It was as though she could ignore everything in the world that made her want to die, and instead, quietly live the life she wished for.

Of course, that was impossible.

“Are you going to pluck all my fur and make a blanket? Again…”

Eileen sat helplessly in Utoya’s lap, leaning against her with a smile.

She let her carefully brush through her cat ears, cotton swabs making them tremble slightly, even curling around Utoya’s hand from time to time.

“I heard cats can get ear mites.

They need to be cleaned thoroughly…”

Utoya’s voice was still so serious.

Honestly, Eileen had never seen her not be serious.

Even when they did those things, she was as focused as a soldier waiting for backup on the battlefield.

It was kind of cute.

“Is this your way of caring about me?”

“Do you want me to care about you?”

“I’m going to school tomorrow. Will you walk me there?”

“Are you just trying to change the subject…”

“Do you like me that much?”

“I’ll walk you… but I can’t drive. I’ll just follow you. Give me your bag.”

“Tsk, then I’ll have to wake up early to prep both breakfast and lunch.”

Their conversation was fragmented and casual, yet it had already become their daily routine.

The only thing breaking this harmony was tomorrow’s classes.

Ah, school… how old was she already?

And she still had to go back…

The school worked like a university—so long as you passed the exams, you were fine.

Classes ran from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.

As long as you passed, whatever methods you used, you could keep your place.

And if you passed enough exams, maybe you’d even have a good résumé for jobs.

But by then, Eileen would already be dead.

So it didn’t matter.

She just had to avoid expulsion.

As for classes… Eileen never liked them.

Not only were they boring, but students looking down on orphans was the norm.

Most orphans had to sell themselves to pay Ribe, so their reputation was always at the bottom.

Not to mention Whitney, that bastard who bullied everyone…

Though to be fair, she wasn’t picky—so long as there was money, anyone could be her target.

Every time there was free sparring at school, she had to listen to the old principal ramble.

And he wasn’t a good man either.

The way he looked at the girls was disgusting.

She didn’t know how many had begged him for help just to pass exams.

Eileen’s grades were good, but her looks were too striking.

Even the way he looked at her was wrong—clearly waiting for a chance to demand a night with her.

Ha, keep dreaming.

No matter what, though, she had to go to school.

There was no safer place.

“Can’t you skip? I could ask your principal for leave…

And do you really plan to study there?”

Utoya looked uneasy.

Of course she knew it wasn’t a good place.

But she couldn’t stop Eileen’s determination.

“Hey, hey… don’t I look like a model student? Don’t underestimate me! Tomorrow, see for yourself whose name is in the school’s top ten.”

Eileen put her hands on her hips.

In her past life, she’d spent half her life cramming.

This level of knowledge was nothing—she could pass without even studying.

Her grades were in the school’s top ten, only behind her sister’s.

Not shameful at all.

“…Fine. But no staying out overnight.

Or else… I’ve got some special ways to deal with you…”

It should have sounded like a mother’s stern warning to a child.

But from Utoya’s lips, it gave Eileen the urge to say, “Guess I’ve got no choice but to do it…”

Forget it. Better not.

Laying out her uniform and bag, Eileen lay in bed, quietly feeling the last moments of her break slip through her fingers…

If only there were a supernatural being that could slow time…

She really didn’t want it to end.