Connie and the soft sensation.

Connie had good grades, but she didn't consider herself particularly intelligent.

The only thing she did was read a book, learn what was written in it, and replicate it countless times.

This wasn't intelligence; it was the fruit of her hard work.

Her parents had invested heavily in her education, and from an early age, she knew that if she wanted to succeed in life, she should study.

One of the main aspects of understanding something was "observation."

As said in The Secret Art of War: "Know the enemy as if he were you."

Connie pressed her glasses up with a smile of pride as she looked at the results of her latest project in her small notebook.

[Observation Diary: Pink Magic Lion]

It was an observation diary full of sketches and notes about the strange lion she had encountered the day before.

"I hope he shows up again tonight," she thought, her back pressed against the cold floor of her room.

The ceiling was decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars, and a portrait of a black hole hung above her dresser, along with family pictures.

She stretched her arms toward the stars.

She had been so anxious before, but after organizing her thoughts, she felt strangely happy.

Something new and interesting had appeared in her secret little base.

Though the stars seemed so far away, now there was something that felt as if it had been plucked from a fictional world—right in her own backyard.

"Heheh..." She laughed at her own thoughts. Her eyes sparkled with a youthful innocence, a stark contrast to her usual melancholic mood.

Why had she been feeling so down before?

Suddenly, Connie's hand froze mid-air as the thought hit her.

The image of a little girl with black hair and green eyes, hugged by her mother, flashed through her mind.

A strange feeling washed over her, a sense of realignment.

"I forgot to chat with her..."

Her mind had been so overwhelmed with thoughts that she missed the chance to talk to her new sister.

It was a little embarrassing, but Connie felt strangely relieved she had avoided the conversation.

Her emotions were a bit tangled up after last night.

The look on her mother's face was so... different.

It was almost as though her mom was a different person.

And the reason for that change was none other than her new sister.

A girl that seemed like cold princess, unmoved by the opinions of others.

When they first met, the girl had simply fainted. After that, she ignored Connie completely, acting as if she didn't exist.

That made she feel even more alienated.

"Does she even know I exist?"

The words slipped out, betraying her inner frustration.

Normally, Connie would suppress such thoughts, but in the privacy of her room, she allowed herself to think them freely.

"Mom brought someone home without saying a word. Does she even care about how I feel?"

She hugged her body pillow tightly as she stared blankly into space.

"If Mom is so attached to her, isn't it just a matter of time before Dad starts acting strange too?"

Her dad had always been fair with her, though he had shown concern about her mom's decisions. But if her mom had changed so much, what if this girl started influencing her dad too? Even he could be drawn in.

The only reason Connie had managed to endure the bullying and find some peace was because she believed her parents cared about her.

But now, that belief seemed to be distorting before her eyes.

As if her family was being stolen from her.

It had only been two days. But what about a week? A month? A year?

Would they forget about her completely?

Connie stared at a portrait of her family on her dresser, her vision growing blurry. In the photo, she was holding her parents' hands at an amusement park.

She loved that picture because it captured one of the rare moments they had shared together.

In that moment, only she held their hands. But little by little, this image was being replaced in her mind by an unfamiliar one.

"Is this how Brother Bear felt?"

She thought of a fictional character from a novel she had read—a spoiled child whose parents' attention was stolen by his adoptive sister.

Golden Girl, his adoptive sister, had innocently approached him, asking to be friends, but his response had been, "How could I be friends with a freak like you?!"

Not used to his parents' divided attention, he had done the most extreme things to get it back. Even leaving Golden Girl with wolves.

When she was comfortable, it had been easy to criticize Brother Bear. But now, Connie could almost empathize with him.

Maybe he had been scared.

He might have thought his parents' love was guaranteed, but when that changed, he reacted violently.

No matter how kind Golden Girl had been to him, he had repaid her with hate.

Connie wanted to be different. She didn't want to act like Brother Bear.

She understood how destructive that kind of thinking could be.

But it wasn't easy to communicate with Asha. At times, she seemed more intimidating than Golden Girl.

For someone as introverted as Connie, this made things difficult.

That was why she was secretly relieved to avoid Asha today.

"I need to organize my feelings first."

She couldn't figure everything out just yet, so it was best to stay away.

"Knock-knock."

A sudden sound came from the door.

"!?"

Connie jumped up from the floor and looked around her room.

Candies were scattered across the floor, blankets were tossed about, and papers from her notes lay everywhere.

"Wait just a minute, Mom!" she shouted.

Without a second thought, her hands and feet sprang into action, trying to tidy up.

In seconds, she made her bed, stuffed the candy under it, and shoved her notes into her bag.

"Knock-knock-knock!"

The knocking grew louder.

Connie quickly rushed to the door, adjusting her appearance and trying to muster the best smile she could.

"Sorry, I just—Eh?" she started to explain, but her words faltered at the sight before her.

Asha remained there, completely alone, staring at her with her usual vacant eyes.

"Why are you here...?" Connie stammered, still in shock, completely forgetting that Asha was mute and deaf.

Asha simply gazed at her calmly. Then, with slow movements, she grabbed an old notebook and began writing something.

Her hands moved, writing and erasing over and over again. Connie watched in stunned silence.

After a few minutes, Asha finished and turned the notebook toward her.

[Wanna be friends?]

Just three words, but they felt like a punch to Connie's chest.

"Slap."

Connie slapped her own face, the sound echoing down the hallway. She did it as though trying to shake herself out of a strange delusion. But somehow, the scene refused to disappear.

"Slap! Slap!!"

She slapped herself harder, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

Asha, unfazed, stared at her without blinking.

Feeling the pain on her cheek, Connie realized this was real.

Her face immediately flushed red, and her heart started racing.

How crazy must she look right now?

"Ah, this is just—I was...!" she tried to explain in a rush, but Asha just kept looking at her silently, holding her notebook out.

The more Connie tried to explain, the more awkward she became.

So, she fell silent.

"..."

"..."

The silence stretched on. Connie's ears burned red, and her breathing was ragged, trying to keep herself together.

"Hello. My name is Connie." she said in a stiff, robotic tone, hoping to change the subject.

"..."

"So... do you want to be friends? Me too! Haha..."

"..."

Connie laughed awkwardly, her face growing paler by the second. She looked like an introvert forced to perform in front of an entire school.

Asha stared at her, cold eyes fixed on Connie, and Connie felt like she was being dissected. Even though she was taller and older, Asha's gaze was unnervingly intimidating.

Fortunately, the staring contest didn't last long.

Asha picked up her notebook again and began writing.

[I am deaf.]

"..."

The impact of those words hit hard.

Connie replayed the entire scene in her mind, imagining it without sound. Her awkward attempts to speak must have seemed ridiculous.

Her face turned even redder, but Asha remained calm.

Then, something unexpected happened. Asha extended her pencil with her left hand while holding the notebook in her right, offering it to Connie.

[Write here: ________]

When Connie's thoughts started spiraling again, Asha shook the pencil as if to snap her out of it.

Connie mechanically took the pencil and began writing in the notebook.

[Yes.]

Asha looked at the word for a moment before writing again.

[Can I enter?]

[Yes.]

[Thank you.]

Asha closed her notebook and, without a word, guided her wheelchair into the room.

Everything happened so suddenly that Connie could only stand there, staring dumbfounded.

Her little sister, who had just invaded her room with her permission, moved her wheelchair around as though exploring a dungeon.

Connie just stood there like a background character, trying to blend into the room.

At some point, Asha stopped in front of a bookshelf.

There was where Connie kept all her books.

Asha picked up a small book and turned toward her again.

[Can I read it?]

Without even glancing at the book, Connie nodded.

Asha moved quietly to the corner of the room and began reading the book.

Connie watched, still processing what had just happened, but no matter how long she stared, Asha never looked at her again.

An awkward silence filled the room.

Asha had entered like a storm but then settled into a calm, quiet presence, reading peacefully as if nothing had changed.

Connie tried to understand her motives, but the more she thought, the more confused she became.

Her gaze fell on Asha, deeply absorbed in her book, while she battled with a storm of thoughts.

'Should I read too...?'

Before she could realize it she had already fallen into her strange rhythm.

*

Thirty minutes passed without either of them saying a word.

After the initial surge of emotions, the atmosphere became quite dull. Asha was a very quiet child to begin with.

Connie secretly observed the quiet figure while pretending to read her own book.

'How can she be so calm...?'

Asha had simply entered the room of a stranger and asked her to be her friend. This proactive attitude contrasted sharply with the image she had projected until now.

When Connie had tried to talk to her earlier, Asha didn't even blink.

Even now, after speaking to her, Asha remained silent, reading her book without saying anything.

She seemed to live in her own world every time.

Just seconds ago, Connie had been filled with all kinds of wild and dramatic thoughts about her. She couldn't even describe how awkward she felt when the main cause of her worries had just appeared without warning.

And it was even harder to endure the strange silence that followed the emotional storm.

Connie slowly closed her book and took a deep breath.

It wasn't time to get lost in her thoughts.

The situation was abrupt, but sooner or later, it would happen.

Instead of worrying, Connie decided that this situation was actually advantageous because Asha had taken the lead in forming a relationship.

It meant that a basic mutual connection could be made.

Her earlier interaction had been terrible, but that was simply because she hadn't been prepared.

Compared to investigating a magical lion, getting along with a stranger was far simpler.

Wasn't she the same one who had survived a supernatural life-or-death situation?

Connie tried to rationalize the situation while approaching Asha with hesitant but steady steps.

In a split second, the image of the girl reading a book in her wheelchair filled her vision.

Connie reached out with her fingers, moving toward Asha's shoulder, trying to catch her attention, but Asha remained focused on her book, as though Connie didn't exist.

She tried again, lightly patting Asha's shoulder this time.

However, Asha kept her attention fixed on the book, as though she couldn't sense the touches or even her presence—despite Connie literally putting her hands right in front of her eyes.

'It's like before...'

Just like when Asha had been watching TV, she reacted as if no one else was around.

Before, Connie had felt a little hurt when Asha seemed to ignore her on purpose. But now, seeing Asha still focused on her book, without any secondary reactions, a new thought crossed Connie's mind.

'Maybe she's not ignoring me... What if she just can't notice me?'

This idea seemed absurd.

How could someone not notice another person—even after covering their eyes?

Or was she just ignoring her because she didn't like her?

There was only one way to know for sure.

By seeing how long she could endure.

Connie had initially just patted Asha's shoulder lightly, but if she wanted to catch her attention, she needed to be bolder.

Her hands moved toward Asha's ribs.

It was an area that could easily be tickled.

No matter how stern-faced someone was, no one could remain indifferent to being tickled without showing some kind of external reaction.

Her fingertips traced Asha's ribs through the fabric of her clothes and lingered there for a fraction of a minute.

But even after this persistent action, Asha remained silent.

She moved her hands again trying to find a vulnerability in her coldness.

Her fingers wandered from her ribs to her armpit area and then her neck.

But no matter how much Connie explored these regions, Asha still seemed emotionless, without any reactions.

'How can't she feel that?' Connie wondered, both confused and fascinated.

Her hands, once reluctant, had long ago forgotten the meaning of such hesitation.

Without hesitation, her hands reached for Asha's face and stretched her cheeks tightly.

Asha's face stretched like a marshmallow in both directions.

The stretched areas turned slightly red, leaving a clear mark on her pale skin.

But even after this bold action, her face didn't flinch from the pain.

Connie, hypnotized by the sensation in her hands, carefully stroked Asha's cheeks without shame.

'Soft...'

Asha's cheeks felt unlike anything Connie had ever encountered before. Her fingers seemed to dance across a soft texture, like pudding, yet with a consistency that seemed to never melt.

In short, it was an addictive feeling.

'This is softer than my pillow,' she thought, still pressing her cheeks shamelessly.

She looked at Asha face-to-face.

Asha was still looking at her book with unbroken focus.

Her eyes had an interesting round shape, and the green in her irises seemed to have layers, like crystal green, in a way Connie had never seen before.

Instead of a human, she seemed more like a doll made by a top-tier professional, and her calm demeanor, coupled with her expressionless face, only made this perception stronger.

Her short dark hair had slight curls, not completely smooth, adding an innocent touch to her otherwise mature and static image.

Connie's fingers slid through Asha's fine strands and moved toward her face.

'She smells good.'

There was a clean, comforting scent in Asha, immediately evoking a sense of freshness.

She was wearing a plain white dress, without any adornment.

It was a dress Connie had worn before, but never quite like this.

When Asha wore it, she seemed pure, like a fairy.

It fitted her so well that she didn't feel regret or sadness, but pure admiration.

Connie found herself lost in Asha's scent, dangerously close, still deeply immersed in this strange comfort.

Her eyes wandered around the room, still enchanted by the comforting sensation.

'This is... very good...'

Her arms extended to the sides of Asha's head in a hugging position.

Connie was making even bolder moves, no longer caring about her surroundings.

'Thump.'

The sound of a book falling to the floor could be heard, but it wasn't enough to stop Connie's advances.

The only thing she could feel was the soft sensation of Asha's cheeks, and her arms sinking deeper into a spiral of satisfaction.

She wanted to lose herself in this feeling, in the comforting scent.

But, as with all things, the comfort was fleeting. An uncomfortable feeling arose in her ribs.

'Huh...?'

Connie pressed her arms deeper, but the discomfort in her ribs grew stronger.

The sensation of something pinching her ribs and arms became more pronounced, pulling her out of her haze of comfort.

'!'

Two cold green eyes were staring at her, as if analyzing the deepest parts of her soul, while two small hands pinched her skin.

"I-I..." The words got stuck in her throat as she realized the embarrassing situation she had gotten herself into again.

Asha, however, maintained the same expressionless face as always, her hands slightly shaking as she opened the old notebook on her lap.

She quickly wrote something and showed it to Connie:

[Good book, bye.]

At the same time, she closed her old notebook and moved her wheelchair toward the door.

Without hurrying, she opened it and then closed it.

Asha disappeared as abruptly as she had first appeared.

Connie stood there, still processing what had just happened.

Her actions flashed before her mind in quick succession.

The way she had caressed Asha's cheeks, tickled her, and even hugged her without permission, all clashed with the image of the runaway, stoic girl.

A fiery red flushed across her face as the weight of her actions hit her.

Before she could fully comprehend what had happened, her legs were already moving toward the door in a panic.

"I-It's a misunderstanding!"

On this day, the screams of shame were endless, just as endless as Connie's dark story.

*

Author Note

A long chapter (3k words) after a long absence, did you like it? During this time I thought a lot about the future of this story. I hope I write it well. See you next week on day 19, sorry for being late.