Lost in the heavy silence of the room, Aisha's parting words continued to echo violently within White's skull. Every wish has a price… He blinked, pulled from his spiraling thoughts by a sleepy little yawn coming from the bed.
"Papa…"
"Bell." White exhaled a massive breath of relief as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes with her small fists. "Are you okay?"
"Mhm." Her crimson eyes flickered weakly as she glanced up at him. "Papa… did you see my drawing?"
"Ah… the drawing. Yes, I saw it. It was a really good drawing, Bell." He turned his head to the side where he had placed the paper on the floor just moments ago. "Huh… it should've been right here…" he muttered, leaning down and checking beneath the scattered piles of crayons. But no matter how thoroughly he searched the room, it was as if the sketch had never existed in the first place.
Bell's little pout began to tremble. "My drawing… it's gone…"
White forced a reassuring smile onto his face, desperately suppressing the cold unease creeping inside his chest. "Don't worry, Bell. We'll draw plenty more later. For now… how about we get some dinner? What do you want to eat?"
Her downcast mood instantly brightened at the mention of food. "Something delicious!"
That sudden sparkle in her eyes—so entirely pure and innocent—made his chest ache. Even when surrounded by the absolute darkness of his bizarre reality, she smiled as if the sun simply didn't know how to set.
"Alright," he said softly, offering his hand. "Let's head out shopping. We'll decide what to make on the way there."
"Yay!" she cheered, grabbing his hand with pure, childlike excitement.
They ran into Miss Elsa just as they were leaving the apartment building. She was tending to her potted flowers by the entrance, and her gentle smile immediately lifted some of the crushing heaviness from White's chest.
"Oh, good evening, White. Heading out?" she asked, setting down her watering can. "How are you feeling now?"
She had been constantly worried about him ever since the accident. There was absolutely no way he could tell her what had actually happened in his room yesterday. "Good evening, Miss Elsa. I'm feeling completely fine now," he replied. Then, scratching his nose with a hint of pride, he added, "Miss Elsa, guess what—I scored perfect marks on today's test."
Her eyes lit up with genuine warmth. "That's wonderful, White! I always knew you could do it."
He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. "It wasn't much, really."
As she tilted her head to respond, her gaze naturally drifted down to his side. "Say, White… are you heading out shopping all by yourself?"
He blinked in confusion. "No… I'm with Bell." He gestured directly beside him. "This is—"
When he looked down, Bell was right there, gripping his uniform sleeve tightly. Her pure white hair seemed to glow faintly under the dim yellow porch light. Is she just shy? White thought. I didn't know that about her… Well, whatever she is—phenomenon or not—she's still just a child.
"Bell," he said with a nervous chuckle, nudging his arm slightly. "Can't you say hello?"
Bell's cheeks flushed a bright pink as she hid her face behind his jacket, peeking out timidly. "H… hello…"
But Miss Elsa only frowned, her expression utterly confused. "Bell? Where is she?"
White's heart skipped a dangerous beat. "…Sorry, she's right here. Standing right beside me."
"I don't see anyone next to you, White." Elsa laughed softly, waving her hand directly through the empty space to his right. "Are you playing a game with me?"
White watched in horror as her hand passed straight through Bell's form—as if the little girl were made of nothing but thin air and mist. A cold, paralyzing shiver ran down his spine.
"…You… you really can't see her?"
If Miss Elsa couldn't see Bell, then that confirmed his worst fear. He was the only person in the world who could interact with her. But why me? It doesn't make any sense. He glanced down at Bell, who only looked back up at him, her crimson eyes wide with confusion.
"Pa… pa…" Bell called out softly.
Miss Elsa gave him a deeply worried look, staring at him as if she were talking to a severely sick child. "White… are you alright? Maybe you should stay in and rest. If you're still not feeling well, I can easily make dinner for you, okay?"
He forced a loud, strained laugh, quickly wiping away the cold sweat forming on his forehead. "O-oh! I forgot to mention—she actually just left! Her parents came to pick her up just now."
"Parents?" Miss Elsa frowned, her suspicion deepening. "White, when you first moved into this building, you told me you had no living relatives."
"Yes, I… I did," he stammered, his mind racing to construct a lie. "Since you weren't home, Zen asked me to take care of his little cousin today. He's incredibly busy with after-school match practice, and his mother is visiting relatives out of town. So… he asked me to look after her for a few hours."
"…I see." Elsa nodded slowly, though doubt still lingered clearly in her eyes.
White desperately needed to change the topic before his story unraveled completely. "Anyway—about the monthly rent—"
"Don't worry about that right now." She cut him off with a firm, gentle smile, patting his shoulder. "You've only just recovered from a terrible accident. Forget about the rent until you're feeling completely better."
White swallowed hard, a heavy layer of guilt weighing on his conscience. Miss Elsa had been his absolute savior ever since he was abandoned. She had provided him with shelter, food, and stability when he had nothing. To her, he wasn't just a tenant renting a room; he was family.
"Thank you," he said quietly, his voice full of genuine emotion. "Really… for everything."
She smiled softly, turning back to her flowers. "Don't mention it. You're like a little brother to me."
And with that, White quickly turned and left the courtyard.
"Papa," Bell whispered, tugging his sleeve once they had stepped outside the apartment gates and onto the public sidewalk. "Who is that nice lady?"
He smiled faintly, staring ahead. "…You could say she's like my big sister."
Bell's eyes widened with awe. "Papa has a sister?"
"Not biologically…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair before looking down at her. "By the way… where exactly were you this morning? I looked everywhere, but I didn't see you."
She paused to think for a moment, her lips twisting into an innocent pout. "When I woke up… I saw a beautiful lady with white hair. She played games with me and took me somewhere far away. I don't really remember much about it… everything was completely white. She gave me lots of toys and snacks, and she asked me how I felt."
White froze dead in his tracks. Aisha.
"Did she… say anything else to you?" he asked, keeping his voice as careful and calm as possible.
Bell's eyes sparkled with excitement. "She said Papa would be super happy if I made his wishes come true~! Bell didn't really understand what she meant, so I asked her—but she just told me to always listen to Papa, and everything would be fine."
An icy chill ran down his spine. It wasn't just a terrifying theory anymore; it was an undeniable fact. Bell really possessed that power, and she was the direct cause of his perfect test score. But then, a sudden realization struck him: Why didn't she give me the one million dollars I jokingly asked for in the kitchen?
Aisha's cryptic words from the previous night echoed in his mind: She would not grant any wish you desired half-heartedly.
So, Bell's power had strict rules. Limits. What Aisha had told him was incredibly vague, but as he walked, White felt he was finally starting to understand the terrifying logic behind his new reality.
His thoughts remained incredibly heavy as they walked through the bright, bustling aisles of the neighborhood department store. Bell pointed excitedly at various sweets and colorful packages, wanting absolutely everything she laid her eyes on. Her innocent, unbothered joy stood in stark contrast to the absolute storm raging inside his head.
And then—his heart froze completely.
Shu.
The class topper was standing just a few feet away near a tall shelf of stationary, holding a stack of notebooks and pens. Her expression was entirely unreadable, her focus entirely poured into searching through the study reference books.
The vivid memory of her bruised wrists and scarred neck flashed violently in his mind. He recalled the sheer, broken desperation in her eyes and her cracked, trembling voice on the school rooftop. White clenched his fists tightly at his sides.
I should leave right now, his survival instinct whispered. Talking to her might only make things worse. But… this might be my only chance. My only chance to understand what's really going on, and maybe stop whatever Bell's drawing predicted.
He took a deep, steadying breath. Can I really just ignore this?
Bell looked up at him, tilting her head in total confusion as she noticed his sudden rigidity.
White made his decision. Tightening his grip on his shopping basket, he took a step forward and walked directly toward Shu.