Chapter 23: Roommate Introduction
“Rachel-sama! Please wake up! It’s morning!”
The sudden voice jolts my consciousness awake. As I open my eyes, I’m greeted by Emma, with her big round eyes and thick eyebrows.
“Good morning, Emma. It seems I overslept a bit.”
“Good morning, Rachel-sama!”
As I sit up, Emma begins preparing for the morning. It seems I slept in because I stayed up late last night, thinking about things.
While I pour water into the washbasin and wash my face, Emma pulls my school uniform from the closet. After drying my face with a towel, I head toward the bed where she has laid out my uniform. As I pass by, I glance at Leaf’s seedling.
“Emma, I have something to talk to you about. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes, what is it?”
Emma tilts her head, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“Until now, I’ve kept something from you. I have a roommate, and I’d like to introduce you to them.”
“A roommate?”
Emma looks puzzled.
“Yes, a roommate. I’ll introduce them. Leaf.”
I call out to the seedling, but there’s no response.
“Leaf, please wake up.”
I call out again, but there’s still no response. At this rate, I’ll look like some odd person with an imaginary friend who’s a plant. Left with no choice, I reach into the thick foliage of the seedling and pluck out a sleepy Leaf.
“Emma, let me introduce you. This is my roommate, Leaf. Come on, Leaf, wake up!”
“Fweh… Rachel, good morniiiing… Oh, it’s Emma! Good morning, Emma!”
Leaf, still half-asleep, cheerfully greets Emma when she sees her.
“It… it talked… This little one can talk and move?”
Emma’s big round eyes grow even wider as she peers at Leaf in amazement.
“Wait, Emma, have you seen her before?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve spotted her a few times while helping you change, hiding in your hair. I always thought it was odd for a doll to feel so lifelike, but I suppose it’s because she’s a fairy, right?”
“I’m not a fairy! I’m a spirit residing in this seedling. We’ve seen each other before, but it’s the first time we’ve talked! Nice to meet you, Emma! I’m Leaf!”
“Nice to meet you, Leaf-san. I’m Emma. Now we can chat from time to time!”
Emma and Leaf smile at each other, but I can feel my face turning red with embarrassment. From what Emma said, it seems I’ve been carrying around what looks like a doll, even though I’m already 15 and attending school. It’s not just a little embarrassing—it’s really embarrassing. I should’ve introduced Leaf to Emma much earlier, like she suggested.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Rachel-sama? Your face is all red… Do you have a fever?”
Emma notices my flushed face and leans in, concerned.
“No, it’s not a fever… It’s just that realizing you might’ve thought I was someone who carried a doll around is… kind of embarrassing…”
“Oh, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Rachel-sama! I carry a doll around too!”
Emma says this as she pulls a white rabbit doll—well, more like a stuffed toy—out of her skirt pocket and holds it out in front of me.
“This is Yuki-chan, the bunny! Isn’t she cute? She’s my friend!”
Emma’s smile as she shows me Yuki-chan is innocent and adorable. She likely never thought I was strange for carrying Leaf’s doll but instead saw me as someone who, like her, simply loves cute things.
“Yes, really. Yuki-chan is adorable, and so are you, Emma.”
“And you know what? Yuki-chan is amazing! Her back opens up, so I can use her as a little pouch or wallet!”
Emma unzips Yuki-chan’s back, revealing a set of keys and coins. I glance over at Leaf.
“Rachel! M-my back doesn’t open, okay?!”
Leaf’s voice and our shared laughter filled the room.
