Canary POV
After Hawk acquired Eric’s house, he changed ownership from himself to the entirely of ARF allowing us to have full control of the house as well. The house was located in the slums of Naut City in the side closer to the main street. The house itself was large compared to the other houses in the slums. The two doors that opened inwards covered the main entrance of the house. The two doors were made of sturdy wood with two lions engraved on it.
The house was entirely air-conditioned and fluorescent lights installed at key locations illuminated it.
Upon entering the main door, the dining room would be your location. The main feature of the dining room was the long table situated in the middle. The wooden table was covered with a flowery table cloth. On the table’s center lied condiments including soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, et. al. Four chairs surrounded both sides of the length of the table and two chairs surrounded each side of the width. The chairs were made of the same wood as the table, and the engraving of leaves on the chair complimented the flowery table cloth. A cabinet could be found on the left side of the dining room. The cabinet held all the eating utensils of all shapes and sizes.
On the far left corner of the dining room was a door that led to the kitchen. The kitchen was half the size of the dining room. In the kitchen lay an empty refrigerator. Cooking appliances such as a microwave, an electric stove, and an oven filled most of the kitchen. The remaining area was allotted to the sink and the dish holders. Unlike other areas, the kitchen was exempt from the air conditioning and instead had glass windows that could be pushed open.
Most Players did not know that you could actually cook in Reality and simply ate the free food provided. Razor loved cooking, so he always bought raw materials from the market located in the southern end of the city where most Players either ignore or do not give importance to and cooked at the Inns, which had a kitchen area towards the back. Items used for cooking were extremely cheap and would not bother the Player’s budget; it was mainly time that limited the Players from cooking. Items used for food were the only non-battle items that could be bought in Reality. Other items were infinitely provided by the system.
Going back to the house’s entrance, going left led to the living room. The living room was the size of the kitchen and dining room combined. Since televisions did not exist in Reality, only a large sofa set could be found in the living room. The sofa had four chairs: two long ones that could hold three to four people and two shorter ones that could hold two. Colored cream white, the cotton sofa was as soft as a bed and could be used as one. In the center of the sofas was a coffee table. The surface of the table was transparent, and other items could be held underneath the surface. Four large windows covered the left wall of the living room. The windows were made of two sliding window panes that were similarly colored to Icebrande. These windows were covered by orange wool curtains.
The door in the far left corner of the living room led to the backyard. The backyard was the shape of L rotated clockwise by 45 degrees. The door led to the intersection of the two lines. A wooden fence surrounded the backyard left and front side of the backyard. While the fences were low, they were areas that people could not jump across. The fences had the option of one way sight: the fence could block people from seeing in from the outside should the owners so choose. On the end of the shorter line, a four seated metallic set of tables and chairs could be found. The tables and chairs were similar to chairs that could be found in terraces and were made of metal painted white. Neighboring houses could be seen on the left side of the house. The surface of the table was once again transparent glass. The longer side of the L held enough area to hold Duels. A high wall surrounded the back and right side of the backyard. These walls were also non-jumpable areas.
Once again returning to the main entrance, the right path led to both the bathroom and the staircase. The bathroom’s design was the same as all the other bathrooms in Reality. The far right side held the staircase that led to the second floor. The staircase went in the direction away from the entrance and then turned back gain half-way. This area’s ceiling was the second floor’s ceiling, so it was higher than the other areas. On to was a chandelier designed like a lotus and shone in a bright green color when lit. The staircase was also a non-jumpable area. On the end of the staircase was a single sofa chair. This sofa was wooden and had a large cushion for sitting and three smaller cushions for the back.
Turning right at the end of the staircase lead to the grand bathroom. Compared to the other bathroom, this one was thrice the size. Facing the door was the standard toilet bowl, and hanging on the left wall was the male-exclusive toilet bowl. A sink covered the front wall of the bathroom complete with soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other bathroom needs. Like other bathrooms, these were also infinite in quantity. On the right end was a bathtub with removable showerheads on both the front and back. A transparent door separated the bathtub from the rest of the bathroom. The bathtub was fairly large and could fit up to four people albeit cramped. Two people can enter the bathtub and mover freely within it.
The rest of the second floor was filled with bedrooms. The bedrooms all had the same sliding windows as the living room and had similarly colored curtains.
Going back to the end of the staircase, turning right twice led the first bedroom. This bedroom was the smallest and was fit for one person. The room’s design was similar to the most expensive Inns in Naut City. A singular bed for one person could found in the room complete with a pillow and a blanket.
Instead of heading straight to the first bedroom, turning left continued the corridor. At the end of the corridor was a flower pot with a plant growing on it. Behind the pot was a window.
On this corridor, the left side held the largest bedroom of the house. Two double decked beds lay side by side followed by two regular beds, each with their own pillows and blankets. The bedroom was carpeted and a small table was located away from the beds.
The final bedroom was located in besides the singular one and could be said to be the master’s bedroom. A king-sized bed filled half of the bedroom. Three pillows and a single blanket covered the bed. This bedroom had its own bathroom that was similar to the bathroom on the second floor.
Since the only things that got dirty in Reality were Players and Characters, there was no need to maintain the cleanliness of the house.
While I may not know about Eric as long as Hawk or Dove, my thankfulness towards him could not be expressed in words. That we could live in such a large and beautiful house was out of my expectations when I arrived at Reality.
Already eleven at night, Dove just finished her bath at the grand bathroom and returned to the master’s bedroom. She came in wearing her pajama set. The pajama set composed of a similarly designed long-sleeve shirt and long cotton pants. The childish pajama was colored blue and filled with shapes of various animals. Dove already looked younger than her actual age, but her pajamas made her look even younger.
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I noticed Hawk, who was sitting beside me, staring at Dove.
“Is something wrong?” asked Dove.
“Nothing…” replied Hawk with a weak voice.
Hawk obviously thought Dove was cute, but as usual, Hawk was too worried about saying that. Hawk sucked at the topic of romance and would always over-think his actions and in the end do nothing.
“Canary, you should take your bath.” said Hawk, trying to change the atmosphere.
“Hawk, let’s take a bath together!” I replied.
“I don’t mind, just don’t be too messy.”
Hawk prepared the bathtub as I brushed my teeth. Since it was Reality, preparing the bathtub only took five seconds.
“I’m going in first.” said Hawk as he removed his clothes.
Seemingly out of habit, he closed the door and immersed himself in the tub.
After two minutes, I finished. I removed my clothes and opened the bath door. As I was about to enter, my entrance was halted by Hawk surprised face. He then followed by shouting at the top of his lungs. Since we were in the bathroom, the shout echoed a bit and hurt our ears.
“What’s wrong?”
Hawk slowly brought his hand out of the water and pointed at my crotch, “Canary… you’re… a girl…”
“Ehh? You didn’t know?”
“Strange, I thought you knew.”
“Don’t you notice when people use male pronouns to describe you?”
“My first language doesn’t differentiate between male and female pronouns, so I wouldn’t know.”
In Reality, everyone could understand one another because the words convey thought directly to people’s minds instead of through the ears. To compare to sci-fi movies, it was similar to telepathy. However, while the mind itself worked independently from language, a person thinking actually used the language he was most comfortable with.
In my case, I would not differentiate between male and female pronouns; however, when I spoke, the non-gendered pronouns I said would become gendered when heard by other people, whichever one they interpret it by.
I entered the bath and sat across Hawk. The water splashed around due to my entry, but the tub was large enough to fit both of us with room to spare.
“Hawk, do you mind if I ask a weird question?”
“It depends on the question.”
“Do you like Dove?”
Hawk did not reply. He merely turned his blushing face to the side and nodded.
“Since when? Was it love at first sight?”
“Love at first sight doesn’t exist. Only infatuation can come from first sight. People who start out pursuing romantic relationships immediately never work out in the end. Relationships should start out as friendship, and then love develops naturally from there if you two fit each other. At the very least, that’s why I believe.”
“You’re statement is true and relevant, but it doesn’t answer my first question.”
“A few months after I met her, over three years before Reality began.”
“You did not do anything for three years?”
“I felt that nothing would happen if I did try those three years.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know… If things change in the future, I’ll think about it then, but for now, I’m happy with how we are now compared to how we were in real life.”
“I’m cheering for you, but I won’t intervene, but promise me that you would not let Dove fall in love with another guy.”
“That’s not something I have a right to do…”
“I understand… you’re love is too selfless. You don’t want Dove to be bound by you.”
“Yes.”
“You’re an idiot. I was the same as you. I always didn’t want to burden Sister Trice and never voiced my thoughts. In the end, she left abroad and I could never see her again. I always wonder. If I asked her to always come home from the start, then it would not have led to her living abroad.”
Hawk moved closer to me and petted my head, “I really am an idiot to be consulted by a child. Thank you… Canary.”
Hawk gently pulled me closer and embraced me tightly. I did not resist and let him do so. In the cold bath, his body felt warm and comfortable. I was reminded of when I took baths together with Sister Trice.
“I’m sorry. Let me stay like this for a little while… you remind me of my sisters… thanks to you, I realized my inability to save them… was due to my ‘selflessness’.”
Hawk clearly had family troubles in his real life. While I may not know what they were and the past could not be changed, I will do my best to help him from committing the same mistakes.
We exited the bath and wore our night clothes. I wore the same childish pajamas like always. Hawk’s pajamas were a simple t-shirt and long thin cotton pants that held no design. We returned to the master’s bedroom and found Dove sitting on a chair besides the window.
“Dove, did you know Canary was a girl?” Hawk wasted no time in dropping the new information he acquired.
“Wait! Are you serious?” replied Dove. Hawk and Dove were not people who could be easily surprised, but it seemed my learning my gender seemed to surprised them.
“Yes. I am a girl.” I explained to Dove.
“You look too much like a boy…”
“Sister Trice always told me that as well.”
“This is surprising, but it doesn’t matter. Canary is Canary.”
“Now then, let’s talk about where we’re going to sleep.” interrupted Hawk.
I wasted no time in voicing my thoughts, “Let’s all sleep here together!”
“I don’t really mind, but is Dove okay with it?” said Hawk.
Dove smiled and replied, “As long as I don’t sleep directly next to Hawk, it is fine.”
Well, even if Dove did not say that, we would have slept in the same positions anyway with me at the center. Hawk definitely preferred it this way as well. Allowing him to sleep at the same bed as Dove confirmed for him that Dove held no dislike or awkwardness towards him. Also, the refusal was in line with Hawk’s wishes as well. Hawk would never fall in love with a girl who did not know how to keep a safe distance away even from boys she trusted.