Elly lay on his stomach, alone in the dark in the middle of his bed. He hadn’t moved for a long time and hadn't bothered to turn on his tall lamp in the corner of his room.

Damn those so-called “friends”. He hoped they would die young. All of them.

A full moon was clear and out in the cloudless sky, but he had drawn the thick curtains shut to block it from coming into the room through the balcony. He wanted darkness, utter darkness.

Suki, you awake?

I am.

Oh.

Tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick… tick…tick…

The analog wall clock ticked away.

I'm sorry for saying that mean stuff earlier. I just…

That is alright. And you should not ruminate and wallow in your resentment. It is not good for your health. You have been given a new life in a new world. Be grateful.

I don't know.

You doubt my wisdom?

Sometimes.

Fair. You are young and inexperienced after all.

“Tch.” So condescending.

At least I have good news.

You do? You're not going to be like that doctor, are you?

No, no. Nothing frivolous.

Okay, what is it?

I've now observed enough of your schoolmates and have decided on which form to take.

Ooooh! Are you ready to try it? That changed his mood entirely because he couldn't help but be excited. He was so curious and had to see the magic. Maybe it would inspire him to draw her in her new form.

I am.

Elly got out of bed and turned on the lamp, painting the room in a soft, orange light. He took the earring off and tossed it onto the floor.

It began glowing, slowly morphing into a humanoid form of pure light. In a short while, her transformation was complete. Short, light blue hair. Light blue eyes.

Elly looked down to her feet and back up then walked behind her and did the same. She got all the shapes right? He was amazed. Her full anatomy was exactly like that of a human girl. She didn’t look like a dragon at all, which meant she wouldn’t stand out tomorrow.

Oh, wait…

He went to his wardrobe, took out a pair of pajamas, and tossed them at her. “Put those on.”

Suki caught them awkwardly with both her hands and stared at them.

“...You do know how to put those on, right?”

“I… believe so.” Even her voice sounded shallow and a lot less mature than it usually was.

“You’ve watched me a thousand times. How do you not know?”

“Spectating is quite different from experiencing the event firsthand.”

Elly shook his head slowly and left her to put them on herself. She’s smart and wise enough to figure it out.

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After a little while, she had them on, inspecting herself, front and back. “Ah, they do provide much comfort.”

He nodded. Now he had another problem: without an earring, he would look asymmetrical again. One ear with an earring and one without. Well, that sucks. But at least he could finally keep his thoughts private.

“I thought you would be taller…” She was exactly his height.

“Would you like me to alter my height?”

“No, it’s fine.” She would blend in more with the students at school. He put some black accessories in her hair after finding them in one of his nightstand drawers. There, done!

“Noted. What is next on the agenda?”

“Sleep.” Elly flicked off the lamp and crawled into bed. It was a school night, and he had to wake up early tomorrow. He lay on his usual part of the bed on his side, covered himself with his sheet, and shut his eyes. “Goodnight.” I’ll have to bring her to school tomorrow. I can’t just leave her alone. He didn’t trust her. Chances were, she was clumsy and could hardly do things on her own in her new form—not until she got used to it.

She sat down on the opposite side of the bed. “What is the most appropriate position to sleep in?”

“Whatever you feel like.”

“So, it is entirely subjective?”

“Yes.”

“I understand.”

He felt movements on the bed as she tried to get into a comfortable position. After a while, her feet came to rest on his head. What in the…? “What are you doing?”

“Reclining on the mattress.”

“Do your feet have to be on my head?”

“No.”

“Then take them off, please.”

Suki took her feet off.

Minutes passed.

Elly began drifting off to sleep…

“Elly?”

“Mmm?” he replied sleepily.

“I cannot sleep.”

“’Kay.” That was her problem. He wanted to sleep, so back to sleep he went. In a while, something poked him in the back.

“Elly,” she whispered.

He didn’t reply.

A loud growling filled the room.

“I require some food.”

“’Kay.”

“Do you have any?”

“Stairs…. down.”

“Understood. I shall proceed down the stairs then to the kitchen.”

More shuffling on the bed.

Elly sat up. “I’ll get it.” He didn’t want her making a mess and waking up Mom or Dad. Could she even hold a plate without dropping it? He couldn’t trust her, not when she had struggled to do the simple task of putting her clothes on earlier. So much for being an old and wise dragon. Dragon wisdom, my butt.

He went downstairs and came back up after a few minutes, holding a plate with a large slice of cake and a fork. This should keep her stuffed for the night.

“Here’s cake.”

She gladly took it from him. “Much appreciated!” After fumbling with the fork, she managed to hold it steadily and slice off a piece before putting it in her mouth.

Good. At least she had the dexterity to eat like a normal person, which meant she wouldn’t embarrass him in the cafeteria tomorrow.

Elly sat on the edge of the bed and watched her devour the cake eagerly next to him.

When she was done, she handed him the empty plate and fork.

He put it on the nightstand, got up, and switched off the light before settling into bed again.

“And so, now we sleep, yes?”

“Yes, we sleep.”

“For approximately 8 hours?”

“Yes, Suki.”

“Hmm…”

“What is it now?”

“I am still unable to sleep. Perhaps we could play a game?”

Was she serious? “Okay. I have the perfect game in mind.”

“Really?!” She was excited.

“Yes, it’s called ‘Don’t Bother Me Until Morning’.”

“Ah, I have never heard of such a game. Would you mind teaching me how to play?”

“Yes, I mind. Just don’t talk to me until morning.”

“And what do I do in the meantime?”

“Sleep.”

“For how long?”

“8 hours.” For God’s sake. He almost wanted her to change back to an earring. She had never chatted this much.

“Then I shall make this endeavor in an effort to win the game. Is there a prize?”

“No.”

“May I have a prize?”

“What do you want…”

“More cake!”

“We ran out. You had the last of it.”

“Oh…”

“Good. Night.”

“But it is not a good night! For you see, we have run out of cake! If you must describe the night, it is rather sad.”

“Good for you.”

“Hm? How does this tragic fact improve my well-being?”

“I. Don’t. Know. Just. Go. To. Bed.”

“Understood…”