Sapphire dragged her feet around the manor and wherever she went, as if she had lost her purpose in life. She didn’t smile anymore.

Whenever they sat at their usual spot in the library, she barely looked at Elly anymore and mumbled a lot.

He wanted to ask about her problem but figured it was something personal. Maybe she’s on her period? I know how that feels. “If there’s anything I can do to make you feel better, you can tell me, okay?”

She nodded, unenthused as she stared down at the table.

He also noticed she had adopted the habit of marking up an area of the table. Just slow, repetitive motions with the pencil. Digging into the wood. Going deeper and deeper. Her motions were mechanical. It seemed like a coping method. As long as she did nothing drastic, Elly was fine with it. He hoped she would turn back to normal eventually.

He gave her a week.

Same thing. She didn’t look any better.

During their sessions, he basically talked for both of them. Often, she would give one-word replies or very short ones. Having her say more than 5 words in a sentence would be a surprise.

She barely ate. Elly had to encourage her.

And at bedtime, she turned off the lights and left him in his room before going to hers without saying her cheerful goodnight.

~~~

“Are you okay?” Elly bit into one of Sapphire’s sandwiches from the table at breakfast. The sandwiches were way saltier than usual, but he forced them down his throat to show his appreciation then gulped down his glass of lemonade to replace the taste with a tangy sweetness.

Sapphire nodded slowly. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her hair was a mess. Her bangs were scattered above her eyes with some coming down over one eye. She hadn’t combed her hair nor trimmed her bangs as she should’ve.

“Why are you still in pajamas?” Elly asked.

She looked down at her clothes. “Oh.”

You just noticed??

“Uh…” She couldn’t find an answer.

“Never mind.” He didn’t want to make things harder for her.

~~~

In the afternoon, they went outside to practice.

Elly shot a ball of magical energy from his fingertip. Nothing too big, nothing too small. She should be able to handle that.

She didn’t even look at it, as she had her eyes fixed to the grass by her feet. The ball struck her forehead and knocked her flat on her back. The ball evaporated. Not a sound from her.

Elly rushed over to her side. “Why didn’t you dodge?!”

She shifted her eyes from the sky to his face. “Oh, right…” Her eyes went back to the sky. “Dunno,” she mumbled. She was a zombie at this point.

He might as well go study by himself. But he couldn’t just leave her like this, so he sat down beside her. “Are you okay?” He tried again.

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Her only reply was rolling over onto her side and turning her back to him.

Utterly defeated, he went back inside.

Dad caught him as he walked into the kitchen. “Why the long face?”

“Saph’s ignoring me. I don't know why. It’s not like I did anything wrong.”

“Are you sure?”

Elly thought for a moment. “I think so.”

“Have you asked her?”

“No.”

“You should at least ask.”

It hadn’t occurred to him, so he went back and asked.

“Did I do something wrong, Saph?”

“I’m fine,” she mumbled. “Just a little tired. Let me rest.”

He waited patiently.

Eventually, he fell asleep next to her.

~~~

Elly woke up in bed, alone. Sapphire must’ve carried him back.

As he sat up, he stretched his arms to the ceiling while groaning and got out of bed. Judging from the soft orangeness that came in through his window, it was evening. I wonder how she’s doing.

He went out and knocked on the closest door beside his room

No sound.

He turned the knob, cracked it open, and poked his head in. “Saph?”

She was lying on the bed, unmoving.

After slipping in and closing the door quietly, he went around the bed to the other side until he could see her face.

Their eyes met.

She didn’t say a word.

Elly got an idea. He folded his arm and glared. “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, I’ll never talk to you again!”

“What?! You can’t mean that!” She was quick to spring up.

“Maybe I do. Just tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can fix it.” It seemed like a serious matter that was growing worse by the day.

After a long pause with much reluctance, she told him. “I just…” She mumbled the rest.

“What?”

“I just want…”

“Want what?” Elly was willing to do whatever it took to have his old tutor back, the lively one.

“Can you… hug me?”

He froze and took some time to process that. “...What?”

“I just need a hug,” she said in a small voice and couldn’t look him in the eye anymore.

“...Eh?” THAT’S WHAT THIS WHOLE THING IS ABOUT?! It was so silly that he didn’t know what to say. He took some time to collect his thoughts. Alright. He opened his arms anxiously, waiting to be smothered to death.

Sapphire didn’t waste a second. She pulled him in close and squeezed him hard.

This time, he managed to turn his head to one side so he could get some air. This woman… So, apparently, not hugging an adorable 5-year-old for a few days would cause her to malfunction. How has she survived this long without me? Maybe she had coping methods at home like huggable things to help with her loneliness. And because she would be living with him for a while without them, she needed something new. Yep, that would explain it. He still had his stuffed toys in his room. Even in his old life as a teenager, he had them secretly tucked away under his bed. I can’t blame her, can I? Maybe he was like a stuffed toy to her.

He wanted to ask something. Do you know how to talk to people like a normal person? No, that sounded too rude. “Saph?”

“Hm?” She loosened her hug, which gave him a chance to look up into her face.

“Do you… have friends?”

“W-what?” She shifted her eyes away from him, looking across the room. “Pfft. Of course I have… f… riends.”

Right… She couldn’t even say the word. “I’ll be your friend.”

“Really?!” She locked onto his eyes in pure joy, but then cleared her throat and regained her composure. “I mean, that is fine. I accept your proposal, since you need a friend.”

Wow, really humble. He buried his face in her stomach and snorted, trying to contain himself.

“Hey! Don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m not laughing!”

“You totally are! You think I’m stupid?!”

“Far from it!”

As nightfall came, they had dinner, dessert, and she read him a story before bed.