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<b>Chapter 6</b>
The girl was wrinkling her brow in anguish, as if she was having a bad dream. She was probably in middle school or high school. Her young face and long, straight hair reminded me of my companion from the other world, Iris.
There was a bottle of water beside her, which was almost empty, and she didn’t seem to have anything else to eat or drink.
I was a little hesitant to touch her, but I had to wake her up, so I set the backpack down beside her and shook her body through the blanket.
The girl’s long hair fell over her face, and she opened her eyes with a small “uh-oh” voice.
“…Are you up now?
I tried my best to use a gentle tone while keeping my usual blunt language from the other world which had become a habit.
However, her response was to look at me, the owner of the voice, and let out a small scream.
“Oh… It’s not like I’m going to eat you, okay?”
It was a little uncomfortable to see such blatant fear expressed, but I held my hands up in the crouched position I had taken when I woke the girl.
“…You…”
“You?”
“You’re alive?”
The girl, perhaps because of her defensive instinct, grabbed the blanket in her hand and hugged it. Her hands and voice were trembling.
“Hmm? Well, as you can see…”
“I…. I’m sorry for saying something strange.”
The girl blinked at my question, then got up and sat down on the sofa.
“No, I don’t mind it…”
The girl glanced at me with a wary look. Her long black hair that reaches almost to the waist has lost its luster, and her serious face looks a little worn out.
I think she might not have been able to eat enough, given that there was no food other than the plastic bottles she had left nearby.
“Um… are you the rescuer?”
“No, I’m just passing by.”
I answered the girl’s squeezed out question with a single word, and a look of disappointment spread across her face. I opened my backpack and took out a small amount of portable food and water that I had stored from downstairs.
“…Anyway, do you want something to eat. I also have some water to drink.”
“…Are you sure?”
I could see the girl squeezing the blanket she was holding.
“Don’t be so reserved. There’s plenty more down there.”
As if one portable food would not be enough, I put together different flavors of food and put them in the space on the couch that had been vacated by the awakened girl.
With trembling hands, she took one of them, gulped it down, and then asked me again.
“Um, are you sure that it’s to okay to give it to me?”
“It’s okay. If you need some more, just let me know.”
“Thank you very much…”
After hearing my reply, the girl thanked me and, as if she had made up her mind, opened the package of portable food and slowly put it in her mouth.
As she chewed, the girl eventually began to sniff.
“I’m sorry, It’s been three days since I’ve had food in my mouth.”
With an embarrassed smile, the girl wiped her tears with her sleeve.
Looking at the situation, she probably hadn’t been able to eat much before that. I was at a loss as to how to respond to the girl’s words.