Kyle appeared calm.
But I wasn’t. Something cold and heavy seemed to press against my chest.
I couldn’t quite tell if it was sadness, loneliness, or guilt. All I knew was that hearing him say those words felt sorrowful, and for some reason, it felt as though he had been preparing for this farewell for a long time.
—Beep. (I….)
I’m not okay.
I’m afraid of us drifting apart.
Just like he said, we’ll love each other no matter where we are. His heart, without a doubt, and mine as well. No matter where we are, even if an impassable wall between worlds were to separate us, no one could take away my heart and my memories.
But nothing in this world lasts forever.
“Distance makes the heart grow apart.”
In the end, we’ll forget each other. We’ll slowly adapt to the loneliness we once endured, to a life where the other no longer exists.
At first, we’ll miss the warmth of our intertwined hands, the voice that whispered sweetly, the eyes that gazed so deeply into ours. And then, even the sound of a heartbeat felt through our touching skin will fade…
One by one, we’ll lose it all. And when everything is gone, what will be left of us?
[I don’t want that.]
I don’t want to return to a time when I didn’t know you. I don’t want to go back to a world without you. Because a world without you has no meaning anymore.
Kyle read my message and looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.
“Shu.”
A brief silence passed. Kyle still seemed to be suppressing something deep inside.
I stared into his crimson eyes and silently called upon the system.
‘System. You said I could choose the ending of this story, right?’
[That is correct.]
‘Then… is it possible for me to stay here instead of going back?’
Could I remain in this world as a human, not as a hamster, and live a normal life?
The system flickered.
[Miracle gauge: 100%]
[You may choose to ‘Reload’ back to reality or ‘Synchronize’ with this world.]
Synchronize.
I mouthed the unfamiliar word.
[Final quest received.]
[Turning reality into fantasy, turning fantasy into reality.]
[A new possibility has opened. When wishes and desires converge, they become miracles. If you truly wish for it, even fantasy can become reality. A miracle is the power to make anything possible!]
[Condition: Someone’s ‘earnest wish.’]
[Reward: ‘Synchronization’]
I stared blankly at the multiple system windows that had popped up, reading them over and over again.
Not ‘Reload’—but ‘Synchronization.’ If I could obtain that reward, I could stay in this world.
But there was a condition. Someone’s earnest wish. It had to come from someone else, not me.
And the only person who would wish for me to stay here was, undoubtedly…
‘His Highness.’
I clasped my hands together and looked up at Kyle. But he seemed to misinterpret my gaze, responding with his usual calm smile.
“I’m fine, Shu. So make the choice that’s best for you.”
This won’t do. He was already preparing to let me go. Was it because he thought his own selfishness would hold me back? I could understand that, but still…
—Beep. (Idiot.)
I pouted as I sent him another message.
[Be greedy.]
Kyle read my message and slightly parted his lips, as if caught off guard.
[Why are you pretending to be okay when you’re not?]
[Would you really be fine if I just disappeared?]
You told me not to go.
You begged me to choose this world just for you. You were so desperate—how can you act so indifferent now, as if it was all just a dream?
[Honestly, it was better when you were debating whether to tie me up so I wouldn’t run away.]
Kyle lowered his head instead of responding. His fingers trembled slightly.
“Shu, I…”
Summoning the last bit of courage I had, I typed what might be my final message to him.
[One last time—I want to hear your true feelings.]
***
I didn’t want to let go.
There was no way I could want to.
This was the first time I had ever loved someone like this. In a world where I had always lost everything, I finally found something so precious, so dear, that I felt I could endure anything as long as I had it.
At first, I thought I was simply drawn to the loneliness in him that mirrored my own. I second-guessed myself countless times, wondering if it was just sympathy, or perhaps mere curiosity.
But no—it was love. The very act of fearing and doubting it was proof enough.
“I’ve always needed you.”
Nothing in this world lasts forever, but—couldn’t you, at the very least, stay by my side instead of vanishing like a fleeting dream?
“I wanted this place to be your reality.”
Not just some novel, but a home—a place where you truly belonged.
“I agonized over how wonderful it would be if my love alone could be enough to fill your entire world.”
If that were possible, I would have had no hesitation, no shame, in offering up my remaining years in exchange for yours.
That was how much I loved you. That was how desperately I wanted you.
And yet, when it mattered most, the words caught in my throat.
Would I suffocate beneath the weight of my own feelings? Would my hesitation lead me to make a choice I’d regret for the rest of my life?
Words carry power, and with them, I feared I might chain the one I loved most. What if this wasn’t love but merely my own selfishness in disguise?
And so, Kyle found himself unable to be honest—even before the tiny creature that fit so easily into the palm of his hand.
“My true feelings are…”
His blue eyes gleamed. Those eyes—symbols of miracles—shimmered with warmth.
“…unchanged.”
Kyle spoke in a low voice.
“Shu, I need you.”
His small, warm companion simply gazed up at him in silence. Even the Messenger of Love remained quiet.
And in that silence, Kyle was finally forced to confront the feelings he had tried to hide. Feelings that had grown even more desperate and immense than he had realized. The truest, most undeniable part of himself.
“I want to wake up beside you and fall asleep with you by my side. Even if this land is harsh, with half the year swallowed by winter, I want to protect you from the cold. Your smile is my greatest blessing, and there is nothing more painful, more unbearable to me than your tears…”
—…
“If you can believe in just one thing—that my feelings for you will never change—then…”
His voice trembled slightly as he poured out a clumsy confession.
“Choose me.”
—…
“I love you.”
—…
“I could never replace you with anyone else, so I will love only you, now and forever.”
—…
“Will you make me the center of your world?”
[Do you have the confidence to become his world?]
The question was an echo from the system—a question I had once heard before.
“I’m more than willing to.”
A brief stillness followed.
Kyle’s companion beast, Cashew Nut, stared up at him without even blinking.
As if waiting for his true feelings.
And as if waiting for something else beyond them.
A moment later, a system window appeared—one visible only to me.
[The bond of ‘Fated Companions’ has strengthened.]
[Wishes and desires have turned into a miracle, and thus, ‘Reload’ has become ‘Synchronization.’]
[Will you redefine your world?]
Cashew Nut slowly nodded.
Kyle, as if spellbound, simply watched.
[Turning reality into fantasy, turning fantasy into reality.]
[‘Synchronization’ will now begin.]
[This state will persist indefinitely. Your body will live out the rest of its life in this ‘reality.’]
[After synchronization, all connection to the system will be severed.]
The light weight pressing against my palm disappeared.
Then, a brilliant blue light exploded outward, flooding the entire room. It was so bright that everything turned white, blurring at the edges as if dissolving into the radiance.
Kyle squeezed his eyes shut.
He could feel it—the absence of the tiny creature that had once rested in his hand.
He hesitated to open his eyes, afraid. Afraid that I had left without saying a word in return.
But his fear didn’t last long.
A pair of hands, small but warm, settled on his shoulders.
And then, a body pressed close—arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A heartbeat, so familiar, so close, reached him.
Kyle swallowed hard, unable to speak.
“…I love you.”
Shu whispered into his embrace.
“I love you too, Your Highness. I wanted to say this to you myself.”
“…”
“Wherever you are—that’s where I belong. Because you are the center of my world.”
“…Shu.”
“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say ‘don’t go.’ And all this time, you were busy agonizing over such foolish thoughts.”
Kyle’s voice was hoarse as he struggled to respond.
“If I… If I’m holding you back from your future…”
“You are my future. So how could you be holding me back?”
“…”
“Instead, promise me something.”
Kyle didn’t hesitate.
“I promise.”
Shu smiled brightly.
“You don’t even know what I’m asking for.”
“Does it matter? I’d swear my very life to you if that’s what it takes.”
“I don’t need your life. I need exactly what you said before.”
“Choose me. Choose this world. Begging you to stay with nothing but a promise to love you forever… is that too much of a cowardly request?”
“I’ll choose you. I’ll stay in this world. As long as I’m with you, I’ll never be lonely again. But…”
“But?”
“Keep your promise.”
Kyle gazed into Shu’s eyes.
Warm, gentle brown eyes.
Kinder, braver, and more beloved than anyone he had ever known.
He vowed, without a moment’s doubt.
“With everything I have.”
“Forever?”
“Forever.”
Their bodies pressed together, leaving no space between them.
And in that moment, unseen by anyone, a final system window flickered into existence—like a miracle.
[Best of luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)]
<The End>
