[Your voice is too abrupt.]
[Tosaka Sakura was startled by you.]
[But she also remembered something.]
That's right!
That's the voice I heard just now on the bed!
Tosaka Sakura looked at the scabbard in the box in front of her, and her little hand holding the rabbit flashlight trembled a little.
This is her body telling her that she should be afraid now.
But at the same time——
Her brain was saying don't worry.
This contradiction put the little Loli in a dilemma——she didn't know which one was right.
Finally, Tosaka Sakura chose a compromise.
She took a few steps back, keeping a distance from the box that she thought was safe enough, and then asked:
"That--"
"Are you... a bad person?"
"Dad told me that I must stay away from bad people!"
"..."
[Tosaka Sakura's innocent questioning made you want to laugh.]
[But you also felt that she did not resist your presence subconsciously.]
[Although you haven't fully understood what's going on now.]
[But you don't hate this little Lolita who can hear your voice.]
[You decided to communicate with her properly.]
"I'm not a bad person." A clear answer came from the scabbard.
"Really?" Tosaka Sakura asked again.
"Really."
"Then... swear!!" The little Lolita shone a flashlight on the scabbard in the box, as if it was a lightsaber.
"Say you didn't lie! Otherwise... you can't eat sweets for the rest of your life!"
Tosaka Sakura is a very kind child.
The most terrible oath she could think of was only of this level.
Without much hesitation, a new response came from the scabbard.
"I swear, I'm not a bad person."
"If you are... you can't eat sweets for the rest of your life."
[Your "oath" made Tosaka Sakura completely let down her guard.]
[She was originally full of curiosity about her father's scabbard.]
[Now that she finally has such an opportunity, she will definitely not miss it.]
With a puff.
Tosaka Sakura's little hand rested on the scabbard.
She began to truly feel its surface temperature.
"So warm~" the little girl's beautiful blue eyes flashed with intelligence, "Just like the sun!"
"..."
"Oh, so..."
The thoughtful Tosaka Sakura soon noticed the emotional changes in the voice from the scabbard.
She felt as if she had done something wrong.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Don't you like being told that? Well... I'm sorry."
[You realize that Tosaka Sakura is indeed a very kind child.]
[You decide to tell her the truth about yourself.]
[You forgot most things, even your own name.]
[This makes her very worried.]
"Hey, this?!"
Listening to the confession from the scabbard, Tosaka Sakura suddenly became nervous, and the rabbit flashlight in her hand almost fell to the ground.
"Don't remember anything? Well... you are so miserable."
"That's right!" The little girl thought of something.
"I'll ask dad for you. He's so good, he'll definitely be able to help you come up with a good solution!"
Having said this, Sakura Tosaka wanted to take action immediately.
But the voice in the scabbard quickly stopped her.
"This is not good for you."
"If I'm not mistaken... you sneaked out after hearing my call, right?"
"If they find out, they'll scold you."
"Besides-"
"It seems that only you can hear my voice."
"I think even if you really ask them for help, you probably won't get any good solution, it will only make you look weird."
[Your words accurately captured Tosaka Sakura's thoughts.]
[She realized that asking her father for help was indeed not a good choice.]
[But at the same time, she did want to help you.]
"Then... what should I do?"
Tosaka Sakura was at a loss for ideas.
"Tell me what to do... I'll help you!"
"..."
The voice of the scabbard was silent for a while, and then gave its response.
"Then go to rest first."
"It's late, let's discuss this tomorrow."
"Eh?!" Tosaka Sakura was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah."
"Then I'll put the box back first."
"Otherwise, if Dad finds out, he will definitely be unhappy."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
With the permission of the voice of the scabbard, Tosaka Sakura bit her rabbit flashlight again, trying to put the box back to its original position on the bookcase.
But she seemed to have thought of something again, so she stopped temporarily and said carefully:
"That——!"
"Are you still there?"
"What's wrong?" A response came from the scabbard soon.
"Nothing." Sakura Tosaka scratched her face, "I just thought... since you don't remember anything."
"Then I can lend you my name temporarily as a memory~"
"Tosaka Sakura... Did you hear that clearly?"
"..."
[This kind of thing doesn't make any sense.]
[But you realize that this is a kind heart from Tosaka Sakura.]
[You know you have no reason to refuse it - after all, she really thinks this will help you.]
"Well, I will remember it well, thank you."
"You're welcome~" Sakura Tosaka smiled happily, "See you tomorrow~"
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
[After solving the "big worry", Sakura Tosaka left the study.]
[On the way back, she found that the lights in her parents' room had been turned off.]
[Everything that happened before seemed to have never happened.]
[But is this really the case?]
[Sakura Tosaka herself is not sure.]
[The only thing I can do now is to go back to sleep.]
[Maybe...everything will be fine after I wake up?]
One night passed.
Tosaka Sakura woke up rubbing her eyes in a daze.
She still remembered her agreement with the voice of the scabbard.
But——
The little loli had another thing to worry about.
Will Dad be in the study today?
If so, there would be no way to sneak in.
[Fortunately, what Tosaka Sakura was worried about did not happen.]
[She came down from the second floor and soon found the note left by her mother.]
[On it was written in neat handwriting, "Sakura, we are going out for a while and will be back soon."]
[But Tosaka Sakura knew that although they said "will be back soon" on the surface, her parents would not appear until the evening.]
[This feeling is just like meeting someone once and staying with them for a whole day.]
[But Tosaka Sakura doesn't mind.]
[Because although she can only see her parents in the evening, they will leave a lot of sweets that she likes in advance.]
[She can take this opportunity to enjoy a feast.]
[And——]
[This is a great opportunity to fulfill the promise!]
All problems have been solved.
Tosaka Sakura took action immediately.
She first found the sweets left by her parents in a familiar place, and then carried them to the study.
The furnishings in the room were exactly the same as when she left last night.
Obviously, her father didn't notice that she had sneaked into the study.
This made Tosaka Sakura feel relieved.
In a few seconds, the little loli took the box off the bookcase again.
She took a bite of the sweets she brought, then reached out and touched the scabbard.
"I'm here--!" Sakura Tosaka shouted happily.
"It's so early." A response came from the scabbard soon.
"I thought I had to wait a long time."
"Hehehe~" Sakura Tosaka wiped the sweet stains from the corners of her mouth, "Mom and Dad are not at home today."
"So you can come in now!"
"By the way." The little girl looked at the ancient scabbard with anticipation in her eyes, "After sleeping all night, have you thought of anything?"
"..."
"Sorry, I didn't think of it." The voice of the scabbard answered truthfully, "I can't remember anything."
"Is that so..."
Sakura Tosaka was a little disappointed.
She thought the other party would be like her, and would be fully revived after waking up.
Realizing that the little girl seemed a little sad, the voice in the scabbard quickly changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about this for now."
"Sakura-chan, can I ask you some questions?"
Tosaka Sakura didn't mind the voice of the scabbard calling her that. She nodded and responded very seriously.
"Sure, ask!"
"Then-" The voice of the scabbard paused.
"What kind of existence am I in your eyes?"
"Huh?"
Tosaka Sakura looked at the scabbard in front of her, holding the corner of her clothes and wiping its surface.
"It's the thing that holds the sword."
"..."
[Tosaka Sakura's description makes you vaguely understand your own situation.]
[You try to match it with your previous feelings and further confirm your situation.]
[The so-called box is actually the thing that holds the scabbard.]
[And your consciousness is now on the scabbard.]
[After figuring out these things, you don't feel happy at all, but feel that everything has become complicated.]
[What is hidden in those lost past memories?]
[You want to understand all this, but you find that the situation is not as simple as you imagined.]
[You are silent.]
[And Sakura Tosaka once again mistook this silence for her own wrong words.]
"That..."
The little Loli looked at the scabbard that had not spoken since she finished speaking, and her eyes became more and more worried.
"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong again?"
"No." The voice of the scabbard responded quickly, "I just don't understand why it turned out like this."
"Can you... describe the whole process in more detail?"
Perhaps considering this request as a way to solve her inner anxiety, Sakura Tosaka didn't think much about it and answered it directly.
She began to seriously recall what happened.
"Well... first of all." The little Lolita, who had sorted out her logic, began to speak, "Dad took you down from the bookshelf."
"No, no!"
"It should be... he took down the box that contained you."
[You realize that Sakura Tosaka seems to have equated you with the scabbard.]
[But you don't care about this kind of thing - after all, the other party is just a cute child.]
[Besides, she really wants to help you.]
"What happened after that?" The voice of the scabbard asked.
"Then I saw you light up!" Sakura Tosaka gestured at the scene at that time, "blingbling~ Very beautiful!"
"Then when I went to bed last night, I kept thinking about this matter, so I couldn't sleep in the end... so I came to find you."
"You should still remember what happened after that?"
"..."
[You continue to connect Sakura Tosaka's words with the situation you can recall.]
[You soon realized that the light at that time was a symbol of the contract called "Shadow" that you and her had concluded.]
[It is a pity that although you know it is a contract, you do not understand the reason for its creation and existence.]
[But you know that you must have developed some kind of extremely close relationship with this little loli named Sakura Tosaka.]
[She is the only one you can communicate with at the moment.]
"Anything else?" The voice of the scabbard asked.
"No more." Sakura Tosaka shook her head with guilt.
"I wish I had known you earlier."
"In that case, I could help you remember more things."
"..."
"It's not your fault." The voice of the scabbard comforted Sakura Tosaka.
"I am very lucky to be discovered by you,"
"Thank you, Sakura."
"Eh..."
Sakura Tosaka's eyes lighted up slightly when she was thanked-she actually liked this feeling.
The little girl seemed to remember something and continued:
"By the way~"
"Can I call you 'Mr. Ghost'?"
"Uh... you can." The voice of the scabbard was full of doubts, "but can you let me know why you want to call me that?"
"Because I can't touch you~" Sakura Tosaka laughed foolishly, "It feels like the ghost in the book!"
"..."
[Just this one sentence, you overturned your previous conclusion.]
[Sakura Tosaka did not equate you with the scabbard - in her eyes, you are independent existences.]
[You realize that she seems to have some excellent potential that you have not yet discovered.]
[That may be a sharp weapon for the solution.]
[This makes you feel that there is still a possibility of figuring out everything.]
[You granted her polite request.]
"Okay, no problem, you can call me 'Mr. Ghost'."
"Great~"
Tosaka Sakura clasped her hands together, tilted her head slightly, and looked quite happy.
"Then Mr. Ghost, I actually have one more thing to tell you."
"Oh... what is it?"
"It's just——"
Tosaka Sakura looked at the ancient scabbard lying in the box and whispered her thoughts.
"I feel like I have a way to get you out of here."
"Ah, get you out of here?!" Mr. Ghost's voice was full of doubts, "Where to take you?"
"... here." Tohsaka Sakura responded cautiously.
"What did you say?!