Waking up in the middle of the night, the distant snoring sounds you can hear combined with the darkness tell you that you awoke at the right time, if your spatial memory serves you correctly. Determined, you exit your current quarters and head straight to Shina's room.

 

There, you look around, and by the dresser beside the bed, you can see a lightly blue figure, whose semi-transparent nature becomes clear to you once you get close enough, a clear blue translucent shape of a tiny young man, similar to you.

When you are near, he looks straight into your eyes and says:

 

"Ah, so the little light has found me at last. You took...longer than I expected."

 

Before you can reply, he continues speaking, saying:

 

"But that doesn't matter; you're here now, and I can finally see you with my own eyes. After all, it is my duty to ensure you're a worthy new pet to my beloved Shina."

 

At the mention of the term pet, you can't help but scowl a little: deep down, you are still reluctant to fully accept such a moniker, even if an accurate description of your current status.

 

Well, the ghost does notice your reaction, frowning hard as he begins to speak in a harsh tone and says:

 

"What is that look for? Don't tell me you still don't accept your role as Shina's pet! What better owner could you ask for? Just think about what she does for you every day, keeping you safe! You'd end up the same as me much faster without a loving owner like her!"

 

"Hey, I know, I know...sorry," you blurt out, attempting to calm down the angry spirit.

 

After a sigh, you continue, saying:

 

"You're right: Shina does keep me safe, takes good care of me, but...I don't know, I wish that she...treated me closer to the individual that I am, allowing us to be...something closer than only persons can have with each other. Sorry if I sound selfish for such a desire."

 

After hearing you explain yourself, the ghost does calm down, saying:

 

"I understand, I too once wished I could be something more intimate with her: she is kind, caring, and cute. What is there not to fall in love with? Yet we can never interact in such a way: the earlier you accept that, the better."

 

He sighs for a second before continuing to speak, saying:

 

"Now, my apologies, but after this whole rant, I have realized I have yet to introduce myself! Hello, my name is Fluffy; as you likely are now aware, I was Shina's first pet: I guess that her guilt about what happened must be eating her stronger than I could have imagined, with you learning this from me instead of her; yet knowing her as well as I did, she would most likely not want to frighten her new pet with such a terrible story regardless of that."

 

As he now turns sideways, his gaze lay upon the gorgeous naked colossus sleeping soundly in its bed, sorrow fills your predecessor's voice while he returns to speaking after a heavy sigh:

 

"I just wish I could make her smile one last time...she used to have the sweetest laugh when I would wear my uniform..."

 

His eyes then go wide, for a realization on his part has been made. He then turns his focus back to you, and in an energetic tone, says:

 

"Wait, there is a way, something that might work! Listen, up on top of this dresser, there is her jewelry box: she probably kept my uniform in there; just climb up and put it on. I hope that by you doing that, she will remember the good times she and I had together instead of the final terrible event." 

 

You look up the gigantic furniture, and then back to the ghost with hesitation plain in your face: it is quite the climb, and there would be little to nothing keeping you safe from damage should you lose your grip. Fluffy immediately notices this, leading him to speak again, saying:

 

"I know, it is a rather heavy and potentially dangerous endeavor, but I promise that if you do this, I will give you my blessing and explain everything: believe when I say this, a blessing from a ghost is no small thing for us tinies. However, I can understand that you might not be eager to try, at least for now. I can wait here until you're ready to climb."

 

Thus, your path forward lies open to you: in return for risking your skin to get to the top of what is to you a large cliff-like structure, Fluffy promises to not only provide the full details as to what happened but also his blessing. By the looks of it, he is perhaps aware that you have magic at your disposal, and by helping him, you could obtain either a new spell or strengthen one you have at hand. Not only that, if all goes as planned, Shina might find the whole endeavor rather cheerful to her.

 

However, it entails risks, and perhaps you are not willing to try it, either in the short future or...even forever. 

In the end, it all comes down to what you consider most valuable: Shina's spiritual well-being and further progress with your abilities, or your current safety and comfort.

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May 23
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