The next three days were a blur. Masao spent his time as usual, watching TV and sleeping, but now he had an annoying girl constantly walking around the house and asking him questions.

  He let her sleep in his bedroom since he was using the couch. She kept insisting that he should sleep in the bed instead because of his health, but he refused.

  The best thing about having her there was that she could give him energy when needed. When he wanted to go somewhere, she could shock him. They decided it would be best not to do it all the time because they didn't know if it would cause any negative effects. Usually, it would st a few hours, giving him lots of energy, and when it wore off, he would hit a low.

  It was like coming down from a high. When you were off of it, it hit you like a train. Yoli felt extremely guilty when it first happened, but he assured her it was fine.

  The first thing she did on the start of their first full day living together was begin to clean the house. She threw out all the dead pnts and started a list of things they needed to get when they went out next. The fridge was almost empty, and she wanted to buy fresh ingredients. He hadn't had a real cooked meal in forever, and was a little hesitant to let her make one for him.

  She cleaned off all the tables and surfaces in the house, leaving the kitchen sparkling. She also vacuumed the floors with a dusty old vacuum cleaner that was shared among the apartment's residents. Unfortunately, not all the stains came up.

  "Where did you even learn to do housework like this? Were you a maid or something?" he chuckled, imagining her in a cute maid outfit.

  "No. My father taught me everything. After my mother died, it was just the two of us. I wasn't allowed to go outside, so I spent my time doing housework," she smiled.

  "You weren't allowed to go outside?" he questioned.

  "It was dangerous to go outside...better to keep away from the world," she said. Masao had no idea what she was talking about.

  "It couldn't have been that dangerous back then. Was your pop paranoid or something?"

  "Mm...no. It was to teach me life skills and protect me."

  He shrugged. Clearly, she didn't know much about why her dad raised her the way he did, either. When she was alive, it would have been safe to go outside and experience life. Keeping her inside to do housework was creepy behavior.

  Yoli continued to explore the house, sweeping the bathroom floor and throwing out the trash. He tried to help her at least a little, but it was hard to break from his usual routine.

  There was a loud knocking at the door, and he groaned, not wanting to welcome in another visitor. He had to decide quickly whether to make Yoli hide herself or not. It could be someone from COT, but it was most likely his neighbor.

  "Come in," he said loudly. The door creaked open, and a pin-looking man entered. He was wearing a basic outfit with just socks on. Yoli stepped out of the bathroom with a wet mop in her hand and stared at him.

  "So, you got a girlfriend now?" the man ughed.

  "She's not my girlfriend," Masao said, leaning his head back to get a better view. The man snickered, walking over to Masao, who was lounging on the couch. He had a grocery bag in his hand.

  "You can keep that stuff, unless you brought cigarettes. I want those."

  "What? You don't want the food anymore?" the man compined. "Don't tell me you're making that girl do all your chores...you dirty little..."

  "Nah, we were gonna go out together tomorrow. I don't wanna pay you for this anymore, sorry," he shrugged. The man handed him a pack of cigarettes while shaking his head. "Only one?" Masao asked, handing him a wad of cash from his pocket.

  "I figured your lungs might need a break. All these smokes are gonna catch up to you someday," the man ughed, patting Masao strongly on the shoulder.

  "Oh, shut up," Masao sighed. "Thanks, though."

  "Yep, just holr at my door if you need something," he said, waving goodbye to Yoli before stepping out.

  "Was that your friend?" she asked after he left.

  "He brings me food and stuff so I don't have to go outside and get it myself."

  She nodded, returning to the chore she was doing before.

  "Hey, let's go out tonight. We can get everything on our list," he called to her. She gave him a thumbs-up through the kitchen window cutout.

  - - -

  Masao swung the keys to his apartment around his finger. He and Yoli strolled down the sidewalk like an old couple. It was sunset, and the city had taken on a hazy fog. He had gotten another shock from her before they went out, so he was sure he would be able to protect her if anything bad were to happen.

  They made their way to the nearest konbini. Its windows were shattered, and the door was barely attached to the hinges. Despite the ragged exterior, there was a weary-looking employee standing inside.

  "What did you write on that damn list?" he asked, noticing the long piece of paper she brought along. She ran around the store, grabbing all the ingredients she needed and putting them into a basket. The supply was low due to all the looting, but besides that, a convenience store like this wouldn't usually have everything needed to cook a meal. It was the best they had.

  At first, he had pnned on stealing the things they needed, but Yoli was strongly against that. Her morals were solid and totally out of pce. He'd even begun to feel guilt for thinking of such things. Like a dog on a leash, he was dragged around and made to listen to her lectures. She fought back against his immoral suggestions and tried to do things her way.

  Their "fights" were not the kind that you would see in a typical household these days, though. A quiet girl would compin about something, and her zy pile shot poor excuses for her to fend off one by one.

  When she came back to him, her basket was full.

  "Guhh...you trying to make me broke or what?" he grunted, taking out his wallet. They paid the cashier and left the store. He couldn't imagine what could convince a person to work there all day with no customers but petty thieves dropping in, but he guessed that they were employed by COT.

  They walked back to the apartment while the sky was slightly darker. She swung the grocery bag as they walked, a cheerful skip to her step.

  "Do you always walk like a baby?" he teased. She looked up at him with her cheeks puffed out.

  "I do not! Babies can't walk."

  "Suuuuure," he chuckled, patting her on the head. She tried to shake his hand off, but was unsuccessful. He patted her hair a few times, ughing at how helpless she was.

  He stopped ughing when she admitted defeat, standing completely still. He narrowed his eyes, letting his hand fall through her hair and rest at his side. He could only see the corner of her face because of their height difference.

  "How long will this st?" she asked. It came out of nowhere.

  Her mood had changed in a matter of seconds. The bag of groceries hung low in her hands, and he could see her gradually gripping the handles of the pstic bag tighter.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You're ill...and those people are going to find us," she said. His eyes softened at her words. She knew more than he thought she did. Although she didn't understand what COT truly was or the severity of the circumstances she was pced in, she knew one thing: that being with him was a danger to them both.

  They had only been together for a few days, but even he had become used to her being around. Her sweet "good morning" that would call him out of his long sleep, the smell of her amazing cooking, the sound of her feet crossing the floor- maybe he was beginning to find comfort in something temporary.

  "Those people aren't...they aren't going to find you. I'm not going to let them take you," he said calmly.

  "Don't make promises you can't keep, liar," she muttered.

  "Hey, I thought we were over that. I'm not a liar, okay?" he said. "I said it, and I meant it. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

  He knew his words could do nothing to stop COT's pns, but he hoped they could comfort her. Deep down, they both knew they would have to part someday. He didn't want to think about how much it would hurt then. When they were a few weeks, months, or years down the line, Yoli would have to leave. He would be even more attached to her than he was now.

  Maybe then he would know her voice by ear and recognize her scent among a bunch of old women's perfumes and drugs. Maybe then he would be able to recognize her by just the feeling of her skin, or know what her tongue tasted like against his.

  But just for now, he was okay with this arrangement. He was okay with keeping her around. If it meant he could feel alive, then he would take the risk. Even if he died tomorrow, he had felt that high—the high of all highs, the one that was only possible through Yoli.

  "Come on, let's go home," he said, continuing to walk.

  She followed behind him quietly. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and he accidentally tripped over a man's leg. The man was sprawled out on the sidewalk with an empty can of beer in his hand. He simply grunted, too drunk to care about decency.

  "Fucking street hog..." Masao mumbled under his breath. Yoli cautiously eyed the man before hurrying after her magenta-haired guardian.

  "Masao...what's a street hog?" she asked.

  "You know...people who are no good. Drunks, addicts, people who stay out all night at raves," he grumbled. "They're the reason the streets are covered in a bunch of crap," he said, kicking an empty can out of his way.

  "Why do you call people mean names?" she compined.

  "Ah, don't be like that. Everyone calls 'em that. They call guys like me names, too. 'Street Hog' is just the agreed-upon term for people like that, just like how I'm a part of the ze craze."

  "You take part in group bullying...hm," she nodded, as if taking note of something important.

  "Arghhh...you're gonna kill me one day. It's not group bullying; I'm just calling it like it is. You're acting like a fucking PS," he rolled his eyes.

  "PS?"

  "I seriously need to teach you about this world..." he sighed. "A 'Protected Soul', people who live in COT facilities. You know that nice building Yamada kept you in?"

  "Oh yes, I remember."

  "Good. People live in pces like that so they can be protected from the outside world. Protected from people like us," he grumbled. "We call 'em protected souls because that's what COT calls them, but people mostly refer to them as leeches, 'cuz that's what they are."

  Yoli was silent, and he guessed she was probably thinking of what to respond with so she could lecture him for calling people leeches.

  "We have to pay COT for necessities, and they use that money to fund not only their psycho experiments, but the living expenses for the leeches. Those people live off of our hard work and suffering. That's why everyone hates them, and I'm sure if one of them ever left their cozy little facility, they would be killed instantly," he smirked. "So what I mean is, you're acting stuck up. PS numskulls act like they're better than the rest of us."

  "Masao! That's scary!"

  "Err- I'm sorry. That's the truth, though."

  "..." She stared at him for a moment, looking offended. "I'm not stuck up!" she whined.

  "Yeah, yeah...you aren't," he smiled. He grabbed her hand to make sure she wouldn't be taken by anyone. They were almost back home already, and Yoli seemed interested in something else.

  "You had friends before?" she asked when they were outside the apartment.

  He stopped, confusion written all over his face. "Why are you asking?"

  "I saw photos in your room...when you were younger."

  "Heh, you're snooping around now?" he ughed.

  "They were on the wall!"

  "Why do you care anyway?" he raised his eyebrow. "They're members of my gang."

  "Y-Your gang?" Her eyes widened.

  "Yeah, a bunch of losers. Of course, that includes me too. We used to be a rowdy bunch of teenagers," he ughed. "I haven't seen any of them in years."

  She grabbed his hand, which surprised him. "Do you want to see them again?" she asked.

  Just how much was she going to pry into his life until she was satisfied? He figured that was the price he would have to pay for choosing a companion like her.