“To think it’s white here as well.”
The current time was exactly twelve o’clock noon, with clear, fair weather.
Standing before her newly purchased house, Shiratori let out a soft, faint sigh.
Indeed, the primary color palette of the house matched her own—a striking, pure white.
White walls, white flowers blooming across the lawn, boundary walls made of white marble, and even the iron fence gate had been painted white.
Although this European-style villa didn’t look terrible in white, for some reason, it always struck her as exceptionally eye-searing.
It wasn’t a glare caused by optical reflection; it was an instinctive reaction etched deep into her very bones.
Almost like a curse.
Well, no use dwelling on it—time to go inside and take a look.
Shiratori pulled out the key, unlocked the white fence gate, crossed the courtyard lined with green grass and flowers, and stood before the front door.
“…”
She wanted to reach out, but her hand was sub-consciously halted by her own body.
Lowering her head to glance at her hand suspended in midair, Shiratori took a deep breath, then suddenly gripped the door handle tight and opened it with force.
What exactly was she afraid of?
The instant the door opened, a rich, unidentified floral scent wafted out to greet her.
Spotting a grand piano standing in the main hall, Shiratori stepped forward and casually pressed a few keys.
The tuning wasn’t off by much, and the keys gleamed brightly.
It seemed that even during the time the house sat vacant, someone had meticulously cared for it.
Shiratori didn’t particularly mind the floral scent; all she needed right now was a place to stay while she slowly explored genuine human emotions.
If possible, setting up a small personal library at home seemed like a fine idea.
Although she could store all human knowledge into her Angel with a simple search on the internet, doing so felt far too boring.
She wanted to experience what kind of scenery it was to sit alone inside a quiet library.
“Though…
there probably isn’t a library inside a home, right?”
Shouldn’t her initial thought be whether there was a library in the city?
As she spoke, she opened the door at the far end of the hallway.
The moment Shiratori saw the sight inside, her last syllable froze in her throat.
Perhaps due to the circular layout, the space inside felt much larger than it appeared from the outside, but it still genuinely caught Shiratori off guard.
Inside was a retro-style, two-story library.
As expected of a wealthy noble’s villa.
Not only that, but the bookshelves and desks were all crafted from raw timber, causing a subtle, refreshing scent of natural wood to drift throughout the entire space.
It was hard to imagine just how astronomical the original renovation cost must have been.
She was here to inspect her house today, not to admire the library layout.
Incidentally, all the furniture had come with the villa, exceptionally complete beyond expectations, saving her plenty of hassle.
Walking up the stairs, the second floor consisted of a living room, a bathroom, various common recreational spaces, and three servants’ rooms.
Glancing over them briefly, Shiratori ascended to the third floor, where her own bedroom was located.
Without bothering to check the other rooms, she walked straight toward her own room with a slight touch of anticipation, then pushed the door open.
Sunlight.
The very first sensation was the warmth of sunlight bathing her face.
Then came sheer awe.
A soft, large bed was placed against the center wall.
Right beside it stood a white desk with a chair casually placed next to it, while a small desk lamp waited quietly at the corner.
A television was embedded into a recessed niche in the wall, and various books along with game software were neatly arranged on a round storage unit, next to which sat a computer setup.
A crystal-like glass chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling brilliantly under the sunlight.
Hanging planters were suspended alongside it, with flowering vines draping gracefully downward.
An enormous window took up almost the entire wall, which was precisely where the sunlight streamed in from.
Opening the window revealed a quaint balcony.
Aside from all this, countless fine details dotted the space.
“…”
Her heart skipped a beat, her pupils trembling slightly.
Although she had never actively craved having a room of her own, the scene before her matched the vision in her mind far too perfectly; calling it a dream room would not be an exaggeration.
Even though white remained the dominant tone, the white here no longer felt harsh to her eyes.
Instead, it delivered a soothing warmth, like a soft feather brushing against the skin.
Why did people feel happy when they obtained something they loved?
After experiencing it firsthand, she finally understood—Shiratori truly found immense joy in the sight before her eyes.
She really, really, really liked it.
Was this what a home felt like?
This feeling…
even though it was merely a beautifully decorated room…
why was it so…
so…
Seemingly at a loss for words, Shiratori rushed out onto the balcony, immersing herself entirely in the warm embrace of the sunlight, then unconsciously looked down at her own hands.
Could these hands of hers truly protect the peace and quiet of this tiny, overly fragile room?
“Is this…
a part of having emotions?”
She had originally assumed this path would be fraught with difficulty, yet a single well-decorated room had already allowed her to take the first step forward.
Since the hardest step was now behind her, her subsequent exploration would surely become much simpler.
A soft sniffing sound echoed—perhaps she was shedding tears in a wasteful manner, or perhaps her heart was weeping without her even noticing, but no matter how one put it, it was her own self shedding tears.
How…
laughable…
Although her face didn’t show much change despite crying, Shiratori could clearly feel her jaw tightening as she bit her lip to endure something.
Indeed, everything would turn out fine; everything was still fine.
Leaning against the balcony rail to admire the scenery outside, Shiratori transformed all her recent realizations into thoughts, casting them toward the distant horizon.
Across the bustling cityscape, through empty alleyways, or toward a far-off distance filled with hope.
“Hm?”
Her foot bumped against an object.
Shiratori bent down to pick up the item she had nudged.
It was a rectangular box, its exterior adorned with sky-themed patterns.
Although this house had just given her a profound emotional impact, maintaining necessary vigilance was still essential.
Activating her right eye to scan it, the rectangular object was instantly covered in a blue glow.
“Why is a music box here?”
After confirming what the item was, Shiratori opened it out of curiosity.
Slowly, melodious music began to flow from the box as a tiny mechanical bird gently rose from within.
“…”
A single instrument, sounding like a very soft piano melody.
Unlike conventional music, its slow rhythm seemed to move in tandem with a heartbeat.
Every key pressed felt as though it were gently knocking upon that long-sealed door of her heart.
It was custom-tailored for the quiet atmosphere of this room—of that she was absolutely certain, because if it were not, then none of this would be perfect.
Except nothing in this world was truly perfect.
[WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!]
A spacequake alarm mercilessly shattered Shiratori’s immersion in the music, snapping her into immediate alert.
However, upon deploying her Astral Dress to scan the surroundings, she discovered that the group of mecha girls hadn’t shown up.
It seemed another Spirit had manifested—was it that child named Yoshino from before?
Although she felt a slight touch of concern, the conventional AST possessed no means to deal with a Spirit, regardless of what measures they took.
Deciding it wasn’t worth paying attention to, Shiratori shut the music box, closed her bedroom door, and walked down the stairs.
She decided to replicate the piece of music she had just heard on the piano.