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Chapter 18
Chris was someone who never got nervous, even when death was right around the corner. Humans are creatures who end up tense even when they know tension only brings death closer—but Chris was different.
And yet now, after getting his first truly deep sleep in about eighteen years, Chris—who had lived a life closer to a monster than a human—wasn’t satisfied at all. He was tense. So tense that his pale face had gone completely blue.
“Hmm.”
Chris glanced at the woman who was sleeping soundly, using his chest as a pillow as if the world were at peace.
Her warm, milky-coffee–colored hair was impossibly soft—so soft that even baby duck feathers probably couldn’t compare.
And those squishy cheeks? Even compared to the stuffed doll that had been in Chris’s arms until just moments ago, they didn’t lose in the slightest.
‘W-What is this?’
And those eyelashes—why were they so long? If he left them alone, they looked long enough for dust to settle on them. Even her cute, petite nose was adorable.
‘Why is it so small? Can she even breathe with a nose like that?’
But it wasn’t just the nose that was tiny. The little hands fidgeting on his chest were small too. And what—were they made of flour?
‘Why are they so soft and squishy—no, wait!’
Trying to regain his composure, Chris almost shook his head like a wet dog shaking off water, but stopped himself when he thought of the girl in his arms. He bit his lip. With her lying on top of him, he couldn’t even breathe properly.
‘This is obviously a dream.’
Chris was convinced. If this wasn’t a dream, there was no way his precious, adorable, beloved comfort doll would suddenly turn into a small, adorable human.
‘Christopher Difrian Josef Hespia! You idiot! Even in your dreams—THIS is what you dream about?!’
Deeply disappointed in himself, Chris squeezed his eyes shut and repeated to himself over and over:
‘I need to wake up. Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP—!’
The moment he told himself that something terrible would happen if he didn’t wake up—
“Gah!”
Chris’s eyes flew open, his red irises trembling faintly as they shone in the darkness. It had been a dream after all.
“Ha…”
He sat up. In his arms, instead of a cute, pretty person, was his cute and pretty comfort doll, smiling its usual faint smile.
‘Thank goodness.’
Relieved, Chris looked around. Just like in his dream, the world was soaked in blue.
‘How can it look exactly the same? Is this also a dream?’
He pinched his own cheek. It hurt.
‘Good. At least this isn’t a dream.’
He found himself ridiculous—pinching his own cheek like this, dreaming something like that… he’d never even looked at a woman his entire life.
‘I should wash up.’
With cold water, too. Chris rubbed his face vigorously.
[Hyat-cha!]
With an explosive battle cry, Piani shot upright.
The dolls, startled by the sudden shout, jumped in surprise.
[Hey! Why’d you get up like that?! You scared us!]
[My heart almost fell out! …Well, if I had one.]
[Gyao! Gyao!]
Bombarded by the scolding coming from the dolls near her pillow, Piani scrunched her face.
[Whatever. Who cares how I get up? Mind your own business.]
[Wow, listen to her talk. I told you she’s got the worst temper.]
Piani considered her natural temperament to be as smooth as silk. But this world, this situation, and certain people—and dolls—were dirtying her pure personality.
‘Honestly, it’s only because I’m me. If anyone else were in my situation, they’d be swearing every other sentence.’
She stretched. Not that it made her tiny body actually stretch, but it always felt refreshing anyway.
[Huh?]
Piani’s tightly squinted eyes flew open. When she stretched, she really felt her arms and legs extend.
‘No way!?’
She slowly lifted her arm. A plush, stuffed-doll hand came into view.
[Aaaagh—!]
Seeing her own reflection for the first time, Piani screamed.
[Hey! Why are you being so loud again?!]
[Gyao!]
[Shared room! Show some manners please!]
Ignoring everything the dolls were saying, Piani lifted her other hand.
‘Why do my hands look like THIS?! And—no fingers?!’
Her hands had always been chubby and soft, but now they were ridiculously plump and squishy!
[Aaaagh!]
Shocked beyond belief at finally seeing her doll body, Piani lay on the bed flailing her short arms and legs, screaming.
[SO LOUD!]
[Be quiet already!]
[Gyao!]
The three dolls—unable to see what was happening below—kept nagging.
Piani was too panicked to hear them. But she couldn’t flail forever.
‘Okay… calm down first!’
She decided to figure out why her body was suddenly moving.
With cloudy eyes sharpened as much as possible, Piani stroked her plush chin.
‘Did anything unusual happen yesterday?’
All she remembered—no matter how hard she thought—was Chris washing her bare body with his hands like she was a little doll.
‘There’s no way that humiliating thing is the cause!’
After struggling mentally, she arrived at a theory:
‘Maybe… it was just time for me to start moving?’
If that was true, she might naturally turn back into her original body someday.
[Heh heh heh… HAHAHA!]
The dolls flinched at her sudden, triumphant laugh.
[Why are you laughing?! Are you crazy? Is that it?!]
[I don’t mind crazy, but at least laugh quietly! You’re making me jump!]
[Gyao gyao!]
The dolls continued complaining nonstop.
“……”
Piani lifted her head and stared at their feet, sticking out from the top of the headboard. Her face remained expressionless, yet somehow she looked terrifying.
[Hup.]
She stood up and began walking. Walking on a soft bed with her plush body wasn’t easy, but the fact that she could move forward at all thrilled her.
[Hehe.]
Piani toddled toward the headboard. It was absurdly tall.
But Piani was a persistent, strong-willed girl.
I can do this.
A fierce spark burned in her formerly blank eyes.
Meanwhile, the three dolls—clueless about the looming disaster—kept scolding her.
[Please be careful next time. We’re more sensitive than you.]
[Seriously. What a way to ruin a perfectly good morning.]
[Gyao gyao.]
[Even toddlers aren’t as noisy as you.]
[Exactly.]
[Gyao~ gyao~]
While they nagged, Piani was climbing up the headboard, panting “Hoo! Hoo!” with rough breaths. In her original body she couldn’t have climbed anything, but this plush body was light enough that climbing was doable.
Not that she wasn’t scared—if she slipped, she might fall to the floor and it would definitely hurt. Maybe not terribly, but enough.
But she bravely took on the challenge.
‘I will NEVER look back!’
Her plush hands slipped many times, but Piani kept climbing until she reached the top.
She had conquered the summit!
[Huff! Huff! Hahh!]
She panted like an old man. Her original cute voice was nowhere to be found.
[What’s that sound?]
[It sounds like her voice… but way too close.]
[Gyao gyao.]
Watching them stare straight ahead, oblivious, Piani thought:
‘I used to be like that too.’
She had once tried to look around by rolling her eyes as far as possible.
But now—she stood beside them on her own power.
[…Hey.]
Piani toddled across the headboard and spoke.
The dolls flinched at the voice sounding right next to them.
[Gyao!]
[Th-the voice is too close?!]
[D-Don’t tell me—you…!]
If they could turn their heads, they would see the menacingly staring little doll behind them. But unlike Piani, they couldn’t move freely.
[You three are dead.]
[What?!]
Declaring their doom with absolute conviction, Piani swung her tiny plush fist.
[Hiyah!]
The light dolls toppled over the edge of the headboard and onto the bed.
[Ack?!]
[Gyao!]
[W-What is happening?!]
Watching their backs stuck face-first in the blankets, Piani hopped down as well.
[Hmph!]
Her light body landed softly on the blankets.
Still not done, she huffed and puffed as she flipped the dolls over.
[W-Wha?!]
The bear doll panicked at its body moving on its own. The others were just as shocked.
[How is this—huh!]
The bear froze when it saw Piani looming over it, sunlight behind her, expression subtly menacing.
[Why so surprised? Is it because my face is just too cute?]
[H-How are YOU moving?!]
the bear demanded sharply. Piani grinned proudly.
[I dunno!]
