No matter how far a traveler roams, eventually, they have to go home.
The outside world wasn't actually as glamorous as fantasies made it out to be. After enduring the bumps and exhaustion of the road, the longing for home only grew stronger.
At the end of the day, home was the place a person knew best. It was warm, familiar, and belonged solely to them.
Oh, right. Now it belongs to Kiana, too.
Shu opened his eyes in bed. Feeling the foreign mass curled up in his blankets, he let out a helpless sigh.
He had no counterplay.
Kiana's habit of kicking off her blankets and burrowing into his was terminal. It had reached the point where, as long as they were sharing the same bed, Shu would inevitably find Kiana in his blankets the next morning.
With another sigh, Shu gently and slowly extracted himself from the bed. He picked up Kiana's discarded blanket from the corner, draped it back over her, and stretched his stiff joints, preparing to face another utterly ordinary day.
Their trip was over. In the end, Shu and Kiana hadn't embarked on a grand, cross-country tour. They had simply visited a few drastically different locations, experienced a handful of entirely different landscapes, and then come home.
Dipping one's toes into the water was a good way to maintain expectations for the world. After all, regarding the places Shu and Kiana had gone...
To be completely honest, rather than feeling awestruck and moved, Shu felt like his fantasies had been mostly shattered.
It turned out that standing on a mountain peak didn't actually give you the personal space to dramatically shout into the valley. Going out to sea was actually more suffocating and boring than just staying home. The vast grasslands were mostly just patches of exposed dirt. And stepping into the jungle meant your clothes got stained within seconds...
So, sometimes, a "dream" didn't refer to a specific physical thing, but rather a unique emotional resonance, the pursuit of a specific state of being.
Some people chased the adrenaline rush and the fleeting thrill of accomplishment, so their dreams involved racecars, paragliding, and skydiving...
Some people wanted to bask in the cheers of millions and achieve the ultimate validation, so they poured their hearts into esports or the Olympics...
How many people had their hopes completely crushed by the chasm between reality and their dreams? How many people confidently set off on the path to pursue their dreams, only to flinch and retreat in bitter regret?
There was truth to the saying: "No matter what your hobby is, the moment it becomes your job, you will learn to despise it."
By merely dipping your toes in, you could precisely extract the specific emotional high you desired from the experience, without ruining it.
The only problem was that the allure of this emotional high was overwhelmingly intoxicating. How many people had gone mad for it? How many had willingly sacrificed everything for it?
Far, far too many.
There was no greater selfishness in a person's life than this: to completely succumb to madness, never turning back, all for the sake of feeling moved just one more time.
Fortunately... Shu possessed a decent amount of self-control.
Thinking thrice before acting spared him from acting on impulse, which included falling into the "pursuit trap."
...
Okay, fine. He'd stop pretending.
Right now, he simply felt completely devoid of desires. He felt like he had accepted everything.
Although the lingering depression in his heart hadn't fully dissipated, even the most closed-off shut-in would get used to acting cheerful after being dragged across the country by a blindingly energetic little sun.
As a series of loud cracks—audible only to him—echoed from his joints, Shu finally relaxed entirely. He let out a long sigh and headed to the bathroom, feeling somewhat refreshed.
And then he was violently reminded of his own fragility the moment he rubbed his face with a towel.
The sunburn he'd gotten on the beach nearly half a month ago still hadn't fully healed. His skin was still incredibly sensitive and fragile, turning bright red at the slightest friction.
This was actually one of the main reasons they had ended the trip early.
He genuinely couldn't handle the physical toll anymore. He needed to come back and recover for a while before he could go on any more wild excursions with Kiana.
"Meow~"
The sound of Shu entering the kitchen elicited a lazy meow from Rice Cake in the living room.
These two humans had only just returned from their wild gallivanting yesterday. Rice Cake had been the undisputed ruler of the house for a while, and while the peace and quiet were nice, eating nothing but dry kibble every single day was a bit rough.
Human! I demand wet food!
If you dare feed me that damn kibble again, I will mercilessly stomp on your chest tomorrow morning!
Shu paused his breakfast preparations. He stared at Rice Cake for a long time, then glanced at the fresh ingredients in his hand, tentatively offering a piece to the cat.
Rice Cake nodded in satisfaction. Sweating slightly, Shu quickly prepped a portion of fresh ingredients and placed it in Rice Cake's bowl.
This cat is seriously too smart... and surprisingly polite.
Shu went back to making breakfast. Truthfully, he was slightly worried that after eating premium delicacies out on the road, Kiana wouldn't be used to his home cooking anymore.
But then he remembered that this was Kiana. She had managed to stomach West Lake Vinegar Fish without dying. Was there any chance she'd actually be a picky eater?
Shu couldn't help but laugh at his own worries.
—
Kiana's timing was immaculate.
The exact second Shu placed the breakfast plates on the table, Kiana shuffled out of the bedroom, clad in baggy pajamas, sporting a terrifying bird's nest of hair, and looking completely bleary-eyed.
"Yawn~" After a massive yawn devoid of any facial control, Kiana rubbed her eyes and offered Shu a groggy morning greeting.
"Morning..."
"Go wash up. Breakfast is ready," Shu said, waving at her.
"Okay~" Kiana's response was soft and squishy, sounding like she was still half-asleep.
However, by the time she emerged from the bathroom, she had fully reverted to her standard, bright, sunny state.
"What's for breakfast today?!" She dashed to the dining table in a flurry of motion. Her hair was still a chaotic mess, and there were stray droplets of water on her face.
With a helpless sigh, Shu pressed Kiana down into her chair. Picking up the comb he'd prepared beforehand, he stood behind her and began gently untangling her hair while she happily dug into her food.
His movements were so light that Kiana barely felt any tugging. Of course, that might also have been because her hair was naturally incredibly soft. Even with her chaotic sleeping habits, it never really got matted.
Shu simply smoothed out the cowlicks. It didn't take much effort before Kiana completely transformed back into a vibrant, youthful girl.
"Do you want me to tie it up for you?"
"Yup! Please do!" Kiana stuffed a piece of jam-slathered toast into her mouth, then grabbed another piece. Leaning backward, she tilted her head up and held the second piece of toast right up to Shu's lips.
"Hehe, here's your payment for doing my hair!" Kiana beamed up at him with a brilliant smile. She wiggled the toast, seemingly urging him to take a bite.
No, that was pure, genuine anticipation.
Smiling, Shu opened his mouth and took a bite of the toast she offered. Then, he gently guided her back upright and began braiding her hair.