We only had a single couch in the living room facing the TV, which Brian had moved to my room for me as a replacement for the broken monitor.
So there I was, sitting next to karuhi07, too close for my comfort—for our couch was rather small—and awkwardly looking at the blank wall where the TV used to be.
She said nothing, just drinking her Earl Grey, and the way she managed to not make even a faint sound of clatter when placing the tea cup on the coffee table was creepy.
"What do you know about marmalade?" I asked her, finally mustering the courage to break the silence, but still not looking at her directly.
"Isn't it made of Seville oranges?"
"Se—what?"
"Seville oranges."
"That's not what I was asking."
"I just happen to like it," she said, smiling, at least from what I could tell at a quick side glance.
"How about Earl Grey?"
"It happens to be my favorite kind of tea."
Coincidence? Seriously?
Don't take me for a fool.
"So what could you see in my stream?"
"Oh boy, you sure have a lot of questions."
That suddenly made me super self-conscious.
She was right. I was afraid of her, and I'm usually not someone who can talk easily to strangers. Well, at least not offline. But somehow, here I was, asking a series of questions, interrogating her.
"May I ask a few questions too?" karuhi07 said.
"Sure…"
My voice shrank a little.
"What's her name?"
Something in me stopped me from giving out Senne's name, but the way her gaze seemed to penetrate me made it impossible for me to simply reject her inquiry.
"Brian. And it's 'he.' He's my brother."
Karuhi07 blinked a few times, then shook her head.
"That's not who I meant. I meant the lady in your stream."
"That would be me. Bree."
I felt proud I was getting the hang of it.
"I meant the other lady. The pretty lady."
"Somehow that sounds like a diss on my avatar."
"It's not too bad, but it could be better, yes."
I knew it.
"Why do you even watch my stream?" I asked.
"It's entertaining."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And it's got a really pretty lady."
"By which you obviously don't mean me."
She replied with a wink.
"Sigh… I give up. Now that we are at it anyway… what do you think would make my stream better?"
"Honestly?"
"…Yes."
I was getting nervous, but it was the first time I got to have an offline chat with someone who actually watched my stream.
Karuhi07 seemed to think about it for a moment, then started to speak, looking up at the ceiling, holding her chin, as if she was trying to read the answers floating in the air.
"A better avatar? Maybe a new persona? Or an actual personality?"
"That's really mean…"
I instantly felt like crying.
"I'm kidding."
She laughed.
Then something hit me.
"Wait—you kept on saying 'pretty lady.' Can you SEE her face?"
"So now you admit there IS a pretty lady in your stream."
I was too engrossed in the idea that I stopped playing the game that we both knew was silly.
"The 'pretty' lady's face. Do you see it?"
"Yes. Very clearly. That's why I said she's pretty."
I jumped to my feet and ran upstairs. I slipped a little on the stairs, banged my knee on the edge, screamed, but continued all the way to my room.
"Senne!"
I shouted at the devil who stood by the window, slamming the door shut behind me.
"Yes?" she answered, turning around.
"Why can't I see your face?"
"It's a curse."
I shook my head.
"How do you actually look?"
"Very pretty."
"Oh for God's sake! That's not what I mean!"
"It's true though."
"Just tell me one thing about your face that I can test her with."
"Wait—"
"What now?"
"She says she can see my face?"
"Yes."
The black flame on Senne's face flickered a few times.
"She's not normal," she said, after a brief pause.
"OBVIOUSLY."
"Ask her what color my eyes are."
"And what color are your eyes?"
"Just ask her."
"Then what?"
"If she says 'gray,' then she can really see me. That confirms it."
"Okay, then."
"But—if she says 'no color'," Senne stepped closer and whispered, "kill her. Immediately."
"I'm not ki—"
"Shhh"
Senne shushed me.
Now I was really scared. I had no idea how to kill a person. Even if I knew I wouldn't be able to do it. I was as weak as wet paper. Even someone small like karuhi could probably snap my arm just by squeezing it hard.
Nevertheless, I nodded, grabbed a small paper cutter from my desk and hid it in my pocket.
I walked downstairs, stood a few feet away from karuhi07, and asked her,
"What color are her eyes?"
"Gray," she said without any hesitation, confidently.
I guess there won't be any killing today.