Imai Jack - Stellaworth Story

"Hello, I'm sorry to bother you..."

“Your hair! Did it start to rain? I'm sorry, I didn't notice!”

When I saw her at the front door of the apartment, I felt a terrible pang of guilt.

“I should have picked you up. I'll get you a warm drink right away, and you better take a bath too.”

"You're overreacting, my hair is a little wet, but it will dry in no time.”

“What if you catch a cold saying that?”

“I wonder about that… Do you think we can get sick?”

Then we reminded each other that we were both basically 'dead' people.

“N-no, but we do feel pain, and there's no guarantee that you won't get a cold. It's possible that living in hell and living in the human realm are two different situations.”

“That's right, I'll be careful for the time being.”

She walked into the living room and suddenly stopped.

“Is something wrong?”

“I'm sorry, I know it's a little late for this, but I don't think I was being considerate enough. I'm sorry, it's not polite to have wet hair in a stranger's house.”

“Don't ...... call me a stranger."

I almost hugged her and stopped myself. All I had to do now was get her a towel.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be mean.”

“I know you didn't mean it. Here, wipe with this. And what would you like to drink? Herbal tea? Or would you prefer hot milk on a day like this?”

“Thank you. I'll have the hot milk, please.”

“Understood, my lady.” After meeting her, I came to love cooking for the first time in a long time. No, maybe it's the first time I enjoy cooking. In order to distract myself from my life that is too long, I tried various things, and I learned a lot.

But in the end it all gets boring. I have no one to cook for by myself, and when I get to know someone, we’ll part ways eventually.

“Please, the next time it rains, call me right away.”

“I apologize for making you worry. I didn't mean to be careless, I was just looking at ...... the rain.”

“Is it possible that this is the first time you've seen it......?”

“I'm a little lost as to how to explain it, but there is hardly any ‘normal rain’ in hell. It's more like burning oil, sharp blades, icicles, and in some places, storms ...... anyway.”

“I'm at a loss to comment, but that sounds like hell to me.”

“But it's not as if I didn't know what a "normal rain" was, you know? I guess those basic memories of my life are still there. I just haven't had a chance to look at it for a while since I came to the human realm, so… I thought it's beautiful once again.”

I was a little jealous of her. Even though I love the elegance of the rain, I do not feel the freshness of the rain falling like this. And while I was jealous, I also grew to love her.

I am a lucky man to have a woman who can look at the rain with such tender eyes by my side for a long time to come.

“So I was so happy that I took a leisurely stroll.”

The white milk was beginning to gurgling in the milk pan.

“Do you want to sweeten it a little? With honey?”

“Honey sounds good!”

I gently drop a spoonful of the golden color honey in the milk and stir. As I pour the finished product into the two cups, I bit on my happiness. I'm so happy to be doing this.

“Here you go. It's hot, so be careful. I'm going to prepare for the bath.”

“That's really okay. My clothes are barely wet.” “I'm worried about you, even though we're dead. Just stay warm.”

I was just polishing the bathroom to a shine after struggling with lyrics during the day.

When I returned to the living room after turning on the hot water, I found her peering into a potted plant with a cup in her hand.

“What's wrong?"

She takes a swig of hot milk, then smiles.

“I'm going to take back some of the things I said to you before.”

“...What?"

“When you were packing up the place, you said it would be hard to come back to water it, so you might be happy with a fake houseplant.”

“I suppose I said that.”

“But since you've been here more recently, why don't we put in a few pots that are more drought-tolerant?”

"......Real plants?"

“I don't mean to imply that fake ones are absolutely not good, but this one is lovely and I think you should keep it. ...... Let’s, wouldn't a small cactus be lovely?”

“What's the matter, out of the blue?"

She took another sip of hot milk...and started to speak a little hesitantly.

“I've been thinking a lot about what Ichise said. And, you see, my best friend Oshichi, who asked me to sign your book, is also a big fan of yours.”

“Oh, of course I remember that, but ...... what does that have to do with cacti?”

“I apologize in advance, but I didn't know you when I was in hell. I'm sure there was a song in the archives, but I wasn't interested in ...... men.”

“No, no, don't apologize for that.”

“But when you came to live in the house, I listened to all your songs and read your novels.”

“Eh?! When did that happen? You didn't say anything about that to me, did you?”

“Then I became a fan of ...... "JacK".”

It was a complete surprise. I was so happy that I could not help but be stunned.

“You said that you didn’t have any regrets as "JacK," but all the songs you wrote were serious and important, weren't they? That's why they attract so many people.”

I am embarrassed, intensely embarrassed. If she had said the same thing to me in a magazine interview, I could have brushed it off calmly, but when she said this to me, I couldn’t help but be elated.

“So, to cheer you up, or to refresh your spirits, how about some greenery.....?”

When I learned about the existence of so-called "fake greenery," I thought that humans are arrogant. We want to keep greenery close at hand, so we have created fake greenery that does not need watering and does not attract insects. Decorating my room with such fake greenery was a bit of self-deprecation. It was dark for me.

“But here's my worst, selfish part.”

“...... Worst?"

She slowly brushes her slightly damp hair and blinks several times unwillingly, as if she's having trouble saying it.

“I want to hear a lot of your new songs soon. But... I'm so busy that I can't date freely like I used to be, and I'm lonely.”

“Oh, God, or should I say Lord Enma, for letting me meet such a wonderful woman.”

“I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you.”

She seemed to have misunderstood me, who was trembling with joy and couldn't say anything, so she looked into my face anxiously. It’s no good, I can’t be a gentleman anymore.

“Far from being offended, I'm so happy that I’m scared.”

I took the mug out of her hand and set it on the table.

“Tetsunojo?"

“I've got an idea. All I have to do is make you ...... hot."

“Eh......? Ah!”

I gently pushed her shoulders and sank her down on the sofa, her cheeks reddening and her eyebrows lifting.

“I’m being serious .......”

“I have one word of advice for you, my dear Princess. If you say something that makes one so happy like that, any man will lose control.”

“What?”

“I'd love to be free to date you all the time.”

"Y-yeah ......?"

I quickly unbutton her blouse as I brush my lips over her neck. She shows some resistance, but if she really didn't like it, it would be electric current now.

“But surely there are people out there waiting for me.”

“..... yeah.”

It was disappointment, resignation, and expectations that I started streaming with an appearance. Even if I found out that I couldn't die and was beaten to death, I wouldn't die anyway.

So I decided to do something spectacular. I hate to admit it, but I feel my father's blood in this mindset. Composing songs and writing lyrics are the same thing for me. And even if I became a little famous, in today's fast-paced world, people would soon forget about me.

“I'll look forward to the future. But first...　I want to touch you now.”

“What? You're going back there? You’re really…”

“I'm aware that I've been groping around a lot and it's not very nice of me, but I've finally learned to love someone. So please ...... tolerate me."

“You ...... are not fair. I can't say ...... stop if you say that.”

“You don't have to say it :)” (T/N: Added the smiley face because I know he would have that expression.)

I pulled up her skirt and removed her tights while kissing her thighs. I had not revealed this to her, but I had actually thought that I was already dead. But I realized after making love to her that I was foolishly mistaken.

“Ah......Tetsu… nojou...!"

There is no man who does not flinch at this voice. But I won't let another man lay a finger on this voice, this skin, or this hair.

“I love you…. My princess.”

Grabbing her white thighs like hot milk... I pressed the tip of my tongue against them.

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