Yuki's POV: 

“Good devil, girl, you freak! Who doesn’t want anything?!” I yelled, feeling very annoyed. I wanted to go back. This was the worst possible time ... and my bluff would’ve worked ...

“Well ...”

“Thank you!”

“Could you stay here?” she asked, looking at me with beautiful jade eyes.

“What?!”

“Yuki, I want you to stay here, with me, forever.” She walked up to me and hugged me tightly. Her face was centimeters away from mine. “Please?”

---

Strangely, I woke up feeling comfortable. 

It was strange because for the past week I’d woken up feeling uncomfortable.

I looked around and saw Gumi curled up into a ball, on the floor. I was on the bed.

Oops.

I slowly got up, wondering what had happened. I never slept on the bed. I wasn’t allowed to, just like a naughty pet.

The previous day’s memories came back to me. I sighed.

Yes, that was it.

Gumi had been in a bad mood when we got back, muttering things like, “So not worth the money,” and “Yuki’s no fun.” Then, after I’d lain down on my sheets, she’d collapsed next to me, so I’d decided to sleep on the bed for a change.

She was wearing her pajamas, and her hair was slightly damp. It seemed like she’d woken up to take a shower. Well, at least she hadn’t dumped me off the bed.

Now, back to the weird dream.

Why was I dreaming of my first meeting with Gumi? And I felt like something about the dream was different from what had actually happened.... For example, she hadn’t asked me to stay with her forever.

My mind was really messed up.

“Yuki?” Gumi mumbled sleepily.

“Um ... yes? Wait, are you even awake?”

“Yes ... can you answer a question?”

“Sure.”

“Why’d you say that we were dating?”

“I thought it would be easier?”

“That sounded like a question.”

“It’s a statement.”

“Whatever.”

She went back to sleep.

I closed my eyes and did the same.

---

Megumi’s POV:

“Gumi?” Yuki said as I opened my window curtains.

“What?”

“You remember how we met?”

“As much as I wish I didn’t, yes.”

“You said that you had a puppy ... but I haven’t seen one.”

“Oh, that’s because she’s not here.” I sat down on my bed while Yuki floated in the air next to me.

“Where is she?”

“At a farm.”

He stared at me incredulously.

“I’m not kidding. We were on vacation before I met you, so we dropped her off at a farm.”

“Um ... are you sure?”

“Yes. My parents told me that she’d be very happy there. They said that there were lots of other puppies and plenty for her to do there. I was kind of worried, because she’d been sick for a long time, but they said she’d be fine.”

“You sure do trust your parents.”

“Of course! And they also said that we wouldn’t see her for a very long time, but that everything would be fine.”

He looked at me with a mournful expression.

“What’s with that look?”

“I hate to say this, Gumi, but ... I think your dog’s dead.”

“What?!”

“Well, it’s a common story that adults tell children, that the pet has gone to a farm where it will be taken care of. I never thought someone as old as you would fall for it, though.” 

“You’re kidding.” I gaped at him.

“No. It’s fine to cry. Don’t keep your feelings bottled up inside. If you’d like, you can cry on my shoulder.”

To emphasize this, he floated closer to me.

I picked up a blanket sheet, threw it at him, and started laughing.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing’s wrong!”

“Then why are you laughing like you’re in pain?”

“B-Because you - you are the stupidest guy I’ve ever known!” I gasped, and then I continued laughing. “And I thought Kaito was silly!”

He shook off the blanket and looked offended.

“And how, may I ask, am I stupid?”

“B-Because i-it isn’t ...” I couldn’t go on. My stomach started to hurt.

“Stop!”

“S-Sorry.” I took a few deep breaths and cooled down.

“Answer the question.”

“You’re stupid because -“

“Answer the question without insulting me.”

“Fine then, but either way you’ll feel like an idiot.”

“I’m waiting.”

“Okay, the truth is, my dog was sent to a farm.”

“Like I said, it’s a common excuse -”

“Do you want me to answer the question?”

“Sorry. Continue.”

“The farm is owned by my cousin’s family, so, my aunt and uncle. We sent her there for safekeeping.”

Yuki’s mouth opened into a tiny “o”.

“In fact, she’s coming back on April __, ____. I can’t wait! I miss my Pocky.”

“Gumi ...”

“Speechless, aren’t you?”

“Well, I admit that I do feel pretty foolish, but you’re just as bad.”

“Huh?”

“You said she was coming back in April, right? And the date wasn’t wrong?”

“No.”

“So your dog is coming back today.”

“What’re you talking about?” I scoffed and glanced at my wrist, and then looked back up. I wasn’t about to believe such a clueless person. “Damn, I really need a watch or a calendar ...”

“Check your alarm clock,” he suggested.

I shrugged and walked over to her nightstand, fiddling around with the buttons for a while.

“HOLY CRAP!” I yelled, seeing the date.

“What?!”

“That’s today!”

“I know! That’s what I told you!”

“B-But Papa and Mama didn’t mention a thing!” Ignoring him, I flew out of the room and down the stairs.

“Papa!” I wailed. He came out from the garage, smelling like gasoline and leather.

“Gumi?”

“Pocky’s coming home today!”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“I assumed your mother would have told you.”

“But you know how forgetful Mama is!”

“Ah, I’m sorry sweetie, but does it matter so much?”

I calmed down and thought about it.

“Actually, no. I was just shocked.”

He laughed a loud and deep laugh that I always loved to hear.

“Honey, her things are in the same place they always have been, and my brother said that nothing was amiss. It’s fine.”

He reached down to hug me, but I backed away.

“Nope, not while you smell like that. Where’s Mama?”

“In the kitchen, which you should have passed on the way down.”

“Okay, thanks Papa!”

In the kitchen, Mama was cleaning dishes.

“Morning, Gumi,” she said cheerily. “Eat some breakfast.”

I wondered if I should go up first to tell Yuki, and then resolved not to. He could take care of himself. I grabbed a piece of toast that was lying in the middle of the table.

“Did you remember that Pocky’s coming home today?” I asked in between bites.

She paused. “Really? Wow, time really flies.” She glanced at me and frowned. “What are you still doing in your pajamas? Go change.”

“Yes, after I eat.”

“No, now. You could get it dirty.”

“Mama! I’m in the middle of eating!”

“Gumi, don’t argue with me. You can’t be so careless. Your room is probably a mess too ... you know that we don’t make it a habit to intrude in your private space, but if I feel that you need discipline then I won’t hesitate to check up on you.”

I stuffed the last of the toast into my mouth.

“See? I’m already done. I can go change now.”

“That’s all you’re planning to eat? Really, if you would just cut down on the sweets ...” she trailed off as the doorbell rang. A dog barked.

“Pocky!” I squealed, running to the door.

“Gumi, you’re still wearing your pajamas!”

I threw open the door and saw Nakajima Kei, my cousin, holding my cute little Shih Tzu in his arms.

Pocky jumped into my arms and my face. I giggled and gestured for Kei-kun to come in.

“Gumi!” Mama exclaimed, running out of the kitchen. “Oh, hello Kei-kun, you’re early ...”

“Ohayo, oba-san.” He respectfully bowed his head. I laughed and set Pocky down. She ran off to the garage, no doubt recognizing the familiar smell of Papa while he fixed our broken-down car. I lightly punched Kei-kun on the shoulder.

“Don’t be so stiff! Come up to my room and tell me all about oba-san and oji-san and -”

“Gumi,” my mother reminded me, “you need to change and finish breakfast.”

Both Kei-kun and I blushed, realizing that I was still wearing my sleeping gown. I hastily ran into the kitchen, grabbed a piece of toast, and ran upstairs.

“This is my breakfast! Wait for me to finish changing!”

“Gumi!” Mama yelled, probably upset that I wasn’t eating more.

After I shut my door, Yuki asked, “What happened?” while I inhaled the bread.

“Ah? Oh, Kei-kun came over with Pocky, and - crap!”

“What?”

“He’s coming upstairs when I finish changing! Can you pretend to come over? Otherwise, you might have to leave.”

“I’m invisible.”

“Yes, but I can see you, and you’re distracting.”

“Because of my good looks?”

“No, because you’re Yuki,” I answered simply. He scowled at me.

“Fine, I’ll pretend to come over.” He floated out the window.

I quickly changed into simple jeans and a T-shirt, and was preparing to leave when I realized that the T-shirt read “Death to All Ghosts!” This was Yuki’s shirt.

Humans can wear genie clothes?

That was the first thought that popped up into my head, and I reasoned that since Yuki, a genie, could wear human clothes, then the opposite was true as well. So the answer to my question was yes.

The door-bell rang, and I heard Mama say, “We have so many visitors today.”

Deciding not to change, I ran downstairs.

“Ah, Yuki-kun,” Mama said. “And Hatsune-chan and Fuuga-kun too!” 

This chapter was so fun to write! 

I made her dog a Shih Tzu because they're so cute, and I named it Pocky because Pocky is so yummy! 

There's another new addition: Kei-kun. He's gonna be important. :) Kino-chan too.