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As I was distracting myself, I heard someone move nearby. I held my breath and hid under the sheets. I heard the curtains open, and someone called my name. Surprised, I looked up and saw that it was Kyoko looking at me angrily. She was about to say something, but as soon as she saw my face, all her anger was gone, and her features softened. She sat on the bed, closed the curtain, lied down next to me and pulled me into her embrace. She didn't ask me any questions and hugged me while caressing my back and whispering comforting words. I was surprised and uncomfortable at first. I tried pushing her away but had no strength to actually move her. I gave up and gave into her comfort.

I ended up clutching the kid, feeling tinier than I ever have in my life. I felt ashamed of showing my weakness and giving the child a hard time. But I wasn't emotionally stable at that moment and needed the kindness she gave me. I acted like what I looked like, a scared four-year-old child. I slept a little bit after that, exhausted and unable to continue my grieving, knowing that tomorrow would be another stressful day.

—

I woke up feeling groggy, tired, with aching bones. I felt something heavy on my arm and looked up to see a kid hugging me. I was confused until I remembered who she was. 'This will need some getting used to.' I thought. I was about to move away when I felt her shift. I quickly closed my eyes to seem asleep, not wanting to be in an awkward situation. Her body was shaking for a while, so I looked up to see what was wrong, and found her laughing.

"W-what's so funny?" I stuttered.

"Your face! Hahaha, you're such a horrible actor. Did you think I wouldn't notice you waking up?" she asked.

"No. I just wanted to sleep a little longer." I said as I got out of her embrace and flipped over.

"What? Are you embarrassed from crying so much yesterday?" She teased.

I turned towards her and whispered, "I didn't cry that much… And we don't need to let everyone in the room know about it." Surprisingly, even after everything that happened yesterday, I still got embarrassed easily.

She continued laughing, then whispered, "You did! You did cry a lot! Your eyes are still red from all that crying."

"Well, even if I cried… You didn't need to help me. I was okay." I grumbled.

"Of course, you were. Sorry for the misunderstanding," she said sarcastically as she got out of the bed.

"Kyoko," I called out, before she closed the curtains, "…Thank you for keeping me company." I said while feeling my cheeks burn.

She chuckled and pinched my cheeks, saying, "You're welcome."

As soon as she left, I buried myself in the blanket again. I was a little scared that I actually woke up here and not in my room. So, I didn't want to leave the bed today. I somehow felt safe in the small space enclosed by these curtains.

I felt an urge to look through all of Sayori's memories right here and now. I wanted to understand the whole context of what my new life looked like and ignore the heartache I felt. But I knew it wasn't a bright idea to add more stress and information to what I already had to deal with. I needed to face my lingering feelings towards my past, get in better shape, and then face my future as Sayori. So, I started counting down some of the things I needed to get in line with before I faced my new life:

1. Never seeing my parents again.

2. Coming to terms with everything that happened yesterday.

3. Accepting the fact that I'll be living as a four-year-old in a new environment.

4. Living with a system in my head.

5. Being around people 24/7

6. And... having no access to the internet.

I sighed and stopped counting. 'I need to take this one step at a time. I don't care if I get stuck in this tiny space for days, I just have to accept my circumstances and regain my ability to live normally again.' So, I did what I always did when I felt troubled. I talked to someone, in this case, myself, until I felt I could cope with my situation.

While I was talking to myself, Kyoko brought me breakfast, which was a pleasant surprise as I planned to continue my isolation for the entire day. Also, it was a meal I was happy to eat: a cheese sandwich, an apple, and some water. She gave me a reassuring smile before she left, which I reciprocated, feeling touched. I holed up again after eating part of the sandwich, while leaving the rest for later.

And so, a routine was created. For five days straight, I stayed in bed, leaving only to use the bathroom. The only person I talked to was Kyoko, who brought me breakfast every day. Those five days were difficult to go through, as I forced myself to face issues that usually take months or years to accept. But I didn't have the luxury or time to do that. I needed to be up and about as soon as possible.

And so, five days passed. Five days and nights full of internal conversations, crying, anger, sadness, fear, and hopelessness. Then, at the end of the fifth day, I finally reached a better state. A state where I can function as a semi-normal human being, one who somehow accepted the situation she was in.

I woke up on the sixth day, feeling satisfied with what I had been able to power through, and decided that today was the day I would go through Sayori's memories.

[Your rewards have arrived. To receive your reward, just say rewards.]

...

[You can also check your reward from your inventory.]

I sighed. The system has been sending messages such as these since yesterday.

[Your inventory can store an unlimited number of items in it.]

It kept telling me random information about itself. It seemed to be persuading me to use it. Which I won't, not now and hopefully not in the future. Someone might ask, 'why, it's such a good opportunity. You just got a superpower. Don't you want to try it?' And I would say: 'yes, I would like to try it. It seems like a lot of fun.' But I'll also point out a common theme I noticed in novels where the main character (not saying that I'm one) suddenly gets a system similar to mine: using the system means getting into troublesome scenarios, aka. system = trouble. As Uncle Ben (from Spider Man) said, "great power comes with great responsibility". So, thank you system for the offer, but I don't want to take such 'great' responsibility myself.

Not using the system is not the only conclusion I came upon these days. Some other conclusions I reached were:

1. My parents have each other. They'll become happy eventually... I don't need to worry about them too much.

2. Even though I ended up here, I'm still satisfied with my choices. I don't regret kicking the driver in the face.

3. I need to find a way to protect myself. I don't want to feel weak or helpless ever again.

4. I can create a new life for myself here. Hopefully, I can become rich without working a traditional job... I really can't handle long working hours.

5. Being a kid will be difficult, but it's a blessing in disguise. I'm not someone suspicious, and I'll have a long time adjusting to life here.

6. Sayori was an introverted person originally. So, I won't force myself to socialize with the kids here... it's too much work.

After recalling a couple more conclusions, I got ready and went downstairs for the first time since I arrived here. Kyoko hadn't brought me breakfast today, and I was feeling hungry. As I entered the living room, I heard one of the caretakers call me. I turned towards her and saw that her face was twisted with anger. She asked me, "Why are you here?"

"I was going to eat breakfast." I answered.

"Oh, you're feeling hungry now. Huh?"

"Yes?"

"Go along then… I'm not stopping you."

I looked at her for a minute, wondering what she was trying to express, as her facial expression contradicted what she was saying. When she didn't say anything else, I turned to leave, but stopped when she scoffed, saying, "Are you trying to act out? What is this? A new version of rebellion?"

"Um... I'm sorry?"

"Don't talk back! You kids are ungrateful for what you have! We give you food, a roof over your head, and a bed to sleep in. You should thank us, not skip around and ignore your responsibilities! If you're taking a break, who is going to do all this work? We have other obligations. So, you must do what is asked, or you won't live comfortably as you are doing now!"

I stared at her, confused. I wanted to ask her what I was supposed to do but didn't want her to think I was talking back. She then pointed towards the door next to the stairs and screamed, "Stop standing here and go to the laundry room. Now!"

I quickly followed her orders and entered the room. There were a bunch of kids sitting on stools, washing clothes by hand. One of them was Kyoko, who I walked towards. I tried to say something when I got close, but she cut me off, asking worriedly, "Sayori! Did your cold get better?"

"Uhm… wha-?"

"You still look tired. You should go upstairs and sleep some more." She said while turning me around.

"Huh? Wait a second, Kyoko. I'm not tired. I want to help out." I said, trying to stop her.

"Don't be rash, Sayori! You can start helping tomorrow." She said while pushing me towards the door.

"W-wait. Stop pushing me." I said, as we neared the door, "You don't understand. Someone outside said-" I was about to tell her about what happened with the caretaker when a loud sound stopped me. Kyoko and I both turned to see what the sound was and were faced with an angry kid whose stool was on the floor and was walking towards us.

The kid looked at Kyoko and said, "Kyoko, you really should stop treating her like a baby. She said she wanted to help, let her work."

Kyoko ignored her and continued pushing me towards the door. The kid got angrier, she ran past us, stood in our way, and continued, "What is wrong with you?! Why are you covering for her while she acts sick? They will eventually know about it. And you're not the only one who's going to get in trouble. This isn't a place for her to act like a child. She should stop crying and work like the rest of us." The girl then looked at me and said, "people like us don't get to be spoiled. You should do your own chores by yourself. Don't make others do it for you!"

I looked at Kyoko, shocked. It's been five days since I came here, and apparently, she did my chores that I was skipping till now. Kyoko gave the girl a side glance and said, "mind your own business. Even if they find out about it, the only one who's going to be in trouble is me, not you... and, I didn't ask for your opinion, so you should keep it to yourself."

The kid flushed embarrassed and countered, "No one here understands how you tolerate her! You always lie to those nannies and help her out when she gets like that. She should do her own work by herself! Just like the rest of us. Or does she think she's different? Huh, Sayori? Are you not like us?"

"Shut up." Kyoko snapped back. I was looking at them, studying the situation, and interpreting what they were saying. Sayori isolated herself, as I did many times before, and Kyoko usually did her chores instead. The kids here could get into trouble because of me, but Kyoko seemed confident in her ability to shoulder the responsibility herself. Also, the kids here don't seem to like me, according to the looks of contempt and annoyance I was receiving.

Kyoko, looking angry, was about to reply, but I put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. I hated drama and wasn't really interested in being a part of one today. I looked at the kid who was just speaking. She raised her chin, ready for whatever I was about to say.

"You're right." I said simply, then sat down on the seat Kyoko was occupying a second ago. Kyoko bent down, held my hands, and whispered, "ignore her. You're still in bad shape. You can start tomorrow."

I looked at her and saw the kindness and innocence she held. Somehow, I was comfortable talking to her, and being around her didn't make me anxious, so I smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. I'm much better. Sorry for making you do this."

She looked troubled and tried to reason with me. I laughed while listening to her arguments. She was a child but was so determined to protect me, who was actually an adult. She was so endearing; I couldn't help but laugh. It took a minute, but she finally left after I said, "Don't worry. It's just washing clothes. I'll go to our room right when I'm done."

After Kyoko left, the kid next to me said, "humph! Spoiled brat. You shouldn't have let her do it from the start."

I didn't say anything as I knew the kid was right. A little blunt, but right, nonetheless. I should have had more perspective. The kids here definitely didn't have a normal lifestyle. I knew that from day one but chose to ignore it as I was occupied with the thoughts running in my head. So, while working, I promised that I wouldn't let Kyoko, or any other kid, work my part again. I'd find some way to make it up to her… Actually, I need to find a way to have all these kids live in a better environment. I don't enjoy watching kids get abused or do manual labor… I also wanted to live in a better environment myself.