Neir walked slowly toward the bathroom, her small feet padding on the worn wooden floor. The sound of trickling water from inside was already audible, but Dani, in another dimension, didn't seem to pay much attention.
For him, this was just an ordinary day. Besides, he had just received his first wages from his hard work in the stockroom. The money still felt warm in his pocket, giving him a small sense of satisfaction even though his life was far from stable.
Neir began to take off her clothes, one by one. Her left eye remained tightly closed; she occasionally tried to open it but immediately covered it again with her hand. Something felt strange, something that made her uncomfortable.
But she couldn't explain it. She only knew that her left eye was no longer fully her own.
She entered the bathroom, and there, Mariela was already waiting.
Her mother, a woman in her late twenties with neatly tied black hair, was sitting on the small wooden stool they usually used while bathing.
The bathroom was simple, just a large bucket of warm water and a few worn-out bathing utensils. But for Neir, this was where she felt safest.
"Come, dear," said Mariela in a soft voice. "Let's bathe first."
Neir nodded, her eyes still shut. She sat on the stool opposite her mother, and they faced each other.
Mariela began gently washing Neir's body, her warm hands sweeping over every part of the small frame.
Neir felt comforted, but at the same time, a nagging unease tickled her heart.
In another dimension, Dani heard everything. His left ear, now connected to Neir, picked up every sound in that bathroom. He tried not to dwell on it, but it was difficult.
Especially when he realized that his left eye was also linked to Neir. He could see what Neir saw, even if only from the perspective of her left eye.
"How was school today, Neir?" asked Mariela as she continued washing her daughter.
Neir smiled slightly. "It was nice, Mom. I met many new friends. Tira was there too."
Mariela nodded, her face showing happiness. "Good. You must be enthusiastic, dear. School is important."
But suddenly, Neir fell silent. Her thoughts drifted to Mr .Gharrick, the man who often ordered kahlun fish from her mother.
Since that incident, she hadn't seen him again. In fact, Mr. Gharrick had stopped ordering his favorite fish. Neir remembered that the man had once promised to teach her to read. But now, everything seemed to have simply vanished.
"Neir?" Mariela's voice broke her reverie. "What's wrong? Why are your eyes closed?"
Neir shook her head quickly. "Nothing, Mom. It's just… something's bothering me."
Mariela frowned. She didn't believe it. Gently, she tried to open Neir's left eye. Neir tried to avoid it, but it was too late. Her left eye opened, and Mariela saw nothing strange. Just a normal eye, as usual.
"Why were you covering it?" asked Mariela, her voice full of curiosity.
Neir just stayed quiet. She couldn't answer. In another dimension, Dani felt his heart pounding. He wasn't ready for this. He tried not to think about what he had just seen, but it was hard.
His eyes captured curves they shouldn't have seen. His heart beat faster; something felt different inside him—warm, unsettling, hard to ignore. He swallowed, tried to look away, but his mind couldn't help wondering… Did her skin smell as gentle as vanilla? Or was it more enticing?
Dani felt his face flush. He quickly looked down, trying to hide his expression from Mr. Rudi, his colleague in the stockroom. But Mr. Rudi didn't seem to notice. He just kept working, whistling softly.
"Pervert," Neir muttered in her heart, though she knew Dani could hear her.
Neir hurried to finish her bath. She didn't want to linger there. Once done, she immediately got up from the stool and headed to her room, leaving Mariela still relaxing in the bathroom.
In her room, Neir sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes still closed. She felt tired, but at the same time, something nagged at her heart. Something that made her feel that her life would never be the same again.
---
Neir felt exhausted. The day's events had happened so fast, and though it wasn't entirely her fault, she still felt burdened. She sat on the edge of her bed, her hands supporting her limp body. After changing her clothes, she tightly closed her left eye—trying to block her vision from the world that wasn't hers.
However, even with her eyes shut, strange sounds remained clear. The clinking of scraping metal, footsteps on a concrete floor, people speaking in an unfamiliar accent. These weren't sounds from her room—they were sounds from Dani's place.
On the other side, Dani was still busy with his work in the stockroom. The dim light of a fluorescent lamp illuminated the narrow room, revealing stacks of cardboard boxes and shelves filled with stock.
Actually, he wanted to discuss the earlier incident with Neir, but he knew now wasn't the right time.
Dani sighed. From his left ear—which was no longer his own—he could hear Neir's breathing beginning to steady. The girl seemed to have fallen asleep.
'Can she really sleep in a condition like this?' he thought to himself.
He could still hear Neir's world—the faint sound of blowing wind, occasionally the low murmur of Aurië's streets growing quiet. But he couldn't see it. His own eyes were still fixed on the shelves full of goods in the stockroom.
Several minutes passed. Dani refocused on his work. Some stock still needed arranging, and he didn't want to keep Mr. Rudi waiting too long.
Time passed. Finally, 7 PM arrived.
Dani rubbed the back of his stiff neck. Today's work was quite exhausting, but at least he had received his wages. That was a small comfort.
Mr. Rudi patted his shoulder. "All done, right? Let's close up the stockroom."
Dani nodded, then helped lock the stockroom door. The night grew later, and finally, he could go home.
---
After all the work in the stockroom was done, Dani could finally go home. He started his Kh*risma 125 scooter—an old bike he had used during several job changes before finally giving up and rarely using it again.
The paint was starting to fade, and some parts of the body were full of scratches. But Dani didn't mind much. Actually, he preferred a mountain bike over a scooter, but for now, he had to make do with what he had.
Meanwhile, Mr. Rudi and Rizal were still lounging on the store's porch, chatting while smoking. Rizal looked serious staring at his phone screen, busy with a Mobile Legends match that seemed intense.
Dani glanced at them briefly before saying, "I'm heading out first."
Mr. Rudi just gave a small smile while waving his right hand, which still held a cigarette. The smoke drifted thinly into the air. Rizal, on the other hand, didn't even acknowledge Dani—his face looked serious, his fingers tapping the phone screen rapidly.
Dani sighed and ignored him. He then rode his scooter, leaving the store that was slowly sinking into the silence of the night.
As he passed the roads near the rice fields, the streetlights lining the embankments illuminated the quiet path. The night wind blew cold, slipping into the thin jacket he wore.
Dani thought about many things. Right now, his left eye was completely pitch black—not because of the dark night, but because Neir was asleep. That meant her eyelids were closed too, and Dani lost vision from his left side.
He raised his hand, touching his now-empty left eye. A strange sensation spread through his mind—like someone who had suddenly gone blind on one side. Worse still, from his left ear, he could hear Neir's calm, steady breathing, as if the girl was sleeping right beside him.
Dani gritted his teeth.
This was absolutely insane. Should I seek help?
But help from whom? No one would believe that he and a little girl from another world were swapping senses. If he told anyone, instead of getting a solution, he'd likely be considered crazy and end up in a mental hospital.
Dani shook his head slowly, trying to ignore his anxiety.
Unnoticed, he had arrived home. He parked his scooter in the narrow space beside the house, where he usually kept his vehicle.
A moment before turning off the engine, he let out another long sigh.
Today had been truly exhausting.
---
After parking his scooter, Dani entered the house through the back door. Without much thought, he headed straight to the bathroom. The cold water flowing from the shower soaked his body, slightly washing away the fatigue that had clung to him all day.
After bathing, he put on clean clothes and walked to his room. From the TV room, he could faintly hear his family—maybe his father and mother were watching their favorite show, while Rendi was busy with something else. But Dani didn't pay much attention.
As soon as his head touched the pillow, drowsiness struck him. His body felt heavy, his mind weary. Even though something felt lodged in his left ear—perhaps Neir's breathing that he could still hear—Dani chose to ignore it.
He closed his eyes.
His phone still lay beside him, untouched as usual.
A few seconds later, he was already asleep.
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