The Next Step

Link did not mind the thick layer of dust that clung to the furniture. He moved through the apartment like a stranger, stepping cautiously on the long-uncleaned floor as he navigated the space around him.

First the living room, then the balcony, followed by the bedroom, kitchen, and finally his own room. It seemed as if Villette, who quietly followed him, was more familiar with these spaces than he was.

His home was a modest 70-square-meter two-bedroom flat with no garden or second floor, utterly unremarkable with plain decorations, ordinary beds, sofas, and a standard living arrangement.

Even though he deliberately slowed his pace, he quickly reached the endpoint: His own room.

Villette stood at the doorway, surveying Link's space as if trying to imprint it in her memory.

A wardrobe hugged the corner, a single bed nestled between the diagonal wall and the window, a computer desk enhanced with two layers of shelves, and a rolling chair.