'Please, do not be a dream.'
'Cause if this was all a dream and I wake up back in my apartment tomorrow morning, I'm definitely not going to forgive my brain for making me have this perfectly realistic dream.'
Rick stared around once again and he clenched his fists with a firm resolve to make sure this was truly real.
But to cancel any remaining doubts within him, Rick swiftly pinched his cheek very hard.
It hurt, but he wondered if this amount of pain was enough to jolt him out of his sleep.
So, he pondered on what he could do next.
Meanwhile, Gwen wondered why Rick was doing something so weird like pinching his own cheek.
However, before she could comprehend why her cute little elf brother was pinching himself so strangely, Gwen's eyes suddenly widened in surprise the moment she watched Rick slap his own cheek very hard.
*Smack.*
"What the...?..... Why....?" Gwen nearly choked on the fruit she was eating.
She dropped it down and swiftly calmed herself.
But as she raised her head up again, she noticed Rick was already preparing to give himself another round, so she swiftly called out to him.
"Rick..? What are you doing?" She asked, already in front of him before he could land the second slap.
Now she had a look of worry and concern clear on her face as she held both his hands softly while fighting the urge to hold back her tears.
"Why are you trying to hurt yourself?"
"Are you upset you can't remember why you left the cave?"
"Are you trying to force yourself to remember?"
"You don't have to do that Rick."
"No one is forcing you to remember what happened, okay?"
"So please, stop hurting yourself and tell me if there's something bothering you."
"Or does your head still hurt?"
Gwen asked Rick these questions with her eyes locked onto his as she searched his face for any sign of what was going on inside his head.
She tried to see if there was anything she could do to make sure he didn't hurt himself anymore.
Meanwhile, Rick couldn't help but feel even more touched by Gwen's reaction.
Since he had arrived here, Gwen had been showing him a kind of affection no one in his previous world had ever shown him before.
Of course, he had felt familiar love from his grandparents, even though he could barely remember anything about his real parents.
But the kind of warmth he was feeling from Gwen was actually different from any of those.
From Gwen, what he felt was almost strange to him, but he could see how genuinely she cared for him.
It was similar to the way a big sister would, and so he couldn't help but wonder why the previous host had never once smiled at his big sister before.
He wondered what could have happened between them for the previous Rick not to be as close to Gwen as siblings should be.
Although he had never really had a sibling in his previous world, he was certainly interested in having one in this new world, especially since his new sister was not only beautiful and extremely stunning, but also kind and caring as well.
Rick slowly looked into her eyes and noticed the little tears gathering at the edges of them.
Seeing this, Rick gently placed his right hand on Gwen's left cheek, using his thumb to brush away the tears before they could fall.
He still couldn't believe how emotional she was getting, when all he had been doing was trying to figure out whether he would wake up from a dream he really didn't want to wake up from.
So, he smiled the moment he held Gwen's cheek, and it was then that he actually heard her calling out to him again.
"Rick.... Rick...?"
"Hm?"
"Didn't you hear me? I asked if your head still hurts. Does it still hurt?"
Rick lifted his left hand and rubbed the back of his head.
He could certainly feel it being sore with a slight lingering ache, but aside from that, it seemed okay.
"I'm...fine. It doesn't hurt." Rick replied softly, finding it harder than expected to push the words out clearly from his mouth.
It almost felt like the previous host hadn't spoken in years.
But was that really possible?
Rick wondered, but he didn't allow himself to linger on that thought for too long.
Meanwhile, Gwen was relieved to hear he was fine, but she asked once more, just to be certain.
"Are you really sure there's nothing wrong with you? Because if there is, I'll head out right now to call Grandmother Ophelia."
"I'm fine... really....look." Rick swiftly lifted her hand and placed it against his neck, then his face, then the back of his head.
He guided her touch slowly across each spot as his own way of reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about.
Gwen watched as Rick lifted her hand and placed it against his skin.
It was the first time she had ever touched him like this.
In the past, getting closer to him, touching him or even expecting a response from him were all things the previous Rick would never allow.
Of course, she hadn't hated him or judged him for it because she knew and understood his reasons behind it.
But right now, seeing him reach for her hand on his own, replying to her questions without retreating into silence, and even allowing her to touch him so freely, Gwen couldn't help but be amazed by how much he had changed simply because he had lost his memories.
Even right now, the boy was simply grinning at her as he pressed her hand gently against his cheek.
It was his own little way of telling his big sister not to worry, without needing to say a single word out loud.
Seeing how he still hadn't stopped smiling, Gwen felt the tension leave her shoulders as she smiled back at him in return.
Although she was sad to see him lose his memories, she was genuinely happy to be seeing this new side of Rick, and her smile widened even more as she continued to look at him.
Meanwhile, a new blue screen appeared before Rick, displaying a new string of words.
[Congratulations, Gwen's affection level is now Level 0 (20%).]
[.....(30%).]
[.....(40%).]
'Woah... Woah.... Woah.... For real?' Rick was taken aback by what he was seeing.
She really was happy to be seeing him smile at her, and her affection toward him kept growing.
But before he could fully digest the words displayed in front of him, a new string of words appeared on the screen.
[Congratulations! Gwen's affection level has reached Level 0 (40%).]
[You've successfully unlocked the first branch of your emotive magical affinity and have earned your first skill under the branch as well.]