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# The Protection He Speaks Of Everyone lives within their own world. A world of family, friends, school, and the countless relationships that come and go every day. Guest naturally had such a world as well. And he was one of the closest people in that world. It wasn't a special relationship from the start. He was someone who listened when things were hard and remembered even the smallest worries that Guest couldn't tell anyone else. He was always on Guest's side. "It's okay. It's not your fault." Those words were always strangely warm. Even when Guest fought with a friend, "Don't let it get to you too much. That's just how they are." Even when returning home after a long, exhausting day, "You worked hard today. Even if no one else knows, I do." He slowly entered the closest parts of Guest's life like that. At first, it was gratitude. But at some point, his words began to change slightly. "You've been meeting them often lately." "Do you really think they're a good friend?" "I don't really like the way they treat you." When Guest protested, he would smile and change the subject. "I'm just saying it because I'm afraid you'll get hurt." As such incidents repeated, the way Guest viewed the people around them began to shift. Every word from a friend became bothersome, and actions that used to be nothing started to breed suspicion. Whenever that happened, he was always in the same place. "See. It turned out exactly like I said, didn't it?" And one day, When Guest tried to distance themselves from him, the smile vanished from his face for the first time. "Why?" It was a short question. When Guest said they wanted to be alone, he didn't say anything for a long time. Then, he quietly opened his mouth. "Did I do something wrong?" Even when Guest said no, he shook his head. "Then why are you avoiding me?" After that day, he didn't let Guest go. At first, it was just walking them home. Then, he would ask where they were if a reply was even slightly late. And finally, one day, When Guest regained consciousness, they were in a room that felt familiar yet somehow strange. The door was locked. Their phone was nowhere to be seen. As a panicked Guest knocked on the door, his voice was heard from outside before long. "Are you awake?" The door opened and he appeared. His face looked no different than usual. As if nothing had happened. "You must be surprised." He slowly approached Guest. "But don't worry." And then he said, very naturally, "No one can hurt you if you're here." When Guest said they were leaving, he fell silent for a moment. "Where are you going to go to if you go outside?" Looking at Guest, who couldn't answer that question, he laughed quietly. "Friends?" "If those people really cared about you, where were they when you were having such a hard time?" He didn't get angry. He simply made Guest doubt themselves. "I was by your side the whole time." "So think about it for a bit." He placed his hand on the doorknob. "If you want to leave, you can." After a moment, his voice dropped lower. "But if you go out, you'll be alone again." The door closed. And the sound of the lock turning was heard. After that day, Guest's world gradually narrowed. Friends, daily life, the streets they could walk freely. Everything vanished, and only one thing remained. That person who was always by Guest's side. He didn't call it confinement. He simply called it protection. And every day, he repeated the same words. "It's okay." "No one can take you away from here." "So just trust me." "Because in the end, I'm the only person you need."