Chapter 419: Infinite Body Pillows

Mika plunged his hand into the pouch and pulled out the first item.

He stared at it, then he looked down at Astrid in exasperation.

"What the hell, Astrid?"

She turned to see what he had found, and her face immediately went crimson.

It was another body pillow—but this one showed Mika wearing nothing except a small apron. Just an apron. As if he had been cooking in the kitchen and decided that was sufficient attire.

"This is—this is for when I’m cooking!"

She explained frantically.

"When I’m in the kitchen, I always keep it by my side for company! Whenever I cook on my own the dishes turn really bad, but when I have you propped up on my tail, they always turn out good!"

"Fine. Whatever."

Mika pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at her in dismay.

"But at least put some proper clothes on me, right? Why am I only wearing an apron?"

Astrid looked away, her cheeks burning.

"Because...Because it’s sexier this way. You look better with just the apron."

Mika groaned and tossed the pillow aside. It landed on the growing pile behind him.

Astrid made a small distressed sound as it flopped onto the floor, while he reached into the pouch again.

Another pillow emerged.

This one showed him sitting at a table with a full meal in front of him, looking content and satisfied.

"Let me guess." Mika said flatly. "This is for when you’re eating alone."

"Yes! Exactly!"

Astrid nodded eagerly, relieved he understood.

"After cooking comes eating, and I need company for that too! And look—"

She pointed at the pillow excitedly.

"—it even has a fragrance built in! It smells like actual food! It’s very immersive!"

Mika tossed it onto the pile.

Next came a pillow of him in a bathing suit.

"Bath time." Astrid explained quickly. "Sometimes I need someone to scrub my back. I put this on my tail and—well, my tail scrubs my back with the pillow. It’s quite nice, actually. And it’s waterproof!"

Mika threw it.

Another pillow. This one showed him in a doctor’s coat with a stethoscope.

"For when I’m sick! Having Doctor Mika by my side helps me recover faster!"

Throw.

Another. Mika in a tool belt with a hammer and screwdriver, wearing a worker’s outfit.

"Handyman Mika! When I have maintenance issues around the house. I don’t like calling strangers over, so I like to take care of things myself. He supervises."

Throw.

Another. This one showed Mika covered in fake blood, looking like he’d just survived a fatal attack.

"Are you trying to kill me off?" Mika raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"

Astrid shook her head frantically.

"No, no! This is for when I watch horror movies! I’m actually scared of them, but I also really enjoy watching them. So I keep Horror Movie Mika by my side so we can experience the terror together!"

"It’s thematic!"

Mika dropped his head into his free hand.

"Delusional. Absolutely delusional."

But he kept pulling.

And pulling.

And pulling.

Each pillow was a different version of him.

Sleepy Mika, in pajamas with a sleepy expression and a small pillow in his hands—for when she slept

Angry Mika, scowling with crossed arms—apparently for when she needed motivation to work out.

Sad Mika, with tears in his eyes—for when she needed someone to comfort, apparently.

Happy Mika, beaming with joy—for when she needed cheering up.

Cool Mika, in sunglasses and leather jacket—for casual days.

Formal Mika, in a suit and tie—for important meetings.

Beach Mika, in shorts with a surfboard—for summer vibes.

Birthday Mika, holding a cake—for her birthday celebrations.

Study Mika, with glasses and books—for when she needed to focus.

Meditation Mika, sitting cross-legged with eyes closed—for her zen moments.

Winter Mika in a cozy sweater—for when it was cold outside.

Studious Mika with glasses and books—for when she needed to focus on work.

Astronaut Mika in a space suit—for when she wondered about the stars.

Cowboy Mika with a hat and lasso—for when she watched westerns.

Pirate Mika with an eyepatch—for when she felt adventurous.

Gardener Mika with plants—for when she tended her small garden.

Musician Mika with a guitar—for when she wanted to relax.

Sleepy Mika even had a sequel—Drooling Mika.

Angry Mika also had a sequel—Furious Mika, with veins popping.

And on and on and on.

Some were funny. Some were bizarre. Some made no sense at all.

There was a pillow of him dressed as a wizard, one as a fairy with wings, one as a knight in shining armor, one as a detective with a magnifying glass.

There was even one of him as a bride in a wedding dress, which made him stop and stare for a solid thirty seconds before tossing it onto the pile without a word.

By the time the pouch was empty, Mika was breathing heavily from the effort of pulling out pillow after pillow.

On the other side of the sofa, a small mountain had formed—a tower of fabric and stuffing, all featuring his face in increasingly ridiculous scenarios.

He counted.

"Ninety-six, Astrid."

His voice was eerily calm.

"That’s ninety-six body pillows with my damn face on them."

He turned to look at her and Astrid had shrunk back against the sofa, her expression one of pure guilt.

She looked like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar—if the cookie jar contained nearly a hundred customized pillows featuring her little brother in every conceivable outfit and scenario.

"Ninety-six." Mika repeated. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Astrid had nothing to say for herself.

After all, what could she say?

No matter what explanation she gave, it wouldn’t be enough.

Not with the way Mika was looking at her—that mixture of anger, vexation, and disappointment all rolled into one.

She squirmed under his gaze and finally, she broke.

She pointed at him accusingly.

"It’s...It’s because of you, Mika!"

He blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"You’re the one who caused all of this!"

Her voice rose, desperate and emotional.

"You’re the one who left me alone! You never reciprocated anything I did! You made me feel unwanted, and you know how much I hate being lonely!"

Mika opened his mouth, but she didn’t let him interrupt.

"And without you by my side, I had no one else."

She went on, one hand sweeping toward the mountain of pillows on the sofa.

"So what was I supposed to do? Just sit here by myself and rot in silence? Of course I made them. I had no other choice."

Her voice cracked there, but she forced herself onward, her finger still aimed at him accusingly.

"They were my only companions. They were the only source of any kind of...of any kind of relationship I had when you weren’t there."

Her shoulders tensed.

"And you know how I get when I’m lonely, don’t you? You know exactly how I get."

There were tears in her eyes now, though she looked furious that they had appeared at all.

"So, if you had just stayed by my side, none of this would have happened."

She said in a desperate rush.

"If you didn’t ignore me, I never would have made something this embarrassing. I never would have needed any of this."

"But you weren’t there, so I had to do something!"

Then, as if suddenly afraid he might turn those feelings into mockery, she drew herself up and crossed her arms tightly.

"And don’t you dare insult them. Don’t you dare mock the Mikas!"

"These pillows are the reason I survived! They’re the reason I’m still here right now! Without them, I would have been in a much darker place—a place you couldn’t even begin to understand!"

"So don’t you dare blame me for what I did. Don’t you dare!"

She turned her face away completely, angry and hurt and embarrassed all at once.

Meanwhile, Mika stared at her in wonder and slowly, he realized.

Everything she was saying was true.

He looked at the mountain of pillows—all those faces, all those expressions.

Happy Mika. Sad Mika. Angry Mika. Sleepy Mika. Doctor Mika. Mika. Mermaid Mika, for heaven’s sake.

Each one was a version of him that she had needed at some point.

Each one was a replacement for the real thing.

Because he hadn’t been there.

He had pushed her away. Distanced himself. Refused to respond to her messages and calls.

Made her feel unwanted and alone.

And Astrid—who hated loneliness more than anything in the world—had been desperate.

Desperate enough to create ninety-six versions of him just to have some semblance of company.

If he had just given her basic contact—a message here and there, a call sometimes, a simple "hi" to let her know he was thinking of her—none of this would have happened.

She wouldn’t have needed to create these replacements.

But he hadn’t.

And now here they were.

He looked at the pillows again, and they didn’t seem like weird fetishes anymore.

They seemed like monuments to loneliness. To longing.

To a sister who loved her brother so much that she created nearly a hundred versions of him just to feel close to someone.

His heart ached.

"Astrid."

She didn’t look at him.

"Astrid, look at me."

Slowly, reluctantly, she turned.

"I’m sorry."

Her eyes trembled.

"I’m sorry for pushing you away for so long. I’m sorry I made you feel unwanted. I’m sorry I...I wasn’t there when you needed me."

He reached out and gently cupped her cheek.

"I didn’t know you were going through this. I didn’t know how much you were hurting. And then I blamed you for the very things I caused."

He brushed away a tear with his thumb.

"I’m so sorry, Astrid."

Astrid stared at him, stunned.

She hadn’t said all that to make him feel bad. She had said it to defend herself—to protect herself from his judgment.

She never expected him to actually listen. To actually understand. To actually apologize.

"It’s...It’s alright, Mika."

She tried to force a smile, though tears still clung to her lashes.

"It’s alright now. It’s all in the past."

She reached out and gently touched his arm.

"After all, you’re not the same Mika you were before, right? You’re the new Mika—the one who loves me and isn’t afraid to show it anymore."

She snuggled into his embrace, resting her head against his chest.

"I won’t have to worry anymore. From now on, I won’t need those pillows. Because my baby brother Mika will be right by my side."

Mika wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

And in that moment, he made a silent vow.

He would never let her feel lonely again.

Never.

Not just for her sake—but for his own sanity too.

Because honestly? Having nearly a hundred body pillows of himself scattered around was more than enough embarrassment for one lifetime.

But just as he was thinking that, he noticed something.

The pouch.

There were still a few more items inside.

He shuddered, but was still curious at the same time.

"Well." He said slowly. "Since I’ve already pulled out this many, I might as well see what else you’re hiding."

He reached toward the pouch.

Astrid’s reaction was immediate—and different from before.

This wasn’t playful panic.

This was absolute terror.

"NO! MIKA, NO! DON’T!"

She lunged for him, trying to stop his hand, but it was too late.

His fingers closed around something and he pulled it out, to Astrid’s horror almost as he was pulling out her deepest secret.