Between the Evening Star and the Morning Star

Raphael has a young lover. He vanished without hesitation, then suddenly appeared again.

But after finally returning from the battlefield, he no longer seemed like Raphael's lover.

He said he would take him home and build a good life together.

Raphael agreed, following him far from home to a completely unfamiliar city.

As a result... he became a sparrow, neglected by its owner and kept in a gilded cage.

Disheartened, he finally decided to leave his former lover, only to face fierce opposition and even worse treatment.

Only then did he finally admit in despair... he was no longer himself!

Raphael is the gong. A short story born from a random idea, with my own take on an insectoid setting. It includes a false pregnancy trope. In this setting, insectoids reproduce through external fertilization: the parents' bodily fluids and pheromones are all that's needed to develop eggs in an incubator. Because of their different social roles, male insectoids experience pregnancy symptoms while the eggs are developing, while female insectoids do not. So it's the gong who has the false pregnancy. Thank you.

An absurd, melodramatic story about the gong chasing his love. No crematorium arc. The gong is a poor little thing. Bad writing, no outline. Don't insult the author. No writing advice, please. Read at your own risk.

Theme: Live for yourself.