"…Nijika and the others told me not to worry. No matter what I've done, they're still my friends…"
"They apologized and comforted me for a long time, then told me that I should find a chance to talk things out with you privately."
"They said I should let you choose between me and… that girl. That would be the right thing to do."
"In the end, they also said that no matter what decision I make, they'll always support me as they always have…"
Back home, Chisato listened to Hitori's quiet report over the phone and silently thought, Just as I expected.
The members of Kesshoku Band were all good people. There was no way they would deliberately distance themselves from her just because she made a mistake.
They were the kind of true friends one could trust wholeheartedly.
But still, Hitori must be feeling terrible right now. She had to lie to such kind friends because of him.
That must have left her feeling incredibly uneasy.
"I'm sorry, Hitori. If I had been more careful, you wouldn't have to struggle like this."
Chisato felt a pang of guilt.
In the simulation, Hitori had done so many things against her will under the alias "Miri" for his sake.
And yet, even in reality, she was doing the same.
Hitori had chosen to sacrifice herself to protect him. The sentiment behind her actions was good, but there was no way he could accept it with a clear conscience.
"Give me a little more time. I'll explain the truth to them when the right moment comes."
"Chisato, you don't have to do that. I'm happy to be able to share some of your burden…"
"Enough, I've already made up my mind. You've done more than enough for me, Hitori. How could I let you continue to carry this stain?"
"If anything, you've done nothing wrong—it's all my fault."
"Chisato…"
"But you sure held back for a long time this time. You actually managed to wait this long without asking me anything. Impressive progress."
On the other end of the call, Hitori clearly panicked.
"Eh… Uhh… I… I don't understand what you're talking about…"
Chisato decided to be direct.
"I'm talking about Isshiki Iroha. You met her in the dream, didn't you? Seeing her in reality must have been quite the shock."
"..."
"You were obviously curious, yet you never asked. If I hadn't brought it up, were you planning to just keep quiet forever?"
"…I-I thought that Chisato would tell me when the time was right, so… so I didn't ask first."
Hitori's voice grew even softer.
Damn, now he kind of wanted to scoop her up and rub her cheeks.
Chisato suppressed the impulse, deciding to save it for another time.
"You guessed right. I didn't tell you before because I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle it. But since you've already seen her today, there's no point in keeping it hidden anymore."
"The explanation might take a while. Are you free right now? If it's not a good time, I can tell you later."
"No! No problem at all! Even though we're doing a sleepover at Nijika's house today, I've locked myself in the bathroom now! So it's totally fine!"
"…Got it."
For the next twenty minutes or so, Chisato explained in detail how he met Iroha and everything that happened afterward.
He also emphasized that his relationship with Iroha wasn't what the band members thought.
They only seemed close because of their connection in the dream, but they weren't actually dating.
As for the rest—like Iroha asking him to help her pursue her upperclassman—Chisato briefly explained that as well.
To him, Hitori was completely on his side. There was nothing he needed to hide from her.
"…All you need to understand is that while the dream and reality are connected in some ways, what you did in the dream doesn't have to be copied exactly in real life."
"You are not Miri, so you don't need to feel guilty toward Iroha, okay?"
After hearing everything, Hitori nodded slightly, a bit more reassured.
"I-I understand."
Seeing that he had said all he needed to, Chisato glanced at the time on his phone.
"It's getting late. You should rest soon. See you tomorrow."
"Mm, see you tomorrow."
After settling things with his little kitten, Chisato sat on the couch in his living room, thought for a moment, and then called Kazusa.
He wondered how she was doing now.
Logically speaking, it was just a fever. As long as she rested properly and took her medicine on time, she should be almost fully recovered by now.
But from the moment he dialed the number until the call was disconnected, Kazusa never picked up.
It was already past ten.
Was she asleep…?
Chisato pondered for a moment, then sent her a message before letting it go.
Finally, he made his third call of the night after getting off work.
"..."
The call connected quickly, but the person on the other end didn't say anything right away.
Chisato raised an eyebrow.
"Iroha?"
"…Mm."
A reluctant, low-energy response.
"Are you on your period?"
"..."
From the other end of the phone, he could hear the faint sound of a girl taking a deep breath.
"This is way worse than a period, you know? Guess what, Senpai? Today, I discovered the ultimate scumbag."
"This guy is practically the future star of the neon host scene—he's managing relationships with eight different girls at the same time! His guts are off the charts! Seriously, doesn't he worry about getting exposed and torn to pieces?"
"You're clearly misunderstanding something. Things aren't at all like you think. But more importantly, why are you so mad? Weren't you the one who brought trouble my way today?"
"That's a separate issue! I just feel bad for those girls! Also, what do you mean by 'things aren't like I think'? Explain yourself!"
Iroha sounded quite concerned.
"It's not important. Anyway, I just called because I promised to check in with you tonight. Just letting you know—I've already taken care of everything, so you don't need to worry anymore."
"Who the hell would be worried about a playboy like you?!"
"Good, that makes things easier. Our meeting today got interrupted by an unexpected event, but I think I've already given you all the advice you need about your love life."
"From now on, you just have to go for it—I'm confident that if you follow the plan step by step, you'll see results."
Hearing Chisato's lazy tone, Iroha seemed to pick up on something hidden between the lines.
She sounded a little flustered as she asked,
"Wait, what do you mean by that, you jerk? You promised to keep helping me until I won over my senpai! Are you trying to ditch me halfway through?!"
"I'm not ditching you. I'm just saying it's time for you to actually try."
"Think of it like studying—you can read all you want, but unless you take a test, how will you know how much you've really learned?"
"After that, we can go over your mistakes and focus on the weak spots. That's the most efficient way."
"...You're just making excuses because I caused you trouble today, and now you don't want to help me anymore! I can't believe this! And after I even covered for you at the aquarium!"
Iroha tried to argue her way back into a better position, but Chisato shook his head. His mind was already made up.
"Go ask your senpai out. I'll be waiting for your battle report. Good luck. Good night."
"Hey! Wait! You jerk! Scumbag!"
Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Iroha furiously threw her phone onto the bed, grabbed her stuffed toy, and started pummeling it.
Chisato, meanwhile, let out a long, exhausted sigh after hanging up.
He was sick of this constant balancing act—tiptoeing around, carefully maintaining the fragile equilibrium between all the girls around him.
Ultimately, this entire nerve-wracking, exhausting situation was his own fault.
The events of the past few days had been a wake-up call. They forced him to reconsider his overly optimistic outlook.
There was no reason to keep drifting along like this. Tomorrow, he had to take action with Kazusa.
Even if he wasn't going to reveal everything immediately, he at least needed to start testing the waters—getting a sense of what she thought, giving her a subtle awareness of his situation.
This was a step he had to take sooner or later. There was no avoiding it.
…
But when Chisato arrived at class the next morning, Tuesday, he found that the seat next to him was still empty.
Even after the first class ended, Kazusa still hadn't shown up.
Pulling out his phone, he checked the message he had sent her last night—it was still unread.
He quickly tried calling her again. Just like last night, no one answered. The call disconnected automatically.
Still asleep?
But it was already past nine. If she was really still sleeping, that meant she'd been out for nearly twelve hours.
Clutching his phone tightly, Chisato felt a growing sense of unease, but the second-period bell rang, forcing him to push down his emotions and focus—at least outwardly—on the teacher's lesson.
During the second break, and then the third, he tried calling Kazusa again and again.
Each time, the result was the same—no answer. His anxiety and frustration only grew stronger.
Finally, when lunch break arrived and he still hadn't been able to reach her, Chisato decided he couldn't wait any longer.
He told the school he wasn't feeling well, got permission to leave, and immediately caught a taxi straight to Kazusa's house.
Standing at her door, he rang the doorbell several times in a row—no response.
He looked up and signaled to the jet-black raven perched on the nearby fence to scout the area.
The bird complied, flying a quick loop around the house before returning to his shoulder. It shook its small head—meaning it hadn't seen anyone inside.
Chisato furrowed his brows.
She wasn't home. She wasn't answering her phone. Where had Kazusa gone?
Just then, another taxi pulled up in front of the house.
Chisato's heart leapt—was she back? He quickly stepped forward, only to see that the person getting out was an older woman.
"You're… Kazusa's…?"
The woman recognized Chisato as well. Just yesterday morning, when she had come by with groceries, they had crossed paths in the living room.
Back then, she had assumed he was Mrs. Youko's boyfriend.
"Ms. Ohara!"
Chisato also recognized her—the housekeeper who took care of Kazusa's daily life.
"Kazusa hasn't answered my calls since last night. Do you know where she is?"
"Well…"
Ms. Ohara could see the worry on Chisato's face. Even so, she hesitated—should she really tell him what she knew?
After all, they had only met once. She had no idea if this boy could be trusted.
But she quickly made her decision.
"Come with me."
She was just a housekeeper.
About twenty minutes ago, Kazusa had called her from an unfamiliar number, asking her to pack some fresh clothes and bring her phone to a private hospital outside the city center.
If she couldn't make the choice herself, she could let Chisato call Kazusa directly and let her decide.
…
Disaster had struck without warning. Everything had happened too fast.
Dressed in her pajamas, Kazusa sat on a cold hospital bench in the hallway.
Her beautiful, sharp eyes were swollen from crying.
The light that usually filled them was completely gone. She sat motionless, her head hanging low, looking like a lifeless doll.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Miyoko stopped beside Kazusa, holding out a rice ball and a drink.
Kazusa only glanced at them out of the corner of her eye before shaking her head.
"Kazusa… I know you're worried about your mother, but you have to take care of yourself too. You can't just stop eating."
Miyoko spoke with deep concern.
But Kazusa didn't respond at all this time.
Miyoko let out a long sigh.
She didn't understand either. How had Youko's condition worsened so suddenly, landing her in the ICU?
Last night, after receiving an urgent call from the doctor, Miyoko dropped everything and rushed to the hospital.
There was no more point in keeping it a secret—Kazusa had the right to know.
When she heard the truth, Kazusa's expression was like the sky collapsing. She was so shocked that she went completely mute.
She hadn't packed anything. She hadn't even changed clothes. In her pajamas and slippers, she had rushed straight to the hospital.
And now, she had been awake for nearly sixteen hours straight.
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!