A Gentle Lie, Too Much Dependence Turns One Into a Man-Child

It is common knowledge.

In the world of 2D, if you truly cannot think of a way to compliment someone, praising them as gentle—as being "yasashii"—is a move that will never go wrong.

Dokuho Kouya had just employed this very method, and the effect was quite significant.

The girl, who had seemed so difficult to deal with, froze in place the moment she heard Dokuho Kouya call her gentle, as if she had been dealt a massive blow.

The effect was super effective.

"Kouya-kun, you must be mistaken."

Yuki Himeno shook her head, her expression turning sour. "Someone like me, who uses fake illnesses to fish for sympathy, should be described as malicious instead."

"...How could you possibly call that gentle?"

By the end of her sentence, the girl's voice grew weaker and weaker, seemingly choked with emotion.

Perhaps, deep down, she still harbored feelings of guilt and a lack of self-confidence.

Dokuho Kouya reached out and gently stroked the girl's hair. "I said it before: Yuki forces herself to attend these gatherings just so she doesn't hurt anyone's expectations."

"When you wanted to leave, you even considered the feelings of others, preferring to lie about being sick rather than speaking your true thoughts. Can't that be considered gentle?"

Dokuho Kouya paused, continuing to comfort the girl. "If Yuki thinks she was lying, then what you said, in my eyes, was a gentle lie."

"Besides, if we're talking about being malicious, the classmates in your class are the ones who are truly the worst."

Dokuho Kouya shifted the tone of the conversation, beginning to speak ill of others. "They know that Yuki gets a headache when attending these gatherings, yet they still insist on it. They aren't looking out for your feelings at all."

"That's not true!" Yuki Himeno hurriedly raised her head, shouting with emotional intensity. "Yume and the others only invite me to these gatherings because they're worried I'll be lonely being by myself all the time."

If she hadn't felt the heartfelt sincerity and kindness of her classmates from the bottom of her heart, how could she have left the party in such an awkward way?

Hearing the angry words of the girl before him, Dokuho Kouya did not continue to argue. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled upward, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It seems the most malicious person here is me, for badmouthing others behind their backs."

"No, that's not it..."

Yuki Himeno lowered her head slightly, muttering in a soft, gentle tone, "Kouya-kun is only saying these things to comfort me, right?"

After saying this, the girl felt a strange sensation welling up in her heart.

Ever since a moment ago, she had been speaking well of others.

Whether it was the evaluation of Yume Kobashi and the others as malicious, or Dokuho Kouya's self-deprecation, she had been actively refuting them, evaluating others from a positive perspective.

Could it be that she really was gentle?

Yuki Himeno realized then that, from the very beginning, she had been led by the nose by Dokuho Kouya.

Even though she hadn't admitted it out loud, her behavior just now undoubtedly fit the image of the gentle person others described.

"Kouya-kun is really quite malicious." Yuki Himeno exhaled softly, her gaze becoming listless, and the expression on her face turning somewhat cold.

This was her most authentic self.

Usually, to keep up with her classmates, she wore a forced smile and kept these unpleasant sides of herself buried deep within.

Only when she was alone would she reveal her true self.

Seeing the twin-tailed girl beside him suddenly adopt a dead-fish gaze, Dokuho Kouya was somewhat surprised. "Does this mean Yuki trusts me now?"

"Kouya-kun's senses are so sharp, you should have known I was acting all along," Yuki Himeno said indifferently.

Ever since her migraine excuse was poked through, the "good girl" persona she played in class shouldn't have been of any use to Kouya-kun anymore.

Since that was the case, it was better to show her true self; it was easier for everyone.

"Kouya-kun, actually, I don't really mind attending the gatherings."

Walking on the path back to the dorms, Yuki Himeno began to talk about how she had been feeling lately. "If it were once a month, it wouldn't matter, but everyone in the class is so enthusiastic that they hold these large gatherings every so often."

"If I didn't fake being sick, I really wouldn't be able to hold on."

Hearing the girl's complaint, Dokuho Kouya asked from the side, "Have you ever looked into what the others in your class think?"

Based on his observations, there were 40 people in the class, and not everyone was particularly keen on attending these gatherings.

They just didn't want to be labeled as "not fitting in," and at the same time, found it hard to refuse the enthusiastic invitations of others, so they followed the rest of the class to the parties.

"Uh... I suppose so?" Yuki Himeno said, feeling uncertain.

Even though she didn't like the gatherings, she did have friends in class she could talk to.

She had been so focused on hanging out with her friends that she hadn't noticed the feelings of anyone else in the class.

"There are actually many people in your class just like you who aren't very keen on these gatherings."

Looking at the embarrassed girl, Dokuho Kouya smiled. "Have you tried bringing this up with Honami?"

Honami Ichinose was the most popular person in the class and had also been elected class representative by a unanimous vote.

If she encountered difficulties, she could go to her to discuss them.

"I haven't." Yuki Himeno shook her head. "I was afraid they would get hurt, so I never brought it up."

After saying this, the girl pursed her lips, her expression looking somewhat shy.

She had subconsciously started considering others again.

"You could actually trust Honami a bit more," Dokuho Kouya said.

Even though Honami Ichinose always struggled to lead the class to good results during special exams.

When it came to interpersonal relationships, Honami Ichinose possessed the formidable ability to unite an entire class.

If this matter were brought to her attention, she should be able to resolve the issue of having too many gatherings while still looking out for everyone's feelings.

However, the girl's expression turned strange, "Dokuho-kun was called away by Hoshinomiya-sensei earlier, so you didn't notice."

"Actually, after you left the classroom, Ichinose organized everyone in the class to prepare for the upcoming midterm exams."

"Do you know how many people in the class signed up for the study sessions she organized?"

Yuki Himeno paused for a moment, then said, "15 people."

"Starting today, Ichinose has to tutor those 15 people in the class while also handling other class affairs."

"If we were to trouble her with this kind of thing on top of that, Ichinose would definitely be exhausted."

Yuki Himeno had her own concerns.

"There's actually something like that going on?"

Dokuho Kouya was caught off guard for a moment.

He hadn't expected the rest of the class to be so deeply dependent on Ichinose.

Wouldn't this eventually turn them into overgrown infants?