People Cannot Survive on Their Own (Continued)

A fleeting moment of brilliance, a brief burst of light.

She became a mother who loved him dearly and would fulfill all his requests.

"..."

"..."

"..."

What on earth was I thinking just now?!

Sakura Airi has woken up.

The traces in the dormitory had long been cleaned up by the two skilled workers. Although a slight lingering smell remained, the night breeze, with the window slightly open, carried away the odor as it brought a touch of coolness into the dormitory.

The midday heat of summer has transformed into a cool sensation as night falls. Sakura Airi turns her head to look at the dimming light outside the window, looking slightly lost.

Am I... becoming an adult?

She didn't know.

She might have grown up, or she might have become a mother, or perhaps, well, she was just deceived.

Although Sakura Airi's judgment was poor, even if it was, and her head was spinning, when Kushida Kikyo's hands started to grab hers and do things she shouldn't have, she realized that she might... be deceived.

The claim that she lacked maternal love is a lie.

Playing the mother is a lie.

Delete photos... Oh, the photos aren't deleted yet.

But at this point, whether the photos are deleted or not is probably irrelevant.

Even though she had been tricked into doing so many things that she might have thought were extremely wrong, Sakura Airi couldn't bring herself to complain as those whispered words echoed in her ears.

She was just thinking, what if, if it weren't for this method...

Would she have the opportunity to grow so close to him?

"..."

The answer is no.

There's absolutely no way a woman with a dark and unsophisticated appearance could become friends with these two people standing in the light, let alone develop a relationship where they could lie in the same bed.

That's why, to be honest, as night fell, she actually started to take the initiative and became less reliant on Kushida Kikyo to lead the way.

It's her.

Sakura Airi already knew the answer in her heart.

That's why she's looking out the window like this now.

"Um..."

Does this mean I've found a kindred spirit?

Or is it that even without telepathic connection, as long as there is physical contact, thoughts can naturally be understood?

Sakura Airi doesn't quite understand.

But she felt that this feeling was actually quite nice.

"Mommy wants a hug."

The feeling of being able to ask for a hug simply by opening one's arms can give a young girl the illusion that she possesses the other person.

However, it doesn't matter if it's just an illusion.

Even if it's just an illusion, that's fine too.

That way, I might not feel Loneliness anymore.

Humans cannot survive alone.

Even today, Sakura Airi still firmly believes this.

The mother-child game has come to an end.

This role-playing game, which began with a chance encounter, started with Kushida Kikyo's erratic behavior, Sakura Airi's inexplicable compliance, and ended with Asakusa Toru's involvement.

Although it seems like nothing has been clearly explained or understood yet.

But the moment Sakura Airi opened her arms and called him 'Mom' to ask for a hug, he knew that was enough.

... That's a bit strange.

But starting today, it seems he has gained another 'good friend'.

Well, I should say she's a 'good mother'.

... How come he doesn't even have a proper girlfriend, only mothers?

Reflect.

However, without using a hypnosis app, I still enjoyed the same effect, experiencing the feeling of being able to act cute to my heart's content in advance, which was surprisingly good.

It's hard to say whether his mother, Kikyo, actually had some potential in this area, or whether Sakura's mother was just too easily fooled.

However, while the beginning could be described as deception, it became harder to say who was actually deceived later on.

Perhaps, sometimes the girl who is seen as prey is actually the hunter disguised as the prey.

Perhaps it's because they've been suppressing their feelings for too long; the more melancholic a girl is, the more repressed she tends to appear.

After all, lacking communication with others and contact with the outside world, words fail them, emotions are suppressed deep inside, and they hide in their own corner...

It's hard not to feel suppressed.

Just like Kushida Kikyo, once she puts on the mask, no one knows what's in her heart, and she has no one to confide in, which makes her feel particularly depressed.

So, in a sense, the one who truly lacks love is not him, but Sakura Airi, who plays the role of 'mother'.

Otherwise, no matter how skillful Kushida Kikyo's Rhetoric, Sakura Airi would have started rolling around in a rage when Asakusa Toru's hand touched a place it shouldn't have.

It was because of her lack of love that she accepted the persona of "mother" and chose to deceive herself at that time.

Because she truly needs a child who is full of 'love'.

Well, even if this child seems to have ulterior motives.

But it doesn't matter, this seemingly slightly distorted 'love' is real.

That's enough.

"Click..." A sound came from the doorway. After taking the Room Key Card, Kushida Kikyo returned and changed out of her outdoor shoes again.

"Splash..."

Pour the water from the kettle, her fingertips touching the cup to feel the temperature, Kushida Kikyo handed the cup in one hand to Sakura Airi with the other.

"I'll let it go this time, but don't forget to keep some umbrellas in the dorm next time," she said.

"..." After a moment of hesitation, Sakura Airi accepted the cup and medicine with both hands. "Th-thank you..."

She swallowed the medicine with gulps, and warm water went down her throat. Soon, a sound that made her blush slightly rang out.

"Gurgle..."

It's intestinal rumbling.

She was hungry.

You get hungry faster than you think after exercising.

I was exhausted both mentally and physically, and my stomach started growling as soon as I realized it.

Upon hearing this voice, Kushida Kikyo couldn't help but smile, but the smile didn't last more than two minutes before she stopped smiling when she saw Asakusa Toru sitting to the side, propping his head up with one hand and looking at her.

"Go." Kushida Kikyo waved her hand at Asakusa Toru: "Don't just stand here, go and get dinner for your Sakura mother and Kikyo mother."

"What an insensitive child."

Seeing her reaction, Asakusa Toru knew that she wanted to have a private conversation with Sakura, which was why she sent him away.

He didn't mind, after all, girls always have their own little secrets.

Moreover...

The Voice Recorder is still on. If you really have the urge to spy, you can make a copy before you come back and listen to it at your leisure.

Of course, he felt it wasn't necessary.

"Okay, let me know if you have any dietary restrictions." Shrugging, Asakusa Toru got up and walked to the entrance.

With the sound of the door opening and closing, his figure disappeared into the dormitory.

"Kushida..." As Asakusa Toru Tetsu's voice faded away, Sakura Airi softly called out the name of Kushida Kikyo beside her.

Even though she said that, she felt a little unsure of what she should say.

Should I ask her why she lied to herself?

But that didn't really matter anyway.

She's not the kind of person who would be overly concerned about whether or not a lie exists.

Should I ask her what her relationship with Asakusa is?

If there was no room for me to intervene between them... no, I was a latecomer, a latecomer who was brought together by Kushida Kikyo.

Therefore, this issue also doesn't need to be worried about.

So, what can be said?

Words of gratitude? Feelings in my heart? Or...?

"Just call me Kikyo." Kushida Kikyo sat naturally on the edge of the bed, reaching out to tidy Sakura's messy hair. "How are you feeling?"

She took the initiative and asked Sakura how she felt.

But this question is too straightforward.

Feelings and such...

What should she say in response?

What does it feel like to be held? Or to be called "Mommy"? Or to be touched? Or something else...?

"Ugh..." Lowering her head meekly, she answered truthfully, "I... I don't know..."

That was the only answer she could give.

"Ah, but, but I might not be considered unpleasant." Perhaps afraid that Kushida Kikyo might misunderstand, she quickly added this sentence.

"Hmm... like this." Sakura's hair was neatly arranged, her long pink hair was parted on both sides, revealing her beautiful face. Kushida Kikyo looked at this pretty face, put down her hands, and gently kicked her legs back and forth.

"That's settled then," she said.

That's all for now.

She accepted it, I accepted it, Asakusa Toru also accepted it.

Keeping it like this is fine.

Ah, after actually doing it, I felt a little bit of regret.

With one more person, it seems there will be even more things to worry about.

Although Sakura Airi is a pushover, should one relax and show their true nature in front of her, or continue playing the role of an Angel?

That's a problem too.

I really shouldn't have impulsively suggested that Asakusa Toru go ahead with it.

That guy is sturdy, but I don't know if two people could handle him.

After all, the little pushover looks like the type who's been suppressing her feelings for a long time.

If Asakusa Toru were even slightly weaker, she would probably have been completely devoured by the exceptionally talented girl.

So, if we had to say, it's hard to say who really suffered the loss.

"Ah--" Kushida Kikyo shouted loudly and collapsed onto the bed with a thud, staring at the pure white ceiling, her body relaxed.

Suddenly, she called out Sakura Airi's name directly: