Hoshikawa Teru's expression froze for a moment. He soon relaxed his arms as if giving up, letting his hands fall.
"I know. Seeing her like that reminded you of things you don't want to remember. Don't be nervous, don't be nervous..." Akemi Miyano smiled and looped her arm through his. "You've been busy for so long this time. Go get some rest early."
Tangze's ability to move freely through all kinds of situations owed a great deal to Hoshikawa Teru's abilities.
So even though Tangze seemed to be the only one active in the spotlight, Hoshikawa Teru had not been idle at all during this time.
That included the part where they brought Curaçao back.
"I just..." Hoshikawa Teru pressed his lips together, unable to describe how he felt. After thinking for a long while, he could only shake his head.
Akemi Miyano patted his arm, which had yet to fully relax, and thoughtfully did not ask any further questions.
She could probably understand how Hoshikawa Teru felt.
Curaçao's current state kept reminding Hoshikawa Teru of that bleak, sunless past he had endured in the organization.
Though he had actually moved on from it, and his mindset had gradually changed, Curaçao's condition was unusual. She had happened to remain at the point where she still retained some childlike innocence, before the darkness had completely destroyed her.
The gentler and softer she was, the more it stirred Hoshikawa Teru's emotions by reminding him of a similar stage in his own life.
More than sorrow, it was perhaps closer to hatred.
Unable to change the situation, he could only watch himself walk step by step toward the abyss. Those negative emotions could even turn into painful self-reproach. He hated his own former innocence, hated how fate let others manipulate him, and hated