At dinnertime that day, the girls who had returned from outside looked at Kanzaki Kumo and Kanao with some surprise and confusion.
Although the way the two interacted seemed no different from before, something about them felt different.
Kanao had always liked clinging to Kanzaki Kumo and nestling in his arms, but back then, there had actually been a hint of unnaturalness about her.
Having lived together for years, they all knew where that unnaturalness came from-Kanao was restraining the feelings in her heart that could almost be called madness.
Kanao had once lived in darkness, and Kanzaki Kumo had brought her light.
Or rather, to Kanao, Kanzaki Kumo was that light.
Just as a drowning person would instinctively cling desperately to someone who came to rescue them, Kanao instinctively wanted to cling desperately to that light.
But she knew that if a drowning person gripped their rescuer too tightly, they could both end up drowning, and if she held on to that light too tightly, it might lead to an outcome neither of them wanted.
So she had kept restraining her feelings while carefully testing the limits of what Kanzaki Kumo could accept.
But now, the other girls could all tell that the hint of unnaturalness about Kanao had disappeared.
They were curious about what had happened between Kanao and Kanzaki Kumo, who had only come home that afternoon, to bring about this situation.
After all, they all knew that Kanao's overly intense feelings had always been a headache for Kanzaki Kumo too.
Being someone's emotional anchor, something they valued as much as their own life, was actually a great deal of pressure, especially when that person was someone you cared about.
Because in that situation, you had to be mindful of every movement, every word, and every look,