The clock hands rotated with sunlight, slowly moving to the topmost position.
Seeing the beautiful face finally asleep—peaceful and lovely like a sleeping princess—Yuu silently exhaled in relief. His back slumped against the chair as he sighed softly.
"Dealing with a girl's whining is surprisingly exhausting."
His two previous girlfriends had been more independent and confident types. Though they too acted clingy and cute toward him, it was always within reasonable limits. In short, they were like normal people.
Masuzu, on the other hand, was the opposite.
On the surface, she was also confident, proud, and had high self-esteem, but deep down, she was extremely fragile. Yuu didn't know if her brain was addled from fever, or if she'd simply grown too lazy to hide her true nature.
The moment he showed even slight rejection or disgust, this girl would instantly sink into dark emotions, wildly slapping negative labels onto herself.
"You don't want me rubbing against you because I stink, right? Yeah, I know. Even though I shower every day, the foul scent of an evil woman leaking from my heart will never disappear... Someone like me, always hiding behind lies and disguises, relying only on bad jokes to entertain myself—just like a man who never cleans himself. The moment you get close, they emit a rotten stench like Boulogne old cheese."
By the way, Boulogne old cheese was the world's smelliest cheese, and Masuzu was far more fragrant than that... Anyway, after Yuu kissed her, that's exactly how it smelled. Unfortunately, the other party completely refused to listen, even wanting to bury her head under the blanket so he'd sniff closer.
Besides, Masuzu was extremely jealous.
"Why aren't you looking at me anymore? Why did you take out your phone? Did Dango-chan send you a message? Or does that junior whose eyes are glued to you want to invite you for a meal? Here I am, wearing nothing but pajamas, yet you're pointing your camera at me. Do you want them to see me like this—weak and useless?! No, my heart is cold. Hug me quickly! Hug me, hug me, hug me, hug me—"
Then Masuzu would repeat those words like a broken machine. Not long after, she'd suddenly snap back to normal, chatting with him again as if nothing happened.
After experiencing Masuzu's overly neurotic personality more deeply, Yuu finally realized:
Why the system asked him to fill the emptiness in her heart, and why he couldn't bring himself to leave her.
After all, if left alone, sooner or later, Masuzu would break down.
Just like Yuuki Asuna, who lived under her mother's pressure and could never be herself.
Masuzu's family environment and past experiences might have also caused her to suppress her emotions for a long time—until now—
Until Yuu entered her home, Masuzu finally had someone she could trust, someone she could freely unleash her strange side with.
"Good grief, why has everything turned out like this... If I weren't here, what would you all do?"
Yuu snorted softly, his tone slightly mocking.
Carrying the flag of justice, saving whoever he wanted to save, seeing smiles on their faces and thinking I've saved their lives—he wasn't some arrogant hero like that.
Without the system, who would care about the psychological issues of a transfer student?
Who would become a hired boyfriend for an older sister they didn't even know? And who would be forced into a fake marriage with a friend's younger sister inside a game?
In any case, that person wasn't him.
"So, this could be called a miracle. I can stay with you like this."
His sigh slipped into the gaps of sunlight, falling slowly alongside golden particles.
Reaching out, he gently touched her forehead, brushing away her bangs, smoothing the crease between her brows, and checking her temperature.
"Good, her fever's almost gone..."
She might not need until tomorrow. By this afternoon, Masuzu should recover.
...Yes, since she drank the entire porridge laced with medicine, it was natural she'd heal faster.
In fact, it'd be strange if her fever didn't vanish immediately.
Yuu sighed. After playing with her hair, he pulled his hand back.
As for using a precious treasure from another world so freely on someone who would eventually forget him—was that considered wasteful...
To him, of course not.
He'd already used it on himself, on his sister, even on pets. Why wouldn't he give it to Masuzu, the very source of the reward, and let her suffer from fever?
That'd be too inhumane.
And the remaining six drops—he didn't plan to hoard them like a family treasure either. He'd use them when the time came, and if any remained, he'd see if he could analyze them later.
Anyway, it was something obtained easily, not yet at the stage where he needed to overly care about it.
"Well then, time to go."
Rising from the chair, Yuu stretched his body, bones cracking.
But just that movement made Masuzu, who should've been sound asleep, murmur in her sleep. She seemed ready to wake up anytime.
Without hesitation, Yuu immediately activated Existence Adjustment, setting it to maximum level. Only then did the girl in bed calm down. After mumbling several times, she turned to face away from him.
"Really..."
Seeing her curled under the blanket like a little girl lacking security, Yuu couldn't help smiling. Without thinking, he leaned down and gave a light kiss to the tip of her hair.
"Hurry up and return to being the usual Masuzu—brighter and more annoying. Sweet dreams."
After whispering, Yuu didn't linger. He turned and walked out.
At first, he hoped for a scene where Masuzu suddenly noticed his low presence status, called out to him, and asked where he was going.
But fantasies remained fantasies, just like his hope after the second mission—that Asuna would keep her promise and remember everything she'd forgotten. Precisely because they couldn't come true, they became increasingly ridiculous.
Until the bedroom door quietly closed, the girl in bed slept peacefully and comfortably. She didn't wake again to any sound.
As if, at last, someone could hold her hand and say goodnight before darkness arrived.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Taking the spare key from her house, locking the door, and slipping the key into the gap beside the door, Yuu walked toward the elevator.
As usual, he glanced around. He noticed this luxurious apartment seemed to have only two units per floor. The other unit had no door number, so it was probably still vacant.
The wall lights were soft. The red carpet in the corridor looked elegant and luxurious. Footsteps on it were nearly silent.
After looking around, he pressed the elevator button. The numbers rose from one to ten, but passed his floor and stopped at eleven.
"Is someone upstairs also pressing the elevator?" Yuu frowned slightly.
When residents from different floors press the down button, the elevator stops at the highest floor first, then descends gradually.
This shouldn't need overthinking, but coincidentally, Yuu had just learned Yukino lived on the upper floor, and a strange premonition arose in his heart.
"No way it'd be that crazy—meeting her inside the elevator, right?"
Though it wouldn't matter if they met. Even if Yukino knew they were just fake lovers, Yuu could use the excuse of visiting a poor girl with no friends—
(Wait, even if they were actually dating, what business is it of hers? No need for excuses—just tell the truth!)
Yuu instantly felt relieved, his expression becoming more relaxed.
The elevator soon descended. A sliding door sound echoed. Sure enough, someone stood in front of the elevator buttons. At first glance, he could only see wavy black hair with pink-tipped ends.
He stepped inside. After confirming the ground-floor button was lit, he glanced at the other person.
And unconsciously, he froze.
"Hmm? You..."
When their eyes met, the other person was also surprised. But after a brief silence, her thin lips slowly curved into a familiar joyful smile. Her beautiful eyes narrowed like a fox's.
"I don't know if Chiba City is too small, or if we're truly destined~"
In the enclosed space as the elevator doors slowly closed, leaving only the two of them.
With a sweet yet dangerous aura, Haruno said, smiling widely,
"Long time no see, Tenkuji-kun."