It was late at night. The light drizzle from earlier in the evening had now become a downpour, accompanied by claps of thunder.
In the guest room of the Fumiya household, a small figure curled up amidst the new bedding, trembling with each peal of thunder.
Normally, Nijika wasn't particularly afraid of thunder. She was a big girl, after all.
But this time was different...
Although she had done a good job of hiding it during the day, deep down, she was terrified of the next Samsara Game. It was only when she was with Fumiya Jin that she felt a sense of security, allowing her to temporarily forget her fear.
But now, in the middle of the night, when negative emotions spread more easily, and with Fumiya Jin not by her side... that fear naturally came rushing back.
She kept remembering the blood-and-flesh-caked chainsaw from the last game, the pools of blood on the floor, the acrid, metallic stench in the air...
In her already fearful state, the storm outside acted as a catalyst, making her feel even worse.
"No, I can't think about that. I have to fall asleep quickly! Hmm... I'll try deep breathing..."
"Hooo... shhhh..."
"Hooo... shhhh..."
"Hooo..."
"Ah, no, I'm gonna suffocate. Shhhh—"
"Hooo... shhhh..."
"Sob, stupid nose, why won't you breathe on your own...? Do I really have to control you?"
The girl gradually realized that falling asleep tonight would be an incredibly difficult task.
If this were a normal day, it wouldn't really matter—she could just mess around on her phone and stay up late. Since tomorrow was the weekend, even pulling an all-nighter wouldn't be a big deal.
The crucial part, however, was that Fumiya Jin had already arranged for them to go to the next Samsara Game together first thing in the morning—this was the very reason Nijika was enduring the embarrassment of staying over at his house.
If she didn't sleep well tonight and entered the game tomorrow all drowsy... She was already weak, and she'd probably be full of openings, getting herself killed in an instant. And she might even...
Get Fumiya-san killed with her?
At that thought, her heart clenched.
No!
That absolutely cannot happen!
I have to get to sleep right now!!
"I'm not scared, I'm not scared at all, I'm so sleepy, I really want to sleep, the moment I close my eyes, I'll fall asleep, I..." she began trying to hypnotize herself.
However, as everyone knows—the more you try not to be scared, the more scared you become. The more you fear insomnia, the more likely you are to lie awake until dawn...
As she kept forcing herself, her fear and anxiety only intensified, until her head began to ache and she found it hard to breathe...
"No, this is bad..." The girl opened her eyes, feeling a little desperate. "If it only affected me, that would be one thing, but if I get Fumiya-san hurt, that would be unforgivable... He trusts me so much."
She definitely wasn't going to beat this insomnia on her own; she had to ask for help.
So, she sat up, took out her phone, and opened her contacts.
Her sister?
No.
Ryo?
No.
Anyone else?
Even more impossible...
She couldn't possibly discuss the Samsara Game with anyone else! The only option was...
But going to a boy's bedroom in the middle of the night... Just the thought made Nijika's cheeks burn.
However, after a moment of hesitation, the girl couldn't think of any other way.
She carefully got out of bed, tiptoed out of the room, and came to the door of Fumiya Jin's room... After hesitating again and again, she finally knocked.
"Come in," a reply came from inside after a few seconds.
Nijika opened the door just a crack and cautiously peeked her head in.
The lights were off in the room, but through the moonlight streaming in from the window, she could vaguely make out the silhouette of Fumiya Jin, who had already sat up in his bed.
"What's up?" Fumiya Jin rubbed his eyes. He had clearly been asleep and was woken up by her knock.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry for waking you!!! But... but I'm just really nervous, and I can't seem to fall asleep. I'm afraid it'll affect tomorrow's game, so I..." Nijika said, lowering her head.
Fumiya Jin heard this and was quite understanding. "It's a game where you can die, after all, and we're about to go through it again... Any normal person would be nervous. It must have been tough pretending to be so relaxed and carefree in front of me all day, huh?"
"Eh?" Nijika froze for a second, looking at him in astonishment. "You... you could tell?"
"Yeah, just a little," Fumiya Jin said, making a tiny gesture with his fingers.
Nijika scratched her head, embarrassed. "Oh, I thought I was hiding it well... But it wasn't a complete act, you know. When I'm around you, I really do feel... a little less scared."
"Is that so? You feel better when I'm around?" Fumiya Jin thought for a moment. "Alright then... I guess I'll have to make a little sacrifice."
He suddenly threw back one side of his blanket, revealing an empty space.
Then he patted the spot and looked at Nijika.
"Come on."
"Come... what?" Nijika blinked.
"Let's sleep together," Fumiya Jin said with a perfectly straight face.
Nijika was dumbfounded, her face instantly turning beet red. "H-How could I possibly do something like that?! You're a boy!"
Fumiya Jin sighed. "Tomorrow, we're heading into battle together. We could lose our lives at any moment, so why worry about pointless formalities?"
Nijika scratched her cheek. "But I've never slept with a boy before... I think it would just make it even harder for me to sleep!!"
"Girls are so much trouble," Fumiya Jin said, looking a little annoyed.
"Well, excuse me for not being able to calmly sleep next to a boy my age! My sincerest apologies!" Nijika puffed out her cheeks and said huffily.
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Er..." Nijika was suddenly at a loss. "Okay, I don't know what to do either, I... I..."
Fumiya Jin sighed.
Looks like he'd have to figure something out himself.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly got out of bed.
Seeing him get out from under the covers, Nijika was a little worried she might see something she shouldn't. But her fears were unfounded—Fumiya Jin was wearing pajamas.
Fumiya Jin walked over to her, reached out, and took one of her hands, holding it in his.
Her small hand was soft and smooth, its palm unusually warm and damp, a clear sign that the girl had agonized for a long time over whether or not to come ask for his help.
Nijika was stunned. "Wh-What are you doing..."
"How do you feel now?"
"Now? Uh... a little... a little sudden... a little... embarrassed..."
"Who's asking about that?" Fumiya Jin said irritably. "What about your fear? Is it a little better?"
The girl scratched her cheek. "I think... maybe it is..."
"Are you especially nervous and shy?"
"If it's just holding hands... I think... I can... I can handle it," Nijika said in a small voice.
"Then we'll do this," Fumiya Jin decided on a plan.
"Th-This?" Nijika looked at him, confused.
Fumiya Jin didn't bother explaining further. He took her hand and led her back to her guest room.
He had her get into bed and lie down. Then he found a chair, sat down beside her bed, and held her hand.
"This should be better, right?" he asked.
Nijika understood now, but she was also very surprised. "Are you going to sit here and stay with me? But how are you going to get any rest..."
"Stay with you all night? In your dreams! Given our current relationship as mere teammates, you haven't earned that level of treatment yet," Fumiya Jin teased. "I'm just going to stay until you fall asleep, then I'm going back to my room."
"But even so... isn't this too much trouble for you..." Nijika said, full of concern.
"Don't overthink it. I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for my own survival rate. You came to me for help because you understood that, right? So don't worry about it now. Focus on sleeping peacefully. That's the best way you can actually help me," Fumiya Jin said.
"Mm... you're right... But... I don't know when I'll be able to fall asleep... It might be really late..."
"If you keep thinking about how you have to fall asleep, you definitely won't. You need a distraction." Fumiya Jin thought for a moment. "How about... I tell you a fairy tale?"
"A bedtime story? Do you think I'm a kid?" Nijika pouted slightly.
"Then I just won't tell you a kid's story," Fumiya Jin shrugged.
"There are fairy tales that aren't for kids?" Nijika was a little confused.
"You bet there are, buddy. I'll tell you the story of 'Snow White and the Seven Goblins.'"
"That title... What kind of fairy tale is that?!"
_____
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