My wife believes me; how could I be a cuckold?

He could understand that Konno Yuuka was a girl who had become somewhat vulnerable after being hurt, and therefore longed for the care of others. He could also understand why she lacked a sense of security.

But what he couldn't understand was why Konno Yuuka would suddenly have such thoughts, and in such an extreme way, as if she were certain that he hated her.

I haven't said anything yet, have I?

Thinking about this, Makoto Asano became increasingly agitated.

If he had a cigarette in his hand right now, he would most likely do what people in TV dramas do: throw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and crush it with the tip of his shoe to vent his frustration.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any cigarettes, and he didn't smoke, so he couldn't express his frustration in this way, nor could he vent it on Konno Yuuka.

He could only continue to suppress his inner irritation and ask, word by word, with suppressed anger, "So, why do you think I find you annoying?"

The second question, exactly the same as before but with a slightly harsher tone, left Konno Yuuka somewhat confused, but she still explained again, "Didn't I just say that I'm..."

However, before she could speak this time, Asano Makoto interrupted her impatiently.

"So, you feel annoyed because you often chat with me and share your experiences, and then suddenly come to me today?"

Faced with Makoto Asano's question, Yuuka Konno felt inexplicably afraid, and her desperate momentum weakened considerably in an instant.

However, in the end, she still nodded weakly to Makoto Asano, which was considered an affirmation of his statement.

Makoto Asano almost laughed out of anger.

So he spoke.

"I didn't feel this way before, but now I find you quite annoying."

These words were not his true thoughts; perhaps they were spoken in anger, or perhaps he said them on purpose.

Regardless of the motivation behind saying those words, it is unbearable for Konno Yuuka at this moment.

Her face turned pale in an instant, her mouth opened and closed but she couldn't make a sound, and even her eyes turned slightly red.

Chapter 252 A Collapsed Spirit and a Resilient Heart (Bonus Chapter 4/64)

The instant Konno Yuuka's eyes began to well up with tears, Asano Makoto's mind was filled with the system notification sound of "[Konno Yuuka's stability value -1]".

Clearly, Konno Yuuka was hurt by those words.

Finally, when her stability value dropped to 39, the notification that had appeared once before, "[Warning: The target's emotions are extremely unstable]", appeared again.

Makoto Asano remained unmoved, simply exchanging silent glances with Yuuka Konno, who was sitting on the sofa with her knees drawn up to her chest.

About a minute later, a layer of mist appeared in Konno Yuuka's eyes, and tears began to accumulate in her eyes.

At this point, her stability value is 31.

Makoto Asano, who had been staring at this line of data in the system interface, finally began to take action.

If this drags on any longer, it might really be too late to salvage the situation.

To prevent Konno Yuuka from doing anything irrational or foolish in her extremely unstable emotional state, he reached out and pressed her down onto the sofa.

After being tackled, Konno Yuuka's eyes were filled with only despair and confusion.

She was in despair because of what Makoto Asano had just said, and she hadn't yet recovered from it.

She was confused because she didn't understand why Makoto Asano had pounced on her.

In other words, even after being hurt by Makoto Asano's words, she still completely trusted him and didn't think that his act of pouncing on her meant he was going to do something inappropriate.

So she didn't struggle, only instinctively twisting her body slightly before immediately becoming quiet again.

The only good news is that her stability score has stopped dropping at 31.

Looking at her pale face, at the tears streaming down her face from being tackled, at her tearful, pitiful yet stubbornly staring at him, Asano Makoto suddenly fell silent.

He was reflecting on whether his actions were somewhat cruel, and as a result, even the words he had just organized in his mind got stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.

Finally, deciding to go all the way, he sighed heavily, then looked directly into Konno Yuuka's eyes and said in a somewhat helpless tone, "So, why do you think I would find you annoying because of those things? It was just sending messages and showing up uninvited, it's not a big deal. Aren't we friends? I've never said anything like I found you annoying, have I?"

Konno Yuuka is very strong.

Even though a stability score of only 31 points meant her emotions were on the verge of collapse, she still sniffled and stubbornly replied, "I don't know..."

Makoto Asano was stunned by this answer.

Perhaps realizing her answer was a bit outrageous, Konno Yuuka sniffled again and said haltingly, "I just feel... I hate... being full of flaws, otherwise, before..."

Before she could finish speaking, Makoto Asano interrupted her.

He didn't know exactly what Konno Yuuka had experienced in the past, but he could roughly guess.

Konno Yuuka had accidentally let slip some things before, and combined with what she just said, we could already guess pretty much what was going on.

The gist of the story is that when she first joined the agency as a model, she became friends with some of her colleagues.

She was naturally outgoing and treated them as her close friends, but in the end she found that the reality was not so. Not only did they not treat her as a friend, but they also talked badly about her behind her back.

When she confronted the other person about this, they turned around and berated her, saying that she always seemed happy and didn't care about other people's feelings, and then they cut off contact with her.

I'm unhappy because I saw you were happy. This reason sounds absurd, but that's how absurd arguments between women often are.

Ultimately, this is probably just jealousy or something like that—a messy and trivial matter.

It's estimated that none of Konno Yuuka's colleagues from the same period could compare to her in terms of performance or appearance. Perhaps even if they offered their bodies as bargaining chips, none of them could beat her.

If that's the case, then this isn't Konno Yuuka's problem at all.

Those people are inherently corrupt and incompetent. When they see Konno Yuuka maintaining her integrity, refusing to succumb to unspoken rules, and doing even better than them, it's almost impossible for them not to feel jealous of her.

Konno Yuuka's carefree and cheerful personality will make those who like her like her even more, and those who dislike her dislike her even more.

After all, people with dark hearts are the least able to stand the sun, especially when that sun is the object of their jealousy.

However, Makoto Asano didn't have a good solution to this problem.

After all, he couldn't control other people's hearts, nor could he change their opinions of Konno Yuuka.

In reality, Konno Yuuka was well aware of these things. She knew that those people disliked her not because of her many flaws, but simply because of the ugliness of human nature.

She was confident and resilient enough to dismiss those scumbags from her world and leave them behind. These trivial matters never affected her.

But things are different now. After being betrayed by the person she trusted most, she became less confident. So when she realized that Asano Makoto might not really consider her a friend, or that he was only staying by her side because he felt sorry for her, she subconsciously thought of her past experiences.

Clearly, Makoto Asano is not evil at heart, and it is impossible for him to feel jealousy or anything like that towards Yuuka Konno.

Since the problem doesn't lie with him, and there are only two of them, then who else could the problem be with?

Konno Yuuka is now truly sensitive and fragile. In addition, Asano Makoto is the sun that pulled her out of the darkness when she was in despair. As a result, she got stuck in a rut and went to extremes, blaming herself for all the problems.

The biggest blunder in this process was that she was convinced that Makoto Asano was only staying by her side because he pitied her, and that one day he would get tired of her and leave her, just like those other people.

This is what Asano Makoto finds most baffling, and also what makes him feel most helpless.

Because he never said anything like "I hate you" or "I find you annoying," it was simply that Konno Yuuka suddenly realized that he rarely talked about himself, and then she started to overthink it.

In a sense, this is indeed partly his problem.

Chapter 253 Our Future Is Still Long (Bonus Chapter 5/64)

Makoto Asano knew where he had gone wrong.

Feeling smug because she had been a good listener, she didn't consider how extreme Konno Yuuka might be thinking, nor did she consider why someone as gentle and kind as her, yet sensitive, might feel guilty and anxious.

Strictly speaking, this wasn't his fault.

But there was nothing he could do; after he said those words, even if it wasn't his fault, it was still his fault.

However, this was also part of his plan.

If you want to avoid trouble that may arise at any time in the future, you must break with the past and establish a new one from the beginning, and completely correct Konno Yuuka's wrong way of thinking.

In short, after figuring out the cause of the matter, he could only assure Konno Yuuka in a confident tone: "I'm not like those people. I won't suddenly yell at you and then leave your side."

He knew that for Konno Yuuka, whose mental state was now on the verge of collapse, the only thing he could do was to appease her; there was no other way.

Upon hearing his words, Konno Yuuka remained silent, only continuing to gaze at him with red eyes.

However, because of the system's existence, Makoto Asano knew that Yuuka Konno's emotions were gradually stabilizing, as her stability level was rising.

So Makoto Asano struck while the iron was hot.

He sighed with a hint of helplessness, stared into Konno Yuuka's eyes, and said in a comforting tone, "Listen, although I don't know what you've been through that makes you think I would find you annoying, I assure you, I don't have that thought. I've never found you annoying."

"I don't know what kind of idiots those people are who would curse you and cut ties with you, but I would never do that."

"On the contrary, I'm very happy to have a friend like you."

"I have very few friends, I can count them on one hand. It's my luck that a beautiful girl like you can be one of them."

"I like it when you take the initiative to chat with me, because it makes me feel that someone still needs me and that I am not alone."

“I like it when you share your experiences with me, because it makes me feel valued and not like I'm just some nobody’s attention.”

“I like it when you sneak into my house, because it makes me feel like someone still cares about me, that I am not forgotten.”

I like your easygoing personality.

I like your straightforward way of speaking.

I love your cheerful laughter and your occasional witty remarks.

"I like you... Oh, right, I also like the way you eat. It looks like you're opening your mouth wide to gnaw on a lot of meat from a fried chicken leg, but in the end you only take a tiny bite and then chew it slowly."

The detailed and logical evidence, or rather, the dark history, made Konno Yuuka blush.

She desperately wanted Asano Makoto to stop talking, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

She wanted to cover her ears and not listen, but Makoto Asano pressed down on her shoulders, making her unable to move.

Asano Makoto hadn't finished speaking yet.

"You're just so to my liking, so I've never found you annoying, and I've never disliked you."

"On the contrary, I like everything you do. It's also cute how you sneaked over here but were afraid I would be angry."

"Moreover, I really enjoy the time I spend with you. It's very relaxing, stress-free, and I can say whatever I want without worrying about anything I don't want to talk about."

"So I think you should be the one who knows me best."

At this point, Makoto Asano paused slightly before continuing, "That's why I said earlier that you've become a bit annoying."