Tokyo: Oreimo

Upon seeing this, the sadness that had just begun to subside in her heart surged back, and she simply didn't have the courage to continue tonight.

But as soon as I close my eyes, all I see is that letter.

As if by some strange twist of fate, the girl took the key to Ryosuke's room and climbed into his bed.

After snuggling into that guy's arms, I felt a little less uncomfortable.

"Sleeping like a log, writing this kind of content to torture players, what a wicked heart..."

Ling Nai muttered to herself, then nuzzled her head against his chest again.

She had already tried it; unless there was a very large movement, Ryosuke wouldn't wake up at all.

Ryosuke's breathing was even, and the girl buried her face in his chest.

The cotton T-shirt fabric brushed against his cheek, carrying the faint scent of laundry detergent residue, which mingled with Ryosuke's own body odor.

Her eyes were still wet.

The contents of that letter are still swirling in my mind.

Amane Reiwa traveled back to 1975 from 2036, failed, and suffered amnesia for 24 years. What was she thinking in the moment when she regained her memories in her later years?

Alone, in an era that doesn't belong to me, I forgot everything important, lived half my life like an ordinary person, and then one day suddenly remembered.

Remember who you are, remember what you should do, and remember that you can never do it again.

Just thinking about that scene made Ling Nai's nose start to sting.

But it's strange.

Just now, when she was in her room, the sadness felt as heavy as a stone pressing on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Over and over, all I could see when I closed my eyes was that letter filled with "failure," and the cold, hard text in the chat box when Mr. Brown said, "She hanged herself in the house."

But now, after snuggling into this guy's arms, the stone seemed to melt away little by little by something.

The ending of Amane Reiha still saddened her, and the fate of that character still made her want to bite Ryosuke.

But the oppressive weight that had made him unable to move seemed to evaporate slowly from his body heat, dissipating from his chest and merging into the gloomy room, becoming less unbearable.

"...What? What's going on?"

She lowered her voice to a whisper, her lips moving so slightly that only she could hear them.

She actually knew the answer.

I just don't want to admit it.

It's been like this for the past two years.

Before this person came along, she processed all her emotions on her own.

Laugh at your own happy moments, cry your own sad moments, and grit your teeth and get through your own angry moments.

She thought she was born this way, that she didn't need to rely on anyone, didn't need to whine to anyone, and didn't need to show weakness in front of anyone.

But everything changed after Ryosuke arrived.

He would urge her to go to sleep, check on her clothes to make sure she didn't catch a cold, stand up for her if she was bullied, accompany her to CM exhibitions, and draw her favorite comics together.

Just like now. She was crying like this because of the plot he wrote, but in the end, she was the one who ran to his arms for comfort.

"...That's so unreasonable."

She mumbled softly, her voice muffled against his chest, indistinct and unclear.

Ling Nai lifted her face slightly from his chest, using the almost non-existent moonlight to look at his face.

Her gaze lingered on his lips for two or three seconds.

Then her ears started to burn.

Memories of last night flooded back without warning.

The memory of being treated like a giantess by him, being held in his arms, and being kissed by him in a way that made my scalp tingle until I was completely exhausted.

The sensation of his lips being sealed, and the warmth of his fingers as they slipped into my hair.

She looked away and buried her face back into his chest.

My heart started pounding again.

"...It's all your fault."

After about half a minute of silence, Ling Nai's hands began to wander.

At first, she simply rested her hand on his side, her palm against the fabric of his T-shirt, feeling the warmth emanating from below. Then, her fingertips moved, tracing upwards along his ribs, pausing briefly when they touched his shoulder.

The spot where I was bitten yesterday.

Through her T-shirt, she gently pressed that area with her fingertips.

Ryosuke's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't wake up.

Ling Nai held her breath and lightened the pressure of her fingertips, gently stroking his shoulder in circles, like a feather.

The smell of iodine had long since disappeared, and the wound was no longer visible through the clothes.

But she remembers it clearly: a ring of teeth marks, broken skin, and a red patch around it.

".....sorry."

She spoke so softly that even she couldn't hear it.

Her fingers withdrew from his shoulder and stopped at his chest.

I pressed my palm against his, and even through his T-shirt, I could feel his heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Slowly, steadily, her palm rose and fell slightly with the rhythm, as if she were pressing her hand on the chest of some huge, sleeping animal.

Ling Nai pressed her ear against the back of her hand to listen to the sound.

The sound of her heartbeat came from deep within her chest, and when it reached her ears, it sounded like the beating of a drum.

For some reason, hearing that voice made her feel completely calm.

The tears that were just welling up in my eyes have somehow been wiped away.

It makes me feel very safe.

It seemed that as long as that voice was still ringing, she had nothing to fear.

"...How cunning."

She said it very softly.

This guy is the one who made her cry, this guy is the one who kept her up at night, and this guy is the one who turned her into this anxious, insecure person who sneaks into other people's beds in the middle of the night.

But it was this guy who could calm her down.

"You bastard...do you even know what you've done...?"

She mumbled something, her voice slightly nasal, but the sobbing had subsided.

".....Hello."

She lowered her voice to a whisper, her lips almost touching his collar.

"Do you think Amanne Reiyu really can't be saved?"

There was no answer. Of course there wouldn't be an answer.

"What about Mayuri? I've died so many times, surely she can find a way?"

silence.

"You surely know how to save her, right?"

Her fingers moved from the side of his neck upwards to touch his chin.

I felt a slight, subtle prickling sensation on my fingertips. It was from newly sprouted stubble, which I couldn't see normally, but could feel when I touched it – that slightly rough texture.

Ling Nai's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

She withdrew her hand and buried her face back in his chest.

The eyes are closed.

I originally just planned to calm myself down and then go back to my room.

Judging from the fact that he killed off Amane Reiyu, what she actually wanted to do was to take a bite out of her.

But perhaps because his body temperature was too warm, she noticed that her eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

"...I'll stay for five more minutes and then go back."

She said to herself.

Five minutes later.

"...Wait another ten minutes."

I don't know how much time passed.

"...I'll go back after I finish listening to this heartbeat."

The room went completely dark, so dark that nothing could be seen except for sounds and temperature: Ryosuke's breathing, Ryosuke's heartbeat, and Ryosuke's body temperature.

And her own breathing grew heavier and heavier.

Ling Nai's hand loosely gripped the front of his T-shirt, as if she had grasped something very important and was unwilling to let go.

".....asshole."

The last syllable was mumbled in her mouth, and even she herself didn't know who she was cursing.

His breathing gradually became long and even.

But just as she was comfortably snoring softly, Ryosuke shifted his body slightly, instantly waking the girl.

Her gaze fell on the clock on the wall; it was already 5:30, and faint sunlight was beginning to stream into the room from outside the window.

Ling Nai broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that she had unknowingly fallen asleep on Ryosuke's bed.