I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

Before Shinji Kitahara could answer, the pink octopus said something that surprised him even more.

"Actually, I learned about what happened to you, Mr. Kitahara, a long time ago through some means, and I've always wanted to help you, but I've never been able to muster the courage..."

"...Where did you know that?"

"We cannot answer that."

Aili Digital blushed and buried her head even deeper.

"It's not that we don't want to tell you, but we really can't. Otherwise, it might lead to some bad things. Please don't ask further. Please believe me..."

To be honest, Shinji Kitahara really wanted to get to the bottom of his situation, because it not only concerned his life and property, but also the safety of the children around him.

But looking at the blushing, trembling voice of the AIRI Digital in front of him, which even carried a hint of pleading, Shinji Kitahara remained silent for a while, then sighed deeply and rubbed the soft pink hair.

"Okay, I believe you, I won't ask anymore."

Hearing his words, the pink octopus in his arms slowly stopped trembling, and after a period of calm, it mustered its courage and slowly raised its head.

"Alright, let's begin. Also, um, this is the first time for both Ms. Nescha and me, so we might feel a little uncomfortable. Please forgive us, Mr. Kitahara..."

No, wait!

Upon hearing this dangerous statement, Shinji Kitahara was startled and quickly reached out to stop her.

"Wait, how did it start? I just said I wouldn't ask anymore."

"Ah, this..."

Seeing that Alice Digital was already in a panic, the red octopus next to her, although also blushing, still managed to suppress her shame and reply in as normal a tone as possible.

"Here's the thing, Digital and I learned about the reasons for your situation through certain channels, as well as some possible solutions. The most effective one is... well, the horse jump."

Upon hearing this answer, Shinji Kitahara's eye twitched.

"...Are you serious?"

Faced with Shinji Kitahara's question, Nachi remained silent for a while, then buried her head in his chest and spoke in a self-deprecating manner.

"I know it sounds strange, but that's the truth, and there's nothing I can do about it. Digital and I hesitated for a long time before coming here. We weren't even planning to tell you, thinking we'd finish up while you were asleep and leave, but who knew you'd still be awake so late..."

Upon hearing Nescha's words, Kitahara Shinji was stunned for a while. After gradually digesting her words, his expression became increasingly complicated.

So, it was all for him...

Although what Ali Digital and Necha said was outrageous, sounding like a reason made up to justify their actions, it's unlikely that anyone with a sound mind would easily believe it.

But Shinji Kitahara believed it.

It wasn't that he wanted to be jumped off the bridge, but rather that he understood the two children's character and was willing to trust them.

"Well, I roughly understand what's going on. Basically, you think doing this kind of thing with me will help me, but you can't tell me the specific reasons, right?"

Shinji Kitahara spoke slowly, and the two little octopuses in his arms nodded, then murmured softly.

"Well, if you have no objections, let's begin..."

"No, I have a problem with that."

Shinji Kitahara reached out and rubbed their heads as he spoke earnestly.

“If that’s your reason for wanting to do this, then I appreciate your good intentions, but there’s no need for it.”

"But......"

"Nothing to worry about."

Shinji Kitahara shook his head, interrupting Ali Digital.

"I admit, this situation is quite a headache for me right now. After all, it only glows intermittently when I'm asleep. I'm not sure how it will develop if left untreated, and I'm constantly looking for a solution..."

"I don't know where you got the information about my problems, or if you were scammed, but since you said you couldn't tell me, I'll trust you and won't ask any more questions."

"But even so, I cannot accept your kindness."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and looked directly at the two little octopuses in his arms.

“I know you want to help me, but I cannot accept this method of sacrificing you to achieve my goal.”

“If it were anything else, it would be fine, but this is something that concerns your future and your lives. Even if I am facing a very serious problem right now, I do not want to, and am unwilling to, solve the problem in this way.”

“You are all racehorse girls at the peak of your lives, with a long future ahead of you. I cannot drag you into doing this because of some of my problems, or even ruin your lives.”

"Not to mention, I am your trainer, and I should be responsible for you, not the other way around. I will find a way to investigate and solve my problems myself. You just need to do your own thing and don't worry about me."

"Of course, if you're really worried, I can report my investigation progress to you every now and then. If we still can't find a solution, then we can consider this approach... Is that alright?"

While it was said to be a consideration, the main reason was actually to keep the two little ones calm.

Faced with this situation, no matter how many times he considered it, Shinji Kitahara would never agree to the suggestion of these two children (who are actually about the same age) just for his own sake.

Faced with Shinji Kitahara's answer, both Nechika and Ali Digital fell silent.

They lowered their heads, clinging to Kitahara Shinji, glancing at each other and then at his face, unsure of what to do.

Seeing that they had fallen silent, Shinji Kitahara thought for a moment and felt that the two children had not meant any harm. So he reached out and hugged them into his arms, then spoke in a soft and gentle voice.

"Alright, alright, I don't mean to blame you. On the contrary, I'm very grateful that you're willing to go to such lengths for me. But like I just said, I don't want to solve this problem by sacrificing both of you."

"Furthermore, as I just said, I am willing to trust you, so I would also like to ask you to trust me as well, to believe that I will do my best to solve my problems without you having to make such a sacrifice, okay?"

silence.

Necha and Alice Digital looked at each other. Although they were separated by the night, they could clearly see the obvious wavering in each other's eyes after Shinji Kitahara's words.

Although Shinji Kitahara couldn't see their eyes, he could sense their wavering from certain details about them, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Okay, let's hug them for a while as a reward, then take them back to sleep. Otherwise, if it gets any later, their training the next day will be a real struggle...

But just as Shinji Kitahara was thinking this, a voice suddenly rang out.

Are you two idiots?

Upon hearing this voice, Shinji Kitahara turned his head in surprise.

"Solar eclipse? What brings you here?"

Upon hearing the name Eclipse, the two little octopuses in Kitahara Shinji's arms raised their heads in alarm, looking at her to explain.

"Um, Miss Eclipse, this is..."

"Didn't you all realize that this idiot has completely swayed your thinking?"

Completely ignoring the two little octopuses' explanations, Eclipse slowly walked up to Shinji Kitahara and began to speak as he went.

"His words implied that you were forced to do this to save him, as if everything was for his sake, and he even started to doubt himself in the end..."

"But ask yourselves honestly, was your action tonight simply to solve his problem?"

"this......"

Faced with the eclipse's question, Aili Digital and Necha were at a loss for words, their faces growing increasingly red and their temperatures rising.

While they did come under the guise of solving Shinji Kitahara's problem, in reality...

"You can just answer yes or no."

silence.

a long time.

A faint buzzing sound rang out in the darkness.

"......no."

"That's okay."

After saying that, Eclipse shifted its gaze from the two little octopuses that were blushing so much they were almost fainting, and turned to the bewildered Shinji Kitahara.

"Um, Eclipse, what brings you here...?"

"This chocolate is for you."

As he spoke, Eclipse handed over a piece of unwrapped, rather ugly-looking chocolate.

Shinji Kitahara paused for a moment, then took the chocolate from Eclipse's hand.

"Then I won't be polite."

After saying that, Shinji Kitahara put the chocolate in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then his expression gradually became strange.

Wait a minute, this texture and taste... it doesn't feel like chocolate, or even a normal food, yet it has a strange sense of familiarity...

"What is this?"

After swallowing the chocolate, Shinji Kitahara felt that it hadn't gone into his stomach, but rather had been absorbed into his body.

Furthermore, after finishing their meal and looking at the solar eclipse again, Kitahara Shinji inexplicably felt that there was a new connection between them, and their feelings for each other became clearer.

"My favorite chocolate."

The solar eclipse was met with a lukewarm response.

"By the way, if I disappear after you eat this, you will die too."

Upon hearing this answer, Shinji Kitahara paused for a moment, then nodded after realizing what he meant.

"Oh, I see. That's quite impressive..."

"And the reverse is also true."

A solar eclipse provides a subtle boost.

"Is it too late for me to vomit it out now?"

Shinji Kitahara asked earnestly.

"That's too late."

As he spoke, Eclipse took off his shoes and lifted a corner of Kitahara Shinji's blanket.

Seeing her actions, Kitahara Shinji, who was still pondering how to spit out that thing, suddenly twitched his brow, and a bad premonition rose in his heart.

"Um, Eclipse, I've already eaten the chocolate. Is there anything else...?"

"Have."

The eclipse was concise and to the point. After crawling into Shinji Kitahara's bed, it sat directly on Shinji Kitahara's lap between the two little octopuses.

"Since you ate the chocolate, it's not unreasonable for me to ask for a return gift, is it?"

"...I can give you a dollar back on White Valentine's Day."

Shinji Kitahara tried to struggle.

"too slow."

After saying that, Eclipse looked at the two little octopuses next to him who were still dizzy and hadn't come to their senses, and sighed softly, which was rare for him.

"How long are you two going to wait? If you don't want to stay, you can leave now, and I can pretend I never saw you tonight."

After a moment of silence, the two little octopuses timidly raised their heads.

Just when Shinji Kitahara thought they were about to leave, the two little octopuses uttered words that made him dizzy.

"Um, can we stay...?"

"No, wait, digital, Necha, you—"

Shinji Kitahara tried to struggle.

But the effect was minimal.

Chapter 266: The Guardian of Treson

Treson College Main Campus, February 15th, morning.

Shinji Kitahara lay on a bench in the deserted forest, looking melancholy.

What is going on...

Shinji Kitahara still had many questions about what happened last night.

For example, when did the eclipse begin eavesdropping on their conversation? What was her original intention when she went to see him? And why did she appear at such a crucial moment? Even if she had appeared a minute later, the two children would probably have already gone home after being persuaded by him...

But now, none of these issues matter.