"Are you feeling okay? You can sleep longer if you're still tired." A familiar voice inquired on her side.
Aya immediately knew who that voice belonged to, that's why she didn't bother turning on her side to see him.
"....it wasn't a dream…." tiredly said the white-haired girl as she put her arm over her eyes.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you with your situation."
Hiroki apologized as he was looking at the rather defeated girl on the bed. Right now he was standing right near the window, being cautious of any suspicious individuals who might pass by near the abandoned house.
He didn't want to cause any more stress to this girl, which is why he kept a certain distance without causing her too much stress.
"...If we had met much sooner. None of this would've happened." Hiroki tried to be reassuring.
"....no…. it was all because of my incompetence…. I was fooled not once but twice by that man." Aya winced as she clenched one of her fists in frustration.
"..." Hiroki remained silent while trying to listen to her story.
"I was the one who sold my parents to that slave merchant... Only because I wanted to feel like a normal family... Because I was selfish..."
Aya kept her face hidden, not because she didn't want Hiroki to see the state she was in but because she was scared to know how he was going to respond to the sinful and selfish way she had acted.
She sold and killed her parents. She was guilty! It was all her fault that all of this happened!
"What's wrong with being selfish? There is no reason to feel guilty or ashamed about wanting something that is challenging to obtain."
However, what Hiroki said next made Aya flinch for a moment.
She wanted to be called guilty, which is why she didn't expect the response that Hiroki just gave her.
It shook her to the core, to the point where she would cry again. But she forced herself to stay calm... Crying right now wouldn't bring her parents back.
"Many humans are driven by a greed that grows stronger the more they earn power and money. They work, eat, sleep, think, and seek every second of their lives. And what's funny is that none of them realize that."
Hiroki looked out of the window as he continued speaking to Aya.
"If you think that what you did was shameful, then I'm afraid to tell you that other people in this world are much worse. You might as well call them demons from the number of sins they have committed."
As she was listening to what Hiroki was saying, Aya let out a snort while trying to prevent herself from laughing.
"...Calling everyone a demon is something unheard of."
"I don't know how demons act, but everyone in this world might be in an even worse state than them." Hiroki slightly smiled while looking down on the girl lying on the bed.
Aya, who had been hiding her tired face behind her arm the entire time, slowly moved her arm, revealing her tired face and looking at Hiroki on her side.
While she still had light injuries and visible scars from the chains she just ripped off, she still kept her calm composure.
"....thank you for remaining by my side…" Aya gave a pained, yet thankful, smile as she was looking at Hiroki.
She knew the importance her relationship with Hiroki held, which is why she was very thankful for him being with her this whole time.
"Don't need to thank me. You're the one who's helping me after all."
Hiroki responded while keeping his nonphysical hands wrapped around one another.
"But forget about that. I really insist that you take a rest right now. Your body is still recovering from breaking your limits today."
Aya, who then slowly laid her body on the side facing the window, looked at Hiroki with raised and lonely brows.
"Then, do you mind if you sleep with me?"
Hiroki's eyes widened briefly before slowly closing and floating over the bed as if sleeping on it.
"If that's what will make you sleep, then I'm okay with it."
Hiroki wanted to keep her body in top shape, which is why he tried to make Aya have enough rest from overworking her body.
He can't sleep in the first place, which is why he had to pretend to be sleeping by lying on the bed.
Aya, who was still lying on her side, buried half of her slightly flushed face while looking at Hiroki, who was only a few centimeters away. Even though she couldn't touch him, it almost felt like he was sleeping with her.
Then after some brief moments, she closed her eyes…