Hoshimi lay down on his bed as soon as he got home, pulled out his phone, and stared at it blankly for a moment, unsure of who to talk to.
Should he ask Yukino about her conversation with her sister? That probably wouldn't get him anywhere—Yukino is quite evasive when it comes to anything about her sister. Trying to get her to bring it up herself would likely make her uncomfortable.
Still, Yukino had made significant progress compared to before. There was a time when facing her sister was like a rabbit confronting an eagle or a mouse meeting a cat—she'd be too scared to know what to do. At least now she could face her sister alone. That was already a huge improvement.
It wasn't a waste of time for Yukino to have spent so much time around him—at least she had grown braver.
Not bad, not bad at all.
As he mused, Hoshimi suddenly noticed an unread email. Opening it, he saw it was from Kotoko, sent around noon.
"Hoshimi, don't worry, I'll take care of myself. Also, I'll be busy tonight, so don't pull me into the dream world. I've completed about 50% of the work now, so I'll be back soon. – Your adorable Kotoko."
She's already 50% done after just one day?
Kotoko's work efficiency was astonishing. At this rate, he could probably see her by next Monday at the latest.
Hoshimi thought about it for a bit, then picked up his phone and replied.
'Kotoko, take care and eat well. Call me if anything comes up, I'm always on standby.'
The next couple of days were the weekend, and his date with Kasumigaoka had been canceled because she was rushing to meet a deadline. So, he didn't have much else going on and would likely spend the weekend at home.
In that case, if Kotoko needed help, he could jump into her dream at any moment to assist her to some extent.
Hoshimi waited a moment with his phone in hand, but when Kotoko didn't reply, he tossed it aside.
As for Kasumigaoka, she was probably holed up in her "black room" working on her manuscript, so he decided not to disturb her.
Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Hoshimi realized he suddenly had free time...
Recently, he had been juggling between Kotoko, Yukino, and Kasumigaoka so much that he almost forgot what it felt like to relax...
"Ugh..." Hoshimi rolled over, staring blankly ahead.
What should he do? He couldn't keep going like this forever. Eventually, Kasumigaoka's presence would be exposed. When that happens, dealing with Yukino would be tough, and Kotoko would be even trickier—he hadn't forgotten the things she said.
"Ugh, such a hassle..." Hoshimi muttered to himself.
The next moment, he sprang up from his bed, scratched his head, and sat at his computer desk.
Forget it, he thought. I'll stop worrying for now and relax with a game. Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow. As long as I'm not dead, I'll figure something out.
Click—!
Hoshimi pressed the power button, and the soft hum of the fan filled the room.
The screen lit up, the glaring white light illuminating Hoshimi's overly pale face.
As the computer booted up, he stretched his neck and wrists, getting himself ready for the 'battle' ahead.
...
An hour later, Hoshimi shut the game down, losing interest.
It had only been a few days since he last played, but for some reason, the motivation to continue just disappeared. Even though he was still the top player on the server and could effortlessly crush his opponents, the game suddenly felt strange and unfamiliar.
"Tsk," Hoshimi clicked his tongue and opened the game forum to look for more engaging games.
"Hmm? Since when did fighting games dominate the rankings?"
Seeing a fighting game topping the charts, Hoshimi was full of questions.
In this age where games of all kinds are flourishing, it's rare for a fighting game to dominate the rankings.
After all, everyone knows the drill—fighting games have a high learning curve, require specialized skills, and are quite hardcore. These aspects make them fun but also raise the entry bar, making it hard for some players to get into them.
"Interesting, I haven't really played many fighting games before. Let's download it and see what it's all about."
The unexpected dominance of a fighting game piqued Hoshimi's interest, so he downloaded the game called 'Atafami' to give it a try.
Before long, the game finished installing, and Hoshimi launched it. At the name entry screen, he paused for a moment, then typed in 'Shimiho' (Flipping his name).
"Alright, let's start the game..."
Hoshimi skipped the tutorial and jumped straight into a match...
...
At 10:30 PM, Yukino finally saw her sister off and let out a long sigh of relief. She rubbed her shoulders, her face full of exhaustion, and headed toward the bathroom.
Dealing with her sister was so tiring... A bath, then she'd find Hoshimi in the dream world to relax...
By 11:00 PM, Yukino was already in bed, quietly waiting for Hoshimi to pull her into the dream.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock—"
The clock ticked, and time passed bit by bit.
At 11:01, Yukino's expression remained unchanged.
It's just one minute. Hoshimi probably had something to take care of and might be a little delayed.
At 11:03, Yukino squinted her eyes.
It's been three minutes. What's Hoshimi doing? Could he be with that little girl alone?
No, stop overthinking. Maybe he really is busy. I'll wait a little longer.
At 11:07, Yukino sat up and picked up her phone.
She stared at the screen, holding out until 11:10, then finally sent Hoshimi a message.
"Hoshimi, what are you doing? Still not asleep?"
"Tick-tock, tick-tock—"
Listening to the ticking of the clock, Yukino felt slightly agitated. Why hadn't Hoshimi replied yet?
Could he really be with that little girl alone?
"Tsk," Yukino clicked her tongue and prepared to call Hoshimi directly to ask what was going on.
Just as she opened her contacts, Hoshimi's reply came.
"Ah, it's already 11? Yukino, sorry, I got caught up playing a game and lost track of time. I'll go take a shower now, and I'll be asleep in ten minutes. Wait for me." — Hoshimi.
Seeing Hoshimi's response, Yukino's tense expression softened a little.
So, Hoshimi was just playing a game? Well, that's fine then.
Yukino set her phone aside, slid back under the covers, and quietly waited for Hoshimi to pull her into the dream.
Ten minutes later, a deep drowsiness overtook Yukino, and her consciousness slowly slipped into Hoshimi's dream world.
===
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