[You turned around and saw Ibuki Yuko behind you, knowing your relationship was now secure.]
Goodness, pretending to be pitiful to deceive a kind-hearted girl, huh?
Reading the simulated text, Minami Yuuki marveled at his own maneuver.
As expected of me!
If it had been just the truck incident, it might have been a coincidence. But now, with Ibuki Yuko falling for it again, it couldn't be explained away as mere chance.
This was Ibuki Yuko's pattern: seeing him "seeking death," she couldn't leave him alone.
He continued reading the simulated text.
[Ibuki Yuko grabbed your wrist and tried to pull you away from the riverbank. Her strength was small, even using both arms, she couldn't budge you.]
[Her earnest effort and the complete lack of progress amused you.]
[You stood up voluntarily, your feet leaving the river's surface that reflected the sky, standing on solid ground.]
[The girl grasped your hand again, pulling you away from the riverbank under the cherry blossom tree, bringing you to the brick sidewalk.]
[Seeing you away from the river, she was relieved. Her delicate, petite hand left your palm as she turned and walked toward the convenience store.]
[You followed her, walking through the aisles together, watching her buy coffee and an ice pop before leaving the store.]
A memory scene appeared.
Amid the store clerk's "Thank you for shopping," Minami Yuuki and Ibuki Yuko walked out of the convenience store. A wave of heat hit them, their skin, which had just enjoyed a brief respite in the store, now facing the scorching sun again.
"Senpai, you're a bit too much. You pulled me away, but you're not paying any attention to me at all," Minami Yuuki walked beside Ibuki Yuko.
"I just pulled you away from the river," Ibuki Yuko replied, her elbows bent as she held a plastic bag.
The clerk had given her a bag too big for her height, so if she let her arms hang, the bottom of the bag would drag on the ground.
Minami Yuuki took the plastic bag from her.
"I was just sitting there enjoying the scenery."
"That place is dangerous."
Ibuki Yuko didn't care about Minami Yuuki's intentions, only the dangerous behavior itself.
"Where isn't dangerous? Like right now, there's a road full of cars right beside us. If I fell over that way, I could easily end up under the wheels," he said, deliberately walking on the edge of the sidewalk.
Ibuki Yuko turned her head, glancing at the passing cars. She grabbed Minami Yuuki's hand, pulling him to the inner side of the sidewalk.
Her small, smooth, and fair hand, like a doll's, had a warmth that was different from a doll's, gripping Minami Yuuki's fingers tightly.
Minami Yuuki turned his head, looking at her face. Though her expression showed no emotion, he could see the girl's inner resolve.
As she was about to let go, Minami Yuuki said, "I might suddenly feel dizzy and run into the middle of the road."
The girl's hand, which had just loosened a bit, gripped his hand tightly again.
Due to the heat, a fine layer of sweat had formed on her fair forehead, a few strands of hair sticking to it. This scene added a touch of life to her doll-like elegance.
Looking at her profile, holding her hand, Minami Yuuki couldn't help but feel moved.
Japanese dolls have a unique elegance and purity different from real people, but they also lack the vitality of a real person. In his memory, Minami Yuuki had carefully observed his sister's beloved dolls, feeling both attracted by their elegance and frightened by their dead air, especially at night.
He had wondered if there could be something that combined the elegance of a doll with the vitality of a real person.
Now, this fantastically delicate blend of doll and real person was right in front of him, in his hand.
His gaze became heated, his eyes scanning Ibuki Yuko's body, thinking about what kind of clothes to put on this doll-like girl and what pose to arrange.
He recalled the simulated text describing his desire to bring Ibuki Yuko home, change her clothes, and display her in a showcase.
Previously, he thought it was a bit exaggerated, but now it felt too conservative.
"Add me on LINE, senpai," he said, taking out his phone with his other hand.
"No need," Ibuki Yuko refused.
"August 11th, clear skies. Today I met Ibuki-senpai and asked to add her on LINE, but she said 'no need.' Such an unreserved and straightforward response deeply hurt my young heart, leaving me mentally scarred. It's not Ibuki-senpai's fault; she just spoke the truth. Yes, 'no need,' Ibuki-senpai doesn't 'need' me, this country doesn't 'need' me, this world doesn't 'need' me. My existence itself is inconsequential and worthless; without me, no one and nothing would be troubled. Maybe I shouldn't exist in this world..."
Minami Yuuki recited his essay on the spot. Halfway through, Ibuki Yuko took out her phone.
"I'll add you, please don't think like that," she said.
To give in so easily, how adorably naive, Ibuki-senpai!
After adding Ibuki Yuko's contact, Minami Yuuki saved it with the note "fiancée" and placed it in a separate friends group.
The apartment arrived, and soon they would part ways. Minami Yuuki felt reluctant and wondered whether to use his "desperation act" to coerce Ibuki Yuko into coming to his house.
He gave up; the act was merely an initial force to push the relationship forward. If he kept coercing, it wouldn't be an all-ages story but an adult one.
"See you tomorrow, Ibuki-senpai."
He handed the grocery bag to Ibuki Yuko, waved, and stepped out of the elevator.
[You asked Ibuki Yuko for her LINE, got rejected, then pretended to be desperate and hopeless, forcing the girl to add you on LINE.]
[The success of your plan boosted your confidence and made you more fond of this doll-like girl.]
[At night, lying in bed, you suddenly wondered what it would be like if gggtIbuki Yuko were really a doll. You called your sister Minami Airi and asked her to dress up one of her dolls as a long-haired, black sailor suit girl. Your sister refused, so you coerced her with your desperation act. Half an hour later, you received a bunch of doll photos.]
[You picked the most striking ones and sent them to Ibuki Yuko, but she didn't respond.]
[In the following days of summer vacation, you went to the Asano residence every morning, monitoring the alley in front of the apartment building from the study window.]
[Whenever you saw Ibuki Yuko pass by, you quickly left and 'accidentally' ran into her ahead.]
[You would be studying the hardness of the wall, observing the speed of passing cars, or examining the load-bearing capacity of tree branches. Each time, Ibuki Yuko would come to your side and pull you away from these dangerous objects.]
[She gradually began replying to your LINE messages, though only the seemingly important parts.]
[On the last day of summer vacation, she pulled you away from the library's third-floor railing and showed a displeased expression. This was the first time the girl showed any emotion, and you were overjoyed.]
--------------
[T/N: "我玉玉了" is a Chinese internet slang term, where "玉玉" (Yu Yu) is used to express a feeling of sadness, frustration, or being overwhelmed. The term is derived from the sound of crying or the word "郁闷" which means depressed or gloomy. So, the phrase could be translated as "I'm feeling sad" or "I'm frustrated."]