The daylight was dim, and only the shadows of clouds could be seen outside the window, with no sign of the sun.
The faint light filtering through the glass illuminated Ibuki Yuko's face, making the tears rolling down her cheeks exceptionally clear.
Minami Yuuki had never seen the girl cry; flowing tears had nothing to do with a motionless doll.
So when those tears rolled down her pale cheeks, he was captivated by this miraculous sight, and his first instinct was to reach out and catch those sparkling droplets.
Suppressing this instinctive action, he knew that catching the tears would be of no use.
Ibuki Yuko put down her phone. The tears had not yet marred her doll-like elegance.
There was no sobbing, no sorrowful cry; she was just quietly shedding tears.
Minami Yuuki held her in his arms, feeling the cool wetness spreading on his T-shirt.
"Mom doesn't want me anymore," her voice was like a clear spring.
"We can go see her. I'll find her," Minami Yuuki promised.
His comfort had no effect. This makeshift approach was not what the girl needed.
Ibuki Yuko shook her head, wrapped her slender arms around his waist, and a surprising strength emanated from her fragile arms.
She clung tightly to his shirt. "Don't leave me."
"I won't leave you, Senpai." Minami Yuuki lifted her tear-streaked face and kissed her lips, tasting the bitter saltiness of her tears.
[Ibuki Honoka coldly rejected her daughter's plea, bluntly saying they should live their separate lives. She didn't say goodbye, implying they would never meet again. As Ibuki Yuko wept, you consoled her.]
[Despite feeling a bit guilty towards Ibuki Yuko, you indeed felt relieved. In your mind, the only external factor that could affect your relationship was Ibuki Honoka, and now, that obstacle had removed itself.]
In reality, Minami Yuuki also breathed a sigh of relief.
Previously, he had worried about whether Ibuki Honoka would strongly interfere with their relationship, forcing Ibuki Yuko to choose between her mother and her lover.
But now, it seemed that Ibuki Honoka had chosen to step back and leave Yuko to him.
On closer thought, Ibuki Honoka's actions—abandoning her daughter in such a cold manner—might actually contain remnants of her love for her daughter.
If all her feelings were jealousy, as a mother, she could have caused a lot of trouble for the two of them, but she didn't. She merely tested her daughter's boyfriend and then chose to leave.
The more he pondered, the more Minami Yuuki believed Honoka's actions stemmed from such emotions. His resentment towards her diminished.
"I misjudged you, Honoka-san! During the ancestral rites, I'll pour you a few extra cups of sake!" He continued reading the simulation text.
[The Ibuki family apartment is rented until next year. You inquired with the manager, and Honoka hadn't canceled the lease. Additionally, the household money left in the bedroom closet would barely last until next spring. You suspected this home and money were left intentionally for Yuko to complete her high school studies.]
[Fearing that Honoka's departure might drive Yuko to despair, you thickened your skin and stayed at the Ibuki home, remaining by her side. Actually, before you could even voice your prepared excuse, Yuko offered to prepare a bed for you, and you naturally stayed.]
[The 11th-floor apartment was slightly larger than yours, with an extra living room and a small kitchen, but only one bedroom and one bed. The girl laid out two quilts, she slept on the outside, and you on the inside.]
[In the dead of night, estimating that Yuko had fallen asleep, you opened your eyes, intending to sneak a peek at the sleeping girl.]
The memory scene appears.
The bright moonlight seeped through the gap in the curtains, barely outlining the items in the room.
Worried about Yuko's condition, Minami Yuuki gently turned over to face her direction and opened his eyes a sliver.
He was taken aback.
In front of him was the outline of the girl lying on her side, and just like him facing her, she was also facing him.
Did the girl turn unconsciously in his direction, or was she harboring the same intention as him, with her eyes open, looking at him?
Could a girl, who was like a clay doll, also have such soft and tender feelings?
The light was too dim for Minami Yuuki to see Ibuki Yuko's face clearly, and this question tickled his chest like a feather.
So he slowly reached out to touch the girl's cheek, and as his hand was in mid-air, her delicate fingers met his, guiding his large hand to her face.
Minami Yuuki's hand, just taken out from under the blanket, was especially warm. This warmth reassured Ibuki Yuko, and the slight sting from the heat, like a tiny electric current, not only didn't discomfort her but brought her joy.
She squinted her eyes, savoring the long-lost comfort. In childhood, her parents often caressed her face like this, and she used to push their hands away due to that slight discomfort. Now, they would never be by her side again.
Thinking of this, she suddenly opened her eyes, a strong sense of emptiness welling up from her chest, making her no longer satisfied with the light touch on her cheek.
She lifted Minami Yuuki's blanket and, under his slightly astonished gaze, crawled from her blanket into his.
Her hands wrapped around his neck, and with a familiarity forged over countless times, she found his lips in the darkness and bit them gently. The temperature in the bedroom gradually rose.
"I love you," was the first thing Ibuki Yuko said after releasing Minami Yuuki.
"Don't leave me," she tightly hugged his back and said the second thing.
[To your surprise, the girl was also looking at you. Honoka's departure finally made her aware of her own feelings, realizing her desire for love and to be loved. The happiest times of her life were in childhood, when her parents were still together, and she had two people who loved her and whom she loved.]
[Her father taught her cooking, her mother taught her schoolwork. She believed their family was an eternal pyramid. However, first, her father's decisive departure shattered one corner of the pyramid, and then her mother's unreturning gentleness, seemingly with resentment, coldness, completely destroyed the crumbling pyramid.]
[What is called solidity is existence; once it disappears, it is illusion. The pyramid she had disillusioned in her childhood had been repaired and revived on you for nearly a year. How long could this newfound solidity last? She felt uneasy about this. Only by holding your back tightly, sticking to your chest, feeling your heartbeat full of desire, could she see the solid gloss of the pyramid under the sun without damage.]
[Ibuki Yuko's feelings for you deepened. Honoka's departure not only didn't harm your feelings, but also made you closer.]
[The girl took even more careful care of you. While you were happy, you also felt vaguely ominous.]