Hitori looked at Chisato with some concern. He had been silent for a long time.
Since she gave her final answer, at least two or three minutes had passed.
Two or three minutes might not seem like a long time at first glance.
But considering they were in a small storage room behind the bar, face to face, those two or three minutes felt incredibly long.
Hitori's state of mind shifted from anxiety to unease, and then to extreme panic as time went by.
Summoning the little courage she had left, she cautiously reached out, grabbing the edge of Chisato's clothing and giving it a slight tug.
"Um… Suzumiya-kun…"
Chisato slowly exhaled. His gaze, which had been casually looking somewhere, shifted to Hitori's face, and he remained silent.
Seeing him like this, Hitori nervously swallowed.
But recalling the joy she had just experienced, she mustered the courage to speak up, hoping he would keep his promise.
"Have you… finished asking the questions? If so… about the reward… can it be… redeemed now?"
She watched Chisato's expressionless face, her words losing confidence and her voice growing fainter until it was almost inaudible.
She had originally held onto the edge of his clothing but now released it, stepping back with her head lowered, her expression one of disappointment.
It was likely that the word she used to describe killing Chisato had made him feel disgusted.
He probably now thought she was a disturbed woman, dreaming of such dangerous things.
Chisato didn't know Hitori's current thoughts, but he did thoroughly understand the ins and outs of last night's simulation.
The evil simulation was utterly absurd, filled with layers upon layers of traps! It was impossible to defend against!
But what troubled him most was Hitori's choice.
He stepped forward, his hand slowly approaching under Hitori's hopeful gaze.
She even slightly parted her lips, preparing to be embraced. But the next moment, she received a knock on the forehead.
"Are you an idiot? Why did you choose the last option? Why not choose to kill me, or the other person you mentioned?"
"Huh?"
Hitori, holding her head, wondered if she had just hallucinated.
Did Chisato just ask her to choose to kill him?
"Forget it…"
Muttering this, Chisato pulled over a high stool from the storage room and sat down.
He spread his legs, beckoning Hitori with his fingers and patting his thigh.
Hitori froze for a moment but then understood.
She quickly ran over, squatting down and gently pounding with her fists.
Chisato was at a loss. What was going on here?
"Ah—"
Hitori was pulled by Chisato into his embrace, and the next moment, she was naturally seated on his lap, showing a panic-stricken reaction.
But after the initial panic came a mountain of happiness.
Chisato's left hand firmly clasped her waist, while his right hand held hers, forcing her to extend her finger, which he then bit again.
Hitori's mind was trembling with excitement!
"I have one last question."
"Ah… yes…"
"Besides the strange dream you mentioned, where it felt like a game with various options, was there anything else you didn't tell me?"
"Something else?"
"Yes. Since you said the dream was like a game, shouldn't there be the usual thing after completing the game? Like what I just promised you."
Chisato guided Hitori.
"That thing… Are you talking about the reward, Suzumiya-kun?"
"Yes, after the game-like dream ends, is there no reward?"
"…No."
Hitori shook her head, speaking truthfully.
"At the end of the dream, I was deep in the ocean."
"My consciousness gradually blurred and then I suddenly woke up. After that, apart from feeling very confused, nothing else strange happened."
Although she didn't receive a clear reward, due to the first-person perspective immersion, she might have inherited some traits of the character she controlled in the dream.
Chisato reached a conclusion.
The contemplation didn't last long, and he had almost figured everything out.
And now, the most important thing is how to handle the relationship with Hitori, his obedient and capable "wife" from the simulation, in reality.
Speaking of which, the purity love system currently shows that she has four hearts of affection towards him.
He wondered how far four hearts could go.
After some thought, he decided to try.
Chisato's left hand slid down from her waist, following the curves of her backside.
"Hmm…"
Hitori suddenly brought her legs together, her body going limp as she collapsed into Chisato's embrace.
Holding her, Chisato felt that he didn't need to confirm anything further.
Even if he carried her home now, she probably wouldn't resist and might even buy a supply of baby products.
With just a command from him, she would come closer and he would start moving.
"How do you feel about that strange dream from last night, Hitori?"
Chisato gently stroked Hitori's chin.
"Hmm—hmm—feel… feel?"
Hitori felt her consciousness drifting away.
"Yes."
"I'm… happy to dream about Suzumiya-kun…"
"But you were gone in the end."
"Even so… I'm still happy…"
"I see, I understand."
After saying this calmly, Chisato continued to hold Hitori's waist with one hand while using the other to gently tap on his phone.
Hitori was curious about what he was doing but restrained her curiosity and avoided looking at the phone screen.
"Alright, look at this."
Chisato showed her the phone.
Hitori saw a shopping app with a collar listed as the product, and she was puzzled.
"Hitori, you like me, don't you?"
"Eh!?"
Hitori, who had secretly slipped her hand into Chisato's shirt, instinctively tightened her grip.
"If you don't like me, get off me now."
"I… I like you!"
"Then, since that's the case, if I buy this and give it to you, would you consider being my cat?"
"Cat?"
What does this mean? Is this a confession or a request to date?
Although she wasn't entirely sure, Hitori nodded with both anticipation and excitement.
How could she agree to such an insult?
Promise me, Hitori, don't be anyone else's pet, even if that person is me.
Chisato put away his phone. He wasn't like the character from last night's simulation, who would merely talk without meaning it.
He couldn't be so cruel.
"What if I tell you that, in addition to you, I want to have more cats in the future?"
"What… does that mean?"
"It means that the things I do with you now, I want to do with others as well."
Without any warning, Chisato lowered his head and gently kissed Hitori's delicate lips.
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