"I met her in a dream."
Chisato's casual words made Utaha and Eriri shiver in unison. Neither of them expected this, and the situation suddenly became complicated.
"That girl... also had a dream like ours?"
Utaha was the first to ask eagerly, while Eriri stared intently at Chisato. His next answer would have a crucial impact on the development of subsequent events.
If it truly was the worst-case scenario, all the countermeasures she had considered would be ineffective.
Eriri empathized with the other person's position. She didn't believe that the girl who had the same experience as her would choose to give up so easily.
But Chisato shook his head.
"I've talked to her, but her situation is a bit different from yours, and I don't fully understand what's going on."
"What do you mean?"
"She doesn't have as clear a perception of the dream as you do, and she doesn't seem to be able to utilize some skills in the dream like you can."
Chisato carefully considered his words, distinguishing what could be said and what could not.
"In short, it's almost the same as me. She only dreamed about some general aspects, rather than remembering everything in detail like you do."
This statement was somewhat vague, but it allowed both of them to grasp the general situation.
Utaha frowned and fell silent, the "I'm very angry" expression she had been deliberately wearing slowly fading away.
Like Eriri, she realized that things were becoming more complicated.
Eriri glanced at the woman in black stockings and silently sighed at the ineffectiveness of this guy.
At the same time, she wondered whether she had truly experienced a dream of getting along with Chisato for the first time.
Why does he seem like a silver player?
She can't see anything wrong with her during the laning phase, but when it comes to team battles, many basic operations are severely flawed.
Initially, Eriri thought that forming an alliance with her would be useful, but so far, Utaha has had no effect at all and has instead cost her too much effort for no reason.
Eriri let out a long sigh inwardly. If she didn't ask at this moment, it would be difficult to speak again later.
She couldn't count on anyone else; she had to do it herself.
"Then... what did Chisato think?"
After a brief moment of deliberation, Eriri slowly approached Chisato, gently grabbed the corner of his shirt, bit her lower lip, and asked softly, her expression pitiful and uneasy.
Utaha raised her head and looked at her, not understanding the reason for her sudden outburst.
Chisato was also a bit confused.
"What?"
"That is... using Chisato as your subjective perspective, after experiencing the dream with that girl, now that you see her in reality, what do you think... of her?"
It was subtle. When Eriri said these words, she pronounced "dream" and "reality" extremely clearly, intentionally reminding the others of the difference between the two.
Although she and Utaha had brought their dream relationship into reality, that didn't stop her from blocking the road after having walked through it.
This was not the same as breaking someone else's bowl to prevent others from eating when you were full.
There can be no compromise in love, and there is no room for the intervention of any third party.
The Utaha girl was an exception.
Though it felt strange to say this, Eriri had been forced to spend her entire life with her in the dream, and she did have some subtle feelings for her.
Eriri could accept her and share some of her energy in intimacy that she couldn't satisfy with Chisato alone, but beyond that, Eriri didn't want to get involved with any more partners.
Just the three of them, plus a crow, and a few more children in the future would be happy enough.
Therefore, her question was very important.
Chisato's answer would represent his inner thoughts. If he answered calmly that he felt nothing, then of course everyone would be happy.
But if he hesitated or avoided eye contact, it would mean the situation had become extremely serious.
As various thoughts emerged in Eriri's mind, Utaha's brain was also spinning rapidly.
She wasn't stupid; otherwise, she wouldn't have been taunting Eriri all day without being able to do anything about it.
What she lacked was experience in dealing with similar matters.
Now that she heard Eriri's question, she looked up and saw Eriri's pretentious gesture from a female perspective, instantly understanding the deeper meaning behind it.
Thus, she quickly began to cooperate. She didn't add any more words but lowered her eyes and slightly pursed her lips.
The previously strong and angry demeanor quickly faded, replaced by a pitiful and extremely lost expression.
Well, it's not completely hopeless...
Eriri glanced at Utaha's reaction from the corner of her eyes, making this comment from the bottom of her heart.
Concealment and deception are not advisable in love, but what they were doing now was simply amplifying a small amount of inner emotion and revealing it.
If they pushed it too far, it would only be seen as acting. Even if the other party noticed something of this level, it wouldn't have a significant impact.
This was also why Eriri felt comfortable using this little trick.
Now, let's observe the reaction of the most important person involved, Chisato.
He first glanced at Utaha, whose demeanor had turned resentful in an instant, making her seem extremely distressed.
Then he took Eriri's small hand, which was gripping the corner of his shirt, in his palm, raised it to his lips, and kissed her gently.
Then he gave them an unexpected answer that went beyond established responses.
"That girl's name is Isshiki Iroha. I feel... very guilty about her."
After answering, he slightly opened his mouth and exhaled, his eyes growing weary as he hugged Eriri again, resting his head on her small but soft chest, and closed his eyes.
Guilty...? Guilty???
What is this?!
Time and again, things went beyond their expectations, and their minds were nearly overwhelmed.
"Wait a minute, what does guilt mean..."
"Hello!"
As Utaha, a little agitated and wanting to question him again, began to speak, Eriri immediately stopped her.
"It's getting late. Let Chisato rest for a while, and let's go cook."
Seeing Eriri's direct gaze, Utaha closed her eyes, opened them again after a moment, nodded, stood up, and walked into the kitchen first.
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