"Don't worry, Soukaku. Yanagi isn't angry with you. You can stay here tonight and sleep peacefully without thinking about anything else," Wise said gently as he stroked her head.
The moment he said that, Soukaku's eyes immediately began to glisten with tears. Her voice trembled slightly as she struggled to speak.
"Yanagi… Yanagi obviously… but I… Wise, I don't know anymore…"
"Soukaku, you don't have to force yourself to explain everything right now," Wise replied softly.
"You've had a long day, haven't you? Sometimes even facing your own feelings takes strength, and that's something you can only do after getting proper rest."
After hearing his comforting words, Soukaku quietly nodded and obediently climbed into bed.
Even after pulling the blanket over herself, her eyes remained fixed on Wise.
"Is there something else?" Wise asked after noticing her hesitant gaze.
Hearing that, Soukaku immediately buried half her face beneath the blanket, her voice turning shy and muffled.
"I… I want you to sleep with me… Is that okay?"
As she spoke, she lowered the blanket slightly, revealing her bright, expectant eyes.
Seeing her like that, Wise couldn't help but hesitate.
The moment Soukaku noticed his reluctance, her expression dimmed with disappointment.
"If it's difficult, then you don't have to force yourself," she murmured quietly. "I just feel a little uneasy right now… but once I fall asleep, I'll probably be fine…"
Her disappointed tone, combined with the pitiful look in her eyes, made it impossible for Wise to refuse.
Not long after, Soukaku, who had seemed tense ever since arriving, finally relaxed as she leaned against Wise's shoulder with a peaceful expression.
Seeing that, Wise let out a small smile before closing his eyes as well.
The night passed quietly, though throughout the night, he vaguely felt something nibbling at his neck from time to time.
By morning, Wise slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to check on Soukaku beside him, he suddenly noticed a damp sensation on his neck.
Turning his head, he saw Soukaku still clinging tightly to him, her face pressed against his neck.
The dampness came from a thin trail of drool slipping from the corner of her mouth.
'Did she get hungry in the middle of the night and start chewing on me or something? No wonder it felt like something was sucking on my neck while I was asleep…' Wise thought helplessly as he carefully tried to move away.
Unfortunately, Soukaku was holding onto his arm so tightly that he couldn't pull free. Instead, his movement stirred her awake.
"Mmm… Wise… g-good morning…"
Soukaku rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a small yawn.
As her mind gradually cleared, her gaze suddenly landed on the red mark on Wise's neck.
"Ah! What happened to your neck, Wise? It's all red… just like that time you stayed over at our house before…" she said as she reached out to touch the faint mark on his skin.
Looking at her completely innocent expression, Wise found himself unable to tell her the truth.
In the end, he could only awkwardly claim that he had accidentally brushed against something.
"Did you sleep well, Soukaku?" he asked with his usual gentle smile. "Do you want to rest a little longer?"
"No need, I'm fully rested!" Soukaku said brightly.
"Your bed and blanket are so soft… and they smell really comforting too. I was honestly scared to sleep last night, but thanks to you, I managed to sleep all the way until morning without a single nightmare."
Hearing that, Wise suddenly understood.
"A nightmare? So that's why you were acting strangely yesterday…?"
"Mm…" Soukaku lowered her eyes slightly. "Yesterday, I had a horrible dream. In it… Yanagi killed my older sister…"
As she spoke, the uneasiness returned to her face.
Wise, however, looked confused and asked, "Wait a second… I don't think I follow. Yanagi killed who?"
He naturally understood that the "older sister" Soukaku mentioned wasn't Yanagi herself.
After a brief hesitation, Soukaku quietly continued.
"My older sister… she was someone who grew up with me since childhood. We were always together, even when we barely had enough food to eat…" Her voice gradually softened.
"But then… a lot of things happened. I still don't fully understand everything myself. One day, my older sister disappeared… and after that, Yanagi took me in and gave me a new home…"
By the end of her explanation, confusion once again filled her expression.
"Both my older sister and Yanagi are precious to me… so why would I dream about something like that…?"
"So yesterday, you didn't want to go home or see Yanagi because you were scared?" Wise asked gently. "Soukaku, that was only a dream. The real Yanagi would never hurt your family."
But Soukaku shook her head weakly.
"No… that's not what scares me…" she whispered.
Tears slowly welled up in her eyes again.
"Even after waking up screaming… even after seeing Yanagi covered in my older sister's blood in that dream… the first thing I wanted to do was still run into her arms and cry…" Her voice trembled.
"Or come find you for comfort…"
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she lowered her head.
"How can someone like me even exist…? Someone who can't even live without relying on others..." She tightly clutched Wise's clothes.
"I'm weak… useless… If Yanagi realizes that's the kind of person I am… will she get tired of me too? Will she leave me behind like my older sister did…?"
Soukaku buried herself tightly against Wise, her voice shaking with fear.
"I'm scared… Wise… what should I do…?"
Wise gently patted her back while wrapping his other arm around her shoulders, holding her securely.
"It's okay, Soukaku," he said softly. "There's nothing wrong with relying on people. Humans are meant to support each other. That doesn't make you weak, and it definitely doesn't make you useless."
He smiled faintly before continuing.
"Actually, Yanagi relies on you too. But you wouldn't call her weak just because of that, right?"
"R-Really…?"
"Of course."
Wise nodded reassuringly.
"And if it still bothers you, maybe you can just learn to rely on more people. That way, instead of calling it dependence, people would simply call it having strong bonds with others."
Soukaku blinked in surprise before her face gradually brightened.
"Wise… that actually makes a lot of sense!" she said happily.
Then, without hesitation, she rubbed her face against his chest again.
"Besides, I already have two people I can rely on! One is Yanagi, and the other is you!"
Wise let out a helpless laugh as he carefully leaned back to avoid accidentally getting poked by her horns.
"If you want to rely on me, you can anytime."
"Then… Wise, can I stay here for one more day?" Soukaku asked expectantly. "I'll tell Yanagi I'm staying with you because… well, you're someone I can rely on too!"
Naturally, Wise agreed without hesitation.
The moment he did, Soukaku's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Overcome with happiness, she suddenly leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
Wise froze instantly.
'Wait… seriously? If Yanagi finds out about that, I'm absolutely finished…'
After recovering from the shock, he quickly cleared his throat and spoke in a serious tone.
"Soukaku… promise me you won't tell Yanagi that we slept together last night."
"Eh? Why?"
"Don't ask why. Just promise me you won't mention it."
"Oh!" Soukaku nodded earnestly. "Okay! I'll keep it a secret!"
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