The icy, bone-chilling water covered her nose and mouth, and Ichiko only felt her breathing become increasingly difficult.
Someone stood on the shore watching her, and no matter how she struggled or cried for help, they were unwilling to extend a hand to save her.
The pain, the suffocation, the feeling of her body sinking little by little and continuously losing temperature made her hair stand on end. She struggled with all her might and finally saw the figure on the shore clearly.
That person... was herself?
Who was the person about to drown in the water?
Ichiko lowered her head and found that she no longer felt the choking sensation of drowning.
The icy lake surface before her gradually turned into a bathtub, and the submerged figure had become Haruko at some point.
This figure was looking at her with resentment.
It seemed to be questioning and cursing, "Why didn't you save me? You could have easily reached out and saved me, why did you watch me drown and not save me!"
Ichiko's lips were dry, she held her head in her hands and shook it like crazy, murmuring, "No... it's not that I didn't want to save you, it's not that I didn't want you, I... I..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Haruko in the bathtub was completely submerged by the crimson water.
"Haruko!"
Ichiko suddenly woke up from her dream. She sat up and reached out into the air, trying to grasp something, but couldn't touch anything.
She gulped in large breaths of air. Her blurry vision gradually cleared, and her splitting headache and the familiar living room before her made her realize that what she had just experienced was only a dream.
After calming down a little, Ichiko suddenly shouted loudly again, "Where is Haruko? How is Haruko!"
The long-legged woman in a sweater leaning on the other side of the sofa yawned, "You're awake. Your Haruko is out of danger. She's currently in Inari's private Hospital, please don't worry."
Hearing this, Ichiko felt greatly relieved, "Really?"
"I was just afraid you'd do something foolish when you woke up, that's why I've been waiting here until you woke up. Are you feeling better?"
She wasn't wearing the sachet. Ichiko didn't feel much better after sleeping, only more tired.
She covered her forehead, forcing herself to understand the current situation, "I'm very sorry to trouble you. I haven't asked who you are yet?"
"My name is Akina." Akina got up and poured Ichiko a cup of hot water, "I'm one of Inari's few friends, I guess. He asked me to look after you."
"Thank you." Ichiko took a sip of hot water. Even though it was very hot, she felt her body warm up considerably.
She looked at Akina and asked hesitantly, "That Miss Qian... do you know the specific details about Haruko?"
"The rescue was successful. She's still in a coma. Her life was saved, but it's unclear if there will be any after-effects." Akina said lightly, then asked curiously, "Although asking this might make you recall unpleasant things, I'm still very curious."
"What exactly did you do to that little one to make her so desperate that she chose to leave this world?"
She pointed to the suicide note in Ichiko's hand, "Can I take a look at this?"
Ichiko pursed her lips and handed the suicide note to Akina.
She blamed herself, "It's all my fault. Haruko... she liked me, she confessed to me and I didn't accept her."
"Huh?!"
Akina was shocked by Ichiko's words before she even had a chance to read the suicide note, "Inari told me she regarded you as a family member, so what's this about a confession..."
"Inari must have misunderstood." Ichiko hadn't told Inari about Haruko's situation either, "The truth is, Haruko liked me, even with a very morbid and twisted love. She has a split personality and is a yandere. I didn't accept her when she confessed to me."
"Then, even though I never told her about the marriage contract and Murasaki, she somehow found out."
"Finally... her emotions collapsed, she thought I didn't want her anymore, so..."
She didn't continue, but Akina already understood the specific situation.
She had also heard a little about yanderes.
She originally thought this was a trait imagined by netizens lacking love in the two-dimensional world, but she didn't expect it to exist in reality.
Ichiko seemed to be seeking validation and said to Akina, "Miss Qian, you also think this isn't quite right, don't you? Although I grew up with Haruko, I've always treated her as my Little Sister and haven't had those kinds of feelings for her."
"And yet she kept saying she liked me. Even putting all that aside, girls and girls, it's... too strange, isn't it?"
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