บท 2022: Not backing down

A gratified smile bloomed on Kaoru-san's face. Her gaze resting upon me became gentler. It's as if she's already thanking me even though I haven't done anything yet.

"Onoda-kun, don't put this matter above anything else. I've long accepted that the crux of the problem lies within me. The reason I still haven't overcome it 'til this day is because I cannot let go of my fixation towards perfection. It may appear excessive for everyone. But for me, I now treat it as a normal thing."

Kaoru-san's gratified smile relaxed, and she once again took a sip from her tea, seemingly reducing her body's tension.

She looked more relaxed as though she had just dropped the weight she was carrying.

I briefly mulled over her words, processing them quickly in my head.

That sounded reasonable. If I was in her shoes, I might also come to accept that condition. It's kinda like how I accepted my desire or that it's seemingly incurable at this point.