บท 103: Chapter 103: Yuko Folding Paper Cranes.
Minami Yuuki looked down at Ibuki Yuko. The girl's small frame was tightly pressed against him, her slender arms wrapped around his waist. She looked up at him with her doll-like, expressionless face, her deep eyes reflecting the moonlight.
Memories and sensations from the free simulation quickly resurfaced in Yuuki's mind. He recalled his experiences and instinctively reached out to touch her cheek.
He quickly suppressed this impulsive action.
Now was not the time. If romance were a singing competition, this was still the preliminary round. He couldn't hastily choose a champion and award the trophy.
"I wasn't planning to jump," he told her.
After he said it, he found himself puzzled.
He had thought that the key moment was the truck during summer break, when they both ignored it. Simple thoughts of death and mere companionship hadn't worked before.
The green truck, barreling towards them under the glaring summer sun, had cast them in the same shadow of death. His presence, borrowing the power of death, briefly intruded into Yuko's tightly closed inner world, leaving a clear mark that sparked her interest in him.
Now, he had to doubt himself. Just standing by the river had drawn her concern, much like that truck incident.
Is it enough to just be on the brink of death?
He quickly dismissed this thought.
It wasn't simply being near death. Over the years, Yuko must have seen others standing by the river, but she had never thrown herself into anyone else's arms like this.
Why did Ibuki Yuko make this unusual move this time? Yuuki furrowed his brow, his mind racing.
Was it because of his looks? No, a doll-like girl unafraid of death wouldn't be so superficial, although his looks were indeed top-notch.
Was it because of his companionship? No, he had only been around her for a few days. With her appearance, there must have been many who had lingered around her.
He looked at the girl in front of him, who still hadn't let go of his waist. This was also different from the simulation, where she would quickly leave after saving him.
"Really?" Yuko's clear voice echoed over the river.
She let go of Yuuki's waist, stepped back, and lightly clenched her hands. Her eyes never left his face. She had been following him, fearing that the death-seeking boy from her dreams might meet a premature end.
After Yuuki and Chitose Kazumi left by train, she couldn't follow because she didn't have a train card and had to wait at the station.
Finally, she saw him return, only to watch him walk straight towards the river.
In her dream, the boy didn't stop until summer break, until the green, insect-like truck approached, trying to end his life.
She thought this time he might just be looking at the water, without the intention or decision to jump. To be safe, she should act according to the dream, waiting for the truck and then rushing to him.
But she couldn't wait. She was a poor swimmer, and even with her small frame, good swimming skills wouldn't help save him. If Yuuki really jumped, she would be helpless.
She couldn't take the risk. She had to run out and hold onto him by the river.
"...Really," Yuuki placed his hand on Yuko's head. Her soft hair brushed against his palm, sending a ticklish sensation.
He was deliberately taking advantage of her, but he was also testing her. If she were her usual self, she would brush his hand away.
But this Yuko didn't.
"Senpai seems a bit strange today," he directly asked.
Caught!
Approaching him now was definitely a bad move!
Yuko's mind raced, searching for a way to divert his attention.
If she lifted her skirt and revealed the top of her black stockings...
No, that would only make him more suspicious.
She was frustrated by her current distance from Yuuki.
She chose not to answer his question, maintaining her cold demeanor, a reflection of her previous self and her current disguise.
"Let's go, time to sleep." She grabbed Minami Yuuki's hand and pulled him towards the apartment.
Walking beside the girl, Yuuki glanced at her delicate neck under her soft cheeks. The white, swan-like neck wrapped in the light blue collar of her sailor uniform reminded him of a white swan gliding on water that mirrored the blue sky. His heart beat a bit faster.
The events of tonight left him puzzled, and he tried to find an explanation but couldn't.
"Do you like paper cranes?" Ibuki Yuko suddenly asked.
"Is senpai going to give me one?" Yuuki countered.
"Yes."
Yuko's sudden proposal and promise took Yuuki by surprise.
Paper cranes!
The symbol of simulation attempts!
The thing he currently wanted and lacked the most!
Since Yuko was beginning to care about him, it meant she already had feelings for him. If he could obtain paper cranes imbued with her feelings, he could gain more simulation attempts!
Yuko had never given out a paper crane before; optimistically, even if it didn't convert to five attempts, it could still yield two or three!
He might be able to get more simulation attempts from Nakajima Reina too!
"How does senpai know about paper cranes?"
More than the excitement of receiving the paper cranes, Yuuki was curious about how she knew about them.
"I saw you carrying them last time," Yuko said.
So that's how. He had indeed been carrying bags of paper cranes lately.
Seeing that Yuuki wasn't suspicious, Yuko felt a bit smug. From her dream, she had seen a large pile of paper cranes in Yuuki's closet and concluded that he was collecting them, especially since she had seen him carrying paper cranes recently.
Those cranes must have come from Asano Nao. That sneaky cat!
This time, she was determined to replace all the cranes in his closet with ones she had folded!
"I'll give it to you tomorrow morning," Yuko said, setting the time for the handover, "So you can't die."
She looked up at the moonlight. It was getting late, and Honoka would be coming home after drinking.
She quickened her pace.
Yuuki followed behind, letting the petite senpai pull him along.
A few late-returning office workers found their dynamic amusing and heartwarming, smiling at the sight of the small girl leading the taller boy by the hand.
Yuko walked Yuuki all the way to his doorstep, waved goodbye, and turned to leave.
Watching her disappear around the corner, Yuuki turned and opened his apartment door.
His mind now had another layer of confusion.
How did Yuko know exactly where his apartment was? Had he mentioned his apartment number in front of her? Or had she seen him enter before?
The mystery of Asano Nao wasn't solved yet, and now there was the mystery of Ibuki Yuko.
Never mind, the priority now was to ask Nakajima Yohei if Nakajima Reina was really his daughter.
If Yuko wasn't messing with him, he would get more simulation attempts tomorrow morning.
He needed to find clues about Nakajima Reina quickly; otherwise, he'd end up like he did when he first started simulating Asano Nao—going through the whole simulation without seeing the person he was supposed to interact with.
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