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Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Light Novel) - Volume 20, Chapter 2: Ruth & Sanae in Wonderland
Volume 20, Chapter 2: Ruth & Sanae in Wonderland
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Part 1
It was on a clear afternoon in Autumn. Ruth had finished shopping and returned to room 106 to find Koutarou laying sprawled out sleeping in the middle of the room. It was Saturday and the school was closed. Koutarou had left for his part-time job in the morning and only returned just recently. After refreshing himself with a shower, he was showered in the Autumn sun and ended up taking an afternoon nap.
“Fufu, oh Master...”
Ruth put her shopping bag down on the kitchen and pulled out a blanket from the wardrobe to put it over Koutarou. As she did, Ruth had a calm and gentle expression.
“Achoo”
As she was putting the blanket over Koutarou, she accidentally touched his nose, causing Koutarou's nose to itch and making him sneeze. That wouldn't wake him up, but because of his movement the blanket on his chest was tossed off.
“Geez... fufufu...”
Ruth let out a giggle and sat down next to Koutarou, reaching out to fix the blanket.
“Ah...”
As she was fiddling with the blanket, trying to put it back, Ruth's hand brushed against Koutarou's chest, as if she was about to kiss him. Having noticed that, she blushed and stopped moving.
Uhm, this... isn't on purpose...
Ruth began making excuses in her head. It wasn't like she was trying to, but being as virtuous as she was, this was somewhat shameless. To her this was on a different level from walking around with arms linked. While it was embarrassing, she didn't really want to stop. She wanted to stay like this forever, and if possible, she'd like to get even closer, to the point where their lips almost touched. Ruth's stare was fixed on Koutarou's lips and her body was moving closer to him on its own. Ruth was spacing out as if she was dreaming, creating a sweet atmosphere.
“Kya Kya Kya! N-No, I can't do something as bold as this! And in his sleep! No, no, no, I can't!!”
Just before their lips touched, Ruth returned to herself. With the decisive moment in front of her, Ruth's serious personality barely won out and put the brakes on. As Ruth thought of what she was about to do, she felt like she could die from embarrassment. She couldn't believe that she, whom she and others admitted to being so earnest, would fall so hard for a man that she would forget herself. If possible she'd like to flip over a tatami mat and hid under it.
But I'm glad, I ended up not doing something empty...
At the same time, Ruth felt relief. What Ruth wanted were feelings, not the actions themselves.
Lovers aside... even though it feels like we're closer than lovers... something like this is too one-sided for the first time...
Forcing herself onto Koutarou in his sleep was just such an empty act. If they were lovers that would've still been okay, but they weren't right now. Being so serious, she would surely regret it later.
“... Master...”
Eventually Ruth began poking at Koutarou's cheek. She believed that it was also Koutarou's fault for having been so embarrassed. This was close to simple accusation, but she believed she'd be forgiven for some slight mischief.
“... Take that, and that... fu fu... do you give up yet, Master...”
Since she asserted herself so little on a daily basis, she seemed to be having so much fun when she poked Koutarou. The sense of security from knowing that no one was watching pushed her back.
“Nnnn Nnn...”
However, Ruth stopped abruptly because Koutarou's expression turned for the worse in his sleep.
“... Oh no, I went too far... I'm sorry, Master...”
Having lost sight of herself again, Ruth stopped with her mischief.
“That's right, if I do this then...”
In order to make up for going too far, Ruth decided to give Koutarou a lap pillow. That would make it a little easier to sleep to make up for her failure. Ruth slipped her knees under Koutarou's head and looked down on his face.
This is unavoidable. He'll be able to sleep better like this after all...
This was their home so she could actually just pull out a real pillow from the wardrobe. But Ruth was a girl in love, so she pretended not to notice.
Part 2
Sanae ran back home to room 106 about 30 minutes after Ruth had come home. She ran straight to room 106 like a bullet to show off the parka with bunny ears on the hood.
“Koutarou! Koutarou! Look, isn't it cute!”
“S-Sanae-sama!?”
This surprised Ruth. She felt like she was in a dream as she had spent almost half an hour giving Koutarou a lap pillow, stroking his cheek and fiddling with his hair. As a result, she had completely let her guard down as she hadn't expected someone to come running in. She was incredibly surprised, and so shocked it felt like someone had grasped her heart and frozen her body stiff.
“Oh, he's sleeping...”
”...”
“Hm? What's wrong, Ruth”
Sanae on the other hand had no idea why Ruth was surprised. When she had been a ghost, she had often clung onto Koutarou, so she couldn't imagine that Ruth would be surprised or embarrassed from being seen like that.
“N-No, it's nothing...”
Ruth shook her head as she blushed. She was red like a tomato.
”Sanae-chan, this is...”
That was when the 'Sanae-san' inside of her told 'Sanae-chan' what Ruth's reaction meant. Lately, she had gotten used to Koutarou and the others, and 'Sanae-san' would show expressions like this.
“Ah, so that's why!”
”!!”
Sanae showed signs of understanding, and Ruth hurriedly looked down. As a result, Sanae could tell that even her ears were red.
“Isn't it fine, clinging to Koutarou like that. It's like an anime”
While she understood why Ruth was blushing, she couldn't really understand it. Getting embarrassed at strange things only invited laughter.
“Uhh... even if you say that...”
Ruth was too embarrassed to look up. There was a big distance in the their values. However, being spotted by Sanae was the silver lining of a dark cloud. If it had been Shizuka or Yurika, she'd have been teased a lot more.
“It's fine if you love him. Some feelings won't be conveyed unless you stick to him after all”
“... It would be a lot easier if I could just think like Sanae-san... this was something I was born with...”
Ruth looked up a little and glanced at Sanae. After confirming that she was gently smiling, and letting out a sigh of relief, Ruth was finally able to look up.
“Ruth is serious after all. I think you should be more honest with yourself”
”This is as honest as I can get. I can't see Master's heart like you, Sanae-sama. And I don't want to go too far and get hated by him...”
”Koutarou wouldn't hate you”
”I hope so”
Ruth lightly furrowed her brows and looked down on Koutarou's face again. Despite this commotion, he hadn't so much as flinched as he continued sleeping. Maybe he was having a nice dream as he had a bright expression.
“I just can't imagine... what he's thinking about”
”Then, why don't we take a look?”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
Ruth was confused by Sanae's sudden proposal. She had no idea what she was talking about.
“You want to know what Koutarou is thinking and dreaming about, right?”
“Well, yes... but, how would I? Not even Forthorthe has technology to look into a person's mind directly”
”We don't need something like that. It's much simpler”
Ruth didn't think it was possible to do what Sanae was talking about. If anyone could, it would be Clan, but that didn't seem to be Sanae's intention.
“You astral project and slip into Koutarou's dream. It's simple”
”A-Astral project!?”
Sanae revealed her method full of confidence and her arms crossed, but it was far too unexpected for Ruth.
Part 3
A dream is just one form of mental activity. In that case, a mental existence, the soul, should be able to assimilate with the dream. And in order to do that, astral projection was required. Sanae explained this to Ruth. Since this was Sanae's explanation, there was a liberal use of onomatopoeia and it was hard to understand, but Ruth got a grasp of Sanae's proposal.
“So Sanae-sama and I will astral project and enter Master's mind?”
”That's right. It's not hard at all”
“I understand what you're trying to say, but Sanae-sama is one matter, however I can't astral project”
”It's fine. Here we go!”
”W-Wait―”
“And we're done~♪”
“―a minute... eh, huh?”
Being in such a hurry, Sanae began the astral projection without waiting for Ruth's answer. She had grabbed Ruth's soul and pulled it out of her body, allowing even Ruth to easily astral project.
“S-Sanae-sama! I-I'm over there too!”
”Calm down, Ruth. You astral projected so it's only obvious that we'd be over there too”
“Even if you say that...”
Despite having easily astral projected, Ruth couldn't accept it as easily. She had been thrown into a mysterious situation like astral projection and was completely confused.
“Sanae-sama, did I die?”
Seeing her own translucent body and her other body not moving, it was only natural for her to suspect that she had died.
“Of course not. Just look, it's a cable”
Ruth looked at Sanae's back, and around her waist was a line, drawing from her parka's bunny tail, connecting to Sanae's other body.
“This line is connecting you to your body so it's okay”
”Ah, I have one too!”
Ruth had a similar line by her waist and it was connected to her other body. This was quite literally a life line, connecting the soul with the body. As long as they were connected through this, returning to their bodies was easy.
“Did you get it?”
”Y-Yes, somewhat”
It seemed like this was similar to the separation that Sanae was always doing. Having understood that, Ruth began calming down.
“Then this time it's over there! Let's go!”
”W-Wait a minute, Sanae-sama! What are we doing now!?”
“Ju~mp!”
However, Ruth was never given enough time to fully calm herself. Sanae grabbed hold of Ruth again and jumped towards the sleeping Koutarou. Strangely enough, Sanae's feet didn't land on Koutarou's body, and instead entered it, and being held by Sanae, Ruth traced the same fate.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
During that time, all Ruth could do was scream.
“... You seem to be having fun, Ruth”
”I'm not having fun!! Kyaaaaaaa!!”
Thus, Ruth and a white bunny that refused to listen entered the world within Koutarou's mind.
Part 4
Having jumped into Koutarou, the two arrived at a very bright space. There was nothing there, but it was a comfortable place, with a feeling similar to being bathed by the Autumn light.
“... This is... and our bodies are back to normal...”
Ruth looked around in confusion. She didn't know where they were, and her body had regained its form before she knew it. This was strange as they had astral projected and jumped into Koutarou's body.
“We have entered Koutarou's dream, so we look like we do in Koutarou's dream. Look closely, your clothes are different, right?”
”Now that you mention it, it's turned into the outfit I wear when exercising”
Seeing Ruth troubled, Sanae began explaining the situation. Because of it, Ruth was able to accept the situation. The two of them were currently in Koutarou's dream. That's why their outfits had changed into something that wouldn't be strange to appear in Koutarou's dream. As a result, their bodies had regained their form and their outfit had changed into what they wore when exercising.
“Then Master is seeing a dream about exercising”
”That's right. With these outfits, it's probably about that”
Sanae had a hunch of what Koutarou was dreaming. Since she would enter Koutarou on a daily basis, she had entered dreams with this outfit several times before.
“What do you mean with 'that'?”
“Ah, it'll be faster to show you than explain. Let's go!”
Sanae grabbed Ruth's hand and began walking with accustomed steps.
“O-Okay”
Ruth on the other hand was still unused to this mysterious situation. As a result, she restlessly looked around her vicinity. However, she didn't feel any danger. It was still warm, bright and comfortable. Enemies wouldn't come and attack them. Ruth felt like this seemed to be a safe place, and she began calming down. Once she had calmed down a little, she began realizing that this was inside of Koutarou's mind.
If this is the inside Master's dream or mind, then I'd accept anything that happens...
She is inside Koutarou. As a result of her clear recognition of that, Ruth's fear completely vanished, leaving behind only a sense of mystery. That's why Ruth seemed somewhat happy, despite being in an unfamiliar place.
“Oh, you're amazing Ruth!”
That was when Sanae who was in the lead turned back with a smile.
“Eh?”
“This is your first time here, and you're already going to the next place”
”What do you mean?”
Ruth didn't understand the meaning behind Sanae's smile and words. Their surroundings was indeed changing, She was starting to see something past the pure white. However, she didn't understand why Sanae would call her amazing. In response, Sanae began explaining somewhat proud.
“Uhm, this is inside of Koutarou's dream, right?”
“Yes”
”That's why when we want to go somewhere else, what's important isn't us walking, but the feeling of wanting to go somewhere else. And then Koutarou will take us there”
“I see, both sides feelings are important”
There was no point in walking within a dream, they could only get to another place if their feelings matched.
“So congratulations”
”Huh? For what?”
“I mean, you're inside Koutarou's dream right? He thinks it's okay for you to wander around here. What do you think that means?”
”Ah...”
Ruth's eyes opened wide as she realized what that meant. It was the answer to what she wanted to know.
“Koutarou is not angry even though you're walking around his mind without permission. Instead he's welcoming it. That's how much he loves you. So, congratulations”
A dream is a part of the mind. Putting other people inside of that was accompanied with a lot of pain. However, if the dreamer wished to see someone even in their dreams, if they could dream about that someone in any situation, that someone could move freely within the dream. In other words―
“―Master is treasuring me...”
”That's right. Koutarou loves you. So clinging onto him in reality is nothing. Since he'll accept you even into his mind”
It wasn't like Sanae had been able to freely enter his dreams from the start. At first she had been unable to even enter due to the wall around his heart. However after they spent time together, she gradually gained more freedom. And now she was able to go play in a lot of places. Because she knew of that change, Sanae was able to act without reservation around Koutarou. She knew better than anyone just how much Koutarou would accept.
“But... if I were to suddenly act like Sanae-sama, wouldn't Master be surprised?”
“I think so. So you'll have to change little by little. The foundation is important”
“Fufu, I'll do just that”
As the two smiled at each other they reached a new place. They arrived much quicker than Sanae had imagined. Koutarou was probably welcoming them more than usual because they were getting along so well.
Part 5
The new place the two arrived at was a riverbed. Several grounds for sports could be seen around here. Baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball and more. The surroundings were filled with people playing the various sports. The surroundings were still bright and warm as usual, it was the perfect weather for sports.
“I understand the meaning behind this outfit and this weather”
“It's Koutarou's dream after all”
“Yes”
In one of the many grounds was Koutarou himself. He was currently in the middle of playing baseball with many companions.
“Look, look, everyone's here”
”You're right. Ah, Her Highness and everyone else... there's also Mackenzie-sama and others from the school and city...”
They were playing baseball split up into two teams. First Koutarou and the girls of room 106 split evenly with five in each team, then there was Elfaria, Kenji, classmates, the cosclub, the drama club and people from the neighborhood association. Those that couldn't fit into the teams were sitting on benches or bleachers cheering on. It was a very lavish gathering.
“I'm sure these are all people Master cares for”
“Yeah. So look, there are even more than one of a few people”
”Aha, could that be Kiriha-sama when she was small”
”Yeah, everyone memorable in Koutarou's life are gathered here”
The people gathered here were all important for making Koutarou who he was today. That's why there was some overlap in the personnel and even deceased were included. This was a dream so it wasn't all that strict. So this baseball field was like the epitome of Koutarou's life. That was the kind of place the mental world was.
“But... I can't agree with being on Mackenzie-sama's team”
Despite understanding the circumstances, Ruth was dissatisfied. She wanted to be on the same team as Koutarou.
“It can't be helped. With Koutarou and us, that's only ten. Besides, the teams are different every time, so you just happened to be on different teams today”
“I-Is that so...”
”But, there's something that never changes”
Sanae smiled wryly at Ruth's words, but her tone lowered a little as she spoke. She felt a little sad about that 'never changing' thing.
“Which is?”
“Glasses-kun is always on the opposite team of Koutarou. I think it's because he trusts him more than anyone else”
”Mackenzie-sama is...”
Including their feelings for one another as man and woman, the girls of room 106 might be bigger existences to Koutarou. But when it came to trust in people, Koutarou trusted Kenji more than anyone. That was because Kenji had been the first one to save Koutarou. That's why he trusted Kenji more than himself in a sense, and that was why Kenji was the fixed leader of the opposing team. In other words, he could entrust Kenji with those important to him.
“I'm sure our true rival is Glasses-kun. That's why we have to get Koutarou to think more of us than him some day”
”You're right. Let's do that”
In order to truly save Koutarou they needed to save him more than Kenji. Once that happened the girls would inherit that special position from Kenji. Since that was for everyone's sake, the girls had no reason not to aim for it.
The match was going back and forth. The individual plays reflected the player's characters. Yurika struck out, Shizuka sent the ball out of the park, Theia turned a normal hit into a two base run with her swift running, and Kiriha was throwing all kinds of pitches. Sanae and Ruth sat down and enjoyed the match.
“Looks like Theia is the batter again”
”The batting order is wrong, but it's a dream after all. Fufufu...”
As the two watched on, Theia entered the batter's box. She held the bat with a bold form making her look bigger. The pitcher, Kenji, threw the ball with a nice technique. Being dexterous Kenji skillfully threw the ball in a hard course.
However, Theia read that course and swung her bat. The hit ball flew over second base and rolled between the right and center field.
“Your Highness, run!”
The beautiful sound reverberating through the grounds instinctively made Ruth stand up and cheer. The other people on the ground joined Ruth and cheered. The other Ruth acted very similarly to the real one. The same was true for all the others.
“That's amazing Your Highness! Nice batting!”
Theia ran all the way to third base. She responded to Ruth's cheers with a wave. It seemed like there being two Ruth's didn't matter to her.
“Ruth, it's about time to go”
Seeing the next person enter the batter's box, Sanae called out to the excited Ruth.
“But the match is not done yet...”
”Ahaha, actually, this match never ends”
”Could it be that Master always wants to see this dream?”
”Probably”
Koutarou's wish was clear. He wanted this ordinary happiness to continue forever. This baseball reflected that. So this match would never end until Koutarou woke up.
“That's right, why don't we meet Koutarou?”
”Eh... but Master is currently in the batter's box...”
Koutarou was the next to enter the batter's box after Theia. He was currently arguing with Kenji about something. She couldn't quite hear his voice, but it was clear that it was the usual banter.
“This way”
”Eh... Sanae-sama? Master is over there...”
“Just come on”
Sanae pulled on the confused Ruth's hand and headed to the riverbed's embankment. The embankment had been made out of concrete in the case of flooding, but the upper part had a lawn laid out.
“Koutarou”
“You're here again, Sanae”
Koutarou was lying down on the lawn, observing the match while sunbathing. Sanae knew that this was the real Koutarou, or rather, the center of his mind.
“Ruth is with me today”
“Master”
Ruth slipped out from behind Sanae and stood in front of Koutarou. As she did, Koutarou showed her a smile.
“Welcome, Ruth-san”
”Boo, that's a different reaction from mine”
“You've been here several times already”
”Even though you forget it when you wake up”
”I remember it now, so it's fine”
“You should do your best to welcome me every time”
”Welcome, my beloved lady Sanae”
”Very good”
Koutarou was welcoming the two. As expected, they were special to him. He didn't mind having them visit him in his dreams in the slightest. After Koutarou had dealt with Sanae, he looked to Ruth.
“By the way, why are you here too, Ruth-san?”
Koutarou welcomed Ruth's visit, but he didn't know why she had come. Sanae who was playful on a daily basis aside, Ruth wouldn't think to enter the dreams of others on her own.
“... T-That's... well...”
Ruth blushed and looked down. She couldn't tell him that she was worrying whether or not she could actively get doted on. Seeing Ruth troubled, Sanae gave her a helping hand.
“That's because of maiden circumstances! You're not allowed to ask questions!”
”Even though it's my dream?”
”A maiden's circumstances take priority over everything!”
”You forcibly pulled her in, didn't you?”
“Ehehehehe”
”Geez, what can I do with you...”
“But I thought this would be a good place to solve Ruth's worry”
”... Then that's fine”
”Yes, it's fine!”
Koutarou wanted to protest Sanae's selfish excuses, but it seemed like she had shown some consideration, so he let it go. Besides, scolding her in this weather didn't seem right. This was supposed to be a casual and peaceful weekend.
Ruth had a cheerful look as she watched the two go back and forth, but she eventually began feeling a certain doubt. So she waited for an opening in their discussion and coyly spoke.
“Master, may I ask you something?”
”I don't mind”
There was nothing Koutarou didn't mind Ruth asking, so he easily nodded his head.
“Why are you watching the match from here?”
Ruth's doubt was as to why Koutarou's point of view was from outside of his dream. If this dream was a representation of his wishes and ideals, then he should be standing on the grounds as a player. Yet, another Koutarou was standing there, while the actual person was lying down by the embankment looking on. Ruth couldn't help but wonder.
“I know this is a dream. There's still a ton of problems to solve in real life so I can't quite act like that”
”Can't you just at the very least forget about that in your dreams? You're so awkward...”
Koutarou was observing the match as a third party because he was aware that this was a dream. That's why he didn't get absorbed into it, but rather watched on from afar. Though Ruth and Sanae felt like he should be free to do as he pleased in his dreams.
“This is you guys we're talking about. I can't forget that easily”
”Master...”
However, Koutarou's next words made Ruth realize that it wasn't because of his awkward side. It was because he treasured them that he understood that this was a dream. Having realized that, Ruth's chest filled up and tears formed in her eyes.
“Oh, that was very loving, Koutarou!”
“That's not what we were talking about. Don't make fun of it”
”I'm not making fun of it. It was a big love”
”Yeah, that might be correct”
It wasn't a personal love between individuals but something bigger. Koutarou felt like that was probably a big reason as to why he was watching the match from here.
“Anyways, I'll play once all the troubles have been fixed... I guess”
“So you'll finally be playing over there then?”
Ruth wiped away her falling tears as she smiled at Koutarou. She wondered how wonderful it would be when all problems had been resolved and Koutarou could freely dream.-
“No... I'll play in real life. Dreams are meant to be turned into reality right?”
However, Koutarou's conclusion far exceeded Ruth's desire. Koutarou probably wasn't aware of that when he spoke, but that conclusion was like a very large declaration of love. It no longer mattered if that was a love between a man and a woman.
“M-Master...”
Ruth felt like her heart would stop as powerful emotions overflowed from it. Her mind blanked out and ran in circles, and she had a hard time forming words. All Ruth could tell was that her decision to live alongside Koutarou hadn't been a mistake.
“R-Ruth-san!?”
That's why, despite her attempt to hold it in, Ruth began weeping.
Part 6
After joining up with Koutarou, Sanae and Ruth spent some time talking with Koutarou. He was somewhat more honest within his dream and the two had been able to ask about things that interested them. With that, even though Ruth had been crying just a while before, she had not completely returned to normal.
“Master really loves Her Highness then”
”He loves me too. And of course you too, Ruth”
”Well, of course”
”Isn't that great, Ruth”
”Yes”
But despite this being a dream, Ruth began worrying about the time that had passed. It was now almost evening. That's why it was about time to go back.
“... Then it is about time for us to leave, Master”
Ruth was reluctant, but she spoke her parting words. They would meet again in real life right away, but those feelings were still present even in a dream.
“Eh~, can't we stay a little longer”
It seemed Sanae still hadn't gotten to play enough as she rolled across the lawn with Koutarou and kicked her feet.
“I have to prepare dinner. Besides, I have to wake up Master”
”Ah, it's already time for that”
But once Ruth mentioned food, Sanae's dissatisfaction vanished and she stood up with good force.
“Can't you just play when we wake up?”
“Let's do that. Alright, let's hurry up and wake up so we can wake up Koutarou”
By the time she stood up, Sanae was fully ready to leave the dream world. This place was fun, but with only three of them, it was lacking in flashiness. So returning to reality to play was a very Sanae like motive.
“Let me sleep a little longer”
Koutarou looked up at Sanae and Ruth, still lying down. Since he was the one who dreamt up this world, he didn't need to return alongside the other two. Or rather, it was impossible for him to do so.
“A little longer? Like five minutes?”
”A little more”
”Then, ten minutes”
”It's a deal”
”Very well, I will allow you to doze off for a moment longer”
”Thank you very much, lady Sanae”
“Very good”
“Fufufu... then this is goodbye for now, Master”
Ruth smiled as she watched Koutarou and Sanae's back and forth and said her farewells once more. Strictly speaking, they'd just not see each other for a moment, so there was no real seriousness in her voice. The same was true for Koutarou and Sanae.
“Yeah, see you later”
“I'm waking you up after ten minutes okay?”
”I know, I know”
Koutarou, still lying down, waved to the two and turned his attention back to the baseball game. Since they'd meet each other in real life soon enough, he quickly lost interest in them. Sanae understood that as well, but even then she couldn't help but feel dissatisfaction and frowned.
“Really, he truly is a baseball idiot”
”Fufu, don't be like that”
Despite entering someone else's dream and getting in the way, not being antagonized in the slightest was actually an amazing thing, but it seemed these two who had accomplished that were unaware of that.
Part 7
Leaving was the same as coming, and the surroundings changed in response to Sanae and Ruth wanting to return. As a result, the riverbed and baseball field moved away faster from them than their legs moved.
“This feels strange no matter how many times I do it”
”It's not as strange as your mystery warp”
”That's one way to think of it”
As the two advanced, their surroundings grew brighter. The place where that brightness reached its peak was the point of contact between reality and dream. The exit to reality.
“Oh?”
However, Ruth stopped just before reaching the exit. She had spotted something that caught her interest.
“What is it?”
“Sanae-sama, what is that?”
Ruth had found a black mass. It was far away, and because of the white light, it was hard to get a grasp of its size. However once noticed, it was hard to ignore.
“Ah, that's the part of Koutarou that gets sad or lonely. This is inside of Koutarou's mind, so that kind of thing is here too”
Just like the riverbed from before, the black mass was another part of Koutarou's mental world. However, the negative emotions symbolized by that black color had the opposite nature of the riverbed.
“But Koutarou is keeping that away from us, right?”
“Yes”
”That's why I think it's best not to touch on it”
The black mass was in a completely different direction from the exit. It was also being made difficult to see because of the white light, and it wouldn't be strange to completely miss it. Ruth had only found it by coincidence. Koutarou had shown consideration so that the two wouldn't accidentally step into it.
“Sanae-sama, have you ever gone there?”
”At first, I walked around without knowing anything”
Sanae was knowledgeable of the world within Koutarou now, but at first she was clueless. She had also carelessly stepped into hard parts of his mind. This black mass was one of those, and because of that she was knowledgeable of it.
“That's why you knew about it?”
”Yeah. But I turned back halfways. The black thing pushes you back with a lot of force. I felt like I was going to get crushed, so I ran away”
The two left the path and headed towards the black mass. As they got closer, it became clear that it wasn't a solid mass, but something misty. It was a world shrouded in a black mist, or alternatively darkness. The two stopped before it and looked at the black mist. It was big enough for all the riverbed from before to fit.
The two stared at the black mist for a while, but eventually Ruth made up her mind and grabbed her hand.
“Sanae-sama, why don't you challenge it one more time, together with me?”
Challenging it one more time, that meant to enter this black mist. Sanae was surprised by that proposal and instinctively let out a hysterical scream.
“Eh!? It's dangerous!!”
Sanae was against it. She felt sorry for touching Koutarou's painful parts, and moreover, she believed the pressure from the black mist was dangerous.
“I know. But... thinking of Master and our future, I believe it's a problem we can't avoid”
“That might be true, but...”
Ruth had made the proposal well aware of the danger. Dealing with the problem of Koutarou's past was unavoidable. Sanae knew that, but having felt the danger herself, she was indecisive. However, Ruth had another reason for thinking they should enter.
“Besides... I'm sure Master wishes for it too”
“How can you tell?”
“Because it was easy for us to come here”
”I see. If he really didn't want to, we wouldn't be able to get close... Koutarou wants to do something about it too.”
”Yes.”
If Koutarou really didn't want Ruth and Sanae to touch the black mist, he wouldn't want them to get close. This was the world Koutarou could freely control. That's why it was kept in a place where it could barely be seen, and if could be approached if one wished to. It was a sign of Koutarou's true intentions.
“... Master, we will do our best, so please accept us...”
“You're completely useless without us, geez”
Ruth and Sanae held hands and stepped into the black mist. The darkness of Koutarou's mind was deep. Only Maki, who had a similar darkness in her mind, had been able to see this far. Even for Maki, that was only possible with the help of Signaltin, so this was the first time someone tried to reach that place with just their own strength.
“Kuh, t-this is...”
“Keep it together, Ruth!”
For each step, the black mist deepened. And as the mist got deepened, the two were assaulted by two forces. Pressure trying to crush them, and a repulsion trying to throw them out. This was Koutarou's mind screaming, trying to get them to stop and turn back.
“B-But, it might be weaker than before...”
”Master is t-trying his hardest too”
“Y-Yeah”
The two held hands as they moved forwards through the black mist, the darkness of the mind. The pressure and repulsion was strong, but because they were together they were able to endure. The two desperately struggled forward, supporting one another.
“M-Master, it will, be okay”
”You're not, alone, anymore, just rely, on us, more”
Just like they had been able to see baseball at the riverbed, they could catch glimpses of the unfortunate accident Koutarou had experienced in the past here. This was when his mother had pushed away Koutarou and gotten hit by a car herself. Because of that, his relationship with his father turned sour, and their family collapsed. Because this was something Koutarou wanted to avoid looking at, these events were like shuffled cards, appearing completely out of order. But even that was enough to convey the sorrow. That's why the two continue pushing forward despite it being so painful.
“R-Ruth, someone, is over there.”
”A small boy?”
Because of Sanae's and Ruth's, and probably Koutarou's as well, earnest struggle, the two were finally able to reach the center of the black mist. There they found a lone boy. He was covered in splattered blood, holding onto a half-knit sweater.
“Koutarou!”
“Master!”
That boy was the center of the darkness. The incarnation of Koutarou's sorrow. The existence that the two needed to save. The two endured the pressure and repulsion and reached their hands out towards the boy.
“J-Just a little more! We can do it!”
”We reache― Kyaaaa!!”
However, just as their hands reached the boy, the two let their guard down for a moment. As a result, their struggles against the pressure finally gave in, and they were sent flying by the repulsion.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!!”
“We are almost thereeee!!”
In the end, the two were thrown out of the black mist unable to do anything. The boy in the center of the mist only gazed at the two in silence.
Part 8
When Koutarou woke up, the inclining sun's red light was shining on his face. The sun's light dyed the entirety of room 106 red, giving it a warm atmosphere. However, what had woken up Koutarou wasn't the red light.
“... You again...”
Sanae was leaning over Koutarou's chest, sleeping. Because of her weight, Koutarou had a hard time breathing and woke up.
“Every time. What's so fun about sleeping like this?”
Koutarou was just a normal human, so he didn't have any clear memories of his dream. Even though he felt like he had seen Sanae in his dream, he didn't think she had actually entered it. That's why he couldn't imagine why Sanae would look so happy when she slept.
“Just what kind of dream is she seeing...?”
Sanae on the other hand remembered her dreams thanks to her spiritual powers. But she believed there was no reason to tell Koutarou, so he remained unaware. Explaining would be a pain, and if he really didn't want to, she wouldn't be able to enter anyways.
“Huh? Ruth-san?”
And as he was thinking of what to do with Sanae, Koutarou looked upwards and happened to find Ruth's face close by. But her eyes were closed, and she was peacefully sleeping just like Sanae. He could also feel a soft sensation under his head. Ruth had fallen asleep while acting as a lap pillow for Koutarou.
“I see, so she gave me a lap pillow to let me rest more easily”
Koutarou understood the reason right away. First, Ruth had given Koutarou a lap pillow, but then she had been attacked by the warm sunlight and dozed off herself. That was when Sanae appeared and fell asleep as well. The other way around would make it harder for Ruth to give him a lap pillow. Koutarou was confident in this imagination.
“What...?”
Having recognized the two so close by, Koutarou felt an impulse come on. The impulse grew stronger and eventually he was fully overcome by it.
Why do I want to give Sanae and Ruth-san a hug?
That impulse was to embrace the two as hard as he could. Of course, he couldn't just do that. He'd end up waking them up, moreover, he couldn't go and hug sleeping girls. And most of all, he didn't know why he felt that way.
He wanted to let them sleep, and common sense told him that he couldn't just go and hug them. He'd feel bad doing something without knowing why. So whilst driven by his strong impulse, Koutarou asked himself for the reason. But in the end, he couldn't tell why, even after the two woke up.
Part 9
Having woken up, the first thing Sanae did was to show off her new parka to Koutarou. That was the reason she had come to room 106 to begin with when she encountered Ruth giving Koutarou a lap pillow.
“How about it, is it cute, Koutarou!?”
”Cute, it's very cute”
“What part?”
“The bunny ears and tail are cute”
”Make it sound even more grand!”
”The ears and tail are very beautiful, my lady”
“Very good! Very good indeed!”
Satisfied with getting praised by Koutarou, Sanae crawled towards the tea table. With Sanae finally having moved off his chest, Koutarou was free at last and he let out a drawn out yawn. Seeing the two like that, Ruth whispered to the now nearby Sanae.
“... It doesn't look like Master remembers”
”Yeah. It's always like that. That's why I split it up like here and there”
”I see...”
Ruth let out a regretful sigh. Hearing that, Sanae looked up with a pondering look.
“What is it?”
“In the end, we couldn't do anything...”
Ruth regretted not being able to do anything for the Koutarou in the black mist.
The black mist was a collection of Koutarou's negative emotions, and in the center was a boy sitting down. Ruth and Sanae were probably supposed to have accepted those negative feelings and pulled the boy out of that black mist. However, they had been thrown out into reality when they were almost there.
Ruth was being protected by Sanae's powers, so she remembered even after waking up. Which was why she felt so regretful.
“We were almost there too”
“Yes. But it's not something that'll go away in a day”
”Yeah. Let's do it patiently”
Sanae felt regret as well. However, it wasn't all bad news. There was no doubt that they had gotten closer to the core than before. That's why both Sanae's and Ruth's expressions were far from dark.
“What are you two talking about?”
That was when Koutarou, who had come up to the tea table, tried to join their conversation. He was quite carefree as he didn't suspect they were talking about him.
“That's a girl's secret. Right, Ruth?”
”Yes. It's a secret”
”Then I guess it can't be helped”
Koutarou chuckled and grabbed the remote lying on the table, and turned on the news.
“Turn on anime instead of that”
“Just let me see the start. I'm the head of the household after all”
“Then I'm your dependent?”
“Yeah”
Koutarou nodded right away. Sanae had been something like his sister, or perhaps even something else for a long time now.Hearing that, Ruth flashed a mischievous smile.
“Then what am I?”
”Don't you have your own income, Ruth-san?”
In Ruth's case, she had an enormous income and property, so being considered Koutarou's dependent was impossible. She was from a distinguished family of knights in Forthorthe. A small six mat room was too small for a Pardomshiha.
“It's the principle that's important”
“... Ruth-san is a dependent too”
”Thank you very much, Master”
Satisfied by what Koutarou said embarrassingly, Ruth turned towards the TV. And on the top right of the screen was a time display, telling her that the time was past 5PM. It was about time to prepare dinner.
“Well then, Master, Sanae-sama, I will go prepare dinner”
”Ah, wait a minute, Ruth-san”
Koutarou grabbed a hold of Ruth's hand as she was about to head for the kitchen.
“Y-Yes?”
Surprised by the sudden event, Ruth's heart started beating faster as she felt the warmth from his hand.
“As thanks for your lap pillow I'll make some tea. You can prepare dinner after that
“If it's tea then I can―”
“It's fine. I feel like doing it”
Koutarou smiled at the puzzled Ruth and changed channels to an anime before getting up from his seat and headed towards the kitchen. As Koutarou left for the kitchen, the left behind Sanae and Ruth looked at each other.
“... It looks like we were able to do something”
”Yes, it does”
The two smiled and laughed. They were happy they could be of use to the person they loved.
“Hey, Sanae, Ruth-san, what kind of snacks to go with the tea would you like?”
“I want the monaka[1] from the other day”
“There's also some yōkan[2] that I bought today”
“Then that too!”
”Alright”
However, the two were soon distracted by snacks, and they pushed the events from the dream into a corner of their minds. But that didn't matter. They both knew that was what Koutarou wanted.
Translator's Notes and References
1. A bean jam filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers of mochi
2. A thick jellied snack made from red bean paste
