Black

"Mother..."

Furuhashi opened his eyes in a blur, and there was still moisture in the corners of his eyes.

"Get up?"

Naoki's voice sounded in his ears.

Quiet apartment under dim light in the morning.

Another tatami.

A familiar scent on Naoki's body.

And the warmth of the palms...

Furuhashi finally differentiated between dream and reality, closed his eyes, and said softly:

"Thank you Asakawa-san."

Although she had dreamed of his mother before, but she was in that dream always unconscious. After waking up, the dream will quickly become blurred, unlike now, the voice, face and smile of the mother, getting along little by little in the hospital, are all clear in the mind.

Furuhashi wiped the wet marks from the corners of his eyes, and said in confusion:

"If I never wake up, stay in the dream forever."

"If you don't wake up, you will starve to death." Naoki snorted, "You want to see Aunt again, you can see her any time."

"Eh?"

Furuhashi looked up in surprise.

"If you want to fall into a dream, it doesn't matter now. After experimenting a few times, maybe I can master the dream-choosing method." Naoki looked at Furuhashi, and in the dim morning light, the tears in the girl's eyes still didn't go away, "...Do you want to continue the experiment?"

Furuhashi's face turned red, and firmly refused: "100% refusal, never think of such a thing."

What do you say to continue the experiment, it is clear that you want to take the opportunity to bully people!

Furuhashi recalled the dizzying kiss the previous night, and the temperature on his face rose rapidly.

"It hurts."

Naoki took a deep breath.

"I'm not pinching hard at all." Furuhashi finally noticed the strangeness of the pajamas on his chest, "Your hands…"

"Um?"

Naoki looked down, only to find that his right hand was stretched out into Furuhashi's pajamas at some point, and an extraordinarily smooth and soft touch came from his palm, but unfortunately the arc was too weak, so it wasn't discovered beforehand.

After he found it at this moment, he realized that the subtle touch was not the same as usual.

"Ah~..."

A low grunt that trembled softly was heard, and Furuhashi opened his eyes in disbelief.

Are you still playing with it? !

"Forgive me." Naoki said "Just now my hand disobeyed the order and moved on its own."

It's shameless to use such an excuse to avoid responsibility!

Furuhashi's face turned red, she could feel the scorching heat in the air. She resisted the urge to faint, and his voice trembled softly:

"Quick, let go of your hand!"

The next moment.

In the silent night, suddenly heard the sound of the door being slowly pulled.

Furuhashi suddenly tightened his body, held his breath, and didn't dare to move.

"This is Ricchan!"

Furuhashi immediately determined who the source of the voice was.

There were only three people in the apartment, she and Naoki slept together. Needless to say, the one who opened the door in front of her was definitely Ogata Rizu.

It was just dawn, Ricchan got up so early?

Want to go to the bathroom, or find herself absent and out looking?

Just in case Ricchan saw her and Asakawa-san's current posture...

Furuhashi made a quick decision.

Hide.

She couldn't let Ricchan find out, or else she wouldn't be able to explain.

While waiting nervously, an electric shock-like vibration suddenly came from his chest, which made Furuhashi almost groan again.

Furuhashi's body trembled slightly, and his teeth clenched his lips tightly: "Idiot, idiot, idiot! Stop, I was almost found by Ricchan!"

Seeing Furuhashi who was filled with hatred, black mist surged in his eyes, Naoki said innocently.

"You asked me to let go of my hand."

"What do you do then?"

"My hand was suppressed by you, so I could only slowly let it out."

The two made eye contact the entire time, and at the same time, the sound of soft footsteps rang out.

Furuhashi quickly lowered his head, hid in Naoki's arm, and pressed Naoki's arm tightly, his face almost burning: "Just leave it like this, don't move... Wait for Ricchan to leave."

"Accept."

Furuhashi held his breath, when she heard Ogata's footsteps approaching the tatami, his body tensed up, so nervous that she almost fainted.

"I will be found by Ricchan."

Luckily, the most desperate thing didn't happen, and Ogata's footsteps passed right by the two of them.

"Huuu..."

Furuhashi heaved a sigh of relief and felt a little relieved, "I shouldn't have been found… Did Ricchan go to the bathroom?"

The next moment, Ogata's footsteps suddenly stopped, and Furuhashi's heart nervously picked up again.

"Why did Ricchan stop?"

"Isn't that going to the bathroom?"

"Oh, bad… Could she have seen my sandals?"

Furuhashi hastily recalled: "Where did I put my slippers when I was looking for Asakawa-san last night?"

"I don't remember, but it must be close... Ricchan must have found something?"

Furuhashi suddenly sounded in the silent room.

"Eh?"

Furuhashi was slightly surprised, and couldn't help but look up to see what was going on, and forcefully endured it again.

Can not move.

It was so quiet in the apartment that she could clearly hear the pins falling on the ground, and Ricchan would definitely notice the disturbance.

In the next second, Furuhashi suddenly felt a hand reach his waist and gently stab her1.

The feeling of numbness was infinitely enlarged by the night and the tension, which made Furuhashi's throat itch and almost let out a sound.

"No, don't touch it!"

Furuhashi was so angry that she wanted to bite.

Ricchan is right next to you, you dare to bully people, but think what will happen if you get caught!

"I don't have any."

Naoki's eyes were innocent, and his fingers did not stop, and gently caressed Furuhashi's waist.

"Eh?"

Furuhashi quickly realized that Naoki was writing on it with his fingers.

Making sure that she wouldn't make any strange noises, Furuhashi endured the numbness like electric shock in his waist, and silently recognized Naoki's words.

"Ogata is drinking water, don't be nervous."

Just write drink water, you don't need to write the second half of the sentence at all!

In the quiet room, there was a slight soft sound, the sound of a teacup hitting the table.

"Why is there no sound?"

Furuhashi strained his ears.

Naoki wrote again calmly: "Ogata is in a daze."

"Hah?" Furuhashi was confused, "Why is Ricchan in a daze? Did he find me and Asakawa-san?"

Fortunately, after a while, soft footsteps sounded again, the bathroom door was pushed open, and a faint light appeared quietly.

"Ricchan is in the bathroom."

Furuhashi finally heaved a sigh of relief, she looked at Naoki shyly, "Quickly pull your hand!"

"As ordered."

Naoki took out his left hand, the warm and gentle touch disappeared, and a feeling of reluctance to part with loss inevitably grew in his heart.

Seeing Furuhashi blush and the skin on the tips of his ears and neck turn red, Naoki suddenly felt a little impulsive, and couldn't help but want to hug Furuhashi again.

A headbutt hit Naoki's chest.

Furuhashi instantly understood Naoki's eyes, and then expressed his attitude with his actions. She wanted to bully others, no chance!

As soon as the hit was successful, Furuhashi quickly sat up, covered his chest and got up quickly, but when she got up, his legs were limp and helpless, and she almost failed to stand firm.

"Careful." Naoki got up and stretched out his hand, "Ogata will hear if there is too much movement."

"Whose fault do you think this is!"

Furuhashi heard those words, she was so angry that she wanted to hit someone.

She glanced at the bathroom guiltily, and Furuhashi cautiously walked into the bedroom, "I'll be back."

As Furuhashi quietly let go, Naoki didn't want to sleep for a while, took out the phone under the pillow, and checked the time.

5:40 am in the morning.

No wonder there was a dim morning light outside, it would be so early in the summer.

Hearing a small sound from the bathroom, Naoki put down his phone and closed his eyes again.

Slow footsteps sounded quickly, and then… stopped in front of him.

Naoki was a little surprised. After waiting for a few seconds, he still didn't hear footsteps leaving. He opened his eyes and saw Ogata staring at him without blinking.

"Not sleeping, what are you doing?"

Naoki said calmly.

"I just woke up and was thirsty for a drink of water." Ogata whispered, "I found no one around, and Fumino is gone."

Before Naoki could speak, Ogata continued: "I touched the blanket, the blanket is very cold, and Fumino hasn't been seen in a long time."

"While I was drinking water, I saw Fumino's sandals next to Asakawa-san."

Ogata's voice was faint, and getting closer, in the dim morning light, white light reflected in the lens.

"Sipping~"

Ogata approached, sniffed Naoki, and said. "Asakawa-san smells so good."

"It's all Fumino's scent… what are you doing?"

Do girls have overkill in catching the scent of infidelity? Ogata obviously doesn't understand people's hearts, why is she so sensitive right now!

A drop of cold sweat fell from Naoki's forehead.

Danger.

Very dangerous.

He always felt that one answer wasn't good, and Ogata might pull an ax out from under her skirt!

There is no choice, at this time he can only tell the truth, at this moment, Ogata seems ten times sharper, and lies are likely to be discovered.

Naoki said earnestly, "Furuhashi and I just did some scientific research."

"Eh?" Ogata opened his eyes slightly, his expression slightly funny, "Scientific research?"

"I recently developed a new ability…"

Naoki briefly commented on the dream master's abilities, "Furuhashi has someone she wants to see in his dreams, so she secretly came to ask me, that's all."

Ogata felt a little sad, "Why are you hiding this kind of thing from me?"

"I accidentally hid it from you." Naoki said softly, "I didn't have the right opportunity to tell you."

Ogata slightly puffed his cheeks: "I want too."

"...What do you want?"

"Same scientific research as Fumino."

Naoki made an excuse. "It's going to be dawn soon."

Ogata clenched his small fists, his face reddened with red light: "No problem, you can sleep during the day."

You can totally sleep during the day, but the thing is I need to be able to sleep! Now that I'm full of energy, I just don't know how to continue sleeping!

"Next time, I can't sleep today." Naoki rolled over and sat down, and as he spoke, the sky was a little brighter, and the furniture in the room looked faintly, "It's been a long time since I played a board game, if you're not sleepy, can we play a board game for a while?"

Ogata's eyes suddenly brightened, his fingers stuck to the glasses on the bridge of his nose, and he said with a serious expression:

"Does Asakawa-san want to challenge me?"

How is your board game level, you have no clue in your heart, how can you pretend to be a master!

Naoki's eyes narrowed: "If you say that, I will not be merciful."

"Don't be sorry." Ogata lifted his chin slightly, "Take all your strength, I'm not the old me."

At the same time.

In the bedroom.

Furuhashi rolled around, the blush on his face finally fading, and she felt a little guilty.

"Shouldn't have been found by Ricchan?"

"If Ricchan knew, it would have been stabbed long ago."

"Strange, why didn't Ricchan come back..."

She waited and waited, but she still didn't see Ogata coming back. Instead, fatigue comes quietly. Furuhashi only felt his eyelids getting heavier, and finally she couldn't help it, and fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, the barking of the dog woke Furuhashi.

Furuhashi opened his eyes in a daze, and after a while, she realized that the sky had cleared, the surroundings were empty, and Ogata was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh, actually fell asleep…"

Furuhashi rubbed his eyes, feeling guilty again quietly, got up quickly, sat down by the bed, put on his clothes neatly, and pushed the door open.

There was no one in the living room, but there was a slight movement in the kitchen.

Furuhashi took a light breath, adjusted his mood, and walked towards the kitchen. Ogata who is wearing an apron and a towel on his head is cutting something in the kitchen.

"Ricchan, good morning."

Furuhashi said quietly.

"Good morning..."

Ogata turned around quietly.

Furuhashi was about to ask when Ogata woke up, but the next second, his eyes suddenly widened.

"What happened?!"

Ogata who turned around held a kitchen knife in his hand. The kitchen knife was stained with blood, and the apron was also stained with blood. There was even a hint of blood on his pale face.

Furuhashi's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and she took a half step back and said in disbelief, "Ri-Ricchan, what are you doing?"

Ogata raised the kitchen knife in his hand and said calmly, "I'm cooking."

There are bloodstains all over the body and the apron, what are you cooking!

Furuhashi looked around nervously, and suddenly realized that Naoki was nowhere to be seen.

"Not in the kitchen, not on the balcony, the light in the bathroom doesn't turn on… Isn't it in the apartment?"

Furuhashi gulped and couldn't help but ask, "Ricchan, what about Asakawa-san?"

Ogata raised his left hand, wiped the blood from his face with his fingers, and put his fingers in his mouth. Hearing this, she raised the kitchen knife in his right hand and pointed out the window.

But seeing from Furuhashi's point of view, what Ogata was pointing at was clearly a pot by the window, she didn't know what was cooking in it, and there was a gurgling sound inside.

As if lightning had fallen on his head, Furuhashi suddenly opened his eyes, his heartbeat almost stopped.

(Ask where Asakawa-san is, why is Ricchan referring to the pressure cooker?)

(Could it be that Asakawa-san is in the pot?!)

Furuhashi was struck by his own thoughts, his face paled, his heart felt as if it was being held tightly, and his chest was so tight that she couldn't breathe.

Even though she knew that the odds were slim, just thinking about it for a while made it hard for her to breathe.

There is absolutely no such future.

The door was gently pushed open, followed by a very familiar voice: "I'm back."

Furuhashi turned his head and looked at Naoki who was walking in from the bright sunlight, virtual tears appearing in his eyes.

Naoki was a little surprised, and couldn't help but say, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying." Furuhashi took a deep breath. "Where are you going?"

Naoki was a little confused, and told the truth: "I just came down to take out the trash."

Furuhashi recalled the direction Ogata had pointed to just now, "The direction below… is indeed the direction of taking out the trash."

Turns out he was wrong, Ogata was not referring to the pressure cooker, but the garbage collection downstairs in the apartment.

"Ricchan." Furuhashi averted his gaze and said, "What's in your apron?"

"It's sauce." Ogata tilted his head, "I was going to make a vegetable salad, but I accidentally cut the dressing."

Furuhashi was uncomfortable.

So she scares herself from start to finish?

"Fumino's face is very pale now." Ogata asked worriedly, "Did you have a bad dream?"

Naoki looked at Furuhashi in surprise, then glanced at Ogata in the kitchen, and raised his eyebrows: "Did you just ..."

"Please don't talk to me!" Furuhashi covered his cheeks in embarrassment and crouched in the corner, "I'm like a paramecia, and I don't deserve any attention at all, let me germinate in the corner!"

...

At the same time.

The Nakano family.

"Huh~ good morning." Yotsuba yawned and walked downstairs "Nino, what's for breakfast?"

Nino said, "Milk and bread."

Itsuki: "If I don't eat rice, I won't have any energy in the morning."

Ichika: "I want to eat grilled saury and curry."

"You want to eat it, cook it yourself." Nino said in a sullen voice "I wake up in the morning to cook, it's really hard, okay?"

Itsuki walked over to Miku, sat on the sofa, watched the fortune telling program on TV, and said casually:

"By the way, I dreamed of Asakawa-san last night. Mother is recovering at the hospital, if we could meet Asakawa-san sooner, what do you think I would do?"

Miku pressed the headphones on her chest with her right hand: "I dreamed about it last night too."

Yotsuba raised his hand: "Did Asakawa-san touch Nino's head and pinch Miku's face?"

Ichika stretched out her finger and lightly tapped her lips: "While taking care of mother, let Itsuki offer meat buns as a sacrifice?"

Itsuki opened his eyes in surprise: "Everyone is dreaming?"

"Damn." Nino clenched her pink fist, and when she recalled what happened in yesterday's dream, the temperature on her face rose rapidly, "Asakawa really played with us in the dream, I will beat him."

"Not?" Yotsuba hugged her legs and whispered to be fair, "Asakawa-san didn't do anything strange, but instead healed mother."

"Un." Ichika said with a smile, "I remember Nino promising in a dream that as long as Asakawa-kun heals mom, it's okay to go on a date together?"

"It was a dream." Nino blushed and complained, "Things in dreams shouldn't be taken seriously!"

If it was to cure mother in reality, it wouldn't matter if she promised… but sadly not.