28: Reconcilation

Chisato shook his head.

"Well, there's just one thing… Whether it's out of pity or charity, when I'm feeling down or can't tolerate something, I want to be able to hold your hand privately, just like today."

"That's my only request."

Without anyone else knowing… Just holding hands…

Eriri's face turned red, and she shyly nodded.

Chisato smiled, and the next moment, he opened his arms and embraced the small girl.

'Hey, didn't we just say we'd hold hands?'

'Forget it, let's consider this an exception to celebrate our reconciliation, just this once…'

The tension that had been building up instantly eased, and Eriri's hands slowly settled on Chisato's waist.

She hadn't noticed before, but Chisato had a really nice scent.

[Under your meticulous planning, a misstep made in a moment of impatience has become the signal for your advance.]

[Eriri not only didn't get angry about the forceful kiss you gave her but was also anxious about the worsening relationship between you two.]

[You seized the moment, "reluctantly" giving in to her tearful attack, and pitifully agreed to remain friends, though you added an extra request.]

[You wanted to hold her hand and create the illusion that you and she were a couple to somewhat alleviate your uncontrollable feelings for her.]

[Eriri was overjoyed. Your seemingly harmless demeanor didn't raise any suspicion.] 

[Although she was a bit shy about pretending to be a couple, since you had already kissed, this was no big deal.]

[In the second week of the cold war, you and Eriri reconciled.]

Foolish girl, he's a bad guy; he's setting you up!

In real life, Chisato watched his actions in the simulation and couldn't help shaking his head, clicking his tongue in admiration.

You could only say that in the simulation, you did everything possible once the mistake was made.

Of course, Eriri's pure and kind nature probably made this scheme work so smoothly. If it were a girl with a bit more cunning, the story might have ended differently.

But there are no "what ifs" in reality. The winner takes all, and you've already overcome what seems to be the biggest crisis for now.

Moreover, in the simulation, you reached a small agreement with Eriri that she considers inconsequential.

But the observer can see clearly that this seemingly trivial request for hand-holding is the fuse that leads Eriri step by step into danger.

The pot and firewood are ready, and you've successfully lured her into the trap, so the next step is naturally to boil the frog slowly.

[That night, after repeated reminders from the black wings, you took Eriri's notebook from the drawer and burned it. It had lost its usefulness and was only a potential risk.]

[In the following week, you didn't show any inappropriate behavior. You understood how hard it was to achieve the current good situation.] 

[Eriri is pure and kind but not foolish. If you did anything else to make her uneasy, all your previous efforts would go to waste.] 

[Even with the help of the black wings, you can't always escape danger.]

[Half a month passed. You were very active in the game club. As the lead artist, you privately talked with Aki about the game.] 

[You told him you were optimistic about its future development and that the quality had to be up to standard. You didn't want the finished product to feel cheap.]

[Aki was already passionate about the game he was making. He almost automatically agreed with your views.] 

[Under your intentional or unintentionally guiding words, he raised the already burdensome production budget even higher.] 

[He advanced a year's worth of pocket money from home and took on three additional part-time jobs on top of the five he already had.]

[You successfully made Aki, who had little time to interact with Eriri before, now barely speak to her two words a day at school.] 

[He was too exhausted, working at night and struggling to stay awake during the day, which inevitably led to a decline in his grades.]

[Your time with Eriri increased. You didn't make her feel anything unnatural about your presence.] 

[Each time, you had a good reason—whether it was to discuss art, help with homework, or critique new shows.] 

[While Eriri grew increasingly frustrated with Aki, who was too busy to be around, she felt more comfortable and familiar with you.]

[That night, you stayed up late with Eriri at her house, working on game art. As you were leaving, you took advantage of her not paying attention to quickly grab her hand.]

[Eriri was startled by your sudden action.] 

[Her face turned red instantly. She instinctively tried to pull away but then remembered the promise she had made. Shyly, she stood there, unsure of what to do.]

[You didn't make her uncomfortable for long. You quickly let go of her hand, said a straightforward goodbye, and turned to leave.]

[The next day, Eriri nervously asked if you were angry. You smiled slightly and said it was nothing, explaining that you had been too sudden, so she shouldn't overthink it.]

[Eriri breathed a sigh of relief.] 

[She pulled you to a less crowded place and whispered in your ear, saying that if you wanted to do that again, you should let her know in advance so she could prepare herself.] 

[You smiled and agreed.]

[At today's class meeting, the teacher announced a ten-day camp trip starting in a week.] 

[Unlike the surrounding classmates who cheered, you sat thoughtfully, feeling that this camp might be an opportunity to get closer to Eriri.]

[Therefore, you decided...]

[1. Slip a laxative into Aki's water before the trip, so he can't attend the camp.]

[2. Slip a laxative into both your and Eriri's water before the trip, so neither of you can attend the camp.]

[3. Think carefully; there are other ways besides using a laxative.]

Finally, there were choices! For a moment, he thought he was reading a novel rather than playing a life simulation game.

Looking at the first two options, Chisato instinctively felt something was off.

It didn't matter for himself, but putting a laxative in someone else's drink wasn't something that could be brushed off as a simple prank. 

If someone found out later and took it seriously, this could even be considered poisoning.

If things turned out that way, the consequences would be severe.

After coming this far, Chisato didn't want to risk losing everything due to a small mistake.

Though he wasn't sure what the third option would lead to, at this point, he could only trust the version of himself in the simulation.

[You frowned and thought for a moment before quickly shaking your head, rejecting the idea of using a laxative.] 

[You've worked too hard to get this close to Eriri, and you don't want to take any unnecessary risks.]

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