CH 48

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back, Shirayuki.”

After the exchange with Yosuke, Shirayuki returned. 

She didn’t know what happened to Yosuke afterward, but considering the numerous retries and Yosuke’s personality, she understood that he was completely broken. 

She had anticipated the possibility of being misunderstood and resented due to her actions, but when she looked into Yosuke’s eyes at that time, she knew that he would no longer stand up for her.

“You have a refreshed look on your face.”

“Yes, I feel much better… Well, I thought I might have gone a bit too far, but I won’t worry about it.”

“You’re saying that, but you’re not really concerned, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Shirayuki shrugged her shoulders, wondering what she was talking about. 

However, even though Hisui shouldn’t know anything, she had a face that seemed as if she had seen everything, but it didn’t matter much to Shirayuki.

“How is Touma-kun doing?”

“He still has a slight fever. It’s likely to go down by tomorrow, but he should rest for a couple more days.”

“I see, understood.”

Shirayuki parted ways with Hisui and headed to Touma’s room.

He would probably tell her not to come to his room too often because she might catch a cold if he’s awake, but since he was asleep, she didn’t have to worry about that.

Quietly entering the room, Shirayuki peered at Touma’s face as he slept.

“…Touma-kun♪”

When she called out to him, Touma responded slightly but didn’t open his eyes. For Shirayuki, it was fine that he remained in that state.

“I’m done with Yosuke-kun. Even if something were to happen from now on, it won’t be like before. I don’t think there will be any more unpleasant looks directed towards Touma-kun.”

Shirayuki smiled wickedly, 

“Even if by some chance it does happen, I’ll just crush him even more.”

Taking a seat on a nearby chair, Shirayuki stared at Touma without moving a muscle… And as she did, it seemed that instead of Arashi’s face, Touma’s own face appeared in her mind.

“Shirayuki… Why are you so cute and s**y like this? How could I not fall in love with you? Let me call you my wife!”

He wasn’t actually having a conversation with the Shirayuki appearing on the screen. But well, overflowing character love is something anyone can experience, and that applied to him… Touma was no exception.

Shirayuki couldn’t understand why she had developed such a sense of self. However, she undoubtedly existed and had been living within the world Touma controlled.

“By being like this, I truly understand my own happiness. After all, I can touch you.”

As she touched Touma’s cheek, Shirayuki was tempted to kiss him but quickly pulled back, as if startled. It wasn’t that she had grown averse to kissing Touma, but she didn’t want to catch a cold and worry him, even though she didn’t think it was possible.

“…”

She moved her face away and let go of his hand, yet Shirayuki continued to gaze at Touma without wavering.

And once again, she plunged into the sea of her thoughts.

“…Playing like this over and over again, I can’t help but feel jealous of Yosuke. It definitely excites me, but I can’t help imagining what it would be like if I were there… Why am I not there?”

Here… I’m right here!

Shirayuki thought this over and over again, wanting to scream it out… She knew that Touma was there, but Shirayuki had no choice but to engage in intimate moments with Yosuke passively.

Though it couldn’t be helped, remembering the time before the restart made her grip her fingers tightly.

“…I’m really simple-minded. Mom is the same way.”

She chuckled and continued.

“I couldn’t help but feel a fluttering sensation from your genuine kindness. Over and over again, I was drawn to the kindness with which you watched over our lives… Of course, for Touma-kun, it was probably just a game. But for me and my mother, it was the same as being watched over all along.”

Even though it was heartbreaking to think that he had witnessed her encounters with Yosuke repeatedly… It was no longer relevant.

In this restarted world, Shirayuki devoted everything to Touma in the truest sense.

“…Fufu, I’m truly happy♪”

She gazed at the sleeping Touma and smiled mysteriously.

Now, there are several reasons why Shirayuki and Hisui came to love Touma so deeply, but one of the biggest reasons is undoubtedly that he watched over them.

For Touma, it was merely a game that had been replayed multiple times, but for them, he was the person who had watched over all their lives. From there, they received sincere affection.

“Well then, I’ll go to Mom’s place. I’ll make rice porridge and be back soon, so please don’t worry.”

He couldn’t possibly hear it while he was asleep, but Shirayuki couldn’t help but say it.

It was because Shirayuki prioritized Touma’s well-being, recognizing that they were the only ones living in this world together.

▽▼

“Phew. What a great awakening!”

After a few days of being sick in bed, I woke up to the best morning ever.

I checked my temperature just in case, but I didn’t even have a slight fever. I truly felt that the cold was completely gone, and I was back to my normal self.

“Good morning.”

“Ah, good morning, Shirayuki.”

Feeling refreshed and in high spirits, I was doing some morning exercises that resembled radio calisthenics when Shirayuki happened to come in.

She chuckled as she saw me in a strange posture and seemed to sense that I had recovered from my cold.

“It seems like you’re already fine, right?”

“Yeah. Look, I’m in perfect shape.”

I struck a muscle pose to show my energy.

However, I decided to take it easy on physical activity for today, just to be on the safe side, and planned to start exercising from tomorrow.

“Well then, since your cold is gone, shall we have a hug?”

Without waiting for my response, Shirayuki jumped into my chest.

Perhaps because it had been two days since I last felt Shirayuki’s touch, I couldn’t help but want to hold onto her tightly… and almost leaned in for a kiss before stopping myself.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… maybe I should hold back on that for today. There might still be some lingering cold germs, you know.”

“Fufu, I think it’ll be okay… but it seems like we’re on the same page right now.”

“Huh?”

Confused, I tilted my head and Shirayuki explained.

It turns out she had quietly come into the room while I was asleep, and she had actually stopped herself from kissing me, just like now. She thought it wouldn’t be good if, just when I had recovered, she ended up catching a cold.

“However… It feels strange not to kiss for several days. It’s like gradually losing the vitality within me.”

“Is it that important?”

“It is. Kisses have a tremendous power, and Touma-kun should understand that.”

“Indeed.”

That was certainly true.

After that exchange, I headed to the living room to have breakfast, and just like Shirayuki, Hisui embraced me tightly.

“Good morning, Touma-kun.”

“Good morning…?”

However, when I faced Hisui like this, something within me ignited.

It was as if… yes, I realized that I was getting excited about Hisui. But why? I wondered, and Shirayuki muttered under her breath.

“For the past two days, it seems I’ve been taken care of by my… uh, a slightly stimulating partner. So, there are a lot of things building up.”

“What do you mean by ‘partner’?”

“There are items like that, you know.”

Anyway… let’s have breakfast.

That day, I was continuously stared at by Hisui… and not just by Hisui, but Shirayuki as well.

My instincts warned me that something significant would happen the next day.