Tonari no Bed de Netorareru Kangoshi Jukubo.
It couldn't be said that it was a particularly noteworthy doujinshi. Compared to the others he had read, it was the kind of doujinshi he couldn't even empathize with.
According to the doujinshi, the nurse who came in, Yoko, was supposed to have a son, Leo, who was a classmate of the main character. Leo, as the NTR protagonist, would blackmail Yoko with a nonsensical argument, break her, and open the door to a plot where he played with her as he pleased.
However, in Yuu's opinion, Yoko's attitude in the doujinshi was far from being a "mommy" figure as her son described; she was more like a whore eager for it.
Based on the similarity between the memory bubble that appeared in his mind and the bed he was lying on, he thought that the doujinshi either hadn't started yet or had already happened. However, he couldn't be sure that this was the only room in the hospital.
At that moment, his thoughts unearthed the roots of the seed of distrust he felt for Kyouka, a feeling he wanted to bury in the deepest part of his heart. He felt an involuntary curiosity. He focused his attention on the woman, perhaps hoping to find a result that could break his distrust.
If she was different from the doujinshi, different from the panels in his memories... then things would change. Then... maybe he would try to save her.
Yoko, feeling his scrutinizing gaze, furrowed her brow. When she spoke, her tone was annoyed. Almost angry.
"Is something wrong, young man?"
Yuu, still lost in his own thoughts, dazedly shook his head. Yoko then noticed that his gaze wasn't focused. She took a few steps closer and worriedly placed her hand on his forehead.
"You shouldn't be on your feet, why are you up?" she asked, her tone both scolding like a mother to her child and worried.
This scolding-like tone brought Yuu back to his senses. He blinked a few times in surprise. He could feel Yoko's hand on his forehead, and it felt strange. He knew the woman was just doing her job, of course. It was just...
He shook his head.
"I don't have a fever or anything. I was just... just lost in thought. I'm sorry," he said in a soft tone.
After making sure Yuu didn't have a fever, Yoko withdrew her hand and sighed. Her furrowed brows relaxed when she saw the woman lying in Yuu's bed. Yuu gently explained:
"I've rested. I'm fine now, but she... They are very tired."
Yoko remembered how much trouble this trio had caused. She especially remembered the black-haired one almost confronting Dr. Naomi. A weary smile appeared on her face.
"Your family really cares about you... Especially that black-haired lady."
Yuu blinked in surprise.
"What happened?"
Yuu's eyes widened as Yoko recounted the events in a low voice. Yuka's possessiveness, reaching a point where she largely ignored Koharu's attempts to calm her down for the first time, both warmed his heart and scared him a little.
He looked at Yuka with wide eyes for a while, then smiled.
"She really doesn't know where to stop."
Yoko turned to Yuu.
"In that case, Mr..."
Yuu immediately and politely cut Yoko off.
"You can just call me Yuu. Everyone usually calls me that."
He couldn't say he was very fond of being addressed by his last name. But the thought of being called by his first name by a stranger sent a shy blush spreading across his cheeks.
Yoko was surprised for a moment, then showed an understanding smile. She thought he might be one of those young people who had issues with their last name.
"In that case... Yuu-kun, I suppose it's okay to call you that? Do you feel any problems with yourself?"
Yuu nodded slightly. Contrary to what they thought, the reason for his fainting, according to Velora, was entirely due to him being at that point between soul and consciousness where she was. Combined with the fact that he was already feeling quite energetic, he said he had no problems.
Yoko nodded slightly but then paused and added:
"You should still rest. Especially since the doctor told you to rest. In bed."
Yoko particularly emphasized the last word, but Yuu shrugged.
"You're right, but I'm not sleepy, and I have nothing to do."
Yuu paused for a moment. He could see from the dark circles under Yoko's eyes that she hadn't been sleeping properly for a few days due to working overtime. It must be tiring. Working late as a nurse...
Still, seeing this fueled his curiosity, and he succumbed to it. His curiosity about the differences between the doujinshi and reality...
"If you're free, could we talk for a bit? There's... not much to do here..."
Yoko hesitated and was surprised at first. Her shift was almost over. Since she stayed late every day, she wanted to go home as soon as possible. But then she saw how far from tired this young man, who was almost her son's age, looked.
He would undoubtedly be sitting around bored while his family slept. She thought there would be no harm in taking care of this young man until her shift was over. Then she would go home.
She sighed lightly. Finally, she agreed but stated, "But I can't stay for long." She had to leave after a while as she wanted to give her son a warm hug.
Yuu nodded slightly. He leaned his back against the wall and placed his arm on the windowsill. For a moment, a completely depressive expression, that of a man questioning his own purpose, appeared on his face. His expression was so strange that it made Yoko blink a few times.
Yuu sighed lightly before returning to his previous demeanor. Then a conversation began between them. As the general small talk flowed, Yuu found himself engrossed in the conversation.
Yoko's telling of funny anecdotes she had with some patients made Yuu enjoy it. He even had to hold back laughter at times. Worried about waking the others.
During this time, although he tried to avoid it a few times, the topic eventually came to his family. Yuu pointed to Kyouka sleeping in the bed, and Yuka and Koharu passed out in the other two chairs.
"They are my family. They were the ones who took care of me with my grandfather when I lost my parents as a child. When my grandfather was hospitalized, they were the ones who took me in again."
Yoko showed an understanding expression. She was sorry for his loss, and a wave of empathy washed over her.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Yuu-kun."
Yuu nodded slightly. A slight sadness appeared on his face, followed by a smile. His voice had a tone of love that was more than just familial affection and attachment.
"It's okay. Nothing can replace my family, but... I love them very much. And that makes me forget everything."
He paused for a moment as he said these words. The words that came out of his mouth seemed to be the answer to many things that had been occupying his mind lately. His eyes sparkled. But just as he had grasped the thread, he couldn't pull the rest of it due to Yoko's question.
Yoko, noticing the strange tone in his voice, asked a different question instead of prying too much into his private life:
"What about your cousins? I heard... they'll be here soon."
Yuu blinked in surprise.
"Aya-nee and Megu-nee are coming?"
Aya and Megu were the only living relatives he knew of besides his grandfather. They were his cousins, and they were very close. At least, that was the case until Yuu lost his parents at an early age. He remembered their sweet, sad faces very clearly when he had to move in with his grandfather.
They used to have frequent phone calls. But recently, they hadn't had the chance to see each other as they were busy with their own work. Yuu had his school and his own worries, and they had theirs.
When a memory cloud about which Hentai the two cousins belonged to appeared in his mind, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Ecchi na Onee-chan Ni Shiboraretai.
The story briefly revolved around the rivalry between "Tobu-kun," who returned home after a long time, and his big, perverted older sisters, "Aya-nee" and "Megu-nee." As they both took things a step further with "Tobu-kun" each time, they eventually both accepted that they were his women.
It was an animation of the incest, simple plot, but wholesome Hentai genre. But that wasn't the reason for his raised eyebrows.
The character "Tobu-kun" mentioned in the story was never born! They were two of the three living members of Yuu's family, and Yuu did not have a little male cousin named Tobu-kun among these members!
But the "not having seen each other for a long time" situation was exactly what Yuu had with them. Although they had frequent phone calls, they hadn't seen each other "for a long time" due to the distance problem.
With that, it hit him. Since the plots of some hentai were intertwined, the story must have taken a different course.
Yuu, himself, was in the place of the person named Tobu-kun. Such a person had never existed. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or scared about this. But he had a strong feeling that these intertwining and connections would cause him problems.
"Is something wrong, Yuu-kun? Or are you not on good terms with them?" Yoko said with curiosity. Yuu shook his head violently. He pushed aside the strong feeling of longing he felt for his cousins.
"No, no! I love them. We used to play a lot of games with them when my parents were alive."
He paused for a moment and struggled to find the right words. A look of longing appeared on his face. It was as if he had returned to his childhood. He murmured softly:
"I just... I guess I miss my cousins a lot."
Yoko nodded in understanding. Remembering the longing she felt for her son every day, she found herself looking at the clock and realized that time had passed really quickly.
"It was nice talking to you, Yuu-kun, but I have to go now."
Yuu nodded slightly, a sincere smile on his face. "Thank you, Yoko-neesan. I wish you a good night."
Yoko smiled slightly in acknowledgment and started to walk away. As she left, Yuu was lost in thought behind her. As he curled up in bed once more, his gaze wandered over Kyouka's features.
It really... hadn't been the experience he had expected. The pink particles were still there. They were following Yoko. A mix of scent aromas, similar to an intense call for sex, had mixed with these particles and enveloped Yoko like a second skin.
But Yuu couldn't see any of this in her behavior. He just saw a tired woman trying to take care of her child and herself. He didn't find any of the strangeness he had expected in their conversation. What did he expect, anyway? Whether it was doujinshi or Hentai-style animations, they all prioritized erotism over realism.
A person could feel a twisted pleasure from pleasure even if they were unhappy in this world. This burned his heart. He had understood that someone like Yoko was working to the extent of forgetting her own needs. He looked at the woman sleeping next to him.
He thought about the doujinshi and the unlived dark future. He thought about the decision he had made for the sake of pleasure and whether he would have felt guilty about it. In the end, he decided once again that it was meaningless to think about these things.
She was his now. That was enough, but he knew that his newly wounded trust wouldn't heal immediately. To get this out of his mind, he buried his head in the pillow and started to sleep close to Kyouka. He hoped to forget everything with this closeness, her breath, and her warmth.