It was a day when the sun was at its zenith. As always in summer, Ms. Sun, who was highly successful at being annoying, did not hesitate to send her lovingly sweat-inducing rays down to Earth.
The air was so hot that the asphalt shimmered, reflecting the city's unique restlessness. Yuu arrived at the front of his house, looking a bit battered. Dust and dirt were visible on his black jacket and gray pants. "Pat! Pat!" sounds echoed as he lightly brushed his legs.
Then he sighed and took a deep breath. His adrenaline-pumping heart slowly settled into a rhythm. A relieved smile appeared on his face. He turned the key, opened the door, and stepped inside. He carefully took off his black shoes and closed the door with a click.
Looking at the shoe rack, he noticed two pairs of shoes were missing. Only Koharu's shoes remained. His eyebrows rose in surprise. He couldn't help but wonder as he put on his slippers:
'Where are the others?'
Just as he thought this, a message arrived.
[Yuka: We went to help Aya-san and Megu-san. We'll be back in the evening. Don't worry and take care of yourself, baka!]
A smile appeared on Yuu's face as he closed his phone. He could trust Yuka's words. Moreover, Megu's sad but teasing message arrived shortly after, confirming it. He only smiled as he hung his jacket on the hanger.
He walked slowly inside with his slippers and went upstairs. He gave Velora a small glance, and Velora vanished from his shoulder.
"Take it easy, Subject-kun!" he heard her encouraging voice in his mind, and Yuu chuckled softly upon hearing it. He could hear the sound of keyboard clicks as he slightly opened the door. Click, click, click!
When he slowly walked in, he saw Koharu with her glasses on, typing furiously. The white light reflected off her glasses, making her eyes invisible. Her expression was serious.
Yuu sat down on the bed without saying anything and waited. After all, Koharu was a writer, and he had learned this saying very clearly: "You never know when inspiration will strike a writer."
So Yuu chose to look at his phone. He carefully scrolled through pages. He paid attention to some articles and did some research. As he did in every free moment, he was trying to identify the hentai that was globally or locally influential in Japan. After all, information was a big advantage.
Although he saw many strange things, most of them were not things he already knew. But it was certain that what he read and saw was becoming increasingly depressing. News like families with excessive debt being forced into prostitution by loan sharks bothered him.
Not wanting to get more depressed, he finally closed his phone and saw Koharu stretching with her arms wide open. The chair creaked as she leaned back, and her large breasts swayed gently.
"Haaah!" she exhaled with a relaxed expression on her face.
Yuu finally realized she was taking a break and softly called out, "Hey."
"How's it going?"
Koharu blinked when she noticed him. The momentary surprise on her face turned into a joyful and sweet smile as she got up from her chair and hugged him.
"Welcome back, Yuu-kun!"
As she sat right next to him on the bed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close. She buried his head in her breasts, and Yuu immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. Yuu had to lift his head slightly to see the concern mixed with an almost motherly affection on her face.
"Are you okay? Do you feel any exhaustion?"
Yuu could feel the care in her grip. She didn't want to squeeze too hard. Yuu smiled and gently pulled back. He cupped her cheeks and gently stroked them.
"I'm fine, Koharu."
Then he slowly leaned in. Their lips met in a sweet, short kiss. Koharu, who melted slightly under the warmth of the kiss and Yuu's hands, closed her eyes for a moment. She blinked when the kiss ended.
"I'm glad... Thank goodness..." she murmured as she carefully brushed the strand of hair that fell over Yuu's eyes with her finger.
Yuu chuckled lightly.
"You don't have to worry. Nothing will happen to me. How about you?"
Yuu removed his hands from her cheeks and gently placed them on her shoulders, "Don't tell me you've been writing the chapter since this morning, your shoulders are tense."
Koharu was usually the caring, understanding one, but since they got into writing, the roles had shifted a bit. Sometimes Koharu would get lost in her work, which was rare for him to see.
In such cases, Yuu usually intervened.
Koharu was slightly embarrassed by his questioning concern but also smiled happily, as usual, for his thoughtfulness. She softly confirmed.
"Yes. I didn't have much else to do."
Yuu sighed at this and gently pulled back to stand up. He cracked his knuckles and said:
"Then lie down. Let me give you a massage, Koharu."
Koharu immediately refused.
"No, Yuu-kun. You just got out of the hospital," she said in a worried tone.
Yuu, however, held her shoulders and squeezed lightly, which made Koharu yelp.
"Y-Yuu!?"
Yuu looked at her seriously. He spoke with a slightly self-deprecating tone.
"I'm not much of a masseur, but at least I can relax you."
He paused for a moment and looked into her eyes with a more insistent tone.
"Please, Koharu. Let me take some of your burden."
His coal-black eyes met Koharu's. Koharu felt her heart fill with warmth when she saw such interest and concern in his eyes.
"If... you want to that much... Okay..." she finally said, lying down on her stomach. The short-sleeved white t-shirt she was wearing was stretched due to the pressure of her breasts against the bed, exposing her soft skin at her waistline.
Yuu began his massage with great seriousness. His fingertips first roamed over the tense, hard knots in her shoulders. With careful movements, he gently pressed and squeezed with his palm. The warmth of his hand easily penetrated the thin t-shirt to Koharu's skin.
The warmth and pressure made Koharu let out a slight moan. She lifted her head slightly and whispered with a relieved sigh, "A little lower..."
Yuu continued to move his fingers with his accustomed movements, a happy expression on his face. As his fingers slid toward her shoulder blades, pressing on her muscles, he asked, "Is this good?"
Koharu closed her eyes contentedly and let out a light breath. Right after putting her head back on the pillow, she answered:
"Definitely... Where did you learn to give such a good massage?"
Her question made Yuu smile. "The internet," he replied, his mind going back to the past. Before they got into writing with Koharu, he had tried to learn how to give massages, thinking of relieving Kyouka's stress from overworking.
However, after this, he had undoubtedly massaged Koharu more than Kyouka, and her being so satisfied with it made him smile.
"With a sweet customer like you, I can't help but become a master at my job."
Koharu giggled at this sentence and spoke in a slightly teasing tone:
"You're getting better at sweet-talking."
Yuu laughed at that. Time passed as he continued his massage. Yuu's focus on every tense spot on her back and his sweet touches made Koharu let out pleasurable, relaxing sounds.
When Yuu finally stopped, Koharu rolled over in bed. Her large but well-proportioned breasts swayed slightly as her t-shirt rode up, fully exposing her belly button. A satisfied smile was on her face:
"Thank you for the massage, Yuu-kun."
She opened her arms invitingly, an expectant look on her face. There was no need for words at that moment. Yuu happily joined her in bed. As soon as he did, Koharu's arms wrapped around his back like a mother's embrace.
Yuu buried his head in Koharu's neck, inhaling the unique scent of her sweat mixed with her orange-flavored shampoo.
"You're welcome," he whispered, his arms wrapped around her. As he continued to draw lazy circles on her back, he heard a complaining, sweet voice in his mind.
"What about sex? I thought you would have sex since you were so full of desire. Pfft! Disappointment."
Velora's voice reminded Yuu of something he had almost forgotten in the atmosphere of the moment: what he needed to tell Koharu.
Velora appeared next to him, guessing his thoughts. She was hovering in her normal form, not chibi. As she flapped her small wings, her ruby eyes sparkled with worry:
"Are you sure about this? I mean... revealing something so private. Besides, you know, if I hadn't intervened, they would have..."
Yuu's grip on Koharu tightened, understanding what she meant. Possessive and almost afraid to let go.
Koharu blinked slightly. This sudden change in Yuu naturally made her worry.
"Is something wrong, Yuu-kun?"
Yuu kissed her neck and looked at Velora before answering. His was an angry look because she was picking at a wound that had just started to heal, and he knew she was right. Trust was not easily earned but easily lost.
Yuu's trust had been generally shaken because of a non-existent future at first. But he had thought a lot in the hospital, and his conclusion was this:
The entire family was a victim. Yuu still had a trust issue with Kyouka because she willingly went along with it and even convinced the others for one more time in the non-existent future he saw in those panels.
However, in Yuu's opinion, Yuka and Koharu were just victims. Their being convinced by their mother was partially his own negligence and fault in that future. Due to all these reasons, he finally spoke in a determined tone:
"Koharu... there's something I need to tell you, or rather, something I need to show you."
Koharu looked at him with a curious gaze. The hesitation and determination in his voice worried her as much as it piqued her curiosity. Her fingers tightly gripped his back, causing his black t-shirt to wrinkle and bunch up in her hands.
"What is it?" she asked, just as a white cloud formed with a poof effect. The small cloud quickly dissipated with the sound of flapping wings, revealing a cute young girl. Her white hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her red eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hello, I'm Velora! Subject-kun's other half. Nice to meet you!"
Koharu flinched and pulled back in surprise. Velora's pointed ears, pale skin, and small, reddish, curved horns gave the impression that she was not from this world. She looked at Yuu, trying to understand what was happening.
She saw a faint, almost troubled smile on Yuu's face.
"Like she said. This is my other half."