Dual System in Daily World

Iroha, who kept trying to convince herself, shook her head and forced herself to stop dwelling on these irritating thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.

She couldn't let her emotions get in the way so easily. She couldn't allow herself to forget her original goal because of this.

Setting aside her frustration for now, she realized that, in reality, the situation was actually quite favorable for her.

He had already promised to give advice on her relationship. With this clear and justified reason, he no longer had to overthink his interactions with her.

However, he still couldn't be careless. Every time she asked him out, it was best to leave a few days in between—otherwise, it would feel too deliberate.

But he also couldn't just let time pass idly without doing anything. It was best to make good use of this period.

After thinking for a long time, Iroha finally struggled to open the LINE interface with her tender, slender fingers. 

She clicked on Chisato's avatar, pursed her thin lips, typed a line of text, and sent it over.

[Senior, I'm home. Thank you very much for today.]

After sending the message, Iroha kept staring at the chat interface.

Even after waiting for a long time, the small "unread" tag on her message remained unchanged.

Chisato was soaking in the bathtub.

It had been a long time since he had taken a proper bath. Usually, he had to work at school until 2:00, return home around 10:00 every night, and had no extra time. 

He would just rinse off quickly with the showerhead.

But with the monthly exams over today, he hadn't needed to go to his other job, and it wasn't too late when he got home. 

So, he granted himself a long-overdue break. With the bathtub's massage function activated, his mind went blank as he fully relaxed.

Bubbles rose against his back and between his legs.

It felt amazing.

But this moment of peace didn't last long.

"Your phone rang a few times—someone's looking for you."

As the bathroom door swung open, Utaha stepped inside without a care.

Chisato instinctively straightened his posture and closed his legs.

Seeing this, Utaha tilted her head slightly, a playful smile appearing on her lips, dimples faintly showing.

"That reaction is really cute."

After placing his phone on the edge of the bathtub, she didn't give him a chance to respond before turning around and leaving.

Chisato sat there, somewhat dejected, replaying her words in his mind.

Cute…

Was she referring to his reaction just now, or something else she had seen?

If it was the former, it didn't matter. But if it was the latter, that was just insulting.

Shaking off the thought, he picked up his phone and checked the unread messages.

Several messages from Iroha popped up in succession.

[Senior, I'm home. Thank you very much for today.]

[Cat scratching its head in confusion.JPG]

[Senior, you didn't run into an accident, did you?!]

[Scared face emoji.JPG]

Seeing these messages, Chisato, now pulled back to reality, felt a faint throbbing in his temple.

He never considered himself someone who understood women well, but he was still keenly aware that when a girl suddenly became familiar with him, there was always some kind of intention behind it.

Whether it was good or bad, that wasn't something he particularly wanted to think about right now.

At the moment, he was barely managing to maintain a balance in his life. Nothing was set in stone yet, and he didn't want any unnecessary complications.

From a purely rational perspective, the best course of action would be to ignore Iroha and deliberately create distance between them—this way, everything would remain peaceful.

But his emotions wouldn't allow him to do that. Every time he saw Eiri or Utaha, he couldn't help but think that Iroha, too, had suffered because of him. 

That was an undeniable fact.

So, he found himself unable to be harsh with Iroha. Instead, he harbored the subconscious urge to make it up to her.

That was why, when she made her request earlier, he had agreed without giving it much thought.

Now, looking back, that decision seemed a little inappropriate.

It wasn't that he was being self-absorbed, but he couldn't shake off the familiar feeling he saw in Iroha's gaze.

That was the same look he often caught in the eyes of other girls around him.

Gentle admiration. Attachment. A desire to get closer.

A sigh escaped his lips.

Was Iroha really just seeking advice on pursuing her senior, as she claimed? Or did she secretly have other motives?

"...What a sin."

Chisato ran a hand through his hair, feeling a dull headache forming.

Later, when Utaha inevitably came to tease him again, he might as well offer his lap for her to rest on. Maybe even offer for a head massage.

His legs looked thin and long, but in reality, they were quite soft and comfortable to touch—definitely capable of healing someone's weary heart.

After staring at Iroha's messages for a while, he finally responded with a neutral expression.

[No accident. I got home too.]

[Good night.]

Regardless of Iroha's true intentions, he had already promised to help her with her love life, so he would fulfill that role as a proper "relationship mentor."

Whether his words were sincere or not, one thing was certain—he would help her win over that senior.

As for everything else, he would remain as indifferent as possible.

If his instincts were wrong, then things would naturally resolve themselves, and no one would have to feel awkward.

If his instincts were right, then this approach should help Iroha let go of any unrealistic feelings sooner rather than later.

Unlike Utaha, Eiri, or Hitori, Iroha hadn't experienced the full memories of their past, only grasping the general simulation process from a third-person perspective—just like him.

Since that was the case, she wouldn't have the same kind of unwavering persistence that Utaha and Eiri did.

After spending time together a few times, Chisato had come to understand that Iroha was far from dense. She should be able to grasp the message he was subtly conveying.

Watching her typing out another reply, he gradually became more certain of his assumption.

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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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