She Became Distressed After I Stopped Being Restrained and Started Interacting with Others - Chapter 54

My footsteps naturally quickened.

Shiori’s words lingered deep in my ears.

“You know where Yuna-chan should be heading right now, don’t you?”

I know.

The only one I truly care about is Honoka.

Even if our relationship is unstable, heavy, and sometimes we hurt each other—still, I—

Before I knew it, I was standing in front of my house.

I took a deep breath in front of the door and unlocked it with slightly trembling hands.

The moment I opened the front door, I gasped.

The room was dark and quiet. It felt as if time had stopped.

But—within that silence, I could faintly hear breathing.

Small, faint.

Like a fragile creature desperately clinging to life.

I quietly took off my shoes and walked down the hallway without making a sound.

My chest was restless and uneasy, telling me that something, someone was there.

When I opened the living room door—

“…Hk… cough…”

Honoka was there.

Kneeling on the floor, curled up as if clinging to something.

Her hair was disheveled, and her face… was a mess, red and swollen from crying.

But the moment she noticed me, her entire body jolted.

“…Yu…na…?”

A hoarse, fragile voice, on the verge of breaking.

The moment I heard it, my chest ached. My breath caught.

“Honoka…”

When I called her name, she reached out toward me with trembling hands.

“…Really…? Is it really… Yuna…?”

Her voice sounded as if she were dreaming.

She must have called my name over and over—her throat was hoarse, her breathing shallow.

I rushed over and took her hand.

“It’s me… Honoka.”

At that moment—

“…Ah, aah, aahhh…!”

As if a string had snapped, Honoka clung to me.

The body I held in my arms was trembling unbelievably. Cold, sticky sweat. A tear-streaked, messy face. Her breathing was ragged, and a faint, sour smell—like after vomiting—hung in the air.

I said nothing, just held her tight.

Burying her face in my chest, Honoka sobbed.

Her tears flowed endlessly, like a child’s, turning into choked sobs.

“I was scared. I thought you didn’t want me anymore. That she had taken you away…!”

Over and over, as if repeating a mantra, she said it while I stroked her hair.

My precious lover, fragile to the point of breaking.

Yes, this is my fault.

Until Honoka became this broken, I—

“…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

Tears welled up in my eyes, too.

Honoka didn’t stop crying for a while.

She sobbed and called my name again and again.

Still, little by little, ever so gradually, her breathing began to calm.

Before I knew it, Honoka had fallen limp, asleep in my arms.

I gently kissed her hair.

“I won’t go anywhere anymore. I’ll be right here.”

And I squeezed Honoka’s sleeping hand tightly.