In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 127. Heavy

When I was fully conscious, the sun was already high in the sky.

The air conditioner has been running non-stop since last night, constantly whirring.

Even though I hadn't done anything, I felt more exhausted than ever before when I woke up.

Despite being fully conscious, Kaoru still had no intention of lifting her back off the bed; a voice deep within her mind kept repeating, "[Lie down a little longer]."

Since it was the weekend and she didn't have to worry about being late, Kaoru chose to empty her mind and lie on the bed.

You don't need to do anything, and your brain doesn't need to think about anything complicated; it just needs to maintain simple functions.

I wish I could stay like this until I die.

The moment this thought popped into my head, I heard the sound of fabric rubbing against the sheets beside me.

Xiaolin woke up.

She sat up in bed as if nothing was wrong, rubbing her eyes which were still closed like those of a newborn baby, making sleepy noises, and stretching her limbs like a child.

After leaving the room, Kaoru heard the bathroom door close.

The sound of running water came from inside; Kobayashi seemed to be washing up. During this time, Kaoru found her phone under her pillow, took a deep breath, and looked at the lit-up screen.

If Rin asks him what he did last night, how should he answer her question?

As he pondered the answer to this question, he noticed the message Rin had left for him on her usual social media.

It consists of only two short sentences.

These are the replies from last night ("I understand") and the message sent today ("Good morning, are you coming back today?").

It's unexpectedly short...

Normally, Rin would bombard Kaoru with messages and calls if he didn't come home at night, but now she has fallen silent without warning, and Kaoru senses the danger.

[Yes, I'll be back soon.]

Thinking too much won't change the situation; on the contrary, it will only make you more troubled. Xun doesn't plan to dwell on these things too much.

He put away his phone and just sat up in bed when he noticed Xiaolin, who had appeared at the doorway at some point, staring at him with a bewildered expression.

The glance back lasted for a second.

The glass in Kobayashi's hand came flying at me.

Kaoru nimbly dodged the attack, but Kobayashi had no intention of giving up. He started picking up everything within reach and throwing it at them like his life depended on it.

"Wait...wait! What are you doing?!"

Completely unaware of the situation, Kaoru used a pillow as a shield.

"Why...why are you in my room?! What did you do to me?! And what's with the beer on the table and the Christmas clothes in the washing machine?!"

"You're still asking why... You know this better than anyone else!"

"What you're saying couldn't be clearer... I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about! You pervert!"

Soon, everything within reach was cleared away, and the bed became a mess.

Exhausted, Kobayashi supported his knees with both hands, his eyes still warily fixed on Kaoru on the bed, treating him as an intruder.

"You were the one who brought me home last night, and you were the one who prepared the Christmas outfit. I didn't force you at all. Besides, I don't have a key to your house. If you hadn't given me permission, I wouldn't have been able to show up at your house, would I?"

It was all so chaotic that Kaoru had no idea what to do next.

Has Kobayashi lost her memory? No, that's not right. Even if she has forgotten what happened last night, the man's presence in her room caused her confusion and bewilderment. The current Kobayashi is completely different from the Kobayashi of last night...

No matter how you look at it, it's just too strange.

I have absolutely no idea what's going on!

------------

"So... I really did that terrible thing last night?"

"And it was done without anyone noticing, which is terrifying no matter how you look at it."

After Kaoru recounted fragments of what happened last night, Kobayashi, after her initial surprise, seemed to come to terms with reality. She sat down by the bed, stroked her chin, and looked Kaoru over with a suspicious gaze.

"After I got drunk, I kept pestering Hoshino-kun... I insisted on making him stay no matter what he said, and we even slept together... What was I thinking last night...?"

What happened in the cubicle, and the heavy words she uttered last night, were conveniently concealed.

Whether Xiaolin would believe it if I told her is uncertain.

Moreover, such an outcome would be too heavy for her.

"So... Kobayashi is now experiencing a split."

Kaoru ultimately came to this conclusion.

"Split...split!"

Xiaolin immediately looked startled, and as she stood up from the bed, her face revealed a palpable panic.

"Is there any other possibility?"

"Maybe he was just drunk... This split personality is terrifying, isn't it?"

"If you were drunk, what happened afterward could be barely explained, but you clearly have no recollection of what you did before that, right?"

Xiaolin opened her lips but made no sound. She was extremely conflicted about this matter, so this reaction was to be expected.

"Although you didn't do anything dangerous, I think it would be best to go to the hospital to get it checked out."

...In fact, they have already taken the most dangerous step.

I said this simply to ease Kobayashi's burden as much as possible.

"Ugh... I can't stand it! Why did it have to turn out like this?!"

Kobayashi finally broke down.

Lying back on the bed, she completely gave up resisting, and then, as if losing her mind, attacked the sheets beneath her with both hands, making 'bang bang bang' sounds.

How should I put it...?

Compared to before, Kobayashi now gives people a more reassuring feeling.

Although they had grown somewhat distant, the heaviness that had weighed on her disappeared, and she returned to the purest and most familiar version of herself from her memories.

"Ugh... If Mom finds out I drink, she'll definitely kill me when she gets back..."

"It's over... My life is ending..."

Kobayashi seems to have completely given up the struggle.

No, things haven't reached that point of no return yet, have they?

"Hey, can you be a little quieter? You're so noisy!"

Kaoru scratched her right cheek and said in a flippant tone.

As a result, this sentence immediately stepped on Xiaolin's landmine.

She instantly stood up from the bed, placed her hands on Xun's shoulders, and pushed his body back and forth as if she wanted to shake his head off.

"Damn it! Who do you think is to blame for things turning out like this?! Even now, you're still saying such irresponsible things... I... I'm going to kill you!"

Ultimately, it turned out like this.

The moment those hands gripped my neck tightly, the feeling of suffocation immediately spread throughout my body.

Ah... I'm going to be killed.

"Take responsibility! You...you slept with me!"

Kobayashi glared at Kaoru's face, looking like he was waiting for his answer.

Gasping for breath, Kaoru was forced to squeeze out a sound from the gap in her throat.

"Cough cough... I can't speak..."

So, Kobayashi loosened his grip a little.

Although I was able to make sounds, the feeling of difficulty breathing persisted.

"Calm down. I never said I was going to wash my hands of this. Since this unexpected trouble has happened, we can face it together. Fighting won't solve anything."

These words successfully moved Kobayashi, and the hands that were pressed against her neck quickly fell away. Then, she turned her back to Kaoru, her shoulders trembling due to her emotions.

"What am I going to do... I did that before I was even married... What if I can't get married... And having children is such a hassle... In the end, none of this should have happened!"

Unlike the rather bold and seductive Xiaolin from last night, she is now quite conservative, just like the familiar girl I remember.

"Hey, you're overthinking it. While sleeping together has happened before, things haven't gotten out of control... Come to think of it, if we really did that, you'd probably notice, right?"

Upon hearing Kaoru's words, Kobayashi belatedly realized that since waking up, his body had not felt the tearing pain that came with his [first experience].

In that case, there's only one possibility.

She instantly became overjoyed, repeatedly saying things like "[Great!] [I'm saved]".

However, this moment did not last long.

The sound of the door opening came from the entryway without warning.

Then came the sound of high heels.

"Ah, Mom's back."

The sudden situation threw Kobayashi into a panic. Kaoru also realized that if it were discovered that Kobayashi had allowed a man to stay at her house overnight, it would have a negative impact on her. So she made a decision in an instant.

Footsteps sounded at the door.

The next moment, the room door was opened.

"Ah, Chio's already awake. Seeing the house in such a mess, I thought a thief had broken in."

Facing the smiling, mature woman... it's my mother.

"Hmm...what's wrong...Mom..."

"Chio seems really off. She must have done something bad while Mom wasn't around, right?"

"I didn't do that kind of thing..."

"But something really doesn't feel right."

I could feel the bed sinking in a bit because of my weight, and the weight of my hand gently resting on the blanket.

"If you feel unwell, please tell your mom."

The gentle, feminine voice so close to her made Xun, who was hiding under the covers, hold her breath.

"I...I understand...I'm not feeling unwell, Mom's so noisy."

"Speaking of which, isn't the air conditioning too cold? It would be troublesome if you caught a cold."

The hand began to gently pat the blanket, speaking in a soft voice.

What she didn't realize was that a third person was present, just a few tens of centimeters away.

If they had chosen to be frank and explain their purpose before she came in, things might not have developed into such a complicated situation.

But... if it's discovered now...

Their posture... is quite precarious!

Kaoru could feel the fabric clinging to her cheeks.

Kobayashi's figure is considered quite mature for her age, and Kaoru now feels this even more directly.

He had buried his head in it and was about to suffocate, but then he took a breath.

Instantly, Xiaolin straightened his back, and because his hands were still under the covers, she grabbed his ears.

Because there was a third person present, Xun dared not make a sound and could only grit her teeth and try to endure the pain in her body.

"Oh, right, Mom suddenly remembered she has something else to do, so she has to leave now."

Soon after those words were spoken, the sound of someone putting on high heels and the sound of the front door closing could be heard.

Once the only obstacle was gone, Kobayashi immediately pulled back the covers, grabbed Kaoru by the ear, and threw him off the bed.

"What is this...? This is too cruel..."

The force with which the ear was pulled was so great that Kaoru felt as if the nerves there had gone numb.

When you touch it with your fingers, you don't feel anything at all.

"It's already merciful that they didn't tear my ear off. Who told you, you obnoxious guy, to do such a frivolous thing to me... I don't care."

Kobayashi turned her face away to the other side in a huff.

A short while later, she hesitated and looked at Kaoru, whose face was full of pain.

"Are you... are you alright...?"

"How could nothing happen! Why did I have to run into a violent person like you?!"

"Violence...violence? Are you talking about me?"

"Who else could be in this room!"

Any girl would be furious to hear that, and Xiaolin immediately fell silent, lowering her head and sinking into deep self-doubt.

After a moment, she looked up and mumbled a "sorry" from her mouth.

Although it sounds completely insincere, she's not the type of girl who can easily apologize to others, and the fact that she's gone this far has already made Kaoru feel a sense of unfamiliarity towards her.

"Alright, let's leave it at that, but..."

Unlike yesterday when Kobayashi was always in control, her reaction now is quite adorable.

Kaoru couldn't help but have the idea of ​​teasing her.

"What...what are you going to do...?"

Seeing him approach, a wary look immediately appeared in Kobayashi's eyes.

She would definitely run away when she realized it, but Xun didn't give her the chance to do so.

He easily pressed his palm against her shoulder and, with a little force, pushed her body down onto the bed behind him.

He shifted his weight onto Kobayashi's shoulders.

"What...what are you doing...?"

As expected, a shy reaction, the kind only a young girl would have, appeared on that terrifying face.

Kaoru buried her face in her neck, greedily inhaling the scent of her body. Kobayashi, treated like this, quickly began to struggle frantically, making sobbing sounds as if she were about to cry.

"I...I know I was wrong...Please don't scold me..."

"No, it's no longer a matter of right or wrong."

When his palm touched her waist through the fabric, Kobayashi's body immediately straightened up, her eyes began to glaze over, and in the end, she abandoned all thought and all her resistance disappeared.

And then, in that very instant.

"Hoshino-san... what are you doing... it's still morning..."

Those hands embraced Kaoru's body as if to welcome her.

It's still Kobayashi.

However, what has changed is—

Heavily burdened, Kobayashi.