Interlude — It’s All About You, Dongye

By the time I got home, it was already very late.

Rikō-ge, you’re back?

Xiaoyue seemed to have just woken up.

She rubbed her eyes and looked at me in confusion.

I wasn’t sure what she was confused about.

Still, I nodded and smiled at her.

Are you hungry, Xiaoyue?

Mm, I’ve been waiting for you.

So I made my family wait for me this long.

That really was something to feel guilty about.

Sorry, Xiaoyue.

I’ll cook for you now.

Rikō-ge, I already cooked the rice.

You just need to make the dishes.

She looked up at me with a smile, just like when we were little.

I want to eat sauce-glazed meat.

Alright, alright.

This time, I focused completely on cooking.

Mmm, it’s so good.

Rikō-ge, your cooking is amazing.

Then make sure you finish everything.

Mm-hmm, but—

If I eat all this, won’t I get fat?

Do you like a chubby me, Rikō-ge?

That depends on whether Xiaoyue dislikes me.

Mealtimes always turned into cheerful conversations.

In that way, Xiaoyue was just like Dongye.

Seeing them enjoy my food gave me a sense of achievement.

Though Dongye would still feel like vomiting afterward.

By the way, Rikō-ge.

Xiaoyue slowed down her eating.

She seemed to have something on her mind.

How was it today, going out with that girl?

How was it…

It was pretty good.

Noriyuki had a great time.

Rikō-ge.

Xiaoyue puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Why?

Xiaoyue is right.

You always ignore your own feelings.

Dongye did say that before.

About not thinking for myself.

But isn’t it more important to take care of those close to you?

What I want to ask is—how did you feel?

Me?

I thought about it seriously.

Not only was Noriyuki happy, but Dongye also seemed happy.

Actually, very happy.

Then I…

I was happy too.

Mm…

Xiaoyue lowered her head and kept eating.

She looked a bit silent.

Something about her felt strange today.

That girl… her name is Nishimura Noriyuki, right?

She said.

Xiaoyue was also one of the heroines I needed to win over.

According to Dongye, we were already at the peak of friendship.

Just one trigger away from turning into love.

Seeing her like this, I suddenly thought of that.

And she had even been described as a “big problem” by Dongye.

Xiaoyue…

Would she really fall in love with me?

If that happened, what should I do?

I had no answer.

Because I had never been loved before.

It troubled me.

But one thing was certain—

Right now, there was no one I particularly liked.

Even following Dongye’s plan and becoming some kind of “harem king”…

That wouldn’t make me happy.

After all, I firmly believe in monogamy.

But if it’s necessary to send Dongye back…

Then I have to see it through.

Honestly, it’s troubling.

Rikō-ge, what’s wrong?

Xiaoyue looked at me with concern.

I’ll think about this later.

Yeah, that’s right.

She invited you twice already.

Rikō-ge, what do you think of her?

So it was that question.

Usually, this kind of question is meant to probe a relationship.

I had seen it in manga before.

Just like Dongye said—

Xiaoyue was starting to care about my feelings.

But—

She’s someone who needs help.

A friend who needs help.

A friend who needs help?

Noriyuki isn’t good at expressing herself.

She’s always been under her father’s shadow…

I told Xiaoyue about Noriyuki’s struggles.

It brought a trace of sympathy to her face.

After all, Xiaoyue cares about others too.

So, you want to help her.

Yeah.

Because under her father’s influence, she lost the warmth her mother gave her.

I want to help her.

Sigh…

Xiaoyue sighed.

Then she looked at me seriously.

You won’t fall in love with her, right?

What do you mean, Xiaoyue?

I mean becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

Rikō-ge, tell me your honest thoughts.

My honest thoughts…

I thought for a moment.

Then shook my head.

I don’t have that kind of intention with her.

I see…

Xiaoyue seemed relieved and went back to eating.

But Rikō-ge, if you keep helping her like this…

You should consider the possibility.

Like… she might fall for you.

I had thought about that.

And not just her.

Even including Xiaoyue, there were five girls involved.

It almost felt like I was playing with people’s feelings.

What a troublesome situation, Dongye.

But I made a promise.

I have to fulfill it.

If that happens…

Then I’ll have to apologize to Noriyuki for her feelings.

Mm, I’m full.

That’s good.

Go get some rest, I’ll wash the dishes.

But Xiaoyue didn’t listen.

She came over to help.

Honestly, Rikō-ge, you should get a girlfriend too.

After these three years, if you see Dongye again, you’d be happy, right?

She was already imagining my future.

If I meet Dongye again…

Maybe I’ll try to find a girlfriend.

If she’s still there—

Just wash up and get ready for bed, Xiaoyue.

Geez, Rikō-ge.

She complained unhappily.

Your behavior really isn’t satisfying.

What do you think of Xiaoyue?

My hands paused for a moment.

Look at Xiaoyue, she’s so pretty.

Even the club president likes her.

You two would match well.

Too bad you don’t feel anything for her.

Back then, when we walked home together, if you had acted sooner…

She might have already been your girlfriend.

But now it’s too late.

The president confessed first.

And Xiaoyue didn’t reject him.

It looks like their relationship will develop further.

After listening to her chatter for a while, the dishes were done.

Alright, Xiaoyue.

Go to sleep.

I gently pushed her.

She had always gone to bed early.

And today was no different.

As for me—

After returning to my room, I opened my notebook.

It was my diary.

Noriyuki’s inner struggles had mostly been released.

Through continued interaction, she was gradually healing.

She was right.

It wasn’t just my effort.

The entire Classical Literature Club cared about her.

Surrounded by that care, she would soon return to her ideal self.

I wrote down everything that happened today.

And finally—

Dongye is in a very dangerous state.

Both mentally and physically.

Today almost ended in an accident.

Just thinking about it is terrifying.

It feels like…

If I don’t see Dongye, I worry something might happen to her.

Maybe I really need to keep an eye on her all the time.

I wonder if she’d agree…

If I said that, she would definitely laugh at me.

She’d probably tease me too.

But that’s fine.

If it makes her smile more…

Like before—

Just imagining it made me smile unconsciously.

I really like that relaxed atmosphere.

But still…

Please don’t joke like that too much, Dongye.

I took a deep breath and became serious.

My observations were correct.

Dongye has already started blaming everything on herself.

That’s a very dangerous mindset.

The book she read today, Confessions…

It probably reflects that mentality.

Dongye really needs close attention.

And the fact that she can face death so calmly—

That’s not normal.

Only someone who has completely lost hope would be like that.

And I’ve seen this side of her many times.

Only now did I truly confirm it.

Ichijō… I want to go home.

That time—

There was something dark hidden in her beautiful eyes.

Like a kind of despair.

Like death itself.

I only realized it today.

When she said I could let go—

Her expression was exactly the same as before.

So when Dongye says “home”…

Does it mean—

No way.

My pen stopped.

Maybe I’m overthinking it.

I shook my head and calmed down.

Home should mean a place of safety.

But for Dongye…

Is it really a place she can feel at ease?

Honestly, I’m worried about what she might do after going back.

What if… she tries to kill herself?

My pen stopped again.

Why do I feel this so strongly?

No, no…

I must be overthinking.

But why did her eyes feel so filled with death?

And she said before—

There’s no one left in that home.

It doesn’t sound like a better situation than now.

So why is she so attached to it?

I let out a deep sigh.

As expected, your problems are really hard to solve, Dongye.

But at least from now on—

Don’t try to handle everything alone.

You can ask me for help.

We’ll sort things out step by step.

And solve them together.

That’s about everything for today.

The wind from outside blew in.

It flipped through a few loose pages.

On them were written—

Looks like this dish still doesn’t work for Dongye.

I’ll need to adjust it again.

Dongye keeps saying everything is her fault.

Is she trying to carry everything alone?

My past diary entries appeared before me.

On a whim, I started flipping through them.

And then I realized—

Almost all of them were about you, Dongye.

I let out a bitter smile.

If she saw this, she’d probably think I’m a creep.

Actually… she’d definitely laugh like—

Hehehe.

That laugh echoed in my mind.

Then I reached a page with a question written in large letters.

Is Dongye really Dongye?

The question mark was huge.

It was something I had wondered before.

And I still had no answer.

But—

It was time to sleep.

Good night, Ichijō.

Good night, Dongye.