「 You all are crazy! Insane! 」Ai"s mother looks at us and mutters.
「 Ai and I, my daughter was living in peace, in happiness, and yet, you intruded our home and messed us up 」
I can see the flames of anger in her eyes.
「 Ai has become crazy because of you people doing what you want with her. Oh, my poor Ai 」
「 M-Mama, I-I… 」
「 It was too soon for Ai to have s.e.x. Ai didn"t have to know all this. Despite that, aaaah. My child can"t return to a pure child anymore. What should I do? Aaaaah! Why did this happen! 」
Ai"s mother faces Koyomi-chan.
That isn"t a plea from Ai"s mother about her misfortune towards Koyomi-chan.
Ai"s mother thinks that she and Koyomi-chan are the only decent people in this room.
She knows that everyone, including Luna, has a s.e.xual relations.h.i.+p with me.
Koyomi-chan"s the only one not partic.i.p.ating in such activities.
「 Auntie will protect you! I"ll be sure to keep you away from the hands of these devils! 」
She grasps Koyomi-chan"s hand.
However, Koyomi-chan stares at Ai"s mother, expressionlessly.
「 Do you know the movie “Alien 2”? 」
Edie asks.
「 Ripley"s surrounded by aliens, desperately trying to survive to protect a small girl. Ripley desperately fights to protect the girl. Then, that girl is holding a little doll. And the girl wants to preserve the doll she"s keeping from the aliens. In short, “the girl"s trying her best to survive to protect the doll…Ripley fights off the aliens despite her trauma because she wants to protect the girl. But, on the contrary, the doll and the girl “were subjects that need protection,” and so they have to do their best. People are weak, and thus, they feel despair right away when they"re alone” That movie was entertaining to see a two-fold dependence structure 」
Err.
Why are we discussing Alien 2 now?
「 Alien 2 had that story, but in Alien 3, David Fincher is such an idiot because the girl who survived got killed. It"ll get bad reception naturally 」
What"s Alien 3?
「 Therefore, I know that you shouldn"t do it like David Fincher 」
Edie laughs.
Hmmm.
I don"t get it.
「 It means, doesn"t corner Ai"s mother too hard 」
Kansenpai said.
Oh, that"s it.
Ai"s mother dotes on Ai that she fabricated a bond with her daughter by having the child depend on her.
However, I took Ai away from her, and now, Ai depends not on her but me.
That beloved daughter of hers can no longer return to the pure girl she wants her to be.
Therefore, she now tries to dote on Koyomi-chan.
Just like how the protagonist of Alien 2 who didn"t despair because she has a girl to protect…
Ai"s mother needs a pure daughter that relies on her.
If she doesn"t have that someone…
Her heart will collapse, and it might cripple her.
「 But we can"t leave Koyomi-chan to Ai"s mother, right? 」
She"ll raise another girl who can"t do anything by herself, just like Ai.
Besides.
Looking at Koyomi-chan"s state since coming to the mansion…
This girl will not entrust everything to Ai"s mother.
Koyomi-chan"s still a young girl, but she holds individuality.
She"s docile and never speaks anything selfish. I mean, she hardly talks to anyone but her cousins.
She"s just watching us all in silence.
Her eyes show calm.
She"s not washed by fate, but instead, she looks at the situation and thinks earnestly on how she can live through the flow.
She knows that depending on Ai"s mother isn"t for the better.
「 That"s not it, Nii-san 」
Huh, Luna?
「 Edie-san"s not talking about Nii-san but KOyomi-chan 」
Alien 2"s example is Koyomi-chan?
Ah.
I see. If Koyomi-chan were to refuse Ai"s mother right now.
If she were to push Ai"s mother away…
Ai"s mother will sink in despair.
「 I mean, I think you should hold down your power, Koyomi-chan 」
Luna smiles.
W-What?
「 Right, I think that"s enough on testing out Darling and us 」
Luna and Edie said.
「 If you don"t loosen up that tense string, it"ll cut off 」
Edie comes in the bakery…
She must"ve sensed that the room is tense.
「 It"s been odd that you were suddenly excited for the past few days when Ai"s mom came over 」
Koyomi-chan"s induced AI"s mother to release all the pent up an ill will?
She used her Miko power?
Really?
「 Also, My grandma told me this, “people don"t change when they"re adults” That includes their way of thinking and how they do things 」
Edie looks at Ai"s mother.
「 Koyomi-chan"s still young, but she has enough experience to have a world view as much as Ai"s mother, an adult. You can"t overturn it that easily. It will only happen when war or a great catastrophe happens 」
Koyomi-chan looks at Edie sadly.
「 Can we not save her? 」
She speaks in a small voice.
「 Not with Koyomi at least 」
Edie replies with a smile.
「 You may have that power, but you lack in experience 」
「 But… 」
「 It"s impossible for me either. Darling, adults need adults to deal with them. If Minaho, Katsuko, or Nagisa can"t" do it, then we need someone older. And we still don"t know whether those people can fix it either 」
Edie"s answer made Koyomi-chan feel down.
Koyomi-chan wanted to save Ai"s mother.
Somewhere in her heart is a ma.s.s of string entangled.
「 That"s right. We can read people"s minds, but we don"t understand, “why did they become like this.” Isn"t that true for you too, Koyomi-chan? 」
Koyomi-chan can read people"s minds and memories.
Therefore, she knows how Ai"s mother is like this.
Marrying a man she doesn"t love when she"s conceiving a child from another man.
Doting on her daughter and concentrating on the details of her life.
But she doesn"t know why…
Koyomi-chan is still a 12-year-old girl.
She doesn"t have any experience in romance, and she saw only her parent"s relations.h.i.+p in marriage.
Then,
Kiyomi-san"s relations.h.i.+p with her husband wasn"t normal, either.
The Takakura shrine maidens" blood and power are tied up with the Kansai Yakuza.
「 It can"t be helped. Koyomi"s power isn"t omnipotent 」
Edie said.
Their Miko power may be potent, but a 12-year-old girl can"t do anything on a distorted mind of an adult woman.
If they were to use their power poorly, then it might cause a collapse.
「 And you"ll become like your mother 」
Kiyomi-san was affected by the wave of despair from Tsukiko"s mother and committed suicide.
「 Uuuu 」
Luna embraces the back of the trembling Koyomi-chan.
「 It"s okay. We"re here for you 」
She embraces her cousin tightly.
「 That"s right. We"re here for you, also… 」
Edie smiles.
「 Koyomi-chan"s power can"t do anything about it, but you still have a lot that you can do by yourself 」
Koyomi-chan looks at Edie in surprise.
「 You can"t fix it, but you can heal her 」
Heal, not fix.
Ai"s mother"s distorted heart.
「 Therefore, you must take care of it, so it doesn"t break 」
「 Koyomi-chan"s unease and hopelessness are going through. Therefore… 」
Luna says.
「 Edie-san, you"re misunderstanding. Koyomi-chan isn"t giving Nii-san a test. It just happened 」
Maybe, Koyomi-chan got Ai"s mother excited on purpose.
Koyomi-chan"s unease radiates to Ai"s mother"s heart.
Then, Ai"s mother got excited all at once.
「 Koyomi-chan, you see… 」
I try to find the words to say.
「 I don"t think you"ll trust me when I say it, but it"s better than left unsaid, so… 」
Err.
「 I, we do think of Koyomi-chan as our family… 」
I looked into Koyomi-chan"s eyes and said.
「 What I mean by that is…no matter what happens from now on until forever, even after we die, we"re family 」
Hmm.
Koyomi-chan"s staring at me.
「 I don"t want anything from Koyomi-chan in particular. You don"t have to do it with me. Don"t mind what Agnes tells you. Anyway, our house is Koyomi-chan"s house. I mean, you can stay over there for as long as you want. And, well, I think it"s impossible right now, but after a few years, when the situation becomes better, you can part from us when you"re at the age where you can live by yourself. It"s all for you to decide. We"re not forcing you 」
Was I able to convey it smoothly?
Did my feelings reach her?
「 But, we"re family. Even if Koyomi-chan were to part from us, live far away, we"re still family. We will always be… 」
Argh, this is frustrating.
I can"t get it right.
「 What about being a family? 」
Koyomi-chan asks.
「 Is it a good thing for me? 」
That"s…
「 You won"t be lonely anymore 」
I declared.
「 If you have a family, and with this much members, wherever you are in the world, even if you get yourself in a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p and head to Jupiter, you won"t be lonely 」
「 It is lonely to be alone in the world 」
Koyomi-chan looks at me and mutters.
「 It won"t! You won"t be lonely even when you"re alone, that"s because you have a family 」
I declare adamantly.
「 That"s stupid. You"re all mad. You all got some loose screws 」
Ai"s mother speaks calmly.
Luna"s been holding her down, so she doesn"t scream since earlier, but…
Ai"s mother starting to mutter words means…
That means Koyomi-chan"s distrust is spreading to her.
The two are linked.
「 What part do you not believe? 」
I ask her directly.
「 That"s, uhm, it"s inconsistent 」
Koyomi-chan replies.
「 What inconsistent? 」
「 You forced Ai-san to do what you want until she can stand on her own and yet, you"re telling me to be free 」
That"s…
「 Koyomi has some restrictions too. You"ll have to stay with us until the movement from the Kansai people slows down. Besides, Kouzuki SS will be with you no matter where you go 」
Edie"s right. Koyomi-chan also has the Miko power, and so she needs a constant watch, so the people from the underground don"t make contact with her.
「 I understand that, but something"s different. His feelings towards Ai-san and me are different in color 」
Koyomi-chan read my mind and sensed it as such.
「 It"s different with me. It"s different when with Agnes-chan and Lunchan. You look at me with a different thought 」
I…
「 That"s obvious. This idiot still hasn"t done it with you, has he? 」
Yukino speaks.
「 I mean, this guy"s indiscriminate, but I don"t think that he"s going to attack young girls like you. I"m relieved. I don"t know what to do if he was a genuine pedophile. If he were trash, who try to shove his d.i.c.k on women, even if they were crying, weeping…even if it tears their body, creating severe injuries, then I"d stab him with a knife, and kill Megumi as well 」
No, why are you going to kill Megu, not yourself?
「 You know, I still have this job left for me 」
Yukino pats her abdomen.
「 Dying alone is sad that you might become a ghost. That"s why I thought of sending Megumi together with you. Be grateful, okay? 」
I-I see.
「 Anyway, Koyomi-chan, was it? You"re still small, so it can"t be helped 」
Yukino tells Koyomi-chan.
「 Don"t expect from other people, especially from men. They"re different from you. They won"t move as you expect them, and they don"t think the same as you 」
Yukino nods at herself.
「 Men are animals. I mean, all humans are animals. They don"t use reason, they don"t move with their head. They use their skin, their senses to live 」
Yukino said.
「 This idiot is a man. Furthermore, he"s a beast with endless l.u.s.t who will impregnate all the cute girls in his way 」
I-I…
「 But you see, this idiot also is filled with care. He never thinks of grabbing pleasure only for himself. To him, s.e.x is an act of a man and a woman, doing it together. That means he wants the woman to feel the same pleasure. He"s that kind of idiot. Then, he doesn"t just want to know the girl in s.e.x, he wants to know everything. It"s not about taking control of you once he knows it all. Anyway, he wants to know about his partners and try to make the girl happy, even for a bit 」
I-Is that so?
「 Do you know why he"s doing that? 」
I don"t.
She"s talking about me, though.
「 If women are happy, that means they can have fun in s.e.x without showing any unease, right? In the end, his head is filled with nothing but s.e.x. He loves s.e.x, flirting with women, and feeling the pleasure together. And that"s the only reason why he devotes himself to his partners! 」
Yukino!
「 That"s why, you think that this idiot treasures Ai and the other girls compared to you, right? He just said that he"s going to look after Ai until she becomes independent, she becomes happy. As for you, he says “You"re free to do whatever you want,” as if he"s pus.h.i.+ng you away 」
Is that how Koyomi-chan sees it?
「 But, it can"t be helped. He"s gentle to the women who he had s.e.x with, women who he touched their skin. He sees them as a partner in life where he can intervene, stir up, and knead all he wants. They"re his women, after all. Their life will be with him forever 」
Koyomi-chan listens to what Yukino"s saying.
「 But, you"re not someone he"d like to have s.e.x with yet. He doesn"t want to step into your life. He"s limited because he can"t" intrude. That"s why his approach is different compared to the other girls. That"s all 」
「 Then, what should I do? 」
Koyomi-chan speaks in a low voice.
「 I don"t know, why would you ask me? For now, how about eating a lot and drinking milk, so your b.r.e.a.s.t.s and a.s.s grow up? Ah, but you still might not enter his strike zone even if you grow up. After all, this idiot only goes for cute girls 」
Yukino laughs.
「 Besides, this idiot is delicate in odd parts. For example, when Megumi or I found a guy we like, and we say that we"re breaking up with him. He"ll allow it. Then, he still will give us favors for the rest of his life, but he"ll never ask to have s.e.x ever again. This idiot thinks that he can"t have s.e.x with anyone but his women. And if we tell him we don"t want to be his woman anymore, his d.i.c.k would get limp! 」
「 Wait, really, n.o.bu? 」
Kansenpai looks at me.
「 You see, that idiot has a trauma where another man made a move on his woman before 」
Yukino looked at me.
I raped Yukino when she was dating Endou.
I forced her, again and again.
「 He regrets it. Therefore, he only does it with the woman he wants to be happy. If the woman finds a man that makes her happy, then he won"t be able to make a move. He won"t see you as a s.e.x partner anymore 」
Yukino says it triumphantly.
「 That"s right. It"s easy to quit as Darling"s “woman” “I don"t like you anymore. Please let me go” and he will 」
Edie said.
「 But, I"ll never do that. I love Darling after all 」
She smiled.
「 Everyone"s the same. They all like how Darling"s fair like that. That"s why they won"t let go 」
Then, she looked at Ai.
「 Ai, Darling forced you to stay with him for a year, but if you don"t like it, then just say it. Darling will let Ai go. Oh, but you can"t use a light excuse, like your senior in the tennis club. If Ai were to find a man you want to spend the rest of your life for, then Darling will let you go. Furthermore, he"ll support you. We will a.s.sist you too. But that"s only when Ai"s serious 」
Right…
If Ai were to find a serious partner in life…
I"ll let go of Ai.
I"ll never ask to have s.e.x with her again.
「 With that said, well, you"re okay. Either way, you"ll get addicted to s.e.x with him. After all, it"s that face and body. Geez 」
Yukino returns her gaze from Ai to Koyomi-chan.
「 Okay, kept you waiting. Sorry that it got derailed. Anyway, this idiot is that kind of man. But, he"s filled with a sense of duty, and he keeps his promises. That means he"ll protect you. I mean, you should have a reason why you"re in danger if you"re not under someone"s protection, right? 」
The Miko power mustn"t be leaked outside.
「 Therefore, you don"t have to worry about anything for now. Take it easy. Just like me 」
Yukino smiled at Koyomi-chan.
「 And, if you really want him to love you as much as he does for the girls and me, well, not that I recommend it, but you need to have your body grow up. Get some fat on your a.s.s and b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Although, this guy also likes Michi, who"s a washboard 」
Michi, Yukino"s calling you that!
「 Become beautiful. Make it so that this idiot would want to have s.e.x with you. So that he would want to touch your hair, your skin, your body 」
Yukino said.
「 Humans are animals. And animals are just males and females. This idiot is male. We"re females. That"s all 」
I"m the only male in our family.
「 You need to notice the animal inside you, that you"re a woman. When you do that, this idiot will see you as a woman. There"s nothing to hesitate about. He"s going to make you happy, after all… 」
Yukino smiles.
「 Human bodies are made to have s.e.x 」
「 『 NO s.e.x，NO LIFE 』 Right? 」
Edie said