Using the laptop, Kamiyā Yuu found the folder Kamiyā Sora had mentioned and opened the diary files that recorded her emotional changes over the past year.
-September 25
Yuu has changed.
It's as if he's become a different person.
He still works hard like he always did.
But somehow, I feel like I'm no longer the only thing in his heart.
I don't really know why I feel this way.
I just do...
...
**September 28**
I've gotten used to Yuu's changes.
But keeping the secret that he isn't really my brother makes me feel a little uneasy.
Maybe I'm afraid that Yuu will abandon me.
That feeling has only grown stronger as he continues to change...
...
**October 1**
That's right. Yuu has changed.
Why does he hesitate?
Why has he changed so much?
What is he thinking?
I don't understand!
I really don't understand.
If he doesn't tell me, I won't understand...
Why...
...
**October 15**
Can I say that I'm happy now...?
Probably...
...
"This entry was written after my first kiss with Yuu."
"This one was written during our fight. After that, I couldn't bring myself to write a diary for several days. I felt incredibly anxious and miserable. That was when I truly realized how I felt about Yuu. I never want to experience that kind of suffering again."
"This one was written when Yuu was busy working on the 'RWBY' 'Ashen Paradise' arc. He barely had any time for me back then."
As Sora softly explained when each entry had been written, the sincerity in her words made Kamiyā Yuu realize just how much the girl in his arms cared about him.
The diary recorded her changing emotions.
It also recorded her anxiety over the changes she saw in him.
Even before they officially became a couple, she had already anticipated that one day he would have to choose between her and something else.
Yet throughout the diary, she repeatedly expressed her own feelings.
No matter what choice he made, she would not oppose him.
The moment he confessed to her, she had already felt as though she had obtained everything she wanted.
It took Kamiyā Yuu more than two hours to finish reading over five hundred entries spanning more than a year.
He vaguely remembered many of the days she described.
Even something as ordinary as his coming home late from work would be carefully recorded.
Every entry was about Sora's feelings.
Every entry revolved around him.
The diary entries felt like knives piercing his heart.
What was written there wasn't merely a love story.
It was a record of just how deeply attached Sora was to him.
It was almost unhealthy.
Yet at the same time, it was heartbreaking.
And that attachment was something Sora had willingly chosen.
It was also something Kamiyā Yuu himself had desired.
If Kamiyā Yuu truly wanted to kill her, Sora seemed like the sort of person who would hand him the gun with a smile.
Nestled against him, Sora raised both hands and gently cupped his cheeks.
Looking confused, she asked:
"Yuu, have you already slept with Miss Busujima?"
"No. It didn't go that far. I only helped apply medicine to her injuries while she was changing."
Kamiyā Yuu shook his head and answered quietly.
When he had helped Busujima Murasaki apply medicine, he had indeed kept things within reasonable limits.
As for asking her to remove part of her clothing, one reason was to see whether she was serious about what she had said.
Another was that the medicine would have been difficult to apply otherwise.
And the third reason—
He admitted that Busujima Murasaki's appearance was extremely attractive to him.
Like any ordinary man, he had entertained inappropriate thoughts.
More importantly, he had not wanted to completely cut off his retreat.
If Sora's reaction proved too intense, he could still back away and change course.
"Then leave her now and remove her from the company."
Sora puffed out her cheeks unhappily.
Then she pinched his face and complained:
"Why can't you just be content? I'd rather spend an ordinary life with you than see you become like this."
"You know I won't do that."
"Even after reading all those diary entries?"
Sora pursed her lips.
Kamiyā Yuu fell silent.
He first shook his head, then nodded.
Lowering his head, he lightly bit her ear and whispered:
"Sora, do you want me to choose?"
"No."
She answered immediately.
"The fact that you're asking that question is already an answer."
"I don't want to keep talking about this."
Her voice was fragile and uncertain.
"Why didn't you just hide it from me? If you wanted to hide it, even if I found out, I could have pretended not to know. That would've been better for everyone."
Kamiyā Yuu laughed bitterly and held her tighter.
"Maybe because I'm greedy."
"Yes. You're far too greedy."
Tears began gathering in Sora's eyes once more.
"How could you tell me something like this so calmly?"
The tears slid down her pale cheeks, making her look like a fragile porcelain doll.
Silence lingered between them.
"Sora... I'm sorry."
"That's the fifteenth time you've apologized today."
"Sora, are you still angry?"
"Of course."
She bit his arm hard before continuing:
"I'm angry. I'm hurt. I'm confused. I'm helpless."
"I don't even know how I'm supposed to answer myself right now."
"The only thing I know is that all I can do is cling to the pitiful thought that 'Yuu is my everything' and hope that you won't leave me."
Then she lowered her voice.
"Only now do I realize that giving and receiving are equal."
"You gave me so much."
"And now you're suddenly taking it all back."
"That's cruel."
Everything Kamiyā Yuu had done for her over the years had become a set of chains.
Layer upon layer.
So tightly wrapped around her that she couldn't even think of escaping.
"Sora."
"Mm."
"Wherever you are is my home."
The moment he said those words, Kamiyā Yuu felt terrible.
He had never felt more like a scoundrel.
Yet he did not voice his own pain.
This was the choice he had made.
Men were often creatures whose desires outweighed their reason.
He didn't deny that his desires had overcome his rationality.
Nor was the dream of having multiple romantic relationships something that felt unattainable to him.
To put it more bluntly, he knew he was a transmigrator.
He possessed the consciousness space.
With everything he had, it was impossible for him to be satisfied with only having Kamiyā Sora forever.
There was a famous line from the 'Spider-Man' films:
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Kamiyā Yuu wasn't sure how to judge that statement.
But he deeply understood another truth:
"The greater the ability, the greater the desire."
He wasn't a saint.
Nor did he want to become a hero.
Even his work in animation was ultimately driven by his own interests and desires.
"I know."
Sora released his arm and spoke quietly.
"You've already made several promises like that before."
"I'm sorry..."
Once again, Kamiyā Yuu found himself unable to say anything else.
"Yuu."
"Mm."
"Take tomorrow off from school."
"Spend the whole day with me."
"Okay."
That night, they truly laid bare their feelings.
They told each other everything they had been thinking.
Kamiyā Yuu shared nearly everything with her except the truth about being a transmigrator.
His thoughts about animation.
His feelings toward Uehara Etsuki and the others.
The extent of his greed.
Everything.
"Yuu."
"At the very least, don't act intimate with other women in front of me."
"And don't tell me about those things."
"Also..."
She intertwined her fingers with his and refused to let go.
"Keep the promise you made."
"Stay by my side forever."
Her voice sounded strained.
After finding a comfortable position, she closed her eyes in exhaustion.
Kamiyā Yuu kissed her lightly.
"Good night."
Sora was very intelligent.
The moment he confessed everything, she had already understood the situation.
Breaking up like an ordinary woman would have done was something she would rather die than accept.
Throwing tantrums, cursing him, creating scenes—
That wasn't who she was.
Those actions would only push him farther away.
The fact that Kamiyā Yuu had confessed meant that he now had choices beyond her.
Perhaps, without her, he would even be freer.
So Sora chose the most helpless option.
Acceptance.
And quiet restraint.
She didn't want outsiders to affect her relationship with Kamiyā Yuu.
The cold war between them the previous year had already been enough.
And she still believed she would always remain the most important person in his heart.
...
The next morning, everything that had happened seemed like a distant dream.
Neither of them brought it up again.
A subtle change appeared in Sora's attitude toward Kamiyā Yuu.
Not for the worse.
Rather, she became more willing to act spoiled around him and openly express her own wishes.
After honestly sharing their feelings the previous night, their relationship had somehow grown even closer.
Of course, that did not include Kamiyā Yuu's desire to build a "harem."
That was one topic Sora never wanted to hear a second time.