Sawagoe Tomaru was forgotten. Without needing to discuss it, Azlan and Akane with silent understanding no longer mentioned that bastard's name, letting the bad memory be buried.
Except for the strangulation marks on her neck and the fading slap mark on her face, Akane seemed much better, at least from a mental aspect. The burden she had been carrying all this time was lifted after she told Azlan about her past.
In fact, Akane began to realize her feelings for Azlan had developed beyond gratitude or mere friendship. However, she didn't have the courage to confess to him.
How could Akane confess to loving someone she had just met less than three days ago?
The fear of rejection haunted her. If Azlan rejected her, she was afraid of falling back into the abyss of despair that had once nearly taken her life.
Akane worried that if she confessed to liking him, Azlan would reject her. She worried that once Azlan rejected her, she would fall into the abyss of despair again. She didn't want that to happen, so secretly she decided to deepen their relationship first, building a stronger bond before finally daring to confess her feelings.
If there were a psychologist analyzing Akane's condition, they would undoubtedly diagnose her as suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
Although this syndrome term is most often associated with captives who develop positive emotional attachments to their captors, in a broader context, Stockholm Syndrome is often used to describe situations where victims or individuals experiencing intense trauma or in crisis situations develop bonds or positive emotions toward a rescuer, protector, or even a perpetrator regarded as the only source of safety.
Akane experienced severe trauma from a suicide attempt due to cyberbullying, and was immediately thrown into a post-apocalyptic world full of danger. Azlan was the only person in that new world who gave her protection, food, and shelter. This created extreme dependence on him as her savior.
Their relationship developed in a state of continuous crisis—threats from outside and inside like Tomaru. In this state, the brain tends to seek ways to survive, and positive emotional bonds with the nearest source of security.
Every action Azlan took—cleaning the house, providing food, defending her from Tomaru—was emotionally reinforced because it was done amid absence and danger. Her gratitude had transformed into deep attachment.
In the original timeline, Akane developed deep feelings for Hoshino Aqua, who saved her from severe cyberbullying trauma and suicide attempt. Although Akane wasn't held hostage or tortured by Aqua so it wasn't Stockholm Syndrome in its classic definition, the underlying psychological mechanisms were the same.
The trauma from extreme cyberbullying and suicide attempt left Akane in a fragile and vulnerable state. In such a condition, she felt emotionally indebted to her savior. Aqua not only saved her physically, but also helped restore her reputation by clearing her good name, and gave her a sense of security and new purpose through her acting career.
Aqua's presence became a symbol of extreme salvation and hope after severe suffering. This feeling of gratitude and dependence could be interpreted by Akane as love.
Because Aqua saved her, Akane tended to idealize him as a perfect hero figure, which was a strong foundation for falling in love. This idealization made Akane see him with a very positive perspective, transcending Aqua's other flaws.
Now, in this alternative reality, the same pattern repeated.
In short, Azlan and Aqua both became the axis that saved Akane from destruction and gained her feelings of love through that role.
However, when comparing the two, Azlan was clearly superior to Aqua in the scope of saving Akane. He not only saved Akane from her past trauma, but also saved her from death in the new danger-filled world, and most recently, protected her from human-shaped monsters like Tomaru.
Simply put, Akane developed romantic feelings based on gratitude and dependence on whoever her savior was at the most critical time in her life.
Perhaps, in a context like this, love and dependence were two sides of the same coin.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
9:10 PM.
Unlike last night when they both had already gone to sleep earlier, Azlan and Akane were instead sitting side by side on the sofa, staring at the TV screen showing a horror movie.
Electricity from the solar panel Azlan installed this afternoon now revived the electronic equipment in the house, including the LCD TV that still functioned well.
The TV was showing a DVD cassette film that Akane had requested from Azlan an hour and a half ago.
Fulfilling the girl's selfish request, Azlan was willing to go out in the cold night, searching for an abandoned movie rental store, and bringing home a DVD player along with hundreds of film cassettes.
The result was a moment like now.
On screen, a pale-faced ghost appeared suddenly at an unexpected moment, accompanied by deafening music.
"Kyaaa!"
Akane immediately hid her face in Azlan's chest, her hands gripping the man's arm tightly.
After that tense scene passed, Akane raised her head and observed Azlan who remained calm, even still tossing cashews into his mouth without any change in expression.
"Isn't Azlan-kun afraid of ghosts?" She asked curiously.
Azlan chewed his nuts slowly before answering, "Ghosts? I don't believe they exist. And even if they are real, there's nothing to fear. Aren't ghosts just the spirits of people who have died? I wasn't afraid of them when they were alive, let alone after they're dead."
"Compared to ghosts, I'm more afraid of humans. Sometimes, the dark side of humans is more terrifying than anything common sense can imagine."
Azlan's words immediately reminded Akane of Tomaru. She shook her head slowly, trying to drive the shadow of that man from her mind.
"Azlan-kun's thinking is very impressive. Sometimes I wish I could be as brave as you." Akane praised, leaning her body back against Azlan, this time not out of fear but because it was comfortable.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Half an hour later, the horror movie ended with a climactic scene that made Akane hide her face again.
"Oh my, that movie was so scary!"
Akane released her embrace, although she remained sitting close beside Azlan.
"But from an acting perspective, their shock effects were very good. They built tension slowly and the music always peaked at unexpected moments, then they gave quick ghost close-ups before switching to peaceful scenes. That's effective acting and editing technique!"
Azlan, who didn't understand the technical aspects of filmmaking, only nodded.
"It's late at night. We should sleep."
Akane nodded in agreement, she was indeed already sleepy. Before sleeping, they took turns going to the bathroom to brush their teeth and urinate before finally heading to the bedroom.
Two single mattresses were still spread on the floor like the night before. Azlan immediately lay down on his mattress, but then realized Akane was just standing in place, as if hesitant.
"What's wrong, Akane?" he asked.
Akane played with the edge of her nightgown, her face blushing shyly.
"Um... Azlan-kun... after what happened last night and... this afternoon, I'm a little... a little afraid to sleep alone."
"A-Azlan-kun... can I sleep on the same mattress as you? O-Of course just sleeping! Nothing else weird!"
"..."
Azlan fell silent for a moment. In his mind, a single man and woman sleeping in the same room was already at the limit of his tolerance. Sharing a mattress felt inappropriate.
However, when he saw the sad and fearful expression on Akane's face—probably still traumatized by the Tomaru incident—all moral considerations crumbled.
"This mattress is designed for one person. If you don't mind being cramped, I don't have a problem." Azlan opened his blanket, signaling for Akane to come in.
"I don't mind!" Akane answered quickly, her face beaming.
(Oh my, Azlan-kun has tsundere attributes. So cute~) She thought to herself while lying down beside Azlan.
There was no distance between them because of the mattress's small size. Their bodies touched each other under the blanket.
"Good night, Azlan-kun."
"Mm. Night, Akane."
After wishing each other good night, they both closed their eyes, trying to sleep.
But for Azlan, this night would be a test of patience—how to sleep soundly when there was a very charming girl and ideal wife lying just a few centimeters from him.