As a highly educated medical graduate, Asai Narumi should have realized this.
Choosing to self-immolate after being discovered was not only about avoiding prison but also about losing the motivation to live after revenge was complete.
Simply put, she lacked a goal, family, lover, or anything to care about, so she didn't know what the point of living was anymore.
To change her fated death, it wasn't enough to just stop her self-immolation; he had to give her hope for life.
"Don't worry, Ran. Dr. Asai is very smart. The police probably won't even figure out she's the culprit."
Knowing Ran's true thoughts, Hoshimiya Yuu was extremely delighted.
As expected of someone with the potential of a Phoenix Empress. It wasn't in vain that he deliberately helped her see the world as it truly was.
If Ran could become a true Phoenix Empress—distinguishing clearly between love and hate, and decisive in action—that would be a stronger reward for Hoshimiya Yuu than any System reward.
But for now, it was still a long road ahead.
Although Ran accepted that some people deserved to die, she still didn't believe that killing was right.
Faced with Hoshimiya Yuu's comforting words, she said awkwardly, "But since I know about it... I feel like I should tell the police…"
Ran's thinking wasn't wrong.
Most people who discover a murderer, especially a stranger, would choose to call the police, even if the victim was a wicked person.
"Ugh… hmm, you're right."
Hoshimiya Yuu decided not to forcefully change Ran's mind. There was nothing wrong with being simple and kind, as long as she wasn't a hypocritical saint.
"You can tell the police, but Dr. Asai said she would turn herself in. Turning herself in can reduce the sentence, so you can wait a bit until then."
"Okay!"
Ran nodded firmly, finally letting go of her inner conflict.
Seeing her slowly shift, Hoshimiya Yuu showed a look of relief.
Ran's side was unexpectedly smooth; all that was left was to stop Asai Narumi's self-immolation.
Having sorted out the issue of Asai Narumi, Ran suddenly realized that Hoshimiya Yuu seemed to have only booked one room.
"Hoshimiya Nii-san, did the hotel run out of rooms?"
Ran's face flushed as she tried to find an excuse for Hoshimiya Yuu.
"Ah, no."
After successfully completing his job transfer with Hitomi Kuujo, Hoshimiya Yuu's skin had thickened considerably. He said directly, "I wanted to stay with you, Ran, so I booked a standard room."
After spending so much time together, the two were in a subtle state.
If Hoshimiya Yuu wasn't thinking about having a vast forest of women, he could have confessed long ago and claimed Ran, this lush, tender young tree, all for himself.
But to say they were "more than friends, less than lovers" didn't seem quite accurate either.
Faced with Hoshimiya Yuu's direct words, Ran wasn't angry, only more shy.
Both of them knew they liked each other, but neither was willing to break that invisible membrane.
Ran knew Sonoko Suzuki also had feelings for Hoshimiya Yuu.
Not the usual fawning-over-a-handsome-guy kind, but genuinely wanting to bring him home as a son-in-law.
What troubled Ran wasn't just Sonoko Suzuki, but primarily her discovery that Hoshimiya Yuu also seemed to be a flirt.
She was slightly annoyed about this, but she could actually accept it.
The environment one grows up in has a huge impact on one's worldview.
Japan was already relatively open; ordinary working men often sought compensated dating or prostitutes, let alone men with money.
Eri Kisaki and Kogoro Mouri had been separated for years. While the shooting incident years ago was a factor, the main reason was Kogoro Mouri's constant involvement with various women.
Sonoko Suzuki was constantly boy-crazy.
If the Suzuki family hadn't kept a tight leash on her, she would have swapped boyfriends countless times.
And she frequently shared scandalous stories about the degenerate lives of the wealthy elite with Ran.
Even Shinichi Kudou, who was obsessed with deduction and cases, was a secretly perverted voyeur.
She had caught Shinichi Kudou stealing glances at beautiful women more than once, and since becoming a famous high school detective, he had accepted every love letter.
If he hadn't been consumed by cases and lacked the time, he probably would have accepted girls' advances long ago.
Growing up in such an environment led to Ran having a surprisingly high tolerance regarding relationships and not easily getting jealous.
Just like her sense of justice, if she continued to be influenced, she would truly become an annoying saint.
Ran was naturally pure, kind, and loyal. While she could understand others, she wouldn't act that way herself.
For now, she still desired a beautiful, exclusive love. Although she liked Hoshimiya Yuu, she hadn't reached the point where she was completely unconcerned about his philandering.
She was shy about staying together.
But like Hoshimiya Yuu, she also wanted them to spend more time together.
Looking at the two beds in the room, Ran was conflicted.
Hoshimiya Yuu found Ran's conflicted look amusing.
Normally, he would watch her for a while longer, but he was truly at his limit.
He had been awake since yesterday, and in the interim, he had expended a vast amount of energy. Now that he was finally on a bed, he couldn't resist the surging sleepiness any longer.
"Ran, relax. It's just for resting."
Hoshimiya Yuu yawned and said lazily, "That's it. I'm going to sleep for a bit, and tomorrow I'll take you out properly."
"It's only early afternoon… Hoshimiya Nii-san?"
Ran looked at Hoshimiya Yuu in confusion, wanting to say something more, but realized Hoshimiya Yuu had already fallen asleep.
Honestly, he was this tired, yet he kept chatting with me the whole way, forcing himself to stay awake until now…
The girl was slightly annoyed, yet also touched.
Looking at Hoshimiya Yuu's defenseless sleeping face, Ran pouted her pink lips, then smiled helplessly.
No wonder I felt he looked a little different this morning.
It must be because his exhaustion from staying up all night was different from his usual look.
I wonder what Hoshimiya Nii-san was doing last night…
Judging by this level of fatigue, he was almost certainly up all night.
Ran thought curiously as she helped cover Hoshimiya Yuu with the blanket.
Sitting by the bedside, watching Hoshimiya Yuu sleep like a baby, she found him increasingly adorable.
She involuntarily leaned down and left a warm, soft kiss on Hoshimiya Yuu's handsome face with her moist, pink lips.
In his sleep, Hoshimiya Yuu seemed to sense something and instinctively shifted slightly.
The sudden movement startled the girl, who immediately sat up straight.
After waiting for a while and seeing Hoshimiya Yuu was still sound asleep, Ran finally let out a long breath.
Touching her burning cheeks, she decided to go out for a walk.
If she stayed any longer, she was afraid she might uncontrollably do something more inappropriate.
After leaving a message for Hoshimiya Yuu, Ran went out.
She originally intended to just stroll around, but unknowingly, she found herself back at the clinic.
"Ugh… how did I end up here again…"
Looking at the clinic door, Ran furrowed her beautiful brows.
After Hoshimiya Yuu's reassurance and Asai Narumi's unwavering attitude, she had come to terms with the situation.
But subconsciously, she was still very concerned about the matter, especially about Asai Narumi.
She truly didn't want such a gentle and beautiful older sister to embark on a path of crime.