"Ichiko Jie Jie, where is Elder chichi?"
The innocent and lovely voice, completely unaware, made Ichiko's beating heart stop for a moment.
Since Haruko left, what she feared most was facing Haruko's friends and family.
She had hesitated for a day, not even daring to tell Yuna about it.
Because she didn't know how to answer.
Where did Haruko go?
When will she be back?
Should she say that Haruko went to another world and will never return?
That kind of expectation, like a heavy hammer, struck Ichiko's heart.
While reminding her that Haruko had died because of her, it also added a burden and a layer of pressure.
It felt like being choked, making it difficult to breathe.
While she was in a daze, Emi's confused voice already sounded, "What's wrong, Ichiko Jie Jie?"
Ichiko quickly snapped back to reality and immediately changed the subject, "Speaking of which, how did you meet Haruko, Emi? I've never heard Haruko mention you."
She used her fingerprint to open the door and stepped aside, also grabbing a pair of slippers for Emi, "Come in first."
Emi entered this familiar house for the second time and felt a wave of warmth wash over her. She replied, "I met Elder chichi a month ago. At that time, I was almost frozen to death in the snow, and she saved me."
"Saved you?"
While Ichiko was surprised, her pupils also contracted slightly.
"Yes." Emi guessed that Ichiko recognized her and said somewhat sheepishly, "Before, I was with Lala, but later she didn't want me anymore, so I was thrown outside. The snow was very, very heavy at that time."
"I had nowhere to go and was almost frozen to death. Then Elder chichi passed by and saved me. While comforting me, she said she would help me live on, and later she contacted Oriental Brother."
"Oriental Brother saw that I didn't have a place to study either, so he let me watch the dormitory gate."
Emi walked into the house, her smile still bright, "Now the school has paid me half a month's salary, so I wanted to buy some gifts and thank Elder chichi."
"Without her, I might have died long ago."
It was like recalling something very tragic, but when Emi said it, it made people feel extremely happy.
As if if she hadn't almost died at that time, she wouldn't have met Haruko.
She smiled very innocently and sweetly, but this smile in Ichiko's eyes was so heartbreaking.
So much so that her action of pouring water froze in place.
It wasn't until the hot water overflowed the cup and scalded her hand that Ichiko cried out in pain and came back to her senses.
"Ichiko Jie Jie, are you alright?"
Ichiko forced a smile, "I'm fine, I just haven't been resting well lately. Have a seat for a while, I'll pour you another cup of hot water."
Perhaps it was because she hadn't really talked to anyone for several days, or perhaps Emi's good behavior reminded her a bit of Haruko, Ichiko sat on the sofa with her and quickly became friends.
She deliberately or unintentionally tried to avoid topics related to Haruko.
But Emi kept guiding the conversation towards that topic.
It seemed that for her, Haruko was everything.
The strong emotions expressed in this way did indeed make Ichiko feel it.
Precisely because of this, she felt even more distressed.
This child was redeemed by Haruko, should she really tell her such a tragedy?
How could she possibly say it!
What needs to be faced must still be faced.
After chatting for about an hour, Emi still asked innocently, "Ichiko Jie Jie, you still haven't told me when Elder chichi will be back."
Ichiko lowered her head, slightly tightened her grip on the water cup in her hand, and the hair falling over her temples hid her guilty eyes, "Haruko... she went on a long trip, and it will probably be a while before she comes back."
Emi asked in confusion, "Did something happen?"
Ichiko replied, "Inari needed Haruko's help with some things, so Haruko went back to Beijing with him. I'm not sure when she'll be back, it seems like at least one or two months."
Emi didn't doubt her, but her voice became much more regretful, "Okay, then when Elder chichi comes back, Ichiko Jie Jie must tell me."
"Okay."
Seeing that the pretense was successful, Ichiko also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up and asked, "Oh right, are you still going back this late? How about I open a guest room for you?"
"No need." Emi smiled sweetly, "I have an early shift tomorrow and need to get up early, so I'll go back to the school dormitory. When Elder chichi comes back, please don't forget to tell me."
"Alright!"
Smiling, she saw Emi off at the complex, and Ichiko slowly returned to the house.
With a "bang," the door closed heavily. The living room, with the air conditioning on, still gave Ichiko a sense of bone-chilling loneliness.
Now she was just hiding it from Emi, but once she knew the truth, how would things turn out?
Ichiko didn't dare to think about it, only feeling the pressure spread throughout her body again.
She forced a smile in front of others, hiding her pain in her heart, looking ahead to endless loneliness and torment.
"Is this what it feels like to lose someone?"
Ichiko walked back to the sofa and her eyes saw the pool of bright red on the blanket again.
The glass door had been replaced by the security guards of the complex, and even while she was in the hospital, all the windows in the house were replaced with bulletproof glass.
But ultimately, some things cannot have their traces erased.
Just like before she met Haruko when she was little, although she had many friends around her, not a single one was like her, with eyes full of only herself.
"If I had loved her from the beginning, what kind of ending would it have been?"
Or perhaps, this is the unique ending you, God, gave me?
Haruko didn't completely become yandere, didn't kill the people around her one by one with a knife.
Nor was she tormented to death by Sento, like in the second dream.
But this third path she took, what couldn't be changed was still... death.
Just as Ichiko was sitting on the sofa in a daze, a fluffy mass rubbed against her feet.
With a cute "meow," Big King's stomach let out a "rumble."
When she wasn't home, Big King went out to eat wild food by himself. It hadn't eaten cat food for three days.
"Meow~~"
Another sweet meow, and Ichiko immediately understood what this proud cat meant.
It wanted a cat treat stick.
Ichiko helplessly picked up Big King, showing a hint of envious smile, "If only I could be as carefree as you."
The presence of the cat added a bit of warmth to this empty house.
Big King's nest was in a corner of Haruko's room. After Ichiko carried it back, she also fed it.
The comforting cat eased some of her pressure.
But this room, full of memories, still made Ichiko feel suppressed.
Ichiko reached into her pocket and took out her phone.
A small pill accidentally slipped out of her pocket along with it.
That was Haruko's stress-relief pill.
Ichiko stared at the pill in a daze, and suddenly felt a bit ridiculous.
If she had taken this pill back then, would the ending have been different?
If she had followed Haruko's wishes and been locked in the room by her, perhaps there wouldn't have been that argument, and this incident wouldn't have happened right by the balcony.
Ichiko reached out and picked up the pill, throwing it into her mouth.
Just consider it... a belated apology.
With the pill in her mouth, Ichiko turned and threw herself onto the bed, hugging the big brown bear pillow tightly.
It was like hugging Haruko, hugging tighter and tighter.
In the dead of night, tears... flowed down again.
What she didn't notice, however, was that among the pile of stuffed animals in the corner, a cute scarecrow doll was staring at her motionlessly.
Even after she fell asleep in the middle of the night, this doll magically took out a pair of glasses.
With the Status Glasses on, lines of data slowly appeared before Haruko.
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