Chapter 221: This Time, The Dream Is Sweet

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: This Time, The Dream Is Sweet

The moment the door opened, time seemed to stand still.

big brown bear, who had jumped onto the sofa with a scarecrow in its mouth, immediately turned its head when it heard the door open.

At the same time, the scarecrow it held in its mouth was staring at her room in a bizarre, frozen posture.

One hand was held high, the other seemed to be pulling big brown bear’s whiskers, and its legs were in a position like a flying kick.

It was as if this scarecrow had been alive and then abruptly stopped its original movements.

Moreover, those red, crystal-like eyes had an unspeakable familiarity.

The air conditioning wasn’t on indoors. Ichiko simply took off her long boots and stepped onto the layers of blankets Haruko had laid out earlier.

She picked up the remote control and turned on the air conditioning.

Immediately, big brown bear excitedly carried the scarecrow over to Ichiko.

It placed the scarecrow on the floor and happily rubbed against her clean, scentless white socks.

Ichiko couldn’t help but squat down and pet big brown bear’s head. "After Haruko left, the last time you were this happy was at the cafe. It’s really good that you’re gradually recovering, big brown bear."

"But when did we get this doll in our house?"

Ichiko extended her index finger and thumb and picked up one of the scarecrow’s feet.

She held it up to her face to look at it, feeling faintly that the scarecrow was breaking out in a cold sweat.

"It looks alive, is it just my imagination?"

Ichiko easily bent the scarecrow’s limbs back into a normal posture and placed the doll on the table.

She just assumed big brown bear had gotten it and turned to walk back to her room.

This caused Haruko, who was stiff with tension, to breathe a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, she wasn’t exposed, otherwise Ichiko would have been scared witless.

Immediately, she glared fiercely at big brown bear, who had come closer again. "You dead cat, when my body recovers and I come back, I’m going to stew you!"

"Meow~"

big brown bear stuck out its large tongue and licked the scarecrow’s face, making the doll’s fabric wet.

Seeing Ichiko come out of the room with clothes, Haruko felt helpless and could only let big brown bear play with it.

The moment Ichiko turned and walked into the bathroom, she secretly took out the Status Glasses again and looked at the girl’s status.

[Ichiko]

[Height: 166]

[Weight: 97→95]

[Size: C]

[Current Status: Moderate stress, low spirits, haggard, physically weak, poor appetite, self-denial, excessive self-blame, self-isolation]

[Ordinary Favorability towards Host: 97→99 (In her subconscious, you are an indispensable person in her life. She has belatedly realized your indispensability, and she is even more reluctant for you to leave)]

[Love Favorability towards Host: 49→56 (She has a Preliminary concept of liking and thinks she might like you somewhat, but this concept is not deeply understood. Gender notions still pose a significant barrier for her. She is urgently trying to understand what true liking is)]

[Possessive Favorability towards Host: 31→27 (With people like Emi who see you as their only one, and you are already dead, she believes she shouldn’t selfishly possess you, otherwise your existence won’t be able to remain in others’ memories. When a person is forgotten by everyone in the world, that is true death)]

[Emotion points needed for Status Glasses upgrade: 1500]

The numerical changes weren’t very big, but what Haruko cared about most was Ichiko’s weight.

At home on normal days, Haruko was aware of Ichiko’s daily routine and diet.

She would lie down after staring blankly until 12 AM, staying there even if she couldn’t sleep. Even after waking up, she would remain in bed until noon before slowly getting up.

She’d cook some rice, see if there were any leftovers in the fridge, or just eat an egg with some pickled vegetables, gobbling down a few bites of rice and calling it a meal.

It had only been a few days, and she had already lost another two catties.

Seeing this made Haruko feel a bit heartbroken.

In contrast, the changes in favorability later on seemed less important compared to the decrease in weight.

"But luckily, her spirits seem to have improved quite a bit, with a tiny bit more liveliness."

[Perhaps she met someone today who helped her, and she adjusted her mood and thoughts herself]

"That’s good."

The beautiful dream Haruko had prepared was originally meant to help Ichiko de-stress.

And now...

Looking at the 56 points of love favorability, a hint of anticipation appeared on Haruko’s lips.

It would be best to reach 60 in one go!

While Ichiko was still showering, Haruko sneaked into the room, luring big brown bear in with her. This way, she could explain why a doll that was just in the living room would suddenly appear in the room.

Lying down on the floor, Haruko waited for about half an hour before Ichiko finished showering and came out of the bathroom.

A thin, light nightgown once again offered a feast for the eyes.

She reached out and put Haruko back into the pile of dolls, then Ichiko sat on the bed.

First, she took out the suicide note from before and looked at it for a long time, then she took out her phone and sent a message to Dr. Kaito.

Not getting a reply, she finally turned off the light and slowly lay down.

"I’m sorry, Haruko. From now on... I won’t run away anymore."

She lay on her side, hugging the big brown bear, murmuring to herself in the darkness.

Perhaps she had figured things out, or maybe she was truly exhausted, for Ichiko quickly fell into a deep sleep.

And Haruko quietly crawled up to Ichiko’s side, looking at that peaceful profile, and showed a loving smile.

"Ichiko, I never blamed you."

"You’ve worked hard to persevere like this alone for so long."

"Tonight, have a good dream~"

Haruko burrowed into Ichiko’s embrace, feeling the warmth and softness, and said in her mind.

"Kai, use the dream invitation item I just purchased."

[Okay, Host]

Dream weaving, inviting her into a dream again.

For a long time, sleeping was something Ichiko resisted.

Because she would dream, and the contents of the dreams were uncontrollable.

Especially after those two lucid dreams, scenes of Haruko being abused and killed by Sento, and hiding in city trash cans and sewers would repeatedly appear in her dreams.

Even if she forgot most of it after waking up, some deeply ingrained memories would always remain.

After waking up, she felt even worse than before sleeping.

She even started to numbly get used to these dreams one by one.

Just like now, when she opened her eyes and felt the warm spring breeze on her body, and her surroundings were no longer the familiar room and bed, Ichiko already realized it.

"Am I dreaming again?"

She closed her eyes, a bitter smile on her lips.

"Heaven, you are truly too much. Haruko is already dead, yet you still torment her endlessly in my dreams."

And torment me at the same time.

Since she is already dead, can’t you just let her leave happily?

Why do you still torment her in my dream?

Isn’t this just a reminder, sentence by sentence, that precisely because of my rejection and evasion, Haruko couldn’t leave happily!

In the end, it’s just another numb cycle, isn’t it?

However, the moment she closed her eyes, a warm little hand took hers.

Beside her ear, a familiar and incredibly nostalgic soft, sweet voice said, "Ichiko, what are you spacing out for? And saying I’m dead, I’ve always been alive and well."

The girl suddenly opened her eyes, and the girl she had yearned for was standing in front of her.

Smiling like a flower.

This time, the dream was sweet.

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