Dual System in Daily World

The conversation in the living room came to an end for the time being.

Chisato returned to his room, while Utaha and Eriri headed directly to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

One of them was responsible for picking and cutting vegetables, while the other handled cooking and stir-frying. They worked together with a tacit understanding.

Utaha glanced back, confirmed that Chisato was not there, and that the kitchen sliding door was closed. She asked, "Why didn't you let me continue asking just now?"

Eriri answered matter-of-factly, "You should have noticed that Chisato doesn't want to continue this topic."

"Because we noticed that, we had to continue asking. Otherwise, without understanding the situation, we wouldn't know what to do next."

"You need to be smart. Chisato doesn't want to talk about it. If you press him like this, it will only bore him." 

"At this point, stepping back and letting the conversation end is the right choice."

"I think your approach is very problematic. If you just indulge him, the situation could develop to a point where we cannot recover."

"The point of no return? What do you mean?"

"…You know what I'm talking about."

Utaha was silent for a long time before picking up the knife to continue cutting vegetables. 

Eventually, she managed to respond. "…"

Eriri paused stirring the food, finally sensing something unnatural about Utaha. 

From her previous state, it was clear that her thoughts about Chisato were negative and pessimistic, making it seem as if she was afraid of losing something.

However, the dream life she shared with Chisato should have been enough for her to feel happy, so she shouldn't be so unsure.

Did something happen in her previous dream with Chisato that made her feel this way? Did Chisato leave her in that dream?

Eriri didn't realize that her random speculation had already come closer to the truth of the matter, but the actions of both parties were misguided.

She didn't intend to delve into inconsequential matters. The most important thing now was to make Utaha agree with her viewpoint and not act rashly in the short term.

After all, they were now considered a team. If something went wrong with Utaha, her impression on Chisato might also plummet, which was something Eriri didn't want to see.

"That won't happen; Chisato won't leave us."

Eriri gave Utaha a reassuring nudge.

Utaha placed the chopped cabbage on a plate and looked at her. "What's your reasoning?"

"There's no reason, just a feeling."

"You're terrible at persuasion."

"Then I'll give you a reason that's convincing enough."

Eriri shyly waved for Utaha to come closer.

Although Utaha was suspicious, she still leaned in to listen.

Eriri began to speak softly, and their faces flushed in unison, their breathing becoming a little strained.

Once she finished, Utaha calmed down and started to complain, "What does this mean? This kind of thing can't be used to explain!"

"Why not? That kind of thing is an extremely important and indispensable part of love, isn't it? Can you really bear to have only platonic love with Chisato in the future?"

"Even so, the question I asked earlier can't be explained away with that. That's sophistry!"

"Whatever you say, I still firmly believe in my thoughts. Chisato will not leave us." 

"What you choose to think is your business. I just need you to calm down in the coming days, forget the mistakes you've made, and not do anything rash that could drag me down."

These words particularly concerned Utaha. "What do you mean by forgetting things that have already gone wrong? What did I do wrong?"

"You said you did something wrong."

Eriri glanced at Utaha, her eyes wide with concern. "What do you think is the ultimate reason why Chisato was able to meet that girl?"

Utaha reacted slightly to this reminder.

It was obviously the first time Chisato had met the girl named Iroha today; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such a reaction.

Looking back, if they hadn't gone downstairs to buy groceries earlier, or if they hadn't chosen this apartment at the beginning, Chisato might not have encountered that girl by chance in the vast sea of people.

As for who first proposed the move?

Utaha searched through her memories.

Oh, it turns out it was me.

She had initiated the complaint about Chisato's small apartment, citing the lack of soundproofing and mold spots in the corners.

It was she who had hinted to Eriri, leading to the final decision to move.

So…

Was she the culprit responsible for today's troublesome situation?

As she noticed Utaha's expression slowly darkening, Eriri smirked, pushed her away, and poured the chopped vegetables into the pot.

…

In the room, Chisato took out his mobile phone.

It wasn't the smartphone he usually used, but a cheap resistive-screen phone with a vintage feel that he had bought online.

What are the characteristics of resistive-screen mobile phones?

They operate through pressure. Human nails or toothpicks can be used effectively, and the same goes for the crow's hard beak.

At this moment, Chisato placed a second-hand resistive-screen phone on the table, while Dark Wings stood in front of it, lowering his head and pecking at the screen occasionally.

After a moment, Dark Wings jumped back two steps, and Chisato picked up the phone, which now displayed some new words.

[Black: eavesdropping and angry. Yellow: calm and composed.]

This response matched his thoughts. Chisato asked a second question, "What topic were the two of them discussing just now?"

The Dark Wings mimicked his action, and after a moment, Chisato took the phone again.

[The plan has not been decided yet. I will bypass you and go find that girl.]

It was actually already planned to this extent.

However, Chisato and Iroha had nothing to do with each other in reality, so he wasn't particularly panicked.

He stroked the bird's head, already knowing in his heart.

"As I mentioned before, continue to help me keep an eye on their actions and thoughts. But you must act normally in front of them, especially in front of Eriri." 

"You cannot let her discover that you are different from a normal crow."

The crow screeched, signaling that it understood.

At that moment, Chisato's cell phone rang. He pulled it out to check and saw a message from Kazusa, indicating where they would meet for lunch tomorrow with her mother.

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25+ advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta

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