Dual System in Daily World

Chisato was increasingly exasperated.

If it had been Utaha or even Kazusa—who was currently far away in another country—they'd probably have already taken off his pants, and "Little Chisato" would have ended up somewhere very warm.

But no, Hitori just quietly snuck to someone's bedside, did nothing, and started checking her phone?

Chisato felt that he really shouldn't have expected so much from cute little Hitori. 

They hadn't yet reached that kind of chemistry—where passion built naturally and both understood each other's signals. Clearly, he would have to take the initiative.

"Eh—mm…"

Just as Chisato changed his mind and prepared to "wake up naturally," Hitori suddenly let out a startled sound. 

Although she quickly covered her mouth, it was unmistakable.

She immediately checked on Chisato. Seeing that he showed no signs of waking, she relaxed and continued tapping intermittently on her phone.

This piqued Chisato's curiosity again, and he shelved his plan for now, choosing to continue pretending to sleep and observe.

It didn't take long before his patience paid off.

While fully conscious, it was easy to hear footsteps outside the tent.

Chisato, still with his eyes closed, heard the sound of the zipper opening again, followed by cold air rushing in—and someone else entered.

As expected—it was you!

Chisato felt a headache coming on.

"Shh!"

Having taken off her shoes, Ryo now crawled slowly to the other side of Chisato, kneeling down just like Hitori had. In a small voice, she spoke to Hitori:

"He's asleep?"

"Yeah, sleeping soundly."

"Hmm… sleeping that soundly?"

"But Ryo, is it okay for you to be out here all of a sudden?"

"Don't worry. I made sure those two were sound asleep."

Ryo leaned in close to inspect Chisato carefully. Finding nothing amiss, she straightened up.

"He's completely unconscious and defenseless. Isn't this the perfect chance for Bocchi-chan to do whatever she wants? What are you hesitating for?"

"But…"

"Don't know how to start?"

"Mm…"

"You're a couple already. What's there to be shy about? Just go ahead and do what you most want to do."

"What I most want to do, huh…"

"Yeah. Get under the covers with him, hug him gently…"

Ryo suddenly paused, then casually continued.

Chisato quietly pulled back his fingertip, which had just poked Ryo's thigh from beneath the blanket.

He'd done it on purpose—to signal that he was actually awake, and to tell Ryo to quit interfering and leave him and Hitori alone.

Hitori may not have had any experience, but could the same be said for Chisato?

There was absolutely no need for outsiders to interfere in something like this—it just felt weird.

But things didn't quite go the way he had hoped next.

"Speaking of which, a few days ago when I was chatting with the club president, he was complaining about how busy he's been with work lately, barely getting any sleep. 

It's only recently that things have started to ease up, and he's finally been able to rest well, getting quality sleep and waking up refreshed the next morning."

"?"

The completely fabricated story Ryo was spinning made Chisato doubt himself for a moment. Had he actually said something like that?

Since Ryo was someone she worked with closely every day in the band, Hitori didn't question her words at all. Instead, she became concerned for Chisato.

"Chisato has been having such a hard time recently, and he never even mentioned it to me."

"It's probably because he didn't want to worry you. The closer someone is, the more they care about your feelings—that's totally normal."

"Mm…"

"So, I think it's best not to wake him up right now. Let him rest properly."

"You're right… I've been thinking only about myself all this time, I didn't consider that… Let's move quietly so we don't disturb Chisato's rest… Hm?"

Hitori looked confused as Ryo leaned over and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"No rush. We shouldn't disturb the president's rest, but he also mentioned before that he sleeps pretty soundly and won't wake up that easily…"

"…"

Still pretending to sleep, Chisato began to sense something was off in Ryo's words.

"Since Bochi-chan is the president's girlfriend, isn't now exactly the time for you to step up and show your support?"

"Eh… I-I don't understand what you mean, Ryo…"

"Didn't they teach us in health class that a healthy romantic relationship helps relieve mental and physical stress?"

"Eh? Did the health class really say that?"

"Maybe each school's curriculum is different. Anyway, that's what my teacher said—no, wait, that's not the point. 

The point is, Bochi-chan, you don't want to keep falling behind Eriri and Utaha, do you? Both of them have already developed quite intimate relationships with the president. 

If you don't want to be left far behind, you'll need to make an effort yourself."

"But… even if I try, I don't know what I should do…"

"No worries—I'll help you."

In the dim tent, a subtle smile appeared on Ryo's lips, unnoticed by anyone.

"This is the reason I'm here."

"…!!!"

Chisato finally understood Ryo's true intentions as he felt her fingers sneak under the blanket and gently tickle his palm.

She had no intention of quietly leaving after getting his subtle warning. 

Instead, fully aware that he was pretending to be asleep, she was deliberately creating an embarrassing situation to amuse herself!

And right now, there was nothing he could do to break this deadlock. 

After all, Ryo had just claimed he hadn't been getting good rest lately. 

If he suddenly woke up, Hitori—who trusted her completely—would believe she was the reason he woke up and feel terribly guilty for disturbing him.

Chisato wouldn't be able to explain afterward either. The situation was too complicated, and if he exposed Ryo's scheme, it could very well harm her relationship with Hitori.

That was something he absolutely did not want to see happen.

So for now, though it was extremely frustrating, he had no choice but to continue pretending to sleep and hope Ryo didn't take things too far.

"But Ryo, even if I'm helping Chisato relax… I still don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"I read in a book that even if someone is asleep and unconscious, their body can still respond to certain words or actions. If done correctly, it could help reduce fatigue…"

Feeling Chisato gripping her hand under the blanket in an effort to signal her to stop, Ryo's face flushed—but she only tightened her hold in response.

"Anyway, let's give it a try. First, take his hand from your side and hold it."

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

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