Finally, I became their white moonlight

The Mutsumi from his childhood days was neither the "CryCHIC's Mutsumi Wakaba" he knew, nor the "Metis" who protected her from collapse in her despair.

Instead, it was meant to meet the expectations of parents and fans as "Wakaba Mutsumi, a child star".

His mood darkened again. Narumi looked at the photo of the dignified actress who was proudly embracing her daughter, her brows furrowed tightly.

"Does Mutsu's mother know about this? Is her disappearance from the public eye solely for the purpose of treating her multiple personality disorder?"

"If they had been treated by a psychologist since childhood, why was their condition still unresolved by the age of sixteen?"

"And if I'm not mistaken, her instinct to use acting skills to create a persona is something she learned from her mother, who was an actress, right?"

"The family environment is the main reason...tsk, I hope things don't escalate to the point where we have to deal with her mother to solve the problem."

It's like throwing complicated worries out the window.

Narumi put down his phone, exhaled a long breath towards the half-open window, and let the lines between his brows slowly relax.

He knew this was probably just needless worry—

But you just can't easily leave it unattended.

Although Mutsu seems to be fine at the moment, despite having many personalities, she has never experienced any significant negative impact on her life, and is even willing to learn from him how to communicate positively with others...

It seems there's no need to treat it as a mental illness at all.

But something that Mavis had said stuck in Narumi's heart like a thorn, making him worry.

"—It is precisely because of this meaning that I was able to become the personality closest to Mutsumi-chan and the one most needed by her after the 'death' of my other personalities."

"Because none of the other masks suited 'CryCHIC Mutsu,' she personally eliminated all her extra personalities, even if it meant becoming a timid, delicate, sensitive girl who wasn't good at communicating, she still wanted to interact with you in that manner."

"To change oneself by erasing one's personality..."

"Is this really okay to continue like this?"

Whenever the word "death" is mentioned, Narumi is filled with a sense of foreboding.

This further solidified his resolve to pay even closer attention to Ruoye Mutsu's psychological issues once he returned to the original timeline.

As for now, let's focus on the things at hand.

A message popped up at that moment.

"My bento box is ready, I'm off!"

"We've been to all the places on the island. How about we find a quiet place to stay all day, and then go stargazing tonight?"

Compared to when they first met, Misaka Hatsuka's attitude towards him has become much more relaxed and casual, and she is no longer so cautious.

To be more precise—making him lunchboxes for five consecutive days seemed to give her the illusion of being his 'girlfriend' or 'wife,' and she would report to him in great detail what she did at home and when she was going out.

Their interactions were very intimate, even displaying a degree of possessiveness. She would show displeasure when he spoke to the female shop assistant, but would instantly become docile and obedient when he looked at her.

In summary...

With my companionship, his somewhat distorted mindset has indeed improved considerably.

Right now, she's just an ordinary girl experiencing her first love and prone to jealousy.

Genuine smiles are becoming more frequent, while self-conscious and gloomy reactions are becoming less common.

Before leaving, Narumi had almost achieved his expected goals.

As for the mission progress, which has yet to show any signs of happening...

Since there was no punishment, he was more concerned about a small experiment he had conducted on emotional energy than worrying about that.

This experiment is related to the "older sister of Mitsumi Hatsuka" who always kept her name a secret and refused to tell him.

All the answers will be revealed tonight when we leave this timeline and the world returns to its original state.

"Sure, where would you like to go?"

"I'd like to see your room..."

"Why don't you just take me to see the police station's detention cells?"

(Shocking image)

The only problem is that this ten-year-old girl has a low sense of security, and as time goes by, she is becoming more precocious and proactive...

Anyway, she took advantage of being a child quite often, casually holding his hand and hugging him—the kind of hug a child would give an adult.

Narumi certainly didn't have any ulterior motives, but when he put her down, the girl's expression was anything but innocent, making him wonder if he was being too nice to the child.

Recalling the gentle and cheerful idol-like appearance of the other person six years later, he really wondered if it was true that appearances can be deceiving, or if the Chu Hua of that time and the current "Sister Chu Hua" were not the same person at all.

He sighed helplessly, replied casually, and then went to wash up.

Chapter Nine: The Last Day of Daylight

After going downstairs, I arrived at the lobby of the guesthouse.

Just as Narumi looked toward the door, a panting blonde girl came running up and her rosy cheeks came into view.

Why were you running so fast?

As he spoke, he took the lunchbox from her hand and poured her a glass of water from the kettle.

"Because I want to see you sooner..."

Wiping away her sweat, Miku picked up the water cup with both hands and took small sips.

Her drooping eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and her moist eyes gazed at him shyly yet boldly, her skin blushing even more.

—That tone, which no longer conceals intimacy and dependence, is also one of the changes brought about by spending time together.

Only when expressing her affection for him could the girl give her all, even giving people a sense of self-sacrifice like a moth drawn to a flame.

She didn't care what she had to give up, as long as he was willing to accept it... She seemed to be trying to prove this to him through her words and actions.

Narumi had no way to deal with this, so he simply regarded it as a late-blooming chick complex and always dealt with her advances with the same perfunctory attitude one would show to a child.

Anyway, my departure time is almost here, so there's no need to seriously deal with this kind of feeling that I can't face.

...To be honest, her current state is entirely her own doing.

Ignoring it is the best approach.

"Sit down and rest for a bit, we'll go out for dinner later."

Okay~

The two sat down on a bench in the lobby of the guesthouse and chatted. Once the redness on Misaki's face had subsided a bit, they leisurely walked out of the brightly lit doorway.

As for why we didn't just eat in the guesthouse's lounge area...

There was no way around it; even if Narumi had the thickest skin, it was hard for him to have an appetite under the stern gaze of the receptionist, who was staring intently at him while holding the phone in one hand, as if she would call the police and arrest him if he did anything out of line.

Unfortunately, Misaki Miku is completely oblivious to her actions, and every day she acts like a newlywed bride, sweetly delivering his lunchbox in front of the receptionist...

It's only natural that they would be misunderstood or even wary.

...Wait a minute, is she really completely unaware?

Narumi glanced at the girl beside him, walking lightly while clutching the hem of his clothes, and decided to stop thinking about it.

It's the last day.

Even if it's just a fairy tale that Cinderella fantasizes about, at least the ending of this fairy tale should have more beautiful and memorable moments.

-

"Thank you for your hospitality."

Narumi closed the bento box lid, pursed his lips, and bowed slightly to the girl in thanks.

Putting everything else aside, at least the bento boxes taste better and better, and the variety of dishes is getting more and more diverse every day.

It was obvious that the girl had put in a lot of effort at home to win him over through his stomach; her little fingers were always wrapped in bandages, and the books she read in bookstores and libraries were no longer novels or fairy tales, but "The Complete Cookbook for Newlywed Wives".

Of course, Narumi couldn't just ignore this. He even planned to tell her he had already eaten at the convenience store before she brought the bento, so she would obediently give up her idea of ​​learning to cook for him even at the risk of getting hurt...

But the result of doing so was that the girl, like an abandoned stray dog, cried so helplessly and vulnerablely in front of him for the first time.

That utterly shattered gaze seemed poised to be swallowed up at any moment by the dark waves beyond the island.

—With his foot already on a landmine, what could Narumi do?

I have no choice but to comply.

Fortunately, the problem was not difficult to solve. As long as he 'ordered' her to continue making him lunchboxes, the girl would quickly stop crying and start laughing as if nothing had happened.

As if she had found the most important meaning of life, her eyes shone with determination, and she patted her chest with great energy, saying things like, "From now on, I'll just soak in her body."

He really wanted to reply, "There's absolutely no need for that."

...In short, although she still has considerable hidden dangers.

But for Narumi, he had done almost everything he needed to do, and no one could blame him if he retired immediately.

And those parts that he couldn't influence on his own...

The only solution is to rely on the power of time, space, and the system itself.

"As long as it suits your taste, that's fine."

After skillfully tidying up the empty lunchbox and handing him a full glass of chilled barley tea, Misaki leaned casually against him, gazing at the elderly couple strolling side by side in the distance, murmuring absentmindedly:

"What should we do next...?"

"Experience a wedding? I don't think the priest would allow it..."

"Go swimming at the beach? There are too many girls there..."

"This island is still too small. If this were Tokyo, there would definitely be plenty of places to go on a date..."

"But I'm only ten years old. He can't take me through all those dating steps that are mentioned online, or we'll really get arrested by the police..."

"Sigh, why can't the world be perpetual night? That way we could see the stars forever..."

"Where is there a place where we can be alone with him until night without being disturbed by anyone...?"

Narumi's cheek twitched involuntarily as he unintentionally muttered to himself while lost in thought.

While feeling a strange chill run down my spine, I also sensed that youthful, innocent, yet profound sentiment.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be happy at all.

Why can't her precociousness be used for studying, instead of becoming a thoughtful, love-obsessed person?

If she's already so crooked since she was little, she'll definitely be even more terrifying when she grows up, right?

Who turned her into this?! She needs to take responsibility!

...Okay, it's probably myself.

That's fine.

Fortunately, Narumi has already encountered more terrifying, twisted, and obsessive girls, so he won't be defeated by this unappealing little girl.

"If you really don't know where to go, go to an internet cafe."

He stood up and made a decision with a nonchalant and composed air.

"Internet cafe?" Misaki Miku raised her eyes in surprise, seemingly having never considered this option before. "You mean, a manga cafe?"

"Yes, I checked. Although there is only one internet cafe on the island, it is quite well-equipped, and the equipment and comics are not much behind those in Tokyo."

Narumi ruffled her beautifully textured short blonde hair (after learning about this, Misaki Miku took even more care of her hair than before) and took the lead in heading towards the park exit.

"Come on, let's go play games."

Misaki Miku quickly followed, ignoring his obvious attitude of treating her like a younger sister, and instead hugged his arm with an even sweeter smile.

"Although I've never been to an internet cafe, I'll go wherever Narumi-nii goes!"

It's less like coquetry and more like a vow.

Narumi remained deaf to his words.

Soon, the two arrived at the only comic book cafe in town, chose a private two-person room away from the smoking area, and planned to spend the whole day there.

Fortunately, the rules on the island are relatively lenient; otherwise, this group of ten-year-old and sixteen-year-old minors would probably have been kicked out as soon as they stepped into the internet cafe.

Of course, let alone staying overnight, they had to leave before 5 p.m.—but that was no big deal for the two who were planning to go stargazing in the evening.

And so, the two of them spent their last day leisurely in the cramped private room, playing on the computer and reading comics.