The doctor standing by frowned, seemingly wanting to say things to Asakura like 'Who are you?' or 'This is a hospital, please don't trespass'.
However, before that, Asakura grabbed the collar of Gotō Hitori's skin suit, whose inner person was Hoshino Ai: "Sorry, my child is a bit emotionally unstable."
Then, without explanation, he dragged the girl out of the ward and pulled her into an empty stairwell before letting go, allowing the girl the freedom to move.
"Please, as long as you can save Sarina-chan, I don't care what happens to —"
"You seem to have misunderstood sothing. From the beginning, you didn't have the leverage to make demands. Whether you're willing or not, I can exorcise you. Allowing you to stay by Hitori's side until you et Tendoji Sarina is already showing my greatest goodwill..."
Asakura said leisurely, "There's nothing more to say to you. Let Hitori co out."
Hoshino Ai bit her cherry lips, hesitated for a mont, then closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, they had beco those timid, small-animal-like eyes.
"Asa, Asakura-kun..."
Gotō Hitori looked at Asakura sowhat flustered, "Aren't, aren't we going to save that child...?"
Asakura extended his hands and gently cupped her face, his movents soft and intimate, like an extrely affectionate gesture between lovers.
But before Gotō Hitori could react and feel shy about the other person's face being so close, Asakura's fingers, which had been in a 'cupping' posture, began to exert pressure, kneading the girl's soft, adorable face as if kneading dough.
"Q..."
Because her mouth was kneaded into an O-shape by Asakura's actions, Gotō Hitori could only look at him with teary eyes, making strange, off-key sounds.
"I thought Hoshino Ai hadn't gone down yet... But this feeling, it's Hitori when I rub her."
Asakura confird it earnestly, then released his hands, giving Gotō Hitori a chance to breathe.
"Ugh..."
Gotō Hitori's cheeks were flushed, but not from shyness, purely from being kneaded: "Even, even if it really was Hoshino-san, you couldn't tell just by the feel of the face..."
"No, distinguishing you from that guy isn't about softness or feel, but about the reaction after being kneaded."
Asakura said confidently: "Only Hitori, who has no concept of image managent, would make that kind of Ahegao-like expression."
"Eh heh heh... It's not that amazing..."
The girl scratched her head with a silly smile.
"No, I wasn't praising you."
Asakura couldn't help but retort.
"No, wasn't it praise?"
Her movents and expression froze.
"Why are you making such a surprised face? No matter how you hear it, it doesn't sound like praise!"
Asakura said.
Looking at Gotō Hitori, who had once again fallen into a desolate, gray state, he sighed helplessly: "Hitori's self-esteem can be whatever she wants…"
"Is, is my self-esteem that unimportant…?"
Gotō Hitori looked even more dejected.
"Compared to Hitori's self-esteem, I'm more curious why you said what you did just now."
Asakura forcefully steered the conversation: "Was Hoshino Ai instigating you?"
"Wh-what did I say?"
Gotō Hitori was dazed for a mont, then ca back to her senses, shaking her head vigorously, "No, it's not like that… Miss Hoshino hasn't spoken since just now… I just… I just felt that the other person was so pitiful… I'm sorry, Asakura-kun, for causing you trouble…"
"I'll accept your apology for now."
Asakura didn't say 'it's nothing' or 'I'm not troubled,' but nodded solemnly and said: "I know Hitori, you didn't think much, and you were influenced by Hoshino Ai's emotions, which is why you said those words."
"Influenced by… Miss Hoshino's emotions…?"
The girl lowered her gaze, but due to the obstruction of her chest, she couldn't see her toes. She just softly said: "When I was inside just now… it felt like I was swept away by an invisible wave… I couldn't breathe… full of despair…"
To be honest, Gotō Hitori felt that she was the kind of person who was good at coexisting peacefully with despair.
Normally, she would frequently feel despair about her future and various aspects, so the girl had more or less gotten used to it.
But the despair that surged in Hoshino Ai's heart just now was completely different from the despair Gotō Hitori felt on a daily basis.
Because Hitori's usual despair was mostly just an irreconcilable conflict between her difficult reality and her unachievable ideals, coupled with the girl's extre pessimism and low self-esteem, she would unknowingly push herself to the cliff of despair, but this despair was only a thin, one-sided feeling.
Hoshino Ai was different.
After all, she was already dead.
Having already lost her life and almost everything, the only thing she could grasp was the straw woven from obsession and other emotions, but once the other end of the straw had rotted to the point of breaking, all the obsession and emotions would flow back, forming a tide that could swallow thoughts and heart.
"So, what are your thoughts, Hitori?"
Asakura asked.
"I…"
The girl mustered her courage, wanting to say sothing, but the words wouldn't co out. After hesitating for a long ti, she finally said dejectedly: "I don't know…"
"I see, then that's enough. Don't move, I'll help you exorcise the evil spirit on you right now."
Hearing this, Asakura said no more. The flas of Magic [Candle] danced at his fingertips.
"Um—"
But at this mont, Gotō Hitori suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Asakura, asking him: "If, if I also want Asakura-kun… to save that child… what should I pay?"
"Hitori, think carefully. Regardless of the risks during the treatnt, even if everything goes smoothly and I truly cure the other person's incurable disease, once this matter is leaked, what awaits us can almost be said to be endless trouble."
Asakura said seriously: "The price you have to pay for this might be much more than you imagine. Is it really worth risking your life for a stranger and an evil spirit that almost polluted your mind?"
"Risking her life…"
Gotō Hitori foolishly repeated the phrase.
"Exactly… So, let's put it this way—"
Asakura emphasized his tone, wanting the girl to understand the seriousness of the situation: "If you want to act, then mortgage your entire future life to ."
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