...The night before...
"Mutsumi... has beco a bit different from before."
"...Mhm?"
Tetsuya, who was just about to turn off the light and go to sleep, looked back at Sakiko with so confusion.
Although Tetsuya's direct communication with Mutsumi wasn't considered a lot, his observation of her while living under the sa roof wasn't exactly lacking either. At least in front of him, Mutsumi's changes were at most from her initial stiffness when facing a stranger, to acting natural after becoming familiar with the environnt. Other than that, Tetsuya hadn't really felt what kind of changes this taciturn girl had undergone...
"What aspect are you referring to?"
"The past Mutsumi, if you didn't proactively ask her, she would absolutely never easily voice her thoughts. Sotis, when faced with questions that made her feel a bit troubled, you might even have to ask her repeatedly before she'd be willing to open her mouth..."
Sakiko said:
"But now, although her desire to express herself is still roughly the sa as before, she also proactively speaks her mind from ti to ti! This is quite a big step forward for her!"
"Heh... is that so."
Tetsuya flicked the switch, then returned to the bed.
"It's probably because I don't communicate with Wakaba-san all that much. At least, I haven't really seen Wakaba-san proactively speak up."
"Ah... that's not surprising. After all, to Mutsumi, you are basically equivalent to the past , Tetsuya-kun."
"What does that an?"
"Mmm~ This has to start from the way Mutsumi and I have always interacted."
Sakiko hooked her arms around Tetsuya's arm and began to explain to him in detail:
"As you know, before this, Mutsumi had always been living in a fairly high-pressure environnt. It wasn't just at ho, but actually, it was the sa when she was at school."
And for a child of this age, their main scope of activity was only these two places.
If the pressure at ho ca from her highly controlling mother, then the pressure at school... ca from Togawa Sakiko.
"Although it wasn't my intention, for a child like Mutsumi who severely lacked proactiveness, my existence was her best excuse to avoid expressing herself."
Sakiko sighed.
"As long as I made the decisions, as long as everything centered around ... as long as I was there, she didn't need to decide anything herself. I was too immature back then and didn't notice this, but thinking about it now, I was actually one of the main culprits who caused Mutsumi's lack of independent thinking ability."
At least for the Mutsumi of that ti, the omnipotent, active, and exceptionally driven Sakiko was arguably the most ideal target to follow. And the reality was exactly that. At least before the unforeseen changes in Sakiko's family, Mutsumi, who followed her, lived a fairly relaxed and happy school life.
"And after the incident in my family, Mutsumi suddenly lost the person she could follow. She had to face those troubleso questions alone, and she also had to face the further discipline from Minami-san after advancing to high school alone..."
Although Sakiko didn't communicate much with Mutsumi during this period, she could imagine that while she was out there working hard to find a way to survive after leaving the Togawa family, Mutsumi's days must not have been easy either.
Facing such contradiction-filled problems head-on before developing independent thinking skills wouldn't make Mutsumi grow instantly. Instead, it would further discourage her courage and proactiveness, causing her to subconsciously seek out the next target she could rely on.
That person could be Soyo, who had gone to extres, or her mother who was trying to control her...
Naturally, it could also be Tetsuya, who provided help and guidance to everyone.
"Because you're simply too reliable, and far too gentle. For that child, even if it's just out of past habit, you would be the dependent target she trusts the most. That's why she doesn't voice her opinions much when she's with you. Because according to her habits, as long as she's with you, she just needs to follow your thoughts and directions."
"Heh, so that's how it is..."
Tetsuya nodded in understanding.
"In other words, my existence has beco a hindrance to Mutsumi's growth?"
"That's not what I an at all. Actually, after leaving ho, Mutsumi herself realized her shortcomings and has been working hard to overco them. The silence she shows in front of you now is just past habits still lingering deep in her consciousness. But it is precisely this last remaining bit of habit that prevents her from ever truly becoming proactive..."
At this point, Sakiko suddenly raised her head and said to Tetsuya:
"Tetsuya-kun, you and Mutsumi are going to buy a dress tomorrow afternoon, right?"
"Mhm. I've already picked out the specific dress boutique."
"In that case... when you go buy the dress this ti, could you try to train Mutsumi a little bit? Like... when you guys eat out, have Mutsumi order what she likes herself, or have her choose the dress she likes the most out of a few options."
"Mmm..."
Hearing Sakiko's proposal, Tetsuya pondered for a brief mont before saying:
"I could do that, but if there truly is one dress at that boutique that suits Wakaba-san perfectly, then I will still recomnd that single one to her... After all, this banquet is quite important to her too, and I want her to attend it fully prepared. But if there are several dresses that suit Wakaba-san perfectly at the sa ti, then I'll let her make the choice herself... What do you think?"
"Mhm, that works too."
Sakiko nodded.
"Minami-san asking her to return to attend the banquet this ti is definitely also because she wants to see the changes that have happened to Mutsumi over these past few months. If we can make her feel satisfied, Mutsumi might thoroughly gain her freedom from now on."
"Don't be in a rush to think about future matters just yet... According to what you just said, Sakiko, Mutsumi still isn't used to making choices on her own, right? Then what if she can't make a choice from the options I give her when the ti cos?"
Tetsuya asked:
"I can't exactly just let her stay troubled over it forever, can I?"
"Mmm... about that..."
Hearing this, Sakiko also fell into deep thought.
Based on her understanding of Mutsumi, the scene Tetsuya just described was highly likely to happen. Especially in front of him, the person she currently relied on and trusted the most, she would be even more hesitant about her own judgnt and choices...
Then, let's try adjusting the line of thought a bit further forward.
If you want to make soone proactive... the first thing to do should be to give her the intention or motivation that can drive her to make a choice.
So, how could they help Mutsumi gain this motivation?
"Mmm..."
After a brief mont of thought, mories of when she and Tetsuya first t suddenly surfaced in Sakiko's mind. Soon after, a slightly bold plan erged along with them.
Although doing this might have so irreversible effects on Mutsumi's future, for her current self... this was probably the most suitable thod for her—
"Tetsuya-kun."
"Mhm?"
"Do you... want to try teaching Mutsumi by going on a 'date' with her?"
"...Eh?"
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