A morning waking up in Asuka's arms. Warmth and a clinging, suffocating feeling lingered in my chest at the same time. Kanata opened his eyes a crack. The familiar ceiling. Beside him, Asuka was still asleep. Her silvery-white hair spread across the pillow, her violet eyes closed. The events of last night circled through his mind. The night he'd crossed the line with his childhood friend. The words she'd said in a trembling voice—that she'd always loved him. Even his anger over her deleting every contact from his phone had been washed away by her tears in that moment. (*Was this really okay?*) He tried to gently remove Asuka's arm, but her slender fingers clutched tightly at his T-shirt and wouldn't let go. Even in sleep, it was as if she was telling him she wouldn't let him escape—Kanata let out a small sigh. "[gentle]...Mm, Kanata." Asuka squirmed and pressed her body closer. Still half-asleep, her eyes remained closed. "[whispers]Morning already?" "[gentle]Are you going to university today too? Should we go together?" Asuka sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her pajama top slipped off one shoulder, revealing pale skin. "Yeah, but there's a club welcome party today, so I might be back late." At those words, Asuka's movements stopped for just a moment. "[sad]...Club?" "Tennis club. A friend invited me last week." Asuka said nothing, just stared intently at Kanata. Her violet odd-eyes wavered with unease in the morning light. "[whispers]I have afternoon classes today, so I'll come home first. I'll have dinner ready and wait for you." With that, she headed toward the kitchen. Her back as she picked up her apron looked smaller than usual. Seiwa University's campus was livelier than usual during the welcome party season. Students holding club recruitment signs shouted loudly, while groups that looked like new students glanced around nervously. Amidst it all, Kanata made his way to the tennis club booth. "Excuse me, I'd like to observe." When he spoke, several people at the reception desk looked up at once. One of them—a woman with short crimson hair and sparkling golden eyes—smiled brightly. A thin black bracelet on her left wrist glinted faintly under the fluorescent lights. "[excited]Oh, a new student? Welcome! I'm Risa, third year. Nice to meet you." Risa approached Kanata with a natural closeness that didn't feel like a first meeting and handed him a roster. When she smiled, her white teeth showed, and her grin was friendly—yet somehow, it also seemed just a little calculated. "Ah, no, I'm a second year. My name's Kanata." "[laughing]Oh, so we're not in the same year. But hey, don't worry about it. Kanata-kun, do you have tennis experience?" "Just a little back in middle school." When Kanata answered, Risa nodded along and wrote something on the roster. "[gentle]Hmm, I see, I see. Oh, hey, where do you live right now, Kanata-kun? Living alone?" "No, I'm staying at my childhood friend's place right now." "[surprised]Childhood friend! Wow, is it a girl?" "Well, yeah. Her name's Asuka." The moment he said that name, Risa's golden eyes narrowed for just an instant. "[serious]...Asuka? Could that be the girl in the same department? Silver hair, violet eyes?" "You know her?" "[cold]Yeah, a little. She's at the same university, right—she's a bit... unique, isn't she?" Risa smiled meaningfully. Sensing something lurking behind that smile, Kanata laughed it off vaguely. "[gentle]Well, a lot's happened." "[gentle]I see. Well, whatever. So, you're coming to the welcome party tonight, right?" Risa didn't press further and shifted the conversation with a light tone. But the way she changed the subject was so natural—Kanata felt just the slightest sense that something was off. Evening, after classes ended. When Kanata exited the lecture building, Risa was standing by the gate. Arms crossed, posture like she was waiting for someone. The moment she noticed Kanata, her face broke into a smile. "[excited]Kanata-kun! Good work today. Hey, want to grab a bite? There's a nice family restaurant in front of the station." "Huh? But the welcome party is tomorrow..." "[laughing]This is separate from the party! As a club senpai, I just want to get to know my kouhai better. Come on, it's fine, right?" Saying that, Risa lightly tugged on Kanata's arm. With no reason to refuse, Kanata nodded. The thought that Asuka was waiting at home lingered in a corner of his mind, but Risa's cheerfulness pushed it aside. The two entered the family restaurant "Joyfulness" in front of the station. An open, airy interior where the evening sun streamed through large glass windows. Risa chose a back booth without hesitation and sat facing Kanata. "[gentle]This place has a drink bar, so you can stay a long time. A real student's best friend." Risa picked up a hot coffee and took a sip. White steam wavered in front of her refined features. "[serious]So, Kanata-kun. About what we talked about earlier—that Asuka girl, isn't she a little too dependent on you? I'm just worried, as a friend." The sudden words made Kanata's heart skip a beat. "Dependent? That's..." "[gentle]I mean, you said you're staying at her place. And it's your childhood friend's house. Normally, you wouldn't go that far unless she was your girlfriend." Risa's face was gentle, but her words cut in sharply. Kanata couldn't help but recall the events of the past few days. Her snooping through his phone, deleting all his contacts, slipping into his futon late at night—when he gave Risa a fragmented account of Asuka's actions, she furrowed her brow. "[cold]That's not normal." Stated so plainly, the words pierced Kanata's chest. "[sad]But she's... she's always been like that..." "[serious]Kanata-kun. Being kind is a good thing, but it's different when it makes you suffer. If things ever get hard, I'm always here to listen." Saying that, Risa gently placed her fingers over the back of Kanata's hand where it rested on the table. She touched him for just a moment, then quickly pulled back. But that brief warmth made Kanata's heart leap. "Ah, thank you." Unable to hide his agitation, Kanata dropped his gaze to his coffee cup. He could feel Risa's golden eyes watching him intently. He had the feeling that something else was hidden behind that smile—but he couldn't tell what it was. Meanwhile, at Asuka's house in Sakuragaoka Newtown. Asuka sat on the living room sofa, holding Kanata's phone. She swiped the screen smoothly, and the lock screen disappeared. The passcode—Kanata had carelessly told her what it was. "[cold]...There are still girls left." She opened his contacts and checked the names of the few remaining girls. Her fingers moved quickly. Delete, delete, delete. She erased every last one. Next, she opened the SNS app. A list of DMs appeared. Among them—an unfamiliar name. *Risa* *Today was so fun! Let's get food again 😊* The message's timestamp was just moments ago. Asuka's fingers stopped. The hand gripping the phone trembled faintly. "[whispers]...Risa. The tennis club senpai." Her violet odd-eyes slowly widened. Those eyes, whose glow intensified when her emotions ran high, now shone with an eerily cold light. Asuka slowly stood up. She went to her room and opened the closet. From deep within her clothes, she pulled out a small spare key. The coldness of the metal seeped into her palm. She stared intently at the key. "[cold]...I won't let go. Never." It was past seven at night when Kanata got home. When he opened the front door, the living room light was on. But the voice of Asuka, who would usually rush out saying "Welcome home," was absent. Instead—she was sitting formally on the living room floor, waiting for Kanata. "Asuka...? What's wrong?" When Kanata spoke, Asuka slowly raised her head. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she'd cried her heart out. Several tear tracks streaked her cheeks. "[crying]Kanata... who is this Risa person?" With trembling hands, Asuka held the phone screen toward Kanata. Risa's message was displayed there. "Sh-She's a senpai from the club. Just a senpai..." "[crying]Liar! You went out to eat with her, just the two of you! What did you do with another girl?" Asuka stood up, her voice shaking. The hand gripping the phone had turned white. "I told you, it was just a meal! We were just talking about club stuff..." "[crying]Don't lie to me... After last night, after we were together like that...!" Large tears spilled from Asuka's eyes. She grabbed Kanata by the chest and pulled her face close. Her violet eyes burned with pure hurt—and fierce possessiveness. "[crying]Why are you meeting other girls? Am I not enough? I only have Kanata...!" "N-No, you've got it wrong, she's really just a senpai..." The more Kanata tried to make excuses, the louder Asuka's crying became. Sobbing like a child, she beat against Kanata's chest with both hands. "[crying]Liar! Kanata, you liar! I can't take this anymore... The thing I'm most scared of is losing you...!" Those words squeezed Kanata's heart. Her fear was real. Ever since that night when she was six, when she lost her entire family at once, it had lived inside her. *The people I love will someday disappear*—that terror had given birth to her obsession with Kanata. (*But even so—this is going too far.*) The moment Kanata tried to say something, Asuka pulled hard on his arm. "Ah—" Losing his balance, they both collapsed onto the sofa. Asuka sprawled on top of Kanata. Her tear-soaked face was right next to his. Her silver hair wrapped around them like a curtain. "[crying]Only look at me... please, I'm begging you..." With trembling hands, Asuka grabbed the hem of Kanata's clothes and pushed them up. "S-Stop it, Asuka..." "[crying]No. I won't let go. Don't see other women. Only look at me... only me...!" Crying, Asuka buried her face against Kanata's chest and pressed her quivering lips to him. His neck, his chest, his stomach—her lips traced across Kanata's skin. Kanata tried to resist. But Asuka's slender body was stronger than he expected, and more than anything—her tears and clinging warmth stole his reason away. The night before, when they'd crossed the line, had erased the last shred of composure left between them. "[whispers]You can't escape anymore." Asuka raised her face and spoke with an expression that was somewhere between tears and a smile. She reached for Kanata's belt and slowly undid it. The sound of the zipper being pulled down echoed in the quiet room. "Asuka..." "[crying]Kanata, don't hate me... please, become mine alone..." She shed her own clothes as well. Her white skin was illuminated by the moonlight, her breasts spilling free. Her slender waist, her thighs, and then—her secret place, already slick with arousal, was exposed. Kanata swallowed hard. In his head, he knew this was wrong, but his body reacted honestly. Asuka gently grasped Kanata's penis and pressed it against her vaginal opening. "[whispers]Put it in... fill me up with Kanata..." *Squelch...* The glans sank into her. Her tight, hot vagina squeezed Kanata's penis relentlessly. "Ahhh...!" Asuka arched her back like a bow. Her tear-wet eyes turned toward the ceiling, and a sweet sigh escaped her lips. Kanata grabbed her hips and slowly pushed all the way in. A wet, squelching sound, and his entire penis was enveloped by Asuka's vagina. "It's... all the way in..." Asuka murmured in a satisfied voice and began to move her hips on her own. Slowly up and down, but surely—as if savoring Kanata's penis in her deepest place. "Nn, nnnh... Kanata, does it feel good...?" "Y-Yeah..." "[crying]It feels... so good for me too... I can feel you inside me... deep in my stomach, it's hot..." Asuka's movements gradually grew more intense. With each shake of her hips, obscene wet sounds echoed from their joined bodies, and arousal trickled down her th