Winter morning light slipped thinly through the gaps in the blackout curtains. It was the seventh morning since his confinement. Kanata woke up beneath the futon. Beside him, Asuka was still asleep. Her platinum-silver hair rippled across the sheets, and she let out soft, quiet breaths. Her hand was clutching the chest of Kanata's pajamas tightly. (*She's not letting go, huh.*) Staring up at the ceiling, Kanata felt the lingering traces of last night's act. His joints were heavy with fatigue. Asuka's body heat still remained under the futon. Her long eyelashes trembled. "[whispers]...Kanata..." She was talking in her sleep. But her hand gripped his pajamas even tighter. Soon, her violet odd-eyes slowly opened. Her left eye was a deep bluish-purple, her right a pale silver. Still hazy from sleep, but the moment those pupils caught Kanata, Asuka's entire body stiffened with a jolt. "You're really not going anywhere?" Asuka spoke in a sleep-hoarse voice, clinging to him. "We promised yesterday, right? Absolutely, absolutely." Her fingers dug into the fabric of Kanata's chest. The dark circles under her eyes hadn't vanished. But after last night's act, she should have been able to sleep with a truly relieved expression for the first time. And yet—the moment her consciousness returned, so did her anxiety. (*So this is the cycle.*) Kanata didn't shake off Asuka's hand. Instead, he gently placed his own hand over hers. "[serious]Asuka, I want to talk properly." Asuka's shoulders trembled faintly. "About what?" "About what you did to me." Kanata's voice was quiet. But that quietness wasn't the same indecisiveness that had just let himself be swept along until now. "Locking me up, taking my phone, making it so I couldn't talk to anyone else." Kanata slowly sat up, leaning his back against the wall. Asuka also raised herself halfway up in the futon. The collar of her white pajamas was disheveled, revealing the area around her collarbone. "[serious]What was it that you wanted?" The color drained instantly from Asuka's face. "[scared]...That's obvious." "What is it?" "I just didn't want Kanata to run away. I just didn't want you to disappear." Asuka's voice began to tremble, little by little. Her left hand grabbed the sheets, the fabric crumpling tightly. "[crying]I just wanted to be together forever. What's so wrong with that?" "Locking the door and confining me, is that it?" At Kanata's words, Asuka's eyes widened. "That's not love. That's fear." Kanata's voice was closer to sadness than anger. But words he had never been able to say until now welled up from the pit of his stomach. "I didn't do anything to you. I was properly with you, and I thought I was listening to you. So why do I have to be put in a cage?" "[crying]Because!!" Asuka suddenly shouted. "Because, Kanata didn't notice! I was always scared! That person, Risa, was getting close, and I felt like Kanata was going further and further away!" She clutched her head with both hands and curled up on the bed. "[crying]Then what was I supposed to do!? If I acted normal, Kanata would disappear! Everyone disappears!! What did I do wrong!!" Sobbing violently, Asuka jumped off the bed onto the floor. And then, she pounded the wooden flooring with both hands. Thud, thud—the dull sounds echoed in the room. Her white palms quickly turned bright red. "[crying]I don't know... I don't know... I don't even know what I should have done..." Tears fell onto the floor, forming small puddles. Her silver hair was a tangled mess, covering her face. Kanata got out of the futon and knelt in front of Asuka. "[serious]What did confining me solve?" It was a quiet question. Asuka's sobbing stopped abruptly. "By locking the door, hiding my phone, did your anxiety disappear? Were you really able to feel at ease that I wouldn't run away?" Asuka stared at the floor, motionless. Her shoulders trembled minutely. "It didn't, right?" Kanata's voice became just a little gentler. "Crying in your sleep every night, becoming anxious every time you wake up. You're just tormenting yourself." "[crying]...No..." A hoarse voice leaked from Asuka's mouth. But, trying to say something back—the words wouldn't come. Her lips quivered. Large tears spilled one after another from her violet eyes. The bluish-purple of her left eye and the silver of her right shimmered like wet glasswork. "[crying]...Ah..." Asuka was searching for words. For these past seven days, she had only kept saying, "Because I love you," "I'm scared because you'll disappear." But now, asked directly by Kanata, she realized for the first time. Locking the door, hiding the phone, holding Kanata—none of it had solved anything. What she feared was no different than before she confined him—in fact, it had become even more frightening. "[crying]I'm... sor..." The first word came out as if wrung from her. That was the trigger. "[crying]I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Asuka collapsed onto the floor. Covering her face with both hands, she wailed like a child. Her shoulders shook violently, and she hiccuped, unable to breathe. "[crying]I... was wrong... I was wrong..." Her crying echoed throughout the locked room. For these past seven days, Asuka had never once admitted her actions were wrong. No matter how much Kanata resisted, no matter how much he cried, she had pushed through with just the words, "Because I love you." But now, for the first time—a true apology spilled from her lips. Kanata said nothing, just watched her crying figure. (*It finally got through.*) Deep in his chest, something that had been heavily sunken felt like it melted just a little. How much time had passed? Until Asuka cried herself out, Kanata didn't move. Her crying gradually turned into hiccups, and finally became just silent tears. "[whispers]...Sorry..." Asuka slipped her trembling hand into the pocket of her pajamas. And then—. A small metallic clink sounded. What her slender fingers grasped was a small silver key. The thing she had kept on her person at all times these seven days, the thing that had stolen Kanata's freedom. "[crying]...Here..." Trembling, Asuka pressed the key into Kanata's palm. Her fingers were cold, still shaking. "[crying]I... won't lock you up anymore... I'm sorry..." Her voice was small and hoarse. But it clearly reached Kanata. Kanata stared at the key in his palm for a while. A small piece of metal. He had been a prisoner because of something so trivial. And then, he gently wrapped his hand around Asuka's, as if enveloping it. The key was sandwiched between their two palms. "I wasn't listening properly either." Kanata said quietly. "What you went through in the past. Why you're so scared. I was pretending not to see it all along. I just thought it was fine to go with the flow, that was all." Asuka looked up. With a face messy from tears, she stared at Kanata. "I was running away too. All along." "[crying]...Kanata..." "But I won't run anymore. I'll face you properly." Kanata put strength into his clasped hand. "I'm not going anywhere." Tears overflowed from Asuka's eyes again. But this time, they weren't tears of despair. The two of them sat side-by-side on the floor, silent for a while. The late winter morning light streamed thinly through the gaps in the curtains. The heater was working inside the room, and the faint operating sound of the fan heater could be heard. From outside, the distant sound of a bicycle bell rang. (*It's been a while since I've heard such ordinary sounds.*) Kanata thought absently. The silence continued for a long time. But it wasn't a silence for blaming each other. It was time for accepting one another. "[whispers]...Kanata." It was Asuka who spoke first. "Do you hate me now?" Her voice was still wet with tears. It was an anxious voice, like a child asking a parent. "I don't." "Really?" "Yeah." Kanata put the key in his pocket and stood up. Then, he offered his hand to Asuka. "Can you stand?" Timidly, Asuka took his hand. Her hand was still cold and trembling. After helping Asuka stand, Kanata led her by the hand and walked towards the futon. "Eh..." Asuka let out a confused voice. Kanata gently sat her down on the futon and sat beside her himself. "Today, I want to do it properly." "Properly...?" "Yeah. Properly, as equals." Kanata placed his hand on Asuka's shoulder and gently pulled her close. He reached for the buttons of her pajamas, undoing them one by one. "[whispers]...You're going to do it, Kanata?" Asuka said in a hoarse voice. "That's right." When all the buttons were undone, her white skin was exposed. The hollow of her collarbone, the swell of her breasts, her slender stomach—it was a body he had seen many times before, but today it looked different. Kanata also shed his own pajamas. "[whispers]Be gentle..." With her eyes still swollen from crying, Asuka murmured quietly. "Yeah." Kanata laid her down on the futon and gently covered her. Their bare skin touched, their body heat mingling. He ran his hand over the swell of her breasts. A soft sensation. When he gently stroked her nipple with his thumb, Asuka let out a small breath. "[whispers]Nn..." Kanata brought his face closer and pressed his lips to hers. He slipped his tongue inside and slowly entwined it with hers. The inside of Asuka's mouth was warm, with a faint taste of tears. His hand slid to Asuka's thigh, gently parting it. When his fingers touched her secret place, it was already hot and meltingly wet. "I'm putting a finger in." "[whispers]...Okay." Kanata slowly sank his middle finger into her vagina. The slick sensation enveloped his finger. Asuka's hips jumped with a small jolt. "Ah..." Her voice trembled sweetly. While moving his finger slowly, Kanata gazed into her eyes. Her violet odd-eyes, moist, looked up at him. "Here I go." He pulled out his finger and pressed his hardened penis against her vaginal opening. The tip touched the wetness. "[whispers]...Come." Asuka nodded slightly. *Squelch—.* Kanata slowly pushed his hips forward. The glans sank into Asuka. A sensation of being enveloped—hot, tight, yet gentle. "Aaah..." Asuka's back arched slightly, and her vagina tightened with a squeeze. Kanata didn't move all at once; he waited for her to adjust. Then, he began a slow piston motion. In to the deepest part, slowly pulling out, then deep again—. *Squelch... squelch...* The wet sounds echoed in the quiet room. "[whispers]Ah... aah... it's good..." Asuka's hands wrapped around Kanata's back. Her fingers gently stroked the muscles of his back. "More... deeper..." Her hips swayed slowly in time with Kanata's movements. Kanata increased the pace just a little. Still, it wasn't the intensity of last night. It was a slow rhythm, as if confirming each other. "Asuka..." When he called her name, tears spilled from her eyes again. But now, she was smiling through her tears. "[crying]Kanata... I love you, Kanata... I've always loved you..." "Yeah, I know." Kanata gently pressed his forehead against hers, damp with sweat. Their breathing mingled. Pleasure, love, and all the pain until now mixed together, filling the room. "[whispers]I'm close..." Asuka said in a hoarse voice. "Together." For the final few thrusts, Kanata drove his hips firmly. *Throb, throb—.* He ejaculated deep inside Asuka. Semen poured into her womb. At the same time, Asuka reached her climax, her vagina tightening spasmodically. "Aaah..." A long sigh escaped Asuka's lips. For a while, the two of them couldn't move. Their skin pressed together, they felt each other's warmth. When Kanata pulled out his penis, a thick, cloudy liquid overflowed, trailing down Asuka's thigh and staining the sheets. "[whispers]...Let's sleep together." Asuka murmured in a sleepy voice. "Yeah." Kanata closed his eyes, still holdi