Shokuhou Misaki: Don't touch your hands

　　Kurumi's memory was over.

　　Ryota withdrew from his trance, and his consciousness returned to his body.

　　Subjectively, he seems to have a long dream. In that dream, he experienced Kurumi's life.

　　When he saw Misaki who was reading Kurumi's memory in front of him again, Ryota felt as if he was in a world far away.

　　"Misaki."

　　He reminded the girl in front of him loudly: "No need to continue."

　　Misaki was just like him, and it was only then that she regained her senses as if she had just woken up from a dream.

　　Little girls are emotional creatures.

　　Ryota saw that there were tears on Misaki's cheeks.

　　Even the clothes on her chest were slightly damp with tears, and she was clearly crying silently.

　　"It turns out that the history of your world has changed twice."

　　Misaki looked at Kurumi who was lying on the bed, her eyes became very complicated.

　　No wonder Kurumi didn't want to wake up... Like Ryota, she too saw Kurumi's memories, but not in personal experience.

　　Think about it another way, if Kurumi's experience were to happen to her.

　　People who have lost all their close relatives, and must ultimately prevent the awakening of their parents...

　　She would probably choose to sleep too. After all, the reality was too cruel.

　　"Sorry, I don't know how to wake her up."

　　Misaki apologized.

　　Ryota brought a pack of tissues and handed them to her.

　　Misaki was stunned for a moment, then realized that her face was full of tears.

　　Embarrassing...

　　She quickly took out a tissue, turned to the side, and wiped her cheek with her back facing Ryota.

　　"Don't worry."

　　At this time, Ryota said: "I have absorbed her sorrow, and if nothing happens, she can wake up tonight."

　　After speaking, he stretched out his hand and straightened the hair in front of Kurumi's forehead.

　　There is no sense of strangeness and alienation in the whole movement, as if treating someone who has known each other for years.

　　Sharing feelings, experiencing first hand… Kurumi's emotions flowed into her heart, breaking the awkwardness between the two of them and bringing them closer together.

　　"Shiro-chan, what are you doing?"

　　Suddenly, Misaki's voice was heard.

　　She turned around at some point, staring at Ryota's mischievous right hand.

　　Ryota: "..."

　　"Now you guys are strangers who haven't met more than three times. It is inappropriate to touch hands."

　　Misaki smiled and reminded: "Please pay attention to this point."

"..." Ryota pulled his hand away.

　　It was really just a subconscious behavior just now, he didn't want to do anything.

　　"By the way, she's really going to wake up today, isn't she?"

　　Misaki straightened her expression and looked slightly nervous when asked about something serious.

　　"She will wake up," said Ryota. "The Military Commander System can absorb emotions as a substantial substance. The state of mind is influenced by emotions. Now that she has no sorrow for the time being, the desire to sleep will naturally weaken greatly."

　　"Then…" Misaki was worried: "What will happen after this? In her current state of mind, she feels that the symptoms of not being able to sleep could recur at any time."

　　"..."

　　Ryota sighed softly: "Leave it to me to finish. I'll be out in a bit, and you can look after it for me."

　　"You have a solution?"

　　"I just don't know if it will work."

　　Ryota nodded towards Misaki, then left the Shirogane house.

　　...

　　Maybe because of Kurumi's empathy.

　　Ryota finds that the process of gathering emotions from his "Bridge of Sorrow" has been completed.

　　It's just the finishing touch to perfect the mind.

　　Kurumi's grief alone was enough to fulfill her urgent need.

　　Ryota couldn't help but remember what happened to Kurumi after the second change in history.

　　Of course, Kurumi came to the third period world.

　　That's the world right now.

　　Based on the time she was in, 1st period and 2nd period are the future after 3 years.

　　Only this time, Kurumi's recovery time was not in the future, but in the past.

　　Not long after that her parents experienced a supernatural incident.

　　That is, when she was 10 years old.

　　And Kurumi's strength had not disappeared.

　　[Return of Eternal Tribulation] is the "reason" controlled by King Mercury.

　　In the Fourth Day Reign, the Mercury King does not lose any power when the world restarts.

　　This characteristic had been extended to Kurumi this time.

　　Presumably, the relationship between him and Kurumi had deepened with the increasing number of [Return of Eternal Tribulation].

　　As for why Kurumi had regained consciousness in the past…

　　Regarding this matter, Ryota guessed – when consciousness is about to recover, it can be affected by Kurumi's subjective will.

　　For example, in the first period, what she wanted to return to was her original time, so she could consummate her marriage.

　　So in the second period, the time she regained consciousness was the same as when she left.

　　And when time passed again in the second period, Kurumi's will changed again.

　　Ryota in the second period kills five of the seven evil gods, and the remaining two will still spread evil to the world.

　　Although the dangers and difficulties were greatly reduced, they did not disappear immediately.

　　Kurumi probably blamed all of this on herself, wanted to make amends for the mistakes she made, and wanted to minimize the cultist's influence in the world...

　　Since under the influence of this subjective desire, her consciousness had awakened in the past. Then start hunting and killing cultists around the world.

　　This murder took seven years.

　　It wasn't just her will, but also the reason she used to cripple herself.

　　It is also a reason to keep the mind from breaking.

　　Because once she stopped, the raging waves of grief and guilt would swallow her whole.

　　Ryota doesn't have a good way to save her either.

　　For psychological problems, others can only comfort them, and if they really want to get out, they still have to rely on themselves.

　　At this time, Ryota suddenly remembered a sentence that Shirogane's father had said to him.

　　Things that can be changed must have the courage to act, but things that cannot be changed must learn to accept.

　　The timeline that had been abandoned was lost forever.

　　Kurumi could only move forward if she accepted this fact and let go of her past.

　　Shaking his head, Ryota thought no more. All he could do was give Kurumi the best comfort, or give her the best reward.

　　"Is here..."

　　Ryota looked ahead.

　　...

　　Ryota's time estimate is still wrong.

　　Kurumi did not wake up during the night.

　　Misaki waited until 11 p.m., seeing that Kurumi was still silent, so she could only choose to return to her world first.

　　Although her party is on summer vacation, it is not completely free, and there are still things to do.

　　Before leaving, Misaki specifically reminds Ryota to tell her when Kurumi wakes up.

　　After Ryota agreed, he began to wait a long time.

　　Wait until 2 p.m the next day.

　　Kurumi finally opened her eyes.