Chapter 7: I Want to See Your True Face

I asked Shinomiya-san to do a fourth photo session, but to be completely honest, I had no idea if she would actually agree.

After all, ever since that incident, we had exchanged basic greetings, but she hadn't spoken a single word about photography. Because of that, I was terrified she might not even read the message I sent her.

However, my fears proved to be entirely unfounded. The moment I sent the message, Shinomiya-san replied.

"I'd love to. Actually, I was planning to ask you myself."

I was shocked that she had been thinking the exact same thing, but it was a stroke of incredible luck that we were able to agree on the shoot so smoothly. The problem was where we were going to do it, but Shinomiya-san offered an utterly astonishing proposal.

"As for the location... how about my house this weekend?"

She designated the most ideal location possible for a shoot: her own home. I was completely caught off guard by her suggesting it herself, but looking at it another way, did this mean she had finally made up her mind as well?

"Understood. Let's do it this weekend."

"Yes! I will prepare the outfits and the concept for the shoot. Please leave everything to me."

It only took me a split second to decide. I chose to leave the entire shoot up to Shinomiya-san. She clearly had an image in her mind of the kind of self she wanted me to photograph. I was simply excited to see what kind of side she would show me. Although, if I said I didn't feel any anxiety towards a fiercely confident Shinomiya-san, I would be lying.

Despite exchanging these messages, we still didn't really talk to each other at school. However, she clearly seemed to have regained her usual energy. Our fan club president, Arata, even approached me.

"Good job, Takumi! Shinomiya-san's smile is totally back to normal! Make sure you give me all the juicy details about what you two talked about later, alright?"

He praised me with a massive grin. Naturally, in place of a verbal response, I drove my fist deeply into his stomach. If I told him I was going to do a photo shoot at Shinomiya-san's house, heaven only knows what he would do. More importantly, this was a secret that belonged strictly to me and Shinomiya-san.

And so, the weekend finally arrived. "Shall I come pick you up at the station?" Shinomiya-san had asked, but I politely declined. I walked slowly at my own pace, letting my thoughts wander.

I hadn't arrogantly planned to use today's shoot to repair the relationship between Shinomiya-san and Alice-san. My role, from start to finish, was simply to take photographs.

"To see the self she doesn't know, huh..."

Why had she said those words? I felt like that reason was finally going to become clear. However, it also meant that our secret relationship, known to absolutely no one else, might finally come to an end.

After walking for less than ten minutes, I arrived. I had only walked this path once before, but surprisingly, I remembered it perfectly and arrived without getting lost. To calm my racing heart, I took several deep breaths before finally pressing the doorbell.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you, Anno-kun."

"Good afternoon, Shinomiya-san. I'm looking forward to working with you today."

The door opened immediately, and she guided me inside. She led me to the living room, and I let out a sigh of relief as I drank the tea she served me.

"You were a little late today. Did you happen to get lost?"

She giggled, teasing me lightly. We hadn't talked at school for a little while, so even an utterly mundane exchange like this felt incredibly nostalgic.

"Sorry. I didn't get lost, but I was thinking about a lot of different things since I woke up, so I ended up leaving the house a bit late."

"I see... In that case, who exactly was Anno-kun thinking about from the moment he woke up until he arrived at my house? Could it have been... Yuzuha-san, perhaps?"

As she spoke, Shinomiya-san held up her smartphone screen for me to see. Displayed on the screen were the cosplay photos of Yuzuha-san I had taken at Manager Uezu's studio just the other day.

"You were the one who took and edited these, right, Anno-kun? Yuzuha-san looks incredibly cute in this uniform. I think the slightly erotic vibe is absolutely wonderful as well."

Her face was smiling, but her eyes were entirely dead. Furthermore, was it just my imagination, or could I see a furiously raging dragon standing behind her whose reverse scale had just been stepped on? No, it wasn't my imagination.

"To think you would propose a photo session with me, only to spend the day of the shoot thinking about another woman... You're quite cruel, Anno-kun. I am quite hurt."

I literally never said that. Why was everyone around me the type of person to retreat into their own delusions and make passive-aggressive comments? Well, 'everyone' was really just Shinomiya-san and Yuzuha-san.

"Crushed by my own feelings of inadequacy and sheer apologetic guilt, I cried into my pillow every night, utterly convinced that Anno-kun would never take photos of me again..."

"Umm... Shinomiya-san?"

Pivoting entirely from her simmering anger, Shinomiya-san's demeanor shifted.

"But I knew I couldn't just leave things like that. I finally steeled my resolve and was about to contact you, only for Anno-kun to reach out to me first, and I was so incredibly happy, you know? And I spent all these days thinking so deeply about today... but I suppose I was never in your head at all, Anno-kun."

This was going way too far for a simple joke. And honestly, being told all that was enough to strike a nerve even with me, a guy who was essentially human calmness incarnate.

"I am so sad... sniffs..."

"When did I ever say I wasn't thinking about you, Shinomiya-san?"

"...Eh?"

She must have not expected me to argue back at all, because she let out a completely dumbfounded noise. An eye for an eye. I was going to teach her firsthand that the only people allowed to tease others were those prepared to be teased themselves.

"I was thinking about you this whole entire time too, you know? Even though I knew you were depressed after that shoot, I hated myself for not being able to do anything about it. So in my own way, I desperately thought about you..."

"U-Umm... Anno-kun?"

"Even though my shoot with Yuzuha-san was scheduled way before ours... hearing you say things like that... I'm pretty shocked."

"I-I-I was just joking, Anno-kun! I was just teasing you like I always do! If anything, thank you so much for thinking about me that deeply, or rather, I don't know what to say...!"

Seeing me dramatically shrug my shoulders in faux-disappointment, even the great Shinomiya-san completely panicked. Flailing her arms wildly, she desperately tried to explain herself. It was the very first time I had ever seen her panic like this, and it was so adorable I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"...Anno-kun, you tricked me, didn't you?"

"Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry! I guess I took the teasing a little too far. But you were the one who started it, Shinomiya-san! Even with jokes, there's a line you shouldn't cross, alright?"

"Ugh... Anno-kun, you idiot! Playing with a maiden's pure heart is downright demonic!"

Shinomiya-san lightly pummeled my shoulders with her fists. It actually kind of hurt, so I wished she'd stop.

"It's the truth that I was thinking about you, though, you know? I'm not trying to play with a maiden's pure heart at all."

I had only retaliated because she teased me; I hadn't told a single lie. I definitely couldn't say something that embarrassing—something that sounded straight out of a love confession—just to make Shinomiya-san blush.

"U-Understood! Your feelings have been thoroughly conveyed, Anno-kun! Thank you very much! I'll admit defeat!"

Her face turning bright red, Shinomiya-san shouted as she hastily put some distance between us. We were supposed to do a photo shoot after this. Was she going to be okay?

"Sigh... To think the day would come when I would be humiliated by Anno-kun of all people... You are going to take responsibility for this, aren't you?"

"The only thing I can do is take pictures, but if you're okay with that, I'll take as many as you want."

"Hehe. Well then, I suppose I'll have you take some right away. After all, that's why I asked you to come here."

With that, Shinomiya-san lightly tapped my shoulder and stood up. When I asked where she was going, she flashed a sweet smile.

"I'm going to get changed for the shoot. Please get your camera ready, Anno-kun."

"That's fine, but where exactly are we shooting?"

Because we got so caught up in our banter, we hadn't talked about the most important part: the shoot itself. I needed her to tell me the image she had in her head.

"Today's shooting location is... this house."

"...Excuse me?"

"I want you to take photos of me in all sorts of different places around this house. I'll explain the reason why while we shoot."

Saying 'That's all for now,' Shinomiya-san left the living room. Since she said she was going to get changed, she was probably heading to her own room. Harboring a mix of anticipation and anxiety about what kind of clothes she was going to wear, I began preparing my camera.

I waited nervously for about ten minutes. With a click, the door opened. When I saw the figure of Shinomiya-san returning to the living room, I lost my ability to speak.

"I had this prepared at Manager Uezu's shop for today."

Shinomiya-san was saying something with a shy, embarrassed expression, but not a single word was registering in my brain. The reason was entirely due to the clothes she had changed into. No, it was questionable if you could even call what she was wearing 'clothes' in the first place.

"Manager Uezu recommended it to me. What do you think? Isn't it cute?"

Shinomiya-san did a little twirl to show it off. Was it cute? The answer to that was obviously an absolute yes. However, it was also the most extreme outfit I had seen her in yet. The sheer fabric left very little to the imagination, and it was blatantly obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra or panties underneath. Compared to this, the competitive swimsuit was practically a wholesome, conservative outfit with very little skin exposure. What on earth did you recommend to her, Manager Uezu!?

Shinomiya-san was wearing what is known as a babydoll. It was made of glossy, cherry-blossom-pink satin that looked incredibly soft to the touch.

Fine gathers were sewn around the bust, and the edges were lined with eyelash lace designed to reveal the bare skin underneath. Between the boldly exposed décolletage, the cleavage that looked like it could suck you right in, and the bountiful curves creating it all, the sheer visual impact was nothing short of a masterpiece.

Furthermore, when she did her little twirl, her back was almost completely exposed, held together by nothing but a single ribbon.

"This is my first time wearing something like this, but my legs feel a bit drafty."

Shinomiya-san smiled as she said this, but I was in no condition to reply.

The hem was incredibly short, and she wasn't wearing anything underneath, so it was no wonder she felt a breeze. Coupled with the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra, I had absolutely no idea where to look, whether it was up or down.

This outfit alone possessed enough destructive power to ruin me, but Shinomiya-san quietly held out an item toward me, chipping away at the final remaining fragments of my rationality.

"Anno-kun. Could you... put this on me?"

What she handed me was a collar. And attached to it was a heavy, metallic chain leash. Even the babydoll was more than I could handle, so I genuinely had no idea what she was thinking. I was simply overwhelmed by sheer bewilderment.

"Also, this time, it isn't secretly taken photos. I want you to look directly at me. At everything I am..."

With moist, pleading eyes. Earnestly. Begging me as if she were praying. Being asked by Shinomiya-san like that, there was absolutely no way I could refuse. All I could do was give a small nod.

"...Did you happen to buy this at Manager Uezu's shop too?"

"Yes. When I consulted with him, he told me that if you took photos of me wearing this, they would turn out even better."

Manager Uezu had a wildly eccentric appearance and personality, but he had never once missed the mark when it came to selecting costumes for a shoot. He was a very annoying person to be tangled up with, but in this specific area, I placed absolute trust in him.

If someone like him had recommended a combination of a babydoll, collar, and leash to Shinomiya-san, there was no doubt it held some deeper meaning.

"Understood. I was the one who said I'd leave the entire shooting plan up to you today, anyway. I'll put it on you, just as you requested."

"Thank you."

Smiling with a hint of genuine happiness, Shinomiya-san gently closed her eyes. Her expression looked exactly like a princess awaiting a kiss from her prince.

When I was a kid, there was a similar photo among the ones my dad took of my mom when they were younger. That single photo was the catalyst that made me want to start taking pictures myself.

"...Beautiful."

But the Shinomiya-san standing before me right now was far more beautiful than the photo of my mom I had seen back then, and words of praise naturally slipped from my lips. Moving like a phantom, I stepped closer and gently fastened the collar around her slender, elegant neck—a neck entirely unsuited for such an object.

"So, who exactly is supposed to hold this leash..."

"You, of course, Anno-kun. Here, go ahead."

With that, Shinomiya-san forcefully pressed the chain against my chest. I knew this was coming, but there are some things that just take time to process. What sequence of events led to me putting a collar on the girl who sat next to me in class? If any evidence of this got out, my life would be instantly ruined.

"It feels like I've become your pet, Anno-kun! Do you think it would look better in the photos if I put on some animal ears too?"

"It'd definitely look better, and if you posted it on social media, you're guaranteed to go viral. Though if you ask me if I want to take that picture... no comment."

"Eh, why not?"

Shinomiya-san tilted her head in confusion. I couldn't possibly tell her that it would cross the line from 'cute' straight into 18+ territory, nor could I admit that I absolutely did not want to share this version of her with the anonymous masses of the internet.

"L-Let's put that aside! We need to start the shoot! Time is limited, you know!"

"Please don't worry. No one is coming home today or tomorrow. We have plenty of time."

"...Is that so."

"Yes. So please relax. Let's do lots of naughty things together."

Your phrasing is terrible, I almost retorted, but feeling a strange sense of nostalgia even for that urge, I instead let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"Hehe. Now that I've teased you enough, shall we begin? Anno-kun, please absolutely do not let go of the chain, okay?"

"I am incredibly reluctant about this... but understood."

Swallowing everything I wanted to say, our fourth photo session began.

Just as Shinomiya-san requested, the shoot took place all over the house, starting in the living room and moving to the sofa, the kitchen, the dressing room, and the bathroom. Whenever we moved to the next location, she walked ahead of me. Thanks to the chain linking us, it genuinely looked like I was a corrupt nobleman taking his maid for a walk around the mansion in a scandalous outfit strictly for his own twisted amusement.

"It's a bit improper, but shall we shoot on top of the table next?"

Having finished shooting in the bathroom, we returned to the living room. Shinomiya-san let out a soft "Heave-ho," placed her foot on a chair, and attempted to climb onto the dining table where she usually ate her meals. You could at least hesitate a little, I thought, but called out to her, saying, "Stop."

"I want to take a picture just as you're about to get on the table. Keep your back facing me, put your hands on the table, and look back over your shoulder."

"Understood. Anno-kun, next time you want me to stop, instead of using your voice, please give the chain a little tug, okay?"

Shinomiya-san flashed a bewitchingly playful smile. There's no way I could do that, I retorted in my mind as I readied my camera.

During the competitive swimsuit shoot, I mostly took photos from the front, so I never really noticed, but the curve from Shinomiya-san's back down to her hips was elegant and profoundly beautiful. Including the legs extending below, it was practically a work of art. The design of the babydoll, with its boldly open back, further ensured that it transcended mere beauty.

Click. Click. Every time I pressed the shutter, Shinomiya-san subtly altered her poses, expressions, and the direction of her gaze. Occasionally, when I wanted a more natural reaction, I did as she asked and gave the chain a sudden, light tug to catch her off guard.

"...Ah."

Shinomiya-san let out an expression tinged with aesthetic surprise and sheer ecstasy. Her posture broke, and she arched her back deeply, her bountiful curves swaying softly. She looked exactly as if she had just reached a small peak of pleasure. Clearing my mind completely, I just kept pressing the shutter.

"...I want to be free."

Just as I lowered my camera, Shinomiya-san murmured softly. Instead of sitting on the table, she stepped down from the chair and began walking toward the stairs.

"Free from what?"

I asked as I pointed the camera at her back while she walked up the stairs. She leaned gracefully against the wall. Curious about what kind of expression she was making, I quickly slipped past her to get in front.

"From this house... I want to be free."

Shinomiya-san looked like she was about to cry at any second. And yet, even that expression was so incredibly photogenic that I unconsciously kept snapping pictures. Without paying me any mind, she continued to walk slowly up the stairs, speaking as if she were pleading her case.

"Up until now, I have lived my life entirely by doing exactly what my parents demanded and told me to do. But just a little bit... just for a tiny little bit, I wanted to try living freely."

I instinctively switched my camera to video mode and shifted into an interview style.

"Was there a specific trigger that made you start thinking that?"

"As you already know, Anno-kun, I have an older sister who is several years older than me. My sister... Alice-oneechan is different from me. She has the strong will to stick to what she wants to do, no matter what."

No matter what anyone says, Shinomiya-san added with a look of intense frustration.

"To me, Alice-oneechan is someone I admire, and at the same time, someone I deeply resent."

"Someone you resent?"

How could someone be both admired and resented? When I asked, Shinomiya-san bit her lip tightly.

Shinomiya-san's father was a private practice doctor, and her mother was a highly capable executive who started her own apparel company and grew it into a popular brand. Just thinking about the kind of expectations those two must force onto her sent a chill down my spine.

"Whether my sister couldn't endure the pressure, or whether she simply found it annoying, I don't know her true intentions... but when she entered college, she left this house."

"I see..."

"After my sister left to live completely free and uninhibited without ever contacting them, my parents, completely at a loss, shifted every single one of their ideals onto me, their second daughter. The resulting creation is this person: Shinomiya Rinoa."

Shinomiya-san spoke with her eyebrows lowered in sorrow. Her tragic expression made it look as if she had just realized she wasn't a human being, but an android crafted entirely by her parents' hands.

"One day, I saw my sister in a magazine. She had told us she started modeling, so I knew, but that was the first time I actually saw her."

Incidentally, she told me that although Alice-san contacted her regularly, Shinomiya-san had never replied once. Still, the fact that she happened to spot her in a magazine was proof of just how successful Alice-san had become.

"The sister in that photograph had a smile on her face that I had never, ever seen when she lived in this house... she was shining so brightly."

Shinomiya-san explained that she felt Alice-san was radiating the absolute joy of being released from a suffocating environment and finally living exactly as her true self.

"Seeing my sister look like that, I thought to myself. Just like my sister, I wanted to be free... even if only inside a photograph."

"...Thank goodness. Just as I thought, you two really are a close pair of sisters who care deeply about each other."

Hearing Shinomiya-san's inner monologue, I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think Alice-san feels the exact same way. She loves her little sister so much, but I'm pretty sure she's constantly agonizing over the thought that she's the reason you're suffering."

There was a shocking lack of discrepancies between Shinomiya-san's and Alice-san's stories. Alice-san carried the desire to atone. Shinomiya-san carried a deep admiration. Both of them held these feelings close to their hearts, but because they couldn't honestly voice them, the rift between them deepened. That was the entirety of the situation.

"...Do you think Onee-chan will forgive me? I ignored her, and I said so many horrible things to her..."

"I'm absolutely sure she'll forgive you. I don't think there are many older sisters in this world who dote on their little sister as intensely as Alice-san does."

After all, she went out of her way to track me down and interrogate me just to find out how her sister was doing in high school. If the sister she thought hated her suddenly reached out, Alice-san would probably burst into tears of pure joy.

"Also, I finally understand what you meant when you said 'the self you didn't know.' A you who is completely free, living exactly as you truly are. That's the self you wanted to see."

"Yes... I understand it now, too. I think that's exactly what I wanted."

"Well, taking selfies to capture that is fine, but frankly, I don't think the amount of skin you were exposing was a great idea."

"T-That's only because you happened to walk by at the worst possible time, Anno-kun! I never in a million years expected to be secretly photographed!"

"I am deeply sorry for secretly photographing you. But from now on, even if the classroom is empty, you absolutely cannot do things like that at school, okay?"

"I won't. Because now... I have you, Anno-kun."

Gripping the chain, Shinomiya-san let it clink softly as she smiled. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her deeply perverse, captivating smile, and instinctively switched back from video to photo to snap the shutter.

"Then from now on, how about you just let yourself be totally free whenever I'm taking pictures of you? Or rather... I want you to let me photograph you exactly as you are, completely free and unrestricted. So—"

You're free now, I whispered in my heart as I unfastened Shinomiya-san's collar. I let go of the chain, finally releasing her.

"Thank you very much, Anno-kun."

As she said that, Shinomiya-san smiled, fighting back her tears. It was the absolute cutest smile I had ever seen her make.

"Will you take photos of me in my room for the grand finale? Please photograph me in the one and only place in this entire house where I can truly be free."

She took me by the hand and led me into her room. I had just been inside the other day, making this my second time, but I was even more nervous now, my throat entirely parched.

I've taken tons of scandalous photos of her already, what on earth is there left to be nervous about now? I desperately tried to convince myself to calm my racing heart. However, when Shinomiya-san lay down on her bed in nothing but her paper-thin babydoll and spread her arms wide in a blatant invitation, the last shreds of my rationality were violently ground into dust.

"Now then, shall we continue our final shoot?"

"...Please go easy on me."

Reflected through the lens was a Shinomiya-san finally released from her collar. Her expression was as bright and clear as a blue sky with the clouds wiped away. It was as if, freed from all her oppression, she was unapologetically laying bare the true self she had kept hidden for so long.

"...Ah, so that's what it was."

To capture a momentary spark of beauty and record it for eternity. The words my dad said when I asked him what that actually meant.

—You'll understand once you're a bit older, Takumi. Though, I suppose you'll have to find it first.—

—Find what...?—

—Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about finding the person you truly want to record forever.—

"I found it, Dad."

"? What did you find, Anno-kun?"

"...It's a secret."

Instead of answering, I just kept pressing the shutter. I couldn't possibly tell her. I couldn't say that I had finally met the person I wanted to record for the rest of my life from the absolute bottom of my heart.

"What is it!? I'm dying to know! Please tell me, Anno-kun!"

"Nooo! I'm absolutely not going to tell yooooou! I'm not done taking pictures yet, so please stay stillllll!"

In a flash, all the tension evaporated into thin air, transforming back into a lively, fun photo session.

Because of that, we completely lost track of time as we enjoyed the shoot. By the time I realized it, the sun had long since set, and it was pitch black outside.

"Anno-kun. It's gotten quite late... would you like to eat dinner and just stay the night?"

We finished the shoot and cleaned up. While I was waiting in the living room for Shinomiya-san to change her clothes, she returned and immediately dropped an utterly insane proposal on me.

"No, no, no! Even if no one is coming home, that is definitely crossing a massive line!"

"Today... tonight, I really don't want to be alone. Please..."

I tried to refuse, pointing out how incredibly bad of an idea it was, but Shinomiya-san grabbed my sleeve as if she had absolutely no intention of letting me escape. Furthermore, she looked up at me with moist eyes, glittering teardrops threatening to spill over at any second. Was there a single man on earth who could refuse after being subjected to this? No, there wasn't.

"...I understand. I understand! I'll gladly take you up on your offer tonight!"

"Thank you so much, Anno-kun! I'm going to roll up my sleeves and make a fantastic dinner, so please wait right here!"

Looking incredibly happy, Shinomiya-san hummed a cheerful tune as she skipped toward the kitchen. Wait, so she's going to treat me to a home-cooked meal? Does that mean the ingredients were prepared ahead of time? Was I entirely played from the very beginning?

"Ah, there's one thing I was curious about... Why were you calling my sister 'Alice-san'?"

"...Ah."

Crap. Because Alice-san told me to just call her Alice, I ended up saying it completely unconsciously.

"I am going to have you explain everything about that in deep, thorough detail while we eat, so please be prepared. Understood?"

"...Yes, ma'am."

Let me state this as a concrete fact. Whoever ends up marrying Shinomiya-san in the future is absolutely, without a doubt, going to be utterly whipped. Letting out a deep sigh, I sent a mental cheer of support to her future husband.

How on earth did it end up like this? Lying in the futon, I clutched my head in despair.

"Being able to sleep in the same futon with someone like this for the first time in forever makes me so happy."

Sounding so incredibly pleased that you could practically hear a little music note at the end of her sentence, Shinomiya-san turned off the lights and slipped under the covers right next to me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. By the way, her pajamas were from a famous brand that even I, a guy, had heard of. It was a fluffy, utterly adorable white-and-pink striped set. However, the zipper was left perfectly unzipped to give a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage, and the bottom was a highly provocative pair of short pants. I could completely understand why it was so popular with girls.

The sweet, floral scent of her freshly washed body drifted through the air, melting my brain with its sheer, intoxicating sweetness. As I desperately fought the urge to photograph her flushed, post-bath state—

"This kind of feels like a school trip, doesn't it? It's so much fun, Anno-kun."

She said something like that. If you were another guy, I would completely agree, I retorted massively in my mind. The reason I didn't say it out loud was because Shinomiya-san was so close we were one step away from actively hugging, and because my back was turned, I could feel all sorts of things pressing against me.

"Hey, Anno-kun. Can I ask you something?"

"...What is it?"

"Why did you start taking photographs, Anno-kun?"

I had braced myself for what kind of question she was going to ask, so I was honestly a bit let down by how normal it was. I let out a soft chuckle before answering.

"If I had to say... it was because of my dad's influence."

"Your father's?"

From a young age, my dad constantly told me, 'Capturing the absolute brightest moment of a person's life through the lens is the greatest thrill in the world.' One day, I saw the photos he took of my mom when she was younger, and they were so profoundly wonderful that I naturally became interested in cameras.

And then, when I casually tried to take a picture of my mom, our eyes met through the lens, and the moment she smiled at me, I was struck by a shock like a bolt of lightning. I wanted to capture that sheer emotion on record. That was the primary reason I held a camera.

"And also... because when I'm taking photos, it takes my mind off things."

When I entered high school, my parents relocated their base of operations overseas and officially started working there full-time.

"We never really spent much time together as a family to begin with, but now it's basically zero. My parents almost never come home. I spend way more time entirely by myself. That's why—"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Shinomiya-san wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight, enveloping hug.

"—If that's the case, then we really might be two of a kind."

"...Shinomiya-san?"

"Me, isolated inside a house with zero freedom, and you, Anno-kun, entirely alone in your house. Doesn't that sound exactly like two of a kind?"

"Hahaha. Yeah, you might be right."

"Anno-kun, could you turn and face me?"

What is it? I thought as I innocently turned around. Shinomiya-san's hands reached out and gently cupped my cheeks. She forcefully turned my body until we were directly facing each other. Moonlight filtered in through the window, illuminating her face clearly.

"You're always working so hard all by yourself. Don't you think it's okay to let yourself be spoiled every once in a while?"

With a sweet smile on her lips, she spoke in a voice overflowing with affection, like a holy saint, as she gently guided my head into her chest.

It was an incredibly soft, comfortable sensation paired with a calming, sweet scent. It felt exactly like returning to the mother ocean. Was this what I had been wanting all along? I didn't want to let go. I didn't want her to leave. I wrapped my arms around Shinomiya-san's body.

"Please let yourself be totally spoiled, Anno-kun."

"...Thank you."

Enveloped in a profound sense of peace I had never felt before, my consciousness sank deeply to the bottom of the ocean.