Shiro watched her approach with a smile on her face and felt a slight headache, because in his eyes she suddenly looked like a little devil with horns on her head.
Damn it! What kind of situation is this? It doesn't make any sense.
He quickly dismissed the thought as nothing more than an illusion. It just seemed to him that she was a little different today, as if she were plotting something.
Shiro looked at her and said helplessly,
"Hm, I really won't do anything to you, but if you keep provoking me like this, won't your conscience bother you at least a little?"
At that moment, he looked at her with an expression full of despair.
However, much to his regret, this time she approached him without the slightest fear.
"Well, who else could I have learned it from if not you? Why would my conscience bother me in a situation like this? If it were someone else, I certainly wouldn't behave this way."
After saying that, Mikan lay down beside him in her pajamas.
Shiro could only sigh helplessly and think that he had truly corrupted her.
As for this situation, he didn't even know where to begin.
The two of them lay quietly beside each other for a while, and in the end Shiro was the first to speak.
"Mikan, I think the real reason you came here actually has something to do with Mahiru."
Shiro wasn't a fool. Someone like him could be said to always think with a cool head, and he knew very well that there was only one real reason for her visit.
After all, she normally didn't come to sleep with him. They used to fall asleep together as children, but later she had decided on her own that everyone should have their own room. That was why her behavior today was far too unusual not to have a reason behind it.
And that reason was perfectly obvious.
"Yes. Actually, I only know roughly what happened. I want to understand it in more detail, since we'll be living together from now on. And I also have one question. What was the real reason this time?"
This time Mikan's voice was filled with doubt because she simply couldn't understand it. Was it really all just because Mahiru was beautiful? That seemed almost impossible to her.
Mikan knew very well that if he truly wanted to, he could live in a much larger place surrounded by countless girls, but he didn't do that. That was exactly why the whole situation confused her and she couldn't understand it.
Shiro was stunned for a moment before shaking his head in confusion.
Seriously? Why make such a simple matter into such a mystery? This time he had genuinely been attracted only by her beauty.
He turned his head toward Mikan.
Their faces were very close to each other. Since she had lain down beside him, they could almost feel each other's breath.
"Mikan, this time you're really overthinking things. I don't have any conspiracy or hidden intentions. I honestly thought she was beautiful, and after taking a better look at her, I concluded that she was worth saving. That's why I brought her here."
Shiro's simple and completely sincere words made Mikan pause for a moment.
Before that, she had imagined all kinds of possibilities, thought about hidden schemes and complicated reasons behind his actions, but she had never expected the answer to be so ordinary, leaving her speechless.
"Really?"
She uttered only those two words, as if seeking one final confirmation.
"Really. I'm not lying to you. I was simply attracted by her beauty and judged that she deserved to be saved."
"You know yourself that if it were only about beauty, I could have as much of it as I wanted."
"But that's not what I'm actually looking for, and you know that very well. If I decide to bring someone with me, it means I truly believe that person is worth it."
After those words, Mikan quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Although his reason was simple, almost childishly honest, it could also be described as rather selfish.
But there was nothing more complicated behind it.
Mikan had always hated complicated and difficult-to-understand situations the most.
"As for her and the reason I brought her here, there's a small story behind it."
Shiro knew what she wanted to ask, so he didn't beat around the bush and immediately began explaining.
"Go ahead. We have plenty of time anyway."
Mikan looked at him seriously.
Shiro then told her the whole story, and when he finished, he noticed that the look in her eyes had changed.
"Unbelievable... I couldn't even imagine that something that looks like the plot of a television drama could actually happen."
"And her parents can be that cold... It's truly unimaginable."
Mikan had never believed that such parents really existed.
Shiro thought for a moment before replying,
"All those stories on television come from real life. And reality can sometimes be even crueler than you can imagine."
"Just look at the story I told you. Don't you think they went too far? They left her to fend for herself. Honestly, if I hadn't brought her with me today, just one night of delay could have led to unimaginable consequences."
"They could have simply decided not to save her, and they were even thinking about completely abandoning her and leaving her on her own in a few days."
"Doesn't that seem much crueler than anything you could ever see on television?"
Mikan fell silent after that and then slowly nodded.
It truly was far crueler than any television story.
At the same time, she had to admit that it was fortunate Shiro had been the one to find her, because otherwise the consequences really would have been unimaginable.
"You..."
"Please, just don't tease her too much from now on. She's already suffered enough."
Mikan said it in a gentle voice.
Shiro merely waved his hand and shrugged indifferently.
"What do you mean, tease her?"
"I'm only doing what I believe is right. After all, I'm the one who brought her here. I've always believed that whatever you take into your own hands truly becomes yours."
"So..."
"That's not bullying. I do everything openly and without hiding anything. And most importantly, she herself doesn't have any objections."
Shiro said it completely without embarrassment, casually dismissing every other criticism.
Remembering the way he had brought Mahiru here, Mikan could barely resist asking him how he managed to say all of that with such a completely serious expression.
"Fine, I don't want to argue about it anymore. As long as you know where the boundaries are, that's enough for me."