And Shiki Ryougi had also been "fainted" by his intensity.
"Crap! Am I just helping her fall back into a deep sleep?" Haruka Kasugano panicked. He had fallen for Void Shiki's reverse psychology!
He hurriedly scooped her up, shaking her soft, lithe body, trying to wake her.
"Mmm... ugh..." Shiki Ryougi slowly came to, looking around at the magnificent, golden theater with a face full of confusion. "Where is this... why are we here?"
Shiki grabbed Haruka Kasugano's shoulders, trying to sit up, only to find her waist completely weak and her legs lacking any strength. "You bastard... did you lay a hand on me while I was unconscious? Are you that thirsty? You couldn't even wait for me to wake up? ...It's not like I wouldn't give it to you..."
She leaned helplessly into his embrace, her small fists weakly thumping against his chest.
This personality, this way of speaking... this was the "regular" Shiki.
Dammit, that Void Shiki really did escape. How was he supposed to call her back out now? He had no choice but to admit defeat for the moment, hoping the system would provide some special reward later.
He deactivated Nero's Noble Phantasm. Carrying Shiki in a princess carry, he walked out of the Reality Marble. Seeing him holding her, and seeing the shy, flushed expression on Shiki's face, Touko Aozaki, Circe, and Fujino Asagami began to cheer.
"You won..."
"Finally, it's over. Phew~"
"Little sister, you can't hit Piglet anymore!"
None of them knew that the Shiki from a moment ago wasn't this Shiki. But there was no need to explain. This humiliating failure was something he'd have to swallow on his own.
With that, the incident drew to a close. Maiya Hisau arrived in her car to take Haruka Kasugano, Shiki, Touko, and Fujino away. Circe, due to lack of space, had to fly back on her own.
On the road, Haruka Kasugano looked at the sleeping Shiki in his arms, his heart a mess of complicated feelings. Sigh... all that work for nothing.
Touko returned directly to Garan no Dou, and Maiya drove Fujino back to her school. Haruka Kasugano took Shiki back to her apartment to stay the night.
----------
In the silence of the darkness before dawn, Haruka Kasugano's eyes suddenly snapped open. A thick sense of frustration washed over him like a tide, making it impossible to sleep.
He turned to look at Shiki. She was sleeping peacefully, her breath steady, immersed in a sweet dreamscape. Her face looked exceptionally serene under the faint moonlight, like a sleeping fairy. However, Haruka Kasugano's mood was the polar opposite; his inner turmoil wouldn't let him rest.
Shiki lay on her side like a sleeping white lotus. Her slender silhouette was smooth and natural, as if carved by a master artist. Her snowy skin glowed with a sacred light in the dimness. Her silky hair was scattered across the pillow, adding a touch of lazy beauty. Her waist was so thin it felt like it could be circled by a single hand.
Perhaps it was because it was early morning, but Haruka Kasugano felt the "spirit" move him again. Out of a need to vent his frustration, he spread Shiki's jade-like legs and began to "relax." He didn't wake her because he wanted to imagine he was with Void Shiki. Their personalities were different; if she woke up, the illusion would be shattered.
And so, Haruka Kasugano began doing "push-ups" on the sleeping Shiki. Though she remained asleep, her breathing began to quicken.
"Ah—" Haruka Kasugano finally felt the frustration easing. Just then, a miracle happened.
[Ding! Root Connection is activating...]
Huh??? Wasn't that a passive skill? Could it be triggered manually?
While Haruka Kasugano was dazed, Shiki suddenly cried out.
"Ah~!"
The tone was much softer than the regular Shiki; it didn't sound like her at all.
"...Haruka Kasugano? ...How can this be? Why have I been forcibly awakened?" Void Shiki asked, bewildered. "Wait... why... why can you directly communicate with the Root to wake me up?"
Oho? Does this mean his [Root Connection] skill could be used like this? In other words, as long as Shiki was asleep, he could "connect" directly to Void Shiki by... engaging with the body?
"Stubborn woman~! I have plenty of ways to make you mine! You think you can run?" Haruka Kasugano mocked.
"Let go of me... ah~!" Void Shiki ultimately couldn't help but let out a look of pure pleasure.
----------
To test his theory, Haruka Kasugano injected his "essence" into the Swirl of the Root once more and allowed Void Shiki to fall back into sleep. Once she was out, he continued his "insertion."
[Ding~! Root Connection is activating...]
"Ah~! ...Why?" Void Shiki was indeed "awakened" by the act.
Hahaha! Fantastic! This skill really could drag her out of sleep! Void Shiki and Manaka Sajyou both had [Root Connection], but theirs were different from Haruka Kasugano's. His was a system-rewarded skill, making it function more like a game mechanic. It wasn't just a simple connection to the Root like theirs.
"Ah—" Void Shiki arched her back as he filled her up again. She grit her teeth, a bit of saliva escaping the corner of her mouth. "Why... why can you forcibly drag me out of my slumber?" She couldn't understand. Even the Root, which explained all truths, couldn't give her this answer.
"Because this is the power of love!" Haruka Kasugano bluffed.
"...How is that possible?" She wasn't sure.
After multiple "experiments," Void Shiki stopped resisting. She stopped trying to sleep with a sense of "maybe it won't happen this time." She knew he could wake her at any moment. As he rode her, she began to cry and vent her feelings...
"Why... why won't you let me go?" she sobbed. "I didn't want to be part of this world. I just wanted to live this life in peace and quiet... why do you have to drag me into your life?"
"Then why do you insist on rejecting me?" Haruka Kasugano countered.
"I—" Void Shiki was suddenly speechless.
She... just wasn't mentally prepared. She was just a girl who liked to sleep and didn't like being disturbed. Having a man suddenly barge into her life... of course she was scared. Scared she wouldn't be a good girlfriend, scared that her ignorance would lead to a breakup—she was anxious about the future.
Moreover, she chose to sleep because she knew too much about the world and found it boring. ...Though Haruka Kasugano didn't seem to belong to this world; she knew nothing about him! She was used to the safety of "knowing everything," and this "unknown factor" terrified her.
"I... just... don't want to lose anything..." she finally said.
Haruka Kasugano had an epiphany. If you never possess it, you can never lose it. This was the classic choice made by introverted, lonely people facing an emotional connection.
He immediately slowed down, becoming gentle. He stopped "bullying" her and patted her head. "Don't worry. If you're afraid, we'll take all the time we need to overcome it. I'll always be with you."
"Waaaaah—" Void Shiki was, after all, an emotionally immature "child." She had zero resistance to sweet talk. Quickly, she agreed. She would no longer choose to escape; she would face Haruka Kasugano seriously.
[Ding~! Shiki Ryougi has completely lowered her defenses. Infidelity Progress increased to 99~!]
Eh?