Nearly three weeks have passed since the night Aoshi and Eliss were saved by Raelor Valraen from those five thugs.

Come on, Aoshi — just over two months left before Eliss finally goes back to her world, and this whole mess turns into nothing more than a strange memory. Just hold on!

He repeats it to himself like a mantra, as if trying to convince himself he’s actually looking forward to that day.

And yet, the more time passes, the harder it becomes to believe that Eliss leaving will really be something to look forward to.

It’s late afternoon as Aoshi, Ayane, and Takuma make their way back from university.

"So, in a few days you and Eliss will be hitting your one-month mark, right?" Takuma asks, a hint of envy in his voice. "If you want my advice, don’t celebrate on the exact day — do it the day after. You know, for luck. Last time you celebrated a one-month anniversary... didn’t exactly end well."

"Has anyone ever told you you’re an asshole?!" Ayane snaps, driving a sharp elbow into Takuma’s side.

"Hey, I was just joking... Back me up here, Aoshi! Women have no sense of humor!"

Well... being reminded, once again, that Miori cheated on me and dumped me — even if it’s old news by now — isn’t exactly my idea of funny. But then again, Takuma is Takuma. He’s never been the most empathetic guy, and the fact that he mostly hangs out with horny 2D girls hasn’t exactly helped... still, I can’t help but like him — he’s a good friend, deep down.

A little later, Takuma stops at a crossroads where their paths split.

"See you tomorrow, lovebirds!" Takuma calls out, waving with exaggerated enthusiasm. "And Ayane, don’t you dare take advantage of being alone with Aoshi! He’s been with Eliss for almost a month now — we wouldn’t want our dear Eliss to be the one getting cheated on this time, right?!"

"Y-You bastard! Say that again and I’ll smash your face in!" Ayane snaps.

"Come on, Ayane! It was just a joke, no need to get so worked up!" Takuma protests.

"You could at least cut that kind of joke — calling a girl a homewrecker isn’t exactly nice, especially when that girl is one of our closest friends."

"Y-Yeah, you’re right... maybe I pushed it a bit too far," Takuma mutters. "Anyway, I’d better get out of here — Ayane looks way too tense today. Probably on her period."

"BASTARD! GET BACK HERE — I’LL KILL YOU!"

Ayane is completely out of control — thrashing like a possessed demon as Aoshi struggles to hold her back, while Takuma laughs his head off.

"Takuma’s a good guy, but sometimes... grr! He’s such a damn man-child!" Ayane grumbles.

"Yeah... and where did he even get the idea that you might be into me like that? Come on, it’s ridiculous. I mean, can you picture it? You and me, together? That’d be insane, right?"

"Yeah... it would be pretty insane..." Ayane murmurs under her breath, a faint sadness creeping into her tone. "Anyway, I’m really glad things are going so well between you and Eliss — I mean that. When I first met her, I was a little skeptical. I was worried she might be another Miori. But after this past month getting to know her, I’ve completely changed my mind. She’s genuinely kind, and it’s obvious she’s truly in love with you. Honestly, you hit the jackpot, Aoshi... she’s beautiful, smart, fun, loyal, amazing at housework, and great at her job... even if I tried, I couldn’t find a single flaw. You really couldn’t have found anyone better."

If Aoshi weren’t so clueless when it comes to women, he’d understand exactly what lies behind that sincere yet melancholic smile.

Aoshi... he really looks happy with Eliss. And I should be happy for him too, right? He’s my best friend, and after everything Miori put him through, Eliss is the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

So... why can’t I be? Why?! Why?! Why?! She’s perfect in every way — and she genuinely loves him... so why, deep down, do I catch myself wishing they’d break up?

I shouldn’t even be thinking something like that! I’m awful — I’m seriously awful! I say I want what’s best for Aoshi, and then I go and wish for something like that?! I don’t even deserve to call myself his best friend — let alone anything more...

As much as Ayane tries to hide it, even Aoshi can’t help but notice the faint shimmer in her eyes.

"Ayane... are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, don’t worry. I’m just... still a little pissed about the dumb things Takuma said..."

His joking around is obviously the least of her concerns right now — and even Aoshi, for once, seems to pick up on the fact that something deeper lies behind that distant, troubled look.

"Ayane... you were right about Eliss. She really is perfect — the kind of girl anyone would marry without a second thought."

Ayane’s fists tighten at those words — but he’s not finished.

"She’s perfect... almost too perfect to be real," Aoshi goes on. "Ayane, I trust you more than anyone else — you know that. So... there’s something I want to tell you about Eliss."

"S-Sure... go ahead. You know anything you tell me stays between us."

"Eliss and I... we’re not together."

"I don’t understand... what do you mean you’re not together?" Ayane asks, struggling to keep the flood of emotions from overwhelming her.

"There’s not much room for interpretation in ’Eliss and I aren’t together’... simply put, she’s not my girlfriend. That’s all."

"B-But that makes no sense! I literally saw you kissing her this morning! Actually, lately it feels like your doctor prescribed you ten hours a day of ’Eliss lip therapy’!"

"Yeah, well... it’s a long story, and I can’t really go into the details right now. Just know that in a couple of months, Eliss will go back home... and disappear from my life for good. I wanted to tell you beforehand so that when it happens, you won’t worry about me — or get mad at her thinking she suddenly dumped me. And... I’d like you to keep this between us."

"Aoshi... don’t tell me you’ve gotten tangled up with the yakuza and you’re hiding some powerful boss’s daughter who’s laying low in Ueda?"

"Eliss, a yakuza boss’s daughter? Where do you even get these ideas? Anyway, no — relax. Nothing shady going on with the yakuza."

"Mmmh... and yet my intuition told me Eliss was totally into you... she’s playing the part of the devoted girlfriend way too well, that’s for sure. Don’t tell me she’s actually some up-and-coming actress secretly living at your place while working undercover on her first film?!"

"You’ve got quite the imagination, you know that? No, she’s not an actress either. And don’t even try guessing — it’s impossible, even if you come up with the most ridiculous thing you can think of. I told you, once this is all over, I’ll tell you everything — promise. But until then, keep this to yourself and just treat Eliss the same as always, okay?"

"Got it! Lips sealed — you can count on me!"

Dopo quello, non si scambiano più una parola — entrambi persi nei propri pensieri.

Un silenzio li accompagna fino al momento in cui devono separarsi.

After that, they don’t say another word — both lost in their own thoughts.

Silence lingers between them all the way until it’s time to part.

"See you tomorrow, Aoshi."

"Y-Yeah... see you tomorrow, Ayane." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He heads toward his apartment, cutting through a small abandoned industrial complex slated for demolition.

Ever since I told her that what’s between me and Eliss is just an act, Ayane hasn’t stopped smiling — not even once. It’s like I told her the best news in the world, even though just a moment ago she looked completely down.

The thought keeps circling in his mind long after they’ve gone their separate ways.

Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was still a bit wary of Eliss’s intentions — and maybe finding out our relationship is fake finally put her at ease. Yeah... that’s got to be it. Unless...

No. That’s ridiculous. There’s no way her sudden excitement comes from finding out I’m single. That wouldn’t make sense. There’s only one reason a girl would be happy about something like that... and that reason is—

Aoshi stops in his tracks, a sudden thought hitting him.

He stands there, frozen, staring up at the sky for what feels like an eternity.

Then he shakes his head, again and again, trying to push that absurd idea away.

Don’t be ridiculous, Aoshi. Ayane’s smart, pretty — she’s got standards way higher than me. Sure, she’s always been kind, always there when I needed her. She even came over in the middle of the night once, bringing snacks and drinks after I told her about that fight with my parents.

But that’s just who Ayane is. She would’ve done the same for anyone else... probably. Yeah, no point thinking too much about it — the way she cares about me just proves she’s an amazing friend, the kind you only find once in a lifetime. And there’s no way I’m going to do anything that could mess that up.