Seeing Ako still glued to Hayashi Maki's arm, Kyoh Goshoin thought for a moment and said:
"Reality and games are totally different. In games you can respawn after killing, but in real life you only get one life. Ako, you need to learn the gap between reality and the internet."
Even if Ako looked like a silly, clingy cutie right now, if she did something irreversible because of a warped sense of reality, it'd be too late for regrets. The more naive and adorable a girl is, the easier she can snap.
Ako just waved it off with a smile. "Don't be gross—there's no way I'd go around killing people."
"And also, are you trying to tell me my marriage to hubby Innocent in the game isn't real?"
"Since reality and the internet are separate, does that mean hubby Innocent and I aren't married? That we're basically strangers with no relationship at all?"
"And what about me and Shuu-chan? And you, President—are we just strangers, too?"
As she spoke, Ako's eyes welled with tears; she looked on the verge of crying.
Akane Segawa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Keep pushing this and Ako might lose the light in her eyes completely.
An's head started to pound, and the two girls silently turned pleading looks to Hayashi Maki.
You're the "husband"—go soothe her!
Hayashi Maki rolled his eyes. You two started this; now you've made her cry and want me to fix it?
No helping it—she was his "wife," after all. He stroked Ako's hair and said gently:
"Hey, don't overthink it. If you graduate high school—or even college—and still want to be my wife, I'll marry you for sure."
"But in real life, you do need to be mindful about how you interact with friends."
"For example, if you go to Segawa's class, don't call her 'Schwein.' Just call her 'Segawa.'"
Akane nodded hard in agreement. Only she knew how mortifying it was when Ako barged into her class yelling "Schwein!"
Ako nodded firmly. "Got it, hubby. I'll do what you say."
"And I will stay your wife forever. I mean… after what we did…"
She cupped her reddened cheeks and fidgeted shyly.
Akane and Kyoh both shot Hayashi Maki looks of pure contempt.
Arms folded, Kyoh frowned and demanded, "So what did you do to Ako when we weren't around?"
Akane: "That's a c-c-crime! Tricking an innocent girl you met online—"
Hayashi Maki waved it off. "Didn't 'do' anything. Her mom gave me the key to her room and asked me to take care of her for the rest of her life, that's all."
"Uh…"
Kyoh and Akane looked at each other, at a loss for words.
Well then. Ako's mom was a character too.
If her own mother had practically handed her over, what was there left for them to object to?
Noticing Hayashi Maki's half-smile turning her way, Akane quickly crossed her arms and took two steps back, cheeks pink. "Don't even think about it. I only like games. Dating guys is a pain!"
So Hayashi Maki turned to the curvier, more mature Kyoh Goshoin.
And yes, sometimes Kyoh could be a bit of an airhead—especially with gacha. If it wasn't a whale build, she barely played.
Meeting his appraising look, Kyoh raised a brow and replied coolly: "If you're thinking of hitting on me, kouhai, you'd better be ready to 'sleep with the fishes in Kyoto Bay.'"
Akane shivered. "What does your family do, exactly? Dump people in the ocean? Are you yakuza?"
Kyoh smiled sweetly. "Just a normal zaibatsu that owns a few schools. We run a very respectable business."
As for the doubters, please go search Kyoto Bay.
Punctuation and all, Akane didn't believe a word. Being friends with someone like that was stressful. Was this really okay? She was just an ordinary girl… Was it really fine to stay in this club?
"It's fine, Shuu-chan. Ako's also a clingy freeloader, so don't be discouraged. There's always someone for the useless!" Ako said, pityingly hugging the smaller Akane and petting her head.
Akane shoved her off, bristling. "I'm not useless! And my grades were near the top at my old school!"
Ako's shoulders slumped; she skipped class so often her grades were at the bottom. But she perked up again quickly—she had a husband now, so grades didn't matter!
After a while, Kyoh declared the club day over.
"Maki-kun, Ako's in your hands, then. As you can see, Shuu-chan and I can't do anything with her."
Akane nodded vigorously. "Exactly. If we deny your marriage, she completely falls apart—terrifying."
Hayashi Maki sighed and nodded seriously. "I get it. Leave it to me."
"But this can't be rushed—we just have to ease her into real life. Take her out, include her more; she'll catch on gradually."
In the end, confusing reality and online life isn't just severe internet dependency; it's also emotional avoidance of the real world. But aside from dying, reality isn't something you can escape. As long as you're alive, you'll face all kinds of things—that's the unavoidable truth, and what people have to go through.
After saying goodbye to Kyoh and Akane, Hayashi Maki headed home with Ako still stuck to his side. She'd been clamoring to see his place; might as well be today. But first he needed to call her mom.
He dialed, and a pleasant voice answered. "Moshi moshi, Tamaki residence. How can I help you?"
"Ma'am, this is Hayashi Maki. I'm taking Ako over to my place for a bit and will bring her back later—is that okay?"
Mrs. Tamaki nodded immediately: "Of course! Then I don't have to make her dinner. You don't even have to bring her back—but make sure you use protection, okay? That kid has no experience taking care of a baby."
Hayashi Maki's face went black. Why did it sound like the lady was in a rush to offload her daughter? And no—he wasn't planning on making a little one while still in high school.