Dungeon Refrigerator 117.2

Test

The Whereabouts Of Turmoil

"And then, when I was little. There was this old man in the neighborhood who, whenever he saw kids like me, would give out candies and caramels. I liked that old man."

"Oh, I see..."

Gradually, I became engrossed in Nina-san's childhood story and nodded in agreement.

"So, one day, the candy man said, 'Hey, girl, today we have lots of delicious sweets at home, come and eat!' When I heard that, I was like, '[Wow! Lots of delicious sweets! I want to eat them!]' and went along with him."

Hmm, where is this going...?

"Then, by chance, on the way to the candy man's house, we ran into my mom. She scolded me, 'Shizu, it's getting dark, go home!' I couldn't have the candy man's sweets, and it made me sad..."

Ah...

"And then... after a while, there was a strange school assembly. After that, the teachers started saying things like [Group dismissal!] and [Don't play alone outside]."

Huh...?

"I wondered why... and didn't really understand, but before I knew it, the girl my age who used to play with me and the candy man had disappeared..."

Ah...

"So, I asked my parents why, but they scolded me, saying, [You don't need to know!]. But even as a kid, you eventually figure it out, right? [If the timing had been a little off, I might have disappeared too...]."

"Uh, Shizu, is that...!?"

"Yeah... it is. Then, when I got into the upper grades of elementary school, it continued. My male homeroom teacher started asking me to do various things ahead of other classmates whose chests had not developed yet. The male teacher at the cram school started touching my body inappropriately..."

"But if that continued for so long, I must have hated it, right? And then, I must have become fed up, and I told him, [Teacher... if you keep doing this, you'll end up like the candy man eventually.] And then the teacher, with eyes wide open, said something like [Did you read my mind?!] and looked really shocked, right...?"

"............"

"And then... When I saw the girls in my class screaming, [So-and-so is so cool!] I didn't feel anything. I thought, [They'll probably end up like the candy man or the teacher when they grow up too.]. My heart became cold..."

I see. If you don't fall in love with a man, you can remain calm and deal with things like that. That's the secret to Nina-san, who seems skilled in romance.

"But now, looking at Ruu-chan, it's really enviable... She seems so happy."

"Eh... me? (Sniffle)"

"So, I started thinking, '[I want to experience crying and laughing at least once!]'."

"I see..."

Knowing Nina-san's past, I was very surprised. I always thought of her as a calm, mature college student, but to think she had such a past.

"Alright! Then I'll confess too! Because Ruu didn't want to be hated by Ezuki-san, she practiced kissing for a long time! The reason she didn't reply was because she was scared that by running away from the kiss, Ezuki-san would end up hating her! (Steadfast!)"

"Ehhhh?! Machi-chan! That's my secret!!"

(Huh?!)

"It's fine! Ruu wouldn't say it because she'd be embarrassed! And I... (Sigh...) I like Ezuki-san! At first, I didn't think anything of it... but after being helped and various things happened (mumble mumble...). But! I decided to support Ruu and Ezuki-san! So, so this is my secret!!"

Ah... uh... is that so!

"Machi-chan... (Sniffle)"

"Machi..."

What... is this overwhelming feeling rushing into my chest?

I shed tears.

It was a mistake... It was all my misunderstanding... Each of them revealed their respective secrets, and they showed me their utmost sincerity.

"I... I... I love you all!! Let's make up (Sniffle) and be even closer than before!!"

"Uwaaaaannn!! (Hug!)"

"............ (Pout...)"

"............ (Sniffle... Drip...)"

"Waaan! Kyaa!! (Bounce!)"

As I kneeled down and spread my arms, Serai-san also stood up and scratched my head while hugging me. Nina-san, quietly shedding tears, pressed herself against me. And Ruu, who rolled and jumped, hugged my chest and bounced off due to her ample bust.

I reached out to Ruu and grabbed her arm, hugging her tightly.

"I love you all...!! Let's get along (Sniffle) even better than before!!"

"Uwaaaaannn!! (Squeeze!)"

"............ (Gush!)"

"............ (Tear... Pat...)"

"Woww! Kyaa!! (Bam!)"

They're crying. Ruu too. Serai-san too. Even Nina-san is crying loudly.

But the heavy atmosphere that filled the room had disappeared, and a refreshing warmth returned to our hearts.