She answered softly:

"I know."

"I understand what you're thinking."

"I'm just not ready yet."

Gently patting Ai's back, Kōyū soothed her in a soft voice:

"Yes, I understand."

"This is indeed a big deal."

It's perfectly normal that you can't accept it right away.

"I won't make you accept it now."

Take your time.

I will always be by your side.

"Um..."

After giving a soft "hmm" in response, Ai fell silent.

Guangyou remained silent.

And so, I gently patted her back.

After careful consideration, Ai spoke to Kouyu:

"Kuangyou, give me some time to process this message."

"Okay." Guangyou nodded in agreement.

He also showed her some concern:

"Take it slow, and don't push yourself too hard."

"If you need anything, remember to call me."

"I will always be by your side."

"Um."

These words warmed Ai's heart.

Her expression softened, and she stopped frowning.

All I heard her say was:

"After I accept, Guangyou, could you arrange for me and my sister to meet with her?"

"Okay." Guangyou nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Actually, that was what he originally wanted to say.

He originally wanted to arrange for Mary, Ai, and Akemi to meet and get to know each other.

The reason he didn't say it earlier was simply because Ai hadn't fully recovered yet.

The most important thing is to give her some time to adjust.

We can't rush to arrange things for her afterwards.

Just as he said:

Take your time.

When she heard that Kousuke had agreed, Ai didn't say anything, but just hugged Kousuke even tighter.

Although she made this decision, it doesn't mean she has fully accepted it.

She just didn't want to run away anymore.

And as Guangyou said, she is, after all, her mother's sister, a blood relative of hers.

She'll have to face it sooner or later.

In the past, she might have chosen to face the situation, but she certainly wouldn't have made a decision so quickly.

Things are different now.

Anyway, I have a reliable person by my side.

She felt at ease as long as the person she was holding was by her side.

Since that's the case, let's face it sooner rather than later.

...