Artist's commentary
Again, Futo-chan comes to me requesting that we sleep together...
"I am sorry for making such an infantile request..." she said by my side, somewhat embarrassed. "I don't mind. Besides, you're my futon, remember?" I reassured her. "Th... that's right! I am your futon, after all!" she exclaimed with an assertive puff, her face reddening slightly. I talked with her about the neighborhood we were going to walk to tomorrow, until we finally decided to go to sleep a good bit later. While wondering where to bring her the next day, I noticed her light breathing in her sleep. She was turned to face me. I hadn't really noticed before, but she had a rather nice face; one that would surely be considered cute or beautiful by normal standards. Again feeling a mixture of awkwardness and shyness due to sleeping with a girl, I thought that Futo-chan must hold a good amount of faith in me. I knew she would be staying here until she got back on her feet, but how long would this whole sleeping together thing last? A week? A month? Or.... Well, it's fine. It's not like I would throw out someone who has no relatives.
In any case, I decided to stop thinking about the pointless and go to sleep when I felt Futo-chan hugging me tightly as she whispered, "Taishi... Taishi...." It seems she's sleep-talking again, with the same "Taishi" dream from yesterday. Giving in to the embrace, I felt her grip become stronger and her cries of "Taishi..." become louder. Small teardrops were forming at the corners of her eyes. Not knowing what to do, I hugged her back, to which she gave a surprised shiver, let out a calm, "Ah, ah... ah..." and became quiet. Seemingly waking up from a bad dream, she opened her eyes and met them with mine. A moment passed, and by the next, she had a terribly surprised expression, practically saying, "You're not the one!" Confused, she asked, "Ah... wh, what am I doing...?" before realizing with a shock that she had been clinging to me again: "Ah, it seems I did the same thing as yesterday morning...." "Did I... say anything in my sleep?" she asked. I told her she didn't say anything. "I see. I am sorry for disturbing your sleep," she apologized in a regretful tone... to be continued