So, happiness is actually this simple, huh? The thought crossed Ryuto's mind, prompting a sense of relief to spread across his face. But then, as if reminded of something, he inquired, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask earlier, how are the others doing?"

Turning to the empty space as he asked, though Ryuto's reference was a bit unclear, Kuu knew exactly what he meant. "Oh, they are all fine. I asked them this morning, and they said they don't mind at all, not one bit." For some reason, Kuu emphasized it once more. "They don't mind?"

"Yeah, because of how you treated them yesterday, I was afraid they would be mad at you. But after knowing they aren't, I was so relieved. It's great."

"Well, I don't mind. Even if they were mad, it's fine." After all, Ryuto had already prepared himself to potentially be resented even before taking action. Besides, being treated that way, it would be only natural to be resented. He had made peace with that from the start.

But the next moment, his train of thought was interrupted. "But I would mind," Kuu said loudly, in stark contrast to his previous timid demeanor. "Huh?" Ryuto just stared in surprise, shifting his gaze to Kuu.

"Because...," Kuu's voice suddenly lowered, though it didn't stop speaking. "If I see you hurt, I... I would be very sad." As he spoke, tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

"No, I didn't feel hurt at all. I had anticipated it, and even if I hadn't, I wouldn't be hurt. After all..." But Ryuto couldn't finish his sentence. Although he remained silent, Kuu's words continued.

"I don't know why, but seeing you like that makes my heart ache inexplicably, making it hard to breathe, unbearable even. It feels like my whole being is about to collapse. This feeling is more agonizing than when my previous master struck me. Even though there are no visible wounds, my heart aches inexplicably. And when I see you smile, I inexplicably feel happy. I've never experienced this before, don't understand it, but my heart aches. Seeing you hurt would be more painful for me than getting hurt myself. So, even though I don't understand, I know that if others misunderstand and hate you, it would hurt me more than being hurt myself."

Despite being choked up, Kuu managed to get all this out in one breath. Ryuto understood that Kuu wouldn't lie, so these words weren't distorted facts or fabricated out of thin air. Even without evidence, Ryuto, more than anyone else, knew this. Kuu, as the one truly experiencing these emotions, had the most authority over them. Only the person experiencing it firsthand truly understands their inner feelings.

Because this wasn't a fabricated lie, it represented Kuu's true feelings. Ryuto was clear on that. Yet, he still didn't know, understood it clearly upon hearing it, but remained unaware of how difficult it was for Kuu to see him hurt and how he would feel worse than Kuu himself if he got injured. Perhaps it was due to a lack of comprehension. After all...

It's impossible to understand something incomprehensible.