After our chat mom became emotionally tired. So, I took her back to her room and let her rest.
"So, you had a chat with her about your trauma, Madoka-san? Does that mean...you know about what happened?"
"Yeah...about my accident and how it changed me..."
I nodded as I exited their room. It was 6 PM and getting late...but there was one more thing I needed to do...and I decided that this is how I wanted to move forward.
“Mari…”
I sat outside the door of their room now. As I turned back to her I met her lush forest gem eyes.
“Yes, Madoka-san?”
“I know it’s a little late, but could you take a walk with me?”
My feet trembled at what I was thinking, but I had to push forward...
“Oh…sure. Of course, I’ll come.”
She stepped out of the room now as we began walking.
“Ah…where are we going, Madoka-san?”
I ignored her as we began walking in the main lobby. There I took a quick glance at the piece of paper Saya-san gave me. Wordlessly I exited the establishment with the person I love in tow. The night was cold but the air was sweet. For around two minutes we walked in silence as we made our way up a pathway. By this point, Mari was certainly becoming concerned as she kept speaking my name from her tender lips.
“Madoka-san?”
That’s when I silently turned to her and reached out my hand. She looked at it a tad confused for good reason but eventually...she got the message and took hold. Now hand in hand we made our way through this thick brush. The coldness of the night cleaved around us but I didn’t let that bother me…I was burning up too much for it to get to me.
“Where are we…?”
We journeyed for around five or so minutes until we reached a clearing. In the sky was the clearest and brightest crescent moon I’ve ever seen. Just the sight of the stars was enough to pull at my heart. Living in Hiroshima it's rare to see stars like this. So, this was a sight to behold.
“Wow..."
She gasped at the scenery. I did the same, I didn't realize that it was so beautiful and that almost threw me to the ground. Saya-san was right, this was well worth the strange walk here.
"What are we doing here, Madoka-san?”
“I’m…pretending Mari.”
“Pretending?”
“Mari, can you do me a favor?”
“…What is it, Madoka-s...M-Madoka?”
“Could you not talk until I tell you to?”
She didn’t reply but instead nodded likely respecting my wishes.
I turned to her and faced her with the warmest smile I could, doing my best to cast away the cold chill of the night. I opened my mouth…only for the words not to come out…so, I closed my lips as if to reset my mind. After a moment of tears flooding from my eyes, I gained the courage to continue.
“Could we pretend that…for this…brief moment that there...are only two people on this world? That there is no Nakagawa's...or Koda's?"
I choked...
"That way...none of my actions would have consequences right now?”
I held my chest as Mari looked at me with her eyes wide. Those cute, big eyes that even in the darkness tonight lit up my heart.
“...I’m in love with you, Mari...”
“I-I’m in love with you too, M-Madoka...”
Her eyes began to water as she angled down, away from me. As the silence became deafening, I closed my eyes as instant regret pulled to me. It crawled at my stomach and attempted to ruin me. But this was my choice...I decided that I would do this...in order to move forward from my past.
“…I asked you not to talk...Mari.”
“…Sorry, Madoka.”
I began to laugh...as I cried. Mari-san did the same as she started crying too.
“…Pff…You’re such a dumbass…and I love that about you. I love it so much.”
There we stood in place in this beautiful clearing... crying away from one another. Mari wailed in agony...and so did I. I believed we both knew what tonight was and we had to accept that.
“So, c-could I ask you a favor…a small favor f-from the person I love, Mari?”
“…A-Anything! Anything, Madoka.”
“Could you please pretend with me for an hour that these two years didn’t go by without me... and that… and that tonight w-was our confession to one another? So, for just one hour we can express ourselves without bias. No lies...just...just open feelings?”
I stammered over my words, but Mari didn't care as she nodded, feverishly.
“Y-Yes, I’m okay with that, Madoka! I...I understand.”
Tears rained from the side of our eyes as she slowly approached me.
“That for this last hour…Madoka, your girlfriend brought you to this wonderful spot to share a romantic evening together? T-That t-there is no Koda Hana....Or Nakagawa Ayumi...just two people who found each other in a world of their own...and they love each other dearly and will tell each other everything?"
“…Yes. And then after this hour…I will be your stepmother…”
“...And I will be your stepdaughter…”
Again, I held my head down…what I didn’t want to happen did. I began crying in the palm of my hands. The cold chill of the night cast off my body. I wasn’t warm anymore, all of that was slowly suffering into the elements. But then a calming touch wrapped around me…it engulfed me with her warmth. Cherished only me...right now.
It was my girlfriend….Mari…
The woman I loved for the last two years who captivated my heart. The one I confessed to tonight and she accepted it...So, I continued pretending...
“M-Mari…I…I’m so happy you feel the same…for me? P…P…Please…take….ah...care...ah...arrrggg...”
I couldn’t finish it as my neck closed. I...couldn't be strong enough to say it...
“I will take care of you…from now…on…M-Madoka.”
We lied to each other.
As if our love would be there for much longer. In each other’s arms, we embraced our feelings. Tonight, was the closest we’d ever be together. For this fictional hour, there was no family…it was just two strangers who fell in love and finally confessed our feelings to one another. No consequence, just pure and honest love for one another.
“Mari…”
“Madoka...”
I turned to her…this was as far as I was willing to go. I touched my cold lips on hers.
Its warmth wasn’t blissful…it wasn’t a spark of fireworks that I imagined it would be when I kissed the one I love. No…it was more than that. My body suffered from bouts of euphoria that caused my heart to pump aggressively. As I move my lips with hers our passions erupted. A mixture of cold wind along with fire hot air mixed as we showed our passion. She tasted like lemons... Mari-san tasted like... sweet lemons. And that made my heart sting all the more.
My body leaned on the grass as I continued kissing the one I loved. Mari lied on top of me as we brushed up against the field. In the night our lips merged together. A mixture of sweet lipstick and salty tears ravished us. The one I loved locked her slim fingers with mine as she showed me everything now.
My tongue pushed in her mouth as I wanted to feel everything that I would never again. She held me down with her hands and pushed me further to the ground. Tonight, we merged for the first time…as one. In between kisses, we cried each other's names.
“I love you, Mari.”
“I love you too, Madoka. I-I-I love you so much...”
For the first time in these last few months...I felt whole. I didn't feel as though I was lacking anything anymore. Mari...Mari my girlfriend completed me. Her warmth made me feel safe. Her emotions filled me with a scene of being alive. She truly was...everything I wanted. My feelings weren't fake...I truly, truly loved Mari. With wasn't like a fairytale though where everything will be happily ever after. We both knew this and...we had to accept that.
Now we sat up as I wrapped my arms around her stomach.
"I heard about everything you did for me, Mari!"
Relentlessly, I attempted to kiss her marshmallow cheeks as I confessed my feelings.
“I know everything, Mari! Why you are with my mom despite you loving me…why you destroyed Mihara-san’s gift in the hospital because you were jealous of her. But...But how you tried to course me into being with Mihara-san...to make me happy. Even if it ruined you inside. You…you honestly love me beyond measure, Mari.”
She just nodded as tears fell down her cheek. She attempted to talk but she kept choking on her words. I found it adorable so I kept assaulting her. Finally, she spoke after what felt like minutes.
“When you confessed to me that night I was teaching you English…I was shocked, Madoka.”
“You were just as scared when you did. I knew the last thing I wanted to do was to reject you. Being alone in the house most days…no father, working hard every night…Of course, you’d develop those kinds of feelings, I thought.”
She sighed…
“So, I told you to wait…think it over. There’s no rush, I wasn’t going anywhere. We had time…W-We had...time. I-I-I honestly thought we had all the time in the world...”
That’s when she gripped me tighter and began kissing my forehead as she cried. It was tender, it was deliciously sweet and made me cry because this sweetness was never going to be after this moment in time.
“And as time went on that wasn’t an empty promise anymore. You could read me like an open book, unlike others… You reminded me of my husband and I seriously loved you for that. You were snarky, funny, we shared our love for dramas and fashion too. We both sat up all night watching Born Free together, talking about Magenta, other stupid things…”
She kissed me faster in rapid succession, I loved every minute of this.
“And then one night as we relaxed on the bed finishing up the last season of Born Free. Born Free became our favorite show. We loved it and wanted to only watch it with each other…But then, it just came to me…I said…"
"I love you too...Madoka.”
"How natural it was...that I grew to fall in love with you."
She began to cry again. Mari, my love was crying over her feelings for me. The weight of all that she held during these months we spent together was finally flooding out and it was enormous. Her love for me...was unmeasurable.
“And all you said…with that snarky tone of yours…was, "Of course, you do, Mari.”
I snickered.
“…Well, of course, you do, Mari.”
I teased.
“Shut up…just...just shut up, M-Madoka.”
She began kissing me again but this time on the lips. Our hour was fading and she knew that. This time to express her feelings was rapidly flowing away so to admit to everything before the hour was over was near impossible. Instead, she opted to express her love physically. That was the fastest and I agreed. There were probably thousands of things she did for me without me knowing...and I accepted that.
“Now it all made sense…”
She leaned on my head on her lap. How I wanted her to pet me like before. I yearned for all kinds of touches as this hour was fading quickly into the cool night.
I closed my eyes…concluding what happened in my past in my mind…
After my father passed away mom would work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I decided to help her by doing my best to work hard, earn a scholarship and get into a school that would provide a great job. Uncle Ryuji gave her a chance at the Editorial Bureau where she met Mari. One night Mari took her home because she was drunk, and I met her. As time went on, I told her about Mihara-san and her struggles, my problems, and such too. But eventually I…confessed to her. But Mari-san didn’t turn me away…no she told me something important. She said for me to take my time and grow…
She promised me that she wasn’t going anywhere…
And eventually, she wanted to stay with me as much as I to her…
I was most scared of mom finding out though. I looked up to her and the last thing I wanted was her disapproval of something I cared for. Mari-san respected that, and we developed this secret relationship of knowing each other’s feelings but never reacting to them.
One day after mom worked late, she picked me up, and like the spoiled child I was I complained…causing her to get angry and lose focus…that’s when we got into that accident and I began to change. I hid away, scared of constant thoughts of losing my mom like dad, loud noises…things that weren’t me. And mom blamed herself for it.
But it was Mari that pulled me out from it. She slowly brought me out into the world again because she loved me…but the ultimate test was when we planned to go to the amusement park together…
Mari called it…our first date….
There would be no way I’d miss out on my first date…
But now I knew what happened that day….
I was taken away from this world for two years…
During my sleep mom attempted suicide and Mari-san…for my sake stayed with mom. She became her lover and helped her through that hardship. She invited her to meet Hana-chan and they became a family. Mari-san sacrificed our promise to save the only woman I loved. The idol I looked up to…she preserved that image at the price of us.
And I…
I still love her because of it…
But soon this hour would be gone…
And reality will be back as we promised.
“Maybe in another lifetime…our love would be recuperated, Madoka?”
“…I don’t believe in that stuff, Mari.”
“…Me either...”
I held her again and gave her another kiss on the lips. I won’t dare go further than this. This was just a moment to feel what could never be. And it hurt…it hurt so much that I felt my heart being stabbed with every peck. Mari did the same as she held my back. We kissed constantly as the night raced on. Her beauty reflected off the night sky. Nothing was being hidden anymore. Our honest feelings that had always been hard to push out were laid bare for the other to see. But we wouldn’t dare cross that line of intimacy. This hour was nothing but pure love…not lust. An absolute way to show our feelings to one another without judgment. This wasn't romance, it was just raw acceptance. As I lied on top of her now touching her chest...I confessed one last time.
“I don’t think I will ever officially get over you, Mari. My feelings for you might grow so faint but I won’t experience it anymore…but it will always be deep in my heart...that I love you.”
“…Yeah, I feel the same Madoka...”
She looked me in the eyes.
“I will confess to Ayumi about my prior feelings for you soon…I need to start anew…no more lies between us…because despite how I feel tonight…I do love Nakagawa Ayumi. And I never want her to be hurt again. That is the truth.”
“…That makes me so happy. It…really does, Mari.”
I touched my heart…knowing full well that my mom was safe with the person I love.
“Yes, we have to be strong. To never destroy this wonderful family we have, Mari. I love mom…I love Hana…and I’m not willing to hurt them to love you.”
“…Yeah, me either.”
Now I gazed at her eyes that were full of tears along with mine.
“This was the happiest hour of my life…Mari.”
“Yeah…I agree Madoka.”
As I stood up, marking the hour pass we stood next to one another. The moonlight field was calm and cold, the world would start to move on...and so should we. The past is just that...the past. It didn't matter anymore…But it’ll be hard getting over these feelings and I knew it. There will be days that I want to share the same touches for her as my mom but I know…that I can’t…
And I accept that…
Just because I love someone doesn’t mean I need to be with them.
Sometimes the act of giving them up is love in its own right…
I will forever love Koda Mari-san…
But I never want to be with her because I love my family all the more.
As we walked out into the lobby we held each other’s hand. Mari-san let go but I was quick enough to catch hold again.
“Eh? Madoka?”
“Mother’s hold their daughter’s hands all the time…grow up, Mari.”
I teased.
She smiled back at me.
“…Yeah. Sorry, Madoka.”
“Stupid Mari.”
When we got to the room I finally let go. With a smile and a tilt of my head, I said the fated words…
“Goodbye, Mari.”
“Goodbye, Madoka…my sleeping princess.”
We both smiled one last time as Mari and Madoka...
“I’ll see you in the morning…Mari-san.”
“Have a good night…Madoka-san.”
Severing the last chain that strangled me from the past.
As I entered the room now Hana-chan was fast asleep. I didn’t spend much time with her today as most of it was trying to settle these raging feelings in me. They were calmer now but still bashed at my body every now and then. So, I got undressed and lied in the same futon as her.
“Oh? Onee-san?”
“…Arrgg…”
I wanted to say "hello sleepy" head or something clever, but I started crying the instant I opened my mouth.
“Onee-san…”
“…Hana-chan…I…”
The soul in me was crushed now. My heart was already in ruins from before. Only this empty husk of a crying girl was holding onto this thin body.
“Oh…Onee-san…”
“I…I was in love with Koda Mari-san.”
Her eyes widen as I searched hers.
“…Onee-san?”
I buried my head into her chest.
“I told her tonight…and she acknowledged me…and then I told her that…I-I-I love our family more....and...and...”
“Oh my god, Onee-san…I get it.”
She held me tight.
“It’s okay! I love this family more…I just wanted her to know my feelings and she does. I’m so sorry Hana-chan! Don’t hate me...please don't hate me.”
“I could never hate you Onee-san! I get it! I…I get it!”
“It’s okay now…I’m her stepdaughter and she’s my stepmother…I wouldn’t want it any other way! But I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. I'm so...sorry!”
“Onee-san…you’re so sweet.”
She began crying too as she held me in her arms.
“You’re so sweet. I love you so much.”
“We will always be a family now. I promise I won’t…ever have these kinds of feelings again. The past is the past…I love my family more than just Koda Mari.”
She held my head and before I knew it…all the emotions of these last two days caused my body to suddenly fall into slumber…Never again will I feel the touches of Koda Mari like I did this night. That side of me is slowly going to have to go…
Because I love my family more than that.
I refuse to be the spoiled girl that got what she wanted in the past…
I’m changing…no matter how much it hurts.
VOLUME 3 END
I have to say you have written this beautifully, the way you described their feelings, their passion but still loving the family more, I could say this is the perfect story made in this chapter, atleast for me, I don't know how to express with words but if I have to say I can only say it's amazing, thanks for the chapter☺️
Wow! Thank you for such high praise! I was crying during this scene because as you and the other readers may know by this point, I adore Madoka x Mari. So to be able to give them this time to express themselves without the eyes or penalties of their actions made me so emotional.
Mari for sure always wanted to express herself in this way. Having the ability to do it was a release after 2 years of yearning for Madoka. But Mari made a family for the both of them while they were away. That couldn't be forgotten. So, having a world for only them to share for one hour, I found sweet...bittersweet.
@Vashu269 I agree. The passion and emotions in this story is way beyond compared to many other stories. I think this is yuri masterpiece.
@RavenWolf You guys are too kind! Thank you for the compliments, it makes me feel so happy!
Time traveling from the future. [Ch 25 Bonus]
This scene is so horrible because Madoka sees Mari for who she truly is. The "you're such a dumbass and I love you for it" really struck Mari deeply. Madoka painted a beautiful picture of what could have been and Ayumi pales in comparison. Madoka offered Mari the world, the stars, but Ayumi only takes. Mari kisses Madoka because she wants to, but Ayumi brings expectations of routine. With the juxtaposition to her (Mari's) past, it's no wonder Ayumi does not compare favorably to Madoka.
Mari talks about why she fell in love with Madoka. Because Madoka saw her and understood her. Then, in this hour Madoka recognizes her sacrifices and falls in love with her again. Madoka leans into the parallels with "Of course, you do, Mari." Then at the end Mari talks about in another lifetime it could have worked, but she isn't speaking hypothetically. Mari is offering to extend their hour and damn the consequences, but Madoka says no. (Madoka heard the fantasy, but Mari inferred that as a rejection.)
Mari tries a second time, saying she needs to confess to Ayumi, to allow Madoka to negotiate an extension to date each other and damn the consequences, but Madoka point blank says to put the family first. In the process breaking Mari's heart. Mari is left trapped pretending to be a mother to the girl she loves and fell in love with again. Madoka offers her support, recognition, and love wholeheartedly, but Ayumi just takes. Since Mari can't bring herself to get mad at Madoka for trapping her in a maternal role, she takes it out on Ayumi. Mari misses the simple days before she became trapped. And is still choked up in love with Madoka.
In retrospect this chapter makes me so sad. It's what Madoka needed as closure, to move on. But Mari isn't going to get a happy ending.
Moshi moshi police desu ka.
It is good thing that in past she didn't get change to told her mother about loving Mari. Her mother would had called FBI. What adult would accepted something like that? Her child being 14 or 15? This is not middle-ages.
I understand that no one can choose who they fall love with and I want to believe that Mari wouldn't have acted on that love back then. At least Madoka's mother would have probably severed ties with Mari instantly. This was love which couldn't happen either way.
We all had our own childhood crushes and broken hearts.
It's a pretty sad reality when you think of it. Despite her love for Mari at the time, If Madoka got it out in the past It's more than likely her mom would have stepped in like any parent. It's the harsh truth. I've known a broken heart that's lasted for years and reality is cruel.
Well, that's why Mari wanted her to grow up. That said, and I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure this would be, legally, considered grooming? Regardless of intent, really.
That said, it's a story and I'm willing to overlook it because it's still somehow a beautiful tragedy.
(I'd still be there with the pitchforks if it was real life though)
"I love mom…I love Hana…and I’m not willing to hurt them to love you.”-Madoka
“…Yeah, me either.”-Mari
I feel like I reached a bad end!?
This hurts! This volume's ending is so different from what I thought would happen. I was expecting things to get better between them... and for everything to finally be cleared up in the family... not... this. 
Mari said she'd tell Ayumi about her *prior* feelings, but I wonder if she meant pre-coma, or *prior to right now*. Now that they're going to try to stop being in love romantically. You're making me cry, Yairy! :( I feel like so much of my hope has been taken from me.
The only way I could see them getting together now is if Ayumi and Hana were OK with it, and even then, it seems like they'd have to push Hana and Madoka to be together. That... feels very unlikely, at least any time soon.
Why did Mari say that though!? What did she think would happen when she was going after Madoka in the beginning? That she wouldn't be hurting Ayumi by being with Madoka romantically? Mari's unwillingness to hurt Ayumi/Hana for Madoka feels like a lie. From what we saw at the beginning and all of her actions, she was willing to do Anything for her happiness. ...I guess even lie to her. ahh, this is too painful.
Ah, yes, suffer more, please!
But in all honesty, this was such an emotional scene for me to write. I was crying the entire time and I needed to take multiple breaks. Madoka couldn't go forward without expressing her feelings as was shown in the previous chapters. She needed to express herself and the only way she could do that in her eyes was to show Mari how much she meant to her and letting her go. If you read Madoka's thoughts, she hoped that there would be a silver lining to loving Mari-san. But after seeing all that happened...she came to the realization of why it was important for Mari to stay with her. (I'm not telling you to give up hope though as there is still a way for such a thing to happen.
)
But as it stands in Madoka's eyes, Mari belongs with her mom. This night wasn't to cheat or show each other what they're missing but to confirm to one another that they do in fact love each other even though they can't be together. To put all the lies behind and emotionally show that they love one another.
“Why can’t I control myself…when it comes to Madoka?”
(Fever Dream 2/2)
We understand by the way she acts when it comes to Madoka, Mari doesn't think too far ahead. She's blinded by her love and does stupid things. The reason why she destroyed Mihara-san's gift even knowing she'd be back the next day, wasn't something logical and thought out. She acted on emotion and even hated herself for it.
In the beginning, she went for Madoka in hopes that she'd remember her. Like asking her to watch Born Free together as they used to in hopes that it would jog their love for one another. All of her flirts and teases were just like what she did in Fever Dream to Mihara, Mari acted out of emotion because she "can't control herself when it comes to Madoka-san." Ayumi was an afterthought when thinking of the person she loved.
However, Mari's always known that Madoka will take her mother's happiness over her own. And the only way to truly make Madoka happy as she realized tonight would be to continue being with her mom. To keep the family she loves intact and finally let go of her feelings.
In the end, "If that's what Madoka wants then that's what I will give to my Madoka."
Is what is going through Mari-san's heart.
@Yairy Nooo... please don't make me suffer like this! I'm enjoying the uncertainty and trying to figure out how people feel, their motivations, or what they've done. That kind of tension pulls me in and shakes me like I'm on an emotional rollercoaster or a swing bridge. It is a feeling full of fear mixed with excitement and anticipation. I enjoy that mix, but this felt like they were cutting the rope while they're on the bridge. They're purposefully trying to break this romantic connection so as to not hurt others, without even telling them what's going on first! When are they ever going to learn.
I'm glad it hurt you to write this too, it's punishment for what you've done to me!
Please tell me that at the very end of the story, there is a happy ending? I-I'm not sure I could handle a sad end. Sad endings crush me forever, and I hate that feeling.
I remember listening to an audiobook from my public library called "The Well of Loneliness" [it's very old, 1928], and that ending will never leave me. The main character [lesbian] intentionally made her lover [bi] leave her so that she'd have a normal heterosexual relationship in a very homophobic world. [All signs were showing that those two would be a couple if the MC wasn't already with her]. I was sad for days after that book. I'm sad now just thinking about that ending and how Mari seems so similar to the MC of that book. Willing to do anything for her love's happiness, even lie, thinking she knows what's best for her.
@Emilovesdoubles Mari and Madoka are only doing what they believe is the right thing to do. However as Hana foreshadowed, they will have to confront everyone and tell them of their feelings eventually in order to truly move on. This moment wasn't for the family though, it was for the past selves that always wanted to feel one another's touch. That constant want for each other wasn't healthy in the slightest. Mari was tearing herself apart by holding in her feelings, Madoka was ready to explode by all of her pent-up emotions. This was necessary for both of them. It would be unrealistic for them to just magically give up how they feel, however the next day. This is a story about personal growth. They needed to separate themselves from the past and explore the future.
Someone asked me the same thing earlier. lol
I can assure you that this story isn't a tragedy. I promise, there will be a happy ending.
@Yairy
I'm glad it hurt you to write this too, it's punishment for what you've done to me!
Don't you think I'm suffering too?! I'm not a heartless monster!
@Yairy haha, but you KNOW what is going to happen already! That changes your perspective! :P
@Emilovesdoubles
Sad fact that world is full of love what can't happen for one reason or other.
@RavenWolf Wow, Raven be cruel!
@RavenWolf Yeah, I can agree with that in real life. In this story though, I don't feel like it is impossible or even that difficult. It's clear they both love each other, and Mari has shown she'd do anything for Madoka. The only reason they can't be together is if Madoka chooses not to. Would being together upset others? Maybe...
...At the very least it seems like it'd upset many readers! I feel like most people really don't like Mari and just want Madoka to get with anyone else. But to me, Mari is almost unrealistically devoted to Madoka's happiness. She has a selfless love for Madoka that I would never hope to attain. I just can't help but want both of them to be happy together.
@Emilovesdoubles That’s so sweet.
@Emilovesdoubles
Yeah, but that devotion started when Madoka where child and because that it is not very healthy relationship. That is why I'm basically against it.
I'm not against age cap between adults but things become very problematic with underaged.
@RavenWolf
I totally respect that opinion! In real life, I would instantly be against Madoka, who is still mentally a 15-year-old girl, dating any adult, let alone a 29-year-old. I struggled with their age gap through this story as well, but I eventually ended up thinking, "Ehh, it's a story. It isn't real life; their world is different." It helps that I feel as though neither Madoka nor Mari actually acts their age, and it helps give me a suspension of disbelief. To me, in this fantasy world, their love is genuine and selfless, and unlike real life, is not insanely susceptible to manipulation.