Light Novel Chapter 41

花も花なれ人も人なれ (Hana mo Hana Nare Hito mo Hito Nare, lit: Flower to Flower, Human to Human) is the forty-first chapter of the light novel series of The "Hentai" Prince and the Stony Cat.
==Plot==
Youto continues to embrace his new persona of a righteous hero. The amount of time that the shadow spends in his body spirals out of control, to the point where he disconnects as soon as he wakes up and regains consciousness when he lies down in bed.
In the middle of the night, Youto wakes up from a dream and finds himself sick with a cold. As he lies in bed, he suddenly hears aggressive scratching noises coming from the balcony. He gets up to check and finds Tsukiko on his balcony.
Apparently, Youto has been suffering through the fever for two days, making Tsukiko worry, and she had to enter through the balcony since nobody responded to the doorbell. Forcing Youto to stay in bed, Tsukiko skillfully cleans up the evidence of her break-in and proceeds to clean Youto's living space as well.
Noticing the absence of Youto's family, Tsukiko questions their whereabouts, learning that Youto's mother is in the hospital while his father is on a business trip. He speaks as if nothing is out of the ordinary, claiming that he is used to this. This makes Tsukiko begin to blame herself as it occurs to her that she never once tried to learn anything about Youto's family.
Tsukiko puts down some banana and yogurt next to Youto, prompting him to open his mouth, hoping to be fed. She scolds him for his shamelessness but goes on to feed him nonetheless. "If you are sick, then you can rely on me. As much as you want," she says, "Because I... because we are..."
Tsukiko continues to take care of Youto. She puts her cold fingers on Youto's burning forehead to comfort him, putting what she learned in the Children's Welfare Club to good use. Youto thinks to himself that Tsukiko is truly suited for this kind of work, likening her to a certain person that he met at the nursery school. Tsukiko begins singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and though she had no pitch or intonation, it felt wonderful to listen to. Reminded of Tsukasa through Tsukiko's silhouette, Youto eventually falls back asleep, this time without any dreams.
Youto wakes up the next day to Tsukiko making some nonsensical jokes about a stock index she created. However, Youto panicks when he realizes the date — there is less than 20 hours until the marathon tournament. He feels a need to prepare himself for the tournament, but Tsukiko reminds him to take a much-needed bath after being covered in sweat for two days.
While Youto washes himself in the bathroom, Tsukiko suddenly enters, startling him. She intends to wash Youto's back, claiming to have taken the necessary precautions by wearing an eyemask. Due to the blindfold however, she would hold the shower head the wrong way, pointing it in her own direction and drenching herself wet and making her clothes see-through. As if possessing a six sense, she forcefully twists Youto's neck forward and rubs on his back with force like some kind of punishment.
Tsukiko insists that a sick person has to rest, fully against Youto's idea of attending the marathon tournament. She questions why he is so adamant about going, as well as why he can push himself so hard. Not sure how to explain, Youto quotes a poem: "A flower is most beautiful when it knows the time to fall. People are like flowers; they will die without hesitation." He doesn't remember the exact speaker, but knows that it was a princess from a war country. He believes that both flowers and people are beautiful because they focus their everything towards the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
However, Tsukiko challenges Youto's idea that he must save everyone or do something extraordinary to have value. She assures him that "flowers can stay flowers, and humans can stay humans." She tells Youto that it's okay to be himself, as she accepts him as "her Youto-kun," flaws and all.
A void in Youto's heart is suddenly filled with warmth, as tears begin to well up in his eyes, pours down his cheeks, and drips down to his laps. He feels an embrace coming from behind, holding onto him as the water continues to pour down.
When they come out of the bath, night has fallen again. Though Tsukiko begged to stay with him for the night, Youto manages to convince her to go home. Deciding that he has to at least show up after making a promise, he prepares for the next day before lying down. However, he finds himself struggling to sleep, contemplating Tsukiko's words. Eventually, morning arrives.
==Characters==
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