Sure enough, Tachibana Akane began stammering, "H-how could I not refuse? You're rude, inconsiderate, a total womanizer—isn't it only natural that I'd reject you?"
Kushida set down her barley tea, smirking.
'Here we go, another tsundere.'
Just as Kaoru was about to speak, Ichinose cleared her throat. "Senpai, we agreed you'd take this seriously, didn't we?"
Akane's face flushed red, her expression twisting awkwardly as she hesitated for a long moment before mumbling, "I… I don't know. And all of you are just too weird."
To any normal person, everything happening in this room would seem bizarre—just as Kushida had earlier described, there was an undeniable strangeness to it all, especially Ichinose's attitude.
"Mhm, you didn't believe me, Senpai, so I brought you here to see for yourself and understand our situation. That's what you kept asking about on the way, wasn't it?" Ichinose smiled gently.
"And now you think we're too strange?"
Akane hurriedly shook her head. "I-I'm not saying you're weird! It's just… you all like him, and you're okay with so many others liking him too. Doesn't that feel strange to you?"
"It is strange," Ichinose admitted. "We only recently came to this understanding."
"Other than accepting it, I could've forced Kaoru to break up with them—or just broken up with him myself. I know that's my right. But happiness isn't always about possession. It can be a kiss, a date, a gift, or even just a walk together."
As she spoke, the radiance in her smiling face grew even brighter. Even without her saying another word, Akane could read the emotion in her eyes—something unmistakably like happiness.
"I can accept this outcome too," Karuizawa murmured. "Even if it's frustrating, I won't let go. I'll cling shamelessly if I have to."
Kushida's lips parted slightly before she sighed.
'Never mind, I'll stay out of this.'
Her gaze drifted toward Horikita Suzune in the kitchen, only to find the other girl watching them.
"…I get what you're saying, but for me, it's just too hard to imagine," Akane said, her expression complicated as she stared at Kaoru.
"So, you've already won over Asahina, and now you're trying to reel me in too?"
"Are you feeling sad because graduation is coming up, Senpai?" Kaoru neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Honestly, I feel the same. The thought of not seeing you around anymore… it makes me a little panicked."
"You? Scared?" Akane eyed him skeptically.
"How scared does someone have to be before it counts as fear?" he shot back.
She faltered, only for Ichinose to chime in cheerfully, "Senpai, didn't you say it yourself? On Christmas, this guy suddenly showed up looking for you. He might not have said it outright, but he was really worried about your answer."
Kaoru's expression darkened, while Karuizawa subtly glared at him.
Hearing this reminder, Akane suddenly realized something and looked at Kaoru with a strange expression before bursting into laughter—it sounded so hypocritical.
"Is it really that funny?"
"Because you're the most stubborn one here."
The one who answered Kaoru was Kushida. "You're clearly a foot fetishist, yet you refuse to admit it."
Kaoru couldn't save face—how could she say something like that so brazenly?
"O-okay, I won't laugh anymore."
Tachibana Akane suppressed her amusement. "So, not only do you like Ichinose-san, and them, but now you also like me... and you have many other girls you're interested in, right?"
Listening to it all made Kaoru break out in a cold sweat.
He nodded stiffly, deeply concerned about what kind of scene would unfold when they met the idols.
"So, why do you think I agreed to this?"
Tachibana Akane asked matter-of-factly, "Without you, I could just find a boyfriend in college who's better than you. It's not like there aren't men in this world more polite and handsome than you."
"That outcome won't happen. I'll catch you before then and won't let you escape," Kaoru replied.
Akane froze for a moment, incredulous: "Didn't you just say you wouldn't get mad at me?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'll let you go."
Now it was Kaoru's turn to speak with conviction. "If it's something I like, I'll take it for myself. That's just who I am."
Akane immediately grew angry, then felt a flicker of happiness before glaring at him again.
"So you're just going to be this shameless?"
"Absolutely shameless,"
Kaoru stated firmly. "Even if it means acting first and making amends later, I'll do it."
Akane struggled for words, finally turning to Ichinose Honami for help—'aren't you going to intervene?'
In response, Ichinose simply smiled brightly.
"Senpai, do you like this person?"
"W-what!?"
Akane bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, wearing an expression of utter disbelief.
She absolutely, definitely, and completely could not possibly have such thoughts!
"Because you like Kaoru, Senpai, that's why I brought you here."
"W-wait, hold on! Why are you suddenly so sure I like this guy?"
"If you didn't like him, why would you come?"
"Huh? N-no, didn't you bring me here?"
"You came willingly, Senpai. Because you also wanted to know the truth—whether his confession was serious or not."
Akane averted her gaze, a telltale sign that Ichinose had seen right through her.
"I won't stand in the way of girls who like him. Besides, I really admire you, Senpai. So whether to accept him or not is entirely your decision."
Ichinose paused before adding, "After all, loving someone is a personal matter. Whether you continue to love him or stop now—we can't make that choice for you."
After a brief silence, Akane asked, "Do I have to decide right now?"
"Of course not. You have until graduation."
Ichinose laughed softly. "Today was just about helping you understand our situation, not forcing you into anything. My role ends here—now it's Kaoru's turn to worry."
Kaoru glanced at her, and as if reading his mind, she turned to meet his gaze.
"Alright, enough chitchat. Time to eat—Horikita's been waiting forever."
Kushida stood up and stretched. "Our only job is to enjoy ourselves. How to make that happen is someone else's problem, not ours."
"Suddenly, I really want to just be a simple-minded playboy," Kaoru sighed.
Kushida shot him a knowing sidelong glance—finally admitting you're not just a simple womanizer, huh?
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