It happened during Day 3 of Couples Week.
Lunch break.
Everyone was gathered on the quad lawn, recovering from the last event: the "Couples Trivia Deathmatch." Ren was lying face-first in the grass. Rika was still yelling at him for forgetting her birthday month.
"It's March! MARCH! How do you forget MARCH?!"
"I forgot my own birthday once," he groaned.
Emi was quietly folding lunch napkins.
Yui was pretending not to care, but stabbing her yakisoba with unusual aggression.
Haruka drank quietly beside the vending machine.
Mei was flipping pages in her notebook again.
And Asuka? She was watching him from a short distance, calculating. Like a queen who'd already conquered, looking for the next war.
Then...
A new voice rang out.
"Takahashi-kun!"
Everyone turned.
A girl stood there. Hair shoulder-length, soft blue streaks. Class 1-B.
Her voice echoed.
"I… I like you!"
The air shattered.
Ren sat bolt upright.
"H-huh?!"
The girl stepped forward, fists clenched.
"I know we've never talked much, but I've watched you since the spring trip… I don't care about rumors or harem drama. I just wanted to say it—before someone else wins you."
Silence.
Then—
Explosion.
Yui: "WHO IS THAT."
Rika: "I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME."
Haruka: "…I feel sick."
Mei: (closes her book)
Emi: (sips tea aggressively)
Asuka: "Oh. This is fun."
Ren stood, frozen.
Eyes of the entire courtyard were on him.
"U-Uh…"
The girl bowed. "You don't have to answer! I just wanted you to know!"
And ran.
Literally ran.
Shoes slapping the tiles as she vanished behind the east wing.
Then came the chaos.
Yui stormed up first. "You're not allowed to collect admirers like trading cards!"
Rika followed, hands on hips. "I knew this would happen. I literally predicted this. Where's my award?"
Emi: "You're free to say no, but don't smile while doing it. It hurts more."
Haruka just muttered, "Of course someone else noticed…"
Mei said nothing.
She simply passed by and said,
"So when will you choose any of us?"
Then walked away.
Asuka strolled up last.
"You didn't even do anything. And she still fell for you."
"That's your true power, Ren. Making hearts ache... accidentally."
He stood there alone.
Surrounded.
And yet—completely unsure who he was hurting the most.