"…So," Nagisa began, her voice dripping with irritation, "why, exactly, is the seating arranged like this?"
Tapping her fingers on the table, Nagisa glared at Noah. I couldn't blame her; right next to her sat Haruna, calmly sipping her coffee.
"Wouldn't you say this is the most rational solution? If either of you were to sit next to Mika-san, the other would inevitably be displeased. Therefore, it is fairer for neither of you to sit beside her."
"No, I find it entirely irrational. Mika-san is my partner, Ushio-san. It is only natural that I should sit next to her. If someone else has a problem with that, it is hardly my concern, is it?"
"Fufu. Kirifuji-san, you're more petty than I thought. I was expecting someone calmer, more composed—someone with the gravitas befitting a student president of Trinity. At this rate, it seems there won't even be a proper contest. I'm quite disappointed."
Haruna and Noah both kept their smiles perfectly intact. Nagisa, in stark contrast, was stone-faced, her eyebrow the only thing that twitched.
Just as Haruna said, there wasn't a trace of composure left in her. It was truly unlike the Nagisa I knew. Always graceful and refined—that motto was a distant memory now. She was clearly in a foul mood.
"Mmm~, it's only for as long as it takes to finish one drink. Surely you can both manage that, can't you?"
At Noah's suggestion, the two girls glanced at each other. Seeing Haruna's natural smile versus Nagisa's forced attempt at one, I knew this battle was already lost.
This wasn't the Nagisa I knew. She was good at politics, good at her work—a girl without a single rough edge…
This wouldn't do. I had to draw a clear line right here and now. It was time to tell Haruna I just wanted to be friends. The technical term was 'friendzoning,' and the time to use it had come.
"Hey, Haruna-chan."
"Yes? What is it, Mika-san?"
"I'm really sorry to say this, but I don't think I can accept your feelings. With Hina-chan, Nagi-chan was kind enough to indulge my selfish request. So… yeah, I don't think I can ask for anything more than that from her. I'm sorry."
I looked Haruna straight in the eyes, my voice filled with sincerity as I played my card to defuse the ticking time bomb.
"…"
"Mika-san…!"
Nagisa, who clearly hadn't expected me to make such a decision, looked at me with wide, grateful eyes.
Yes, this was the right thing to do. I should have drawn the line back when the issue with Hina came up, instead of waffling about not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. No one would blame me for taking my girlfriend's side.
"Oh my, this is an unexpected turn of events. What shall we do, Haruna-san?"
"…Hmph."
Haruna's expression flickered for a moment before returning to normal. Judging by Noah's reaction, she was definitely on Haruna's side. If I had stayed neutral, Nagisa would have been left to fight a lonely battle.
My decision to put my foot down was already paying off—
"Mika-san, there is one thing I would like to ask. Please answer me with complete and utter honesty. Swear on whomever you believe in that you will only speak the truth."
Whomever I believe in? She must mean the Primordial Divinity.
Haruna, my dear, I don't believe in that. I'm the non-believer at the very top of Trinity…
"…What do you want to know?"
She wouldn't ask something as tactless as who I liked more or who my type was right after I'd rejected her. What could she possibly want to ask?
"Mika-san, have you truly never, not even once, felt a sense of affection for me… something more than that? I don't believe the feelings that passed between us were one-sided. I am certain they were feelings we shared, heart to heart. That is… what I felt."
"…"
I hesitated. I had a feeling that if I gave her an inch here, she wouldn't give up. The rational thing to do was to say no without a second thought.
But to say I'd never felt drawn to Haruna would be a lie. I glanced over at Nagisa.
Her eyes were screaming at me, pleading with me not to tell the truth.
Just one lie. That was all it would take to end this complicated situation.
With that thought, I buried the truth deep in my heart and prepared to lie to Haruna.
Or, I tried to.
"Mika-san, before you say what you are about to say… I suggest you reconsider. I am no fool. Do you think I am so oblivious that I could not tell what you were thinking when you looked at Kirifuji-san? If you still insist on uttering those words… well then."
Haruna's deep, wine-red eyes seemed to pierce right through my soul. Her eyes curved into a gentle crescent.
Are you really going to tell a lie that I, Nagisa, and even you yourself know is false? Are you so determined to push me away that you would go that far? her gaze seemed to ask.
"In that case, I will have no choice but to entertain some wicked thoughts of my own."
"…Wicked thoughts?"
"You know my methods, don't you? You know the resolve I possess for the sake of my gourmet path. If an obstacle stands in my way, I will simply blow it up and move on."
"Eek. Hey, no matter what, blowing things up is… you know, probably not the answer. You're joking, right, Haruna-chan…?"
For a second, I couldn't help but imagine Haruna trapping Nagisa somewhere and detonating it. A small chuckle escaped Haruna's lips.
"Ufufu. Of course, that was just a figure of speech. However, what I said before that was my honest truth. For me, at this moment, the essence of a gourmet experience is decided less by the intrinsic taste of the food and more by the surrounding environment. And the most important factor of all is whether or not I am sharing that meal with someone I care for."
With a bewitching smile, Haruna tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. It was a simple gesture, yet it was hard to deny how captivatingly charming she was.
"The members of my Gourmet Research Society are wonderful, but the person I enjoy being with the most is you, Mika-san. Just as you have colored my world, one day I hope to color yours. Enjoying a peaceful meal is fine, of course, but teaching you the satisfaction that comes from erasing a restaurant that failed to provide a satisfactory meal from existence…"
"I've heard enough. How can one person be so thoroughly self-centered? At least Hina-san is sensible and diligent, but you, Kurodate, you are appallingly egocentric. Your desire for Mika-san is entirely for your own sake. I don't see a shred of concern for Mika-san in you."
"…Fufu, I must say, Kirifuji-san, I do not quite understand your point. Is there something wrong with wanting the person who completes my values, the very purpose of my life? The relationships between people cannot all be cut from the same cloth."
"But an ideal relationship certainly exists. And it is obvious that a relationship with someone as self-centered as you could hardly be considered desirable. Especially when the other party is someone like Mika-san, who gives and yields so generously."
…Ah. Just listening to this was giving me a headache.
It really hit me how smoothly things had gone with Hina.
"In polite society, Kirifuji-san, that aspect of your personality is called arrogance. Perhaps it is because you are the student president of a major academy like Trinity, but you seem to believe your own thoughts are absolute truth. Even I would be willing to offer Mika-san my entire fortune if she so wished. If that is not what you call 'concern,' then what is?"
"That is not a difficult thing to say when you are certain Mika-san would take care of you for the rest of your life in return."
"Fufu… You may have a point there. Then shall we hear just how grand this 'concern' of yours is, Kirifuji-san?"
"…Anything. Literally, if Mika-san wishes it, I can do anything. Because Mika-san is more precious to me than I am to myself."
"Does that mean, if Mika-san were to say right here and now that she wants me—"
"No, that is unacceptable. I have no intention of allowing anyone who does not share my feelings to approach Mika-san. Not unless they are people I have judged for myself, like Hina-san or the girls from Arius Squad. Absolutely not."
Wait, so she allowed Hina because she recognized that Hina was just as head-over-heels for me as she was? Hina was in a position where she had to prioritize Gehenna over me; she was a girl who knew how to separate her duties from her personal life.
And when did she give Arius Squad her blessing? Is that why she didn't say anything when I spent the day with them at the festival yesterday?
Looking back, it seemed I was the only one agonizing over how to draw a line with the Squad girls without hurting them. What have I been getting these headaches for…?
"That is quite a contradiction, for someone who claimed she could do 'anything.' Besides, what you are describing sounds less like love and more like you want to establish a cult."
"Excuse me, but would you mind not distorting love into fanaticism? It is quite unpleasant. Though I suppose someone as self-centered as you could never understand such a feeling."
"An extremely blind love is no different from fanaticism. In reaching that conclusion, Kirifuji-san, did you ever stop to consider whether Mika-san would actually welcome it?"
"…"
"You did not. Or perhaps you did and simply chose to ignore it. As you said, Kirifuji-san, it may be true that I am self-centered. But Mika-san found joy and laughter in the time she spent with me. She liked it so much that she was the one who first extended the hand of friendship to me."
Watching Haruna reminisce, I felt myself being pulled back into that memory with her. Unlike Noah, who was hanging on Haruna's every word with sparkling eyes, Nagisa looked as though she'd just realized her mistake.
"The time I spent on gourmet tours with Mika-san was the most enjoyable and blissful time I had ever experienced. That is why I cannot possibly let you go. Because you, Mika-san, are the final destination of the gourmet path I pursue."
"…Haruna-chan, you're not going to give up, even if I reject you."
"How could I possibly give up? You are the only one who has ever made my heart beat this fast. No matter what answer you had given to my question just now, my decision would not have changed. If you had truly never felt any affection for me, then I would have simply done whatever it took to make you look my way."
What have I been doing all this time? If I had to pick, the time I spent with Haruna was the closest I'd come to a pseudo-romance, but I never imagined she was this serious.
"…Even so, nothing changes. The fact remains that for Mika-san, I am number one. It is not simply a matter of order; the weight of the time Mika-san and I have spent together and the feelings we have nurtured is incomparable to yours."
"Love is not proportional to time, Kirifuji-san. That is why I like Mika-san all the more, for being so unlike the stuffy angels of Trinity. Aside from her goals, I believe Mika-san's very disposition is a better fit for us in Gehenna."
"What utter nonsense—"
"Fufu… You know, I truly feel sorry for you. How little confidence must you have in your own charms to be so utterly devoid of composure? If it were me, I would at least not have shown my anxiety so plainly."
"Hngh…"
Nagisa, completely caught in Haruna's pace, trembled with frustration. Nagisa was so weak without her black tea.
"Mika-san, do you know? A gourmet experience is intrinsically more delicious the more difficult it is to obtain. It is a shame that this particular dish does not seem to be very difficult, so the taste may be somewhat diminished… but that does not mean that the gourmet experience that is you will lose its luster. You were brilliant from the start; even if the seasoning is a bit lacking, your inherent flavor will not disappear."
It was then that I had a belated realization. Friendzoning only works when one person has a one-sided crush, and the other sees them as nothing more than a friend.
"Therefore, I will push Kirifuji-san aside and put all my effort into obtaining you. Because food… and love… are things that must be won."
Unfortunately for me, my heart, it seemed, was still fickle enough to flutter at every word, every expression, every smile from Haruna.
"…Very well. In the end, that single phrase was all you wanted to say, wasn't it, Kurodate? I understand. I wish you the best of luck. Any more words to someone who is destined to fail would be nothing but mockery."
And Nagisa, too, seemed determined not to back down this time.
Her resolve solidified, Nagisa regained her composure in that short instant and met Haruna's gaze.
Honestly, the scariest part of this whole situation was Noah, who just kept smiling brightly as if she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
Why was she even here? And why was she backing Haruna? No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn't figure it out.
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