The restaurant dimmed once again.
The voice spoke:
"Next question: Whose confession will Hachiman Hikigaya accept?"
The table erupted.
"Eh?!" Yui squeaked, her voice breaking."…Ohhh, now this is the real prize," Haruno purred, leaning forward with a hungry smile.Ebina clapped her hands. "YES! Final route reveal!""This isn't a dating sim!" Hachiman barked, his face red."Could've fooled me," Kawasaki muttered.
"Yui," Yumiko said immediately, gripping her friend's hand."N-no, that's…!" Yui's face flamed crimson."Sensei!" Iroha declared suddenly, pointing at Hiratsuka. "Totally the mature woman route!"Hiratsuka groaned, massaging her temple. "Why am I even here…""Haruno!" Zaimokuza bellowed. "The elder sister claim is strongest!""Shut up," Yukino hissed.
The voice cut through.
"Commencing projection."
Night. Kyoto.
The bridge glowed faintly under streetlamps, the quiet water rippling beneath.
Yukino stood trembling, her fists clenched at her sides.
"…Please," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Please… allow me to have your life."
The words hung in the air, raw, unpolished, clumsy.
Across from her, Hachiman's eyes widened.
He stepped closer, his expression uncertain but resolute. "…Then let's share our useless lives together."
The projection froze on the two of them, standing across from each other — awkward, trembling, but undeniably real.
The restaurant was silent.
Yui's breath caught in her throat, tears prickling at her eyes.Kawasaki stared, her jaw tight.Iroha gawked. "Whaaaaat?! That's so unfair! Yukino-senpai gets the main character route?!"Ebina squealed, hugging herself. "Perfect! Clumsy confessions are the best confessions!""…Tch," Haruno muttered, though her smile lingered, bittersweet.
Yukino sat frozen, her face pale, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.
Hachiman wanted to vanish into the floor. "…This is rigged. Completely rigged."
But the voice left no room for doubt.
"Answer: Yukino Yukinoshita."
The lights brightened, but no one spoke at first. The weight of the answer — undeniable, immutable — pressed down on every corner of the restaurant.