In the abandoned classroom, several of the remaining desks had been pushed together. Azusa Hamaoka sat atop them with her legs crossed, remaining silent, her gaze drifting into the empty space ahead.
An absolute stillness enveloped the two girls, a silence that felt particularly lonely against the backdrop of the chaotic, muffled noises drifting in from outside the window.
"...Azusa-senpai, don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Revisiting the school building that had once been a source of terror, Aina Yoshiwara found that once the screams and the horrifying atmosphere had dissipated, all that remained in the boundless darkness was a sense of desolation—much like her own near-ended career in the PaB club.
It was true; although she hadn't shown it at the campsite, she knew that just over ten minutes ago, she had nearly done something stupid and irreversible.
If Azusa-senpai hadn't used that "hand of God" to stop her, then even if Kohei didn't say anything afterward, she wouldn't have been able to face the PaB club—the club that had accepted her—normally ever again.
"Sigh~ It's Aina who wants some life guidance, right?"
The contrasting duo of a liquor bottle and a school desk collided with a metallic clang. Stripped of her usual easygoing demeanor, Azusa Hamaoka was now utterly serious in both tone and movement.
Leaning down deeply, she placed her hand against Aina's lowered face and gently lifted the younger girl's chin.
Just as she expected, she saw a pair of eyes clouded with an extraordinary mix of chaos and confusion.
"So, if Aina isn't willing to open her heart first, then even if your Azusa-senpai were Amaterasu herself, she wouldn't be able to help!"
"..."
A brief silence followed. Aina Yoshiwara's mind was a mess. Especially after calming down to think, the confusion only intensified, like a spiderweb stuck in her hair that she couldn't seem to pull clean.
Furthermore, a young girl's feelings were deeply private. Being naturally introverted and sensitive only strengthened her mental defenses; this double layer of protection meant she had never truly bared her heart to anyone.
But at the same time, she knew that she couldn't resolve these tangled, suffocating anxieties on her own. Azusa-senpai was likely her only and best option!
"...Iori."
The silence was broken. As she squeezed out those two syllables, Aina Yoshiwara's lips began to tremble. Simultaneously, her hands unconsciously balled into fists, as if that were the only way to send enough strength to her mouth to speak.
"I like—I like Iori. But I don't dislike Kohei either... but now, it seems like Kohei likes me..."
Drip—
Clutching her head as her body shook slightly, she tried her best to keep the tears held within her large eyes, wanting to avoid looking too pathetic or embarrassed.
"It's just... right now I feel like Kohei is okay too, but Iori... I can't just reject Kohei either. I don't want to hurt him, but if I accept him, it feels like I'm just being unfaithful..."
"There, there~"
Although she had been prepared, seeing her beloved junior crying like this made Azusa Hamaoka let out a long, pained sigh—emotions really were like abrasive sandpaper. Look at how much they were hurting the poor kid!
Then again, she wasn't exactly in a position to criticize Aina. After all, if it weren't for Nanaka, she'd probably have had to cry under her covers for a long time before she could recover...
Thinking of this, she reached out further to wrap her arms around Aina's shoulders, comforting her: "Relax, Aina. Take a deep breath!"
"Huuu—! Ha—! Hic!"
Deep breathing helps calm the emotions, but it often leads to hiccups.
Embarrassed by the sudden hiccup, Aina Yoshiwara scrambled to cover her mouth. As a result, while she managed to block the top, she forgot the bottom—a snot bubble suddenly popped out as her whole body shuddered with the next breath.
"Pfft!"
"Waaah... Azusa-senpai!!!"
"I'm sorry~ I'm sorry! I'm a trained professional, I usually never laugh... unless I can't help it."
As expected, Aina was still that same awkward little cutie. Azusa Hamaoka shook her head, hiding the smile on her face, and used the lightened atmosphere to ask: "So, why exactly is Aina so conflicted? Isn't it a good thing that Kohei likes you?"
"It's not! Because of Iori... I've already decided that I like Iori. If I accept Kohei now, wouldn't I just be a bad woman playing with two guys at once?!"
"Well~"
This was the first time she'd heard the phrasing "already decided who to like." Azusa Hamaoka affectionately stroked Aina's head, shifting her approach to coax her: "Alright, then why did Aina fall for Iori? How about Azusa-senpai acts as your consultant?"
"...Because of the Spring Festival Phallus Contest."
Without a moment's hesitation, now that the seal was broken, Aina Yoshiwara stopped holding back and straightforwardly spoke her mind: "Iori was willing to help me. It was like a hero saving the maiden! That's why I like him!"
"A hero saving the maiden, huh? A classic trope~"
At that time, she seemed to have been busy competing with Yuu for Nanaka. Azusa Hamaoka took the opportunity to look nostalgic about the past, instantly winning Aina's full trust!
"Right! That bastard President Kudo only treats people like disposable tools. Only Iori stood by my side!"
"I see. Then why didn't Aina fall for Yuu?"
"Eh?"
Frozen in place, Aina Yoshiwara had been in the middle of her excitement when she was struck by Azusa-senpai's question, turning her into a total airhead in a split second.
Why should she have fallen for Yuu? Was Azusa-senpai drunk?
However, the truth was that Azusa Hamaoka was absolutely not drunk. On the contrary, a moderate amount of alcohol made her mind exceptionally clear—clear enough to pierce straight to the heart of the matter!
"Yuu helped back then too, right? He even went to me—his love rival—to borrow clothes, and he helped Kohei with the acting. It seems like he had more 'screen time' than Iori, didn't he?"
"That... but!"
She panicked instantly. Her head wasn't clear to begin with, and after Azusa Hamaoka's combo attack pierced through her brain, Aina fell into a state of total bewilderment.
When the variables of Kohei and Yuu were forced into the equation, she suddenly realized her logic was flawed. Just as Azusa-senpai said, if it was based on who did the most...
"So, I should like Yuu?"
"That's not it at all!!!"
Grabbing Aina's shoulders and shaking her frantically, Azusa Hamaoka was completely flummoxed by this little cutie. Did "hero saves maiden" have to result in "maiden offers herself in marriage"? What kind of mental inertia was Aina stuck in!
And besides! There were already enough "bad women" secretly eyeing Yuu; she didn't want to manually add another love rival to the pile!
"Sigh... It's because of interaction! Because Iori was the first to have a meaningful interaction with Aina, you probably feel like you've fallen for him because of that."
"...Interaction?"
"Exactly!"
Bringing the train of thought back on track, Azusa Hamaoka was relieved that Aina didn't keep obsessing over whether she should like Yuu. She then sincerely laid out the judgment she and Yuu had discussed.
"In fact, Aina, can you really tell the difference between gratitude and love?"
"I... think so? Then how does Azusa-senpai judge between gratitude and love! Didn't you fall for Yuu after a 'hero saving the maiden' moment too?"
"About that..."
Licking her lips, Azusa Hamaoka turned her head away sheepishly, scratching her cheek as she explained point by point: "First of all, Yuu's physique is very much my type. Also, we both like Nanaka, so we have shared interests. Those two points alone were enough to make my heart skip a beat!"
"Eh?"
To think the reasons were so shallow. Aina Yoshiwara narrowed her eyes in disbelief, trying to find any trace of a lie on Azusa-senpai's face—but there were none!
In reality, she had expected the other woman to say something more romantic, like "love at first sight." But when the underlying logic of love was parsed and the merits were listed out, it gave off a calculated vibe that contrasted with her expectations.
However...
"That's right. The 'hero saving the maiden' was just a catalyst. In Kohei's words, it was like a massive boost to the favorability rating."
Making a tiny gesture with her fingertips, Azusa Hamaoka didn't feel ashamed of her "calculations."
While her personality was naturally free-spirited and easygoing, anyone who thought she was just a drunkard who loved booze was dead wrong!
As a "double-gun cowboy," she knew better than anyone what she wanted and what she liked. She would never clumsily throw herself into the river of love just because of a momentary surge of emotion.
Yuu was the partner she had confirmed repeatedly, through the friction of daily life, to be a match made in heaven. It was as simple as that—it had nothing to do with accidents or gratitude!
"..."
Her small brain simply couldn't hold all of Azusa-senpai's life experience. Aina Yoshiwara's expression drifted toward a daze, and she could only automatically accept the viewpoints being transmitted to her.
"So, I actually don't like Iori?"
"No one knows what the truth is. In the end, that's a question only your own heart can answer, Aina."
She didn't force any conclusions, only provided a new perspective for Aina to explore on her own—this was the approach Yuu Miyazawa had first suggested.
Though Azusa Hamaoka felt it was a bit cruel, it was the only viable way to stay neutral between Kohei and Iori—leave everything to Aina, but let it be a clear-headed Aina.
"Interact with them yourself. Feel who you are more comfortable being around, without any filters. That is the correct attitude toward love!"
With Azusa-senpai's final warning echoing in her head, Aina Yoshiwara sat before the banquet bonfire, staring blankly into space. In her eyes, besides the rising flames, were the three pieces of trash fighting over the last piece of roasted meat.
Who am I more comfortable with? That makes sense. After all, love should be based on the foundation of getting married and spending the rest of your life together...
"I'm telling you guys!"
A fourth fork stabbed into the large chunk of meat being contested by the three parties. Seeing that someone else dared to join the fray, Yuu Miyazawa immediately shot a fierce, protective look toward the intruder!
However, when facing the simultaneous glares of the three pieces of trash, Chisa Kotegawa only knitted her brows slightly. The scumbags immediately surrendered without a fight.
There was no helping it; this was a form of unreasonable suppression. You couldn't win in a head-on confrontation!
"Honestly! Aina hasn't even eaten yet!"
"Thank you?"
Looking at the roasted meat placed in front of her, Aina Yoshiwara's terror became visible to the naked eye!