After Maya signaled, Kei had no choice but to cooperate and walk ahead alone.
The trio became a pair.
Houtarou had already guessed that Maya might confess to him a second time.
But she seemed to lack courage. She walked with him for quite a while before finally mustering enough strength to speak at a corner.
Houtarou also noticed someone hiding in the bushes nearby.
Now Maya had summoned her courage.
"Um... Oreki-kun… Although I've said this before." She began, seemingly using all her strength, "I really like you, Oreki-kun. If the person who's supporting you doesn't have romantic feelings for you, then... would you consider going out with me? I, I can wait!"
As she spoke, Maya lowered her head. Her body trembled slightly, having used all her courage.
This was different from the earlier punishment game scenario. This was a genuine second confession. Though he was still being watched, Houtarou needed to take the situation seriously.
He couldn't simply ignore her confession.
Despite being set up by Kei several times in one day, the fact that Maya could be manipulated like this showed how much she valued him.
This was the second time Houtarou had been confessed to by the same person. What she was saying was that if his benefactor senior wasn't interested in dating him, then she was willing to be a backup.
'…A backup, huh.'
This position seemed rather demeaning, almost like a love-struck puppy.
But Houtarou knew his future wife was Suzune. Although his Precognitive Dream showed his future life would be somewhat chaotic, he was certain of that fact.
Even if his benefactor senior didn't require him to be with her — and even if Maya became his girlfriend from being a backup — dating during high school still meant that she wouldn't end up with him in the future.
Such a romance would be like floating clouds — temporary and insubstantial. That wouldn't be fair to her.
This was why Houtarou used excuses like "I just want to study" and "student life is precious, so I want to learn more" to reject Kei.
As for his lack of dating experience with girls, he could make up for that using Kikyō. The main reason was that this little devil would exist in his future life anyway. So it didn't matter how he used her now.
But Maya was obviously a good person. His conscience wouldn't let him treat her the way he treated Kikyō.
So, after some consideration:
"Please raise your head." Houtarou said.
"Are, are you going to accept me?" Maya asked excitedly.
"No." Houtarou shook his head.
"I see…" Maya's excitement instantly deflated into disappointment.
"I'm not that good of a person." Houtarou said, "So, I don't think I can date during high school."
"Is, is that so? But I think Oreki-kun..." Maya looked like she wanted to argue.
However, Houtarou knew exactly where he stood.
During their long walk together, he had already discovered that Kei, who had claimed she needed to leave, hadn't left at all — she was hiding in the bushes.
Her green hairband was very noticeable against her ponytail. Even crouching in the bushes, the hairband remained visible.
Kei was someone he needed to treat with caution. From his Precognitive Dream, he knew that they would date during high school. But his final marriage partner was Suzune.
So if he dated Kei, it would simply be a first love with no future for her. That seemed cruel.
He was deliberately avoiding this possibility, leaving her feelings unaddressed and unspoken.
Mishandling this situation could lead to serious complications.
"Being accepted into this academy is an incredible opportunity for me." Houtarou said, "During my time studying here, I don't plan to pursue romantic relationships. I'm sorry."
His rejection was gentle but clear.
"I understand…" Maya smiled through her tears, her expression heartbreaking, "I knew I would fail. After all, I'm not as beautiful as Horikita-san or Sakura-san, and I'm not as cute as Karuizawa. I just think you're handsome, that's all… So, could you kiss me just once?"
Eh?
She just thinks he's handsome and wants a kiss?
Eh!?
???????????????????????????????
Houtarou froze in shock.
Maya, do you realize what you're saying? Isn't that basically saying... I just want your body?
Houtarou was aware that he attracted female attention. Kikyō even used his photos for social media. He knew his appearance appealed to girls.
But to be asked for a kiss so directly? Was Maya really this superficial?
His emotions tangled into a confused knot.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he noticed Maya had begun to cry.
He had misunderstood. Having summoned all her courage only to be rejected, she was likely trying to salvage some dignity from the situation.
"So it's... not possible after all." Seeing that he made no move, Maya began crying and tried to escape.
Houtarou felt a familiar uncertainty, similar to when he couldn't face Kikyō's temptation. This was the first time he had seen a girl cry in front of him like this.
Did he have feelings for Maya? He supposed he did.
Just as Honami had pointed out, he was concerned about rejecting Maya, worried about future awkwardness between them, and unsure how to handle such a situation.
That "big angel" had asked if he truly wanted to reject her — a question he hadn't answered at the time.
Yet he understood something clearly: apart from his Precognitive Dream, this was the first time in his actual life experience that a girl had genuinely pursued him.
Now, receiving no response, Maya was about to run away in tears.
"Wait…" Houtarou instinctively reached out, and before he realized what he was doing, he had grabbed her hand.
"Huh??" Maya seemed stunned for a moment before she grasped what had happened, "Does this mean... Oreki-kun is willing?"
She asked in surprise.
"If you stop crying." Houtarou said.
"Mm-hmm... Um... I'm a bit nervous." Maya said, then suddenly grabbed his good-looking tie, "Please, please lower your head a bit."
⍟⍟⍟
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