"If not, then we have no reason to stay in contact anymore."
Ryo, clutching tightly at Haru's collar, spoke in a voice cold as ice.
Her breathtakingly beautiful face was suddenly tinged with a chill. Her flawless, pale arms, soft as lotus roots, gently encircled Haru's neck. To an outsider, they might've looked like lovers about to kiss, locked in an intimate embrace.
But to Haru, this moment was anything but romantic.
"...You want me to go with you now?"
Pressed against the wall, Haru furrowed his brow, studying this icy beauty before him. At this distance, they could both see every detail of each other's expressions.
The late autumn breeze swept gently through, lifting a few strands of her indigo hair beside her ear. Her pale, delicate earlobes flushed a tender pink that spread down her already lovely, soft neck.
Ryo, who had just spoken those words, carried a voice so cold and foreign that it made her feel like a stranger. It was as if the slightest resistance from Haru would cause her to turn and walk away without hesitation, like a proud lone wolf. And no matter how much Haru called after her, she would never look back.
"That's right. Come with me now."
"I don't care what's in your pocket, or if I have to drop out of school tonight. It doesn't matter."
Her crimson lips parted ever so slightly, then pressed together. As she spoke, she tilted her head just a little, drawing even closer to Haru. Her flawless face, glowing like polished jade, was tinged with a soft crimson, while her crystal-clear golden eyes stared steadily ahead.
One more step and they'd be kissing.
Their breath, warm and close, tangled between them. Haru's heart pounded in his chest as he slowly closed his deep, dark eyes. Perhaps because of Ryo's rough handling, his hair tie had come loose, letting his jet-black, silky hair fall gently onto the collar of his coat.
What should he say?
Knowing Ryo as he did, Haru understood all too well, she wasn't joking.
If he rejected Ryo's "confession" a second time, the proud ice queen would turn away without regret, ready to walk out of his life rather than compromise herself for a love she might never find again.
"What's your answer?"
Her voice, cool and clear, pulled him back from his thoughts. The heat of her breath beside his ear scattered his focus.
"If I say yes now, will you really accept my terms?"
"Yes. I won't say another word about your so-called harem."
Ryo's expression didn't change as their eyes locked in midair.
"But the price... is doing it with you right now?"
"Exactly."
There wasn't the slightest trace of emotion in her icy words.
In truth, this "price" she named couldn't even be called an exchange, not for either of them. If Haru agreed, he'd be winning twice over. The only one making a sacrifice would be Ryo.
A girl like Ryo who's smart, proud, and independent should have chosen to walk away when she learned that Haru was still entangled with so many other girls, some of whom were barely more than ambiguous flirtations. Pulling back like she had, drawing a clear line, would have been the sensible, self-respecting choice.
And yet, if Haru agreed now, Ryo was actually willing to accept being part of that messy "harem."
Maybe sensing his hesitation, the expressionless Ryo leaned in closer, brushing the tip of her nose lightly against his cheek. Their skin touched. Their breath mingled. They could feel each other's heat.
"Haru... Am I really not enough?"
The cold, aloof beauty who usually kept her distance now wore a heartbreaking look of sorrow. Her flushed cheeks, the snow-white curve of her bare shoulder, and the faint scent rising from her body blended into something overwhelmingly alluring.
In this moment, it seemed impossible for anyone to truly refuse her.
"..."
But Haru, who had already given his answer once before, exhaled deeply.
As their bodies drew closer, the heat seemed to spread from their blood to their thoughts, their cells, even into their bones. But Haru's long, slender fingers gently pressed against Ryo's lower abdomen, lightly pushing her away.
"Of course I like you, Ryo and what you're offering is definitely tempting..."
Maybe it was that small movement, but Ryo, suddenly overcome by an anxious urgency, snapped coldly.
"Then tell me. Right now."
What would he choose?
"But I refuse."
Haru opened his eyes, their depth unwavering, and pushed a little more firmly at her abdomen, putting a small distance between them. Under Ryo's trembling, wide-eyed gaze, he exhaled deeply and continued.
"I can't agree to your terms right now."
"Even if I said yes and left with you, even if I called you my girlfriend right this moment, it wouldn't feel right to me. Because what I need isn't for the person I love to 'compromise.'"
"I'll show you, little by little, that I can make you happy and I'll earn your genuine acceptance."
The heat in his body, blazing like fire, seemed to shatter under the calm words, as if something had been ripped apart. But at the same time, something new and solid formed in its place, a conviction.
Steady reason and burning will flickered in his obsidian eyes like sparks.
"Even if you give up on me now, I'll still make sure you come back to me one day. Willingly."
Haru stared calmly at the girl with the blue hair, no uncertainty in his eyes.
For a moment, Ryo, who only seconds ago looked ready to turn her back coldly, was left speechless. They stared at each other in silence until finally, Ryo slowly let go of his collar.
"That's your answer?"
She closed her eyes slowly, her tone flat but sharp-edged.
Just as Haru thought she might cast him one last glance and walk away...
The hand she had just released him with was suddenly replaced by her left arm curling around his neck. Before he had a chance to react, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him forcefully. She even stepped on his foot to keep him from dodging. The aggressive kiss lasted a full minute.
Their heat intertwined.
As she slowly let go, a trace of moisture lingered at the edge of her lips. Her golden eyes, full of turbulent emotion, narrowed as she adjusted her tousled indigo hair.
With a faint murmur in her voice, she said, "...You sure know how to pick the annoying answer."
"...Ryo, didn't you say we wouldn't stay in touch after this?"
"I never said that."
Without a flicker of shame, Ryo crossed her arms and replied nonchalantly.
Lying without blinking an eye seemed to be second nature to her. Even in this serious moment, she casually "took it back," leaving Haru stunned and at a loss.
He couldn't see this as just a joke.
That earlier question had been serious, he was sure of it. When she said she'd cut ties, she meant it.
But after he rejected her again, this proud and self-centered ice queen responded like this. It left Haru with a strange, complicated feeling.
"...Can I ask, what would you have done if I'd agreed just now?"
"Obviously, we would've gone straight to a hotel for S-X, and I'd tell everyone about it tomorrow."
If that had really happened... Haru didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
"I figured you'd reject me in the end. I just didn't expect..."
"Didn't expect what?"
"Forget it."
When he pressed, Ryo brushed it off as if it didn't matter. Her gold eyes rose in thought, and even under his gaze, her expression didn't change.
Today had clearly made her see her "future husband" in a new light.
But Haru, who knew her well, also understood there was no point in asking further. If Ryo didn't want to explain, then no look or question would get him to the truth.
Still... was that her way of agreeing, in the end?
The tension between them began to settle. The earlier heat and ambiguity faded into quiet. Neither spoke about what came next, even Haru needed time to process everything that had just happened.
But Ryo, seemingly aware of his internal chaos, blinked slowly and said softly, "Since you've made your choice, I guess it's time for the next step."
The next step? What next step?
Feeling a little confused, Haru shrugged. But Ryo's golden eyes had a strange intensity that made him uneasy, so he ventured cautiously.
"Well, then... shouldn't we get going? We've been out here forever... It's getting late. I should at least walk you home properly."
"Home? Why would I go home?"
Ryo tilted her head slightly, her puzzled expression rolling back time by ten minutes.
Wait, she's not going home?
Haru instinctively took a step back, lifting an eyebrow. But behind him was only the cold, unyielding marble wall. Even with his sharp instincts, he had no way to retreat.
Staring at the changing expression of the icy girl in front of him, Haru asked in a strange tone, "You're not? Then where is Ryo planning to go?"
"...Didn't I already say?"
After a short pause, Ryo curved her lips into a teasing smile.
"To a love hotel."
She blinked her delicate, featherlight lashes. Her cool eyes sparkled with mischief, and the curve of her lips turned into a sly, beautiful grin.
She gave him no time to react. Like a bolt of lightning, she grabbed his wrist, then pressed his hand gently against the armor plating at her chest.
As she stared into his widening black eyes, she leaned in like two magnets drawn together.
"Whether you agree or not, I'm not letting you go."
...
Ding-dong~
A blonde girl carrying a plastic bag stepped out of the supermarket near the LiveHouse, the glass doors sliding open behind her with a soft chime.
The night in Shimokitazawa wasn't especially lively. The streets, full of cultural energy and urban charm, were quiet tonight.
Wearing a pale green jacket and a bright red ribbon tie, Nijika lifted her head. Her bright red eyes, clear and sparkling, gazed up at the pale curve of the moon.
The marble wall beside the convenience store was plastered with posters, one of which was the "STARRY" promo poster Ryo had gone out to post earlier that day. Seeing it, Nijika couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like Ryo's been working hard after all! I thought she was just lazing around and handing them out to random people by the door~"
Feeling oddly at ease, Nijika glanced to the side. But the moment she spotted a poster for the "Japan Young Artists Collective Exhibition," her pupils shrank slightly.
"This is..."
This was the very art exhibition her sister had suggested she visit to clear her head.
In truth, Nijika had already seen that poster once before.
Back then, the moment she saw it, her thoughts had suddenly turned to Haru, the one who had stayed with her until the end in her dream. The Haru from her dreams and the Haru in reality were becoming more and more alike. That was why Nijika had stared at that poster for such a long, long time.
Maybe that's exactly why her tsundere sister assumed she'd taken an interest in art, of all things.
"Even though I really appreciate how worried she is about me… there's no way I can ask Haru to go with me..."
She whispered it like someone reminiscing about the past. But her usually cheerful, cute face looked unusually downcast, the bitter, helpless smile twisting her expression into something rather hard to look at.
That dream should've been nothing more than an ephemeral illusion, and yet reality was playing out just as she had imagined.
"I guess I'll go to the exhibition on my own. Might help me clear my head…"
Lately, Nijika's thoughts had been a complete mess. All she could do now was force herself to suppress the feelings in her heart and head toward STARRY.
But she had barely gone fifty meters from the convenience store when suddenly, she heard a very familiar voice.
Her brows knit in surprise, and her signature dorito ahoge sprang straight up like an antenna reacting to danger. Just as Nijika froze to listen more closely, the voices from farther away became crystal clear.
"Let me go!"
"...Haru?"
Nijika's crimson eyes widened. There was no way she could mistake Haru's voice. Even the faintest sound from him, she could recognize in an instant.
Why was Haru here? And why did he sound so flustered?
Shaking her head, she dismissed the confusion. There was no point in speculating, she had to go check it out herself. For all she knew, Haru might be in real trouble and need help.
As a friend and as a bandmate, Nijika had every reason to step in.
She darted forward with swift, graceful steps, her golden side ponytail streaking behind her like a flash of light. After crossing the street, she immediately spotted two figures.
But just as she reached them, she saw the very same Haru she was worried about... pinning a blue-haired girl against the wall, her face flushed deep red.
"Eh… Ehh?!"
Nijika froze in shock.
"H-Haru-san? What are you doing?!"
"…Nijika?"
Her sudden appearance clearly startled Haru. But the moment of hesitation was all Ryo needed. Her eyes narrowed, and she took advantage of his distraction to wrench her wrist free from his grasp. She grabbed his collar and, without hesitation, pulled him into another kiss.
In the blink of an eye, the situation reversed.
Seizing the advantage, Ryo forced Haru back and launched another fierce attack.
The sheer intensity of the scene left Nijika, a girl with zero romantic experience, completely overwhelmed. Flustered and helpless, she clapped both hands over her eyes, but those vivid, gem-like crimson pupils still peeked out through the gaps in her fingers.
Wh-what on earth was going on here?!
She hadn't seen wrong, right? Ryo had just kissed him, right?!
"—Come on! Enough already! Let go of me!"
"Nijika's standing right there watching!"
Ryo had pulled all kinds of shameless tricks during their struggle, and Haru had finally managed to grab hold of her wandering hands. But now, with Nijika suddenly cutting in, everything fell apart again.
Especially since Ryo, this shameless woman, clearly saw Nijika arrive and still didn't stop!
"Ryo, what even—"
The golden-haired girl's voice trembled along with her shoulders. Her face was bright red, and her ponytail swayed wildly as she tried to process what she was seeing. Just moments ago, she had been worried Haru was trying something with her friend. But now it was obvious who was forcing who.
Ryo was the real villain here!
But even when Nijika confronted her, Ryo had no intention of letting go.
Still catching her breath from the struggle, her face flushed and lips slightly parted, she looked Nijika straight in the eye and calmly said:
"Nijika, help me hold Haru down!"
"He definitely won't be able to resist you. If you join me, we'll have him tonight for sure."
Have him what?!
No, wasn't that just reverse r—pe seggs?!
"Ryo, what the hell are you doing?! Why did you just..."
Her face burning like a furnace, Nijika shook her head hard. The whole scene had exploded in front of her, and now her brain was fried. She had no idea which side she was supposed to be on anymore.
But when she hesitated, her cheeks still glowing red, Ryo threw out another bomb:
"Don't ask, just help!"
"I'm taking him to a hotel, remember? I told you this before."