"Mitoma-kun's answer is quite serious; don't all men hope to have a harem?"
Asahina Nazuna's voice carried a hint of teasing, as if a mature and composed senpai was calmly addressing her junior's questions.
"Since childhood, I've hated tragedies and only cherished happy endings where everyone has a bright and beautiful future." Kaoru paused here.
"The premise of having a harem is that everyone is willing; if someone is unwilling and is forced together, it will only make things a tangled mess."
Asahina Nazuna was surprised; he actually wanted to discuss this topic with her.
For women, a harem was quite an inappropriate subject.
"I like happy endings just like you, Mitoma-kun, but I might prefer a one-on-one pure love route more because I don't want to share my love with anyone."
"Senpai is indeed quite innocent."
"This question isn't about innocence. If it were you, would you want to see your girlfriend have a second, or even a third, fourth boyfriend?"
"I wouldn't want that."
"So, love itself is inherently selfish."
"What if he loves you just as much?"
Asahina Nazuna frowned; she felt that Kaoru seemed to be implying something, and her mood began to grow a bit restless.
No, wait, it was that she couldn't answer this question.
While the two were conversing, Nagumo Miyabi was enjoying the company of the girls around him, like a drunken emperor lost in a dream.
A few days ago, this emperor had told her directly that he liked her.
To be honest, Asahina Nazuna didn't have much aversion to Nagumo Miyabi, let alone any feelings of affection; she just thought he was quite strong and had a prominent personal charm, more outstanding than others of the same age.
However, if it came to dating, that would require careful consideration.
"Hey, Mitoma-kun, if you had one apple and several people in front of you wanted to eat it, would you give the apple to one person alone, or would you cut it to share with everyone?"
As she spoke, Asahina Nazuna stared directly into Kaoru's eyes, unwilling to miss his reaction.
"I would buy more apples," Kaoru responded with what he thought was the most reasonable answer.
Asahina Nazuna felt a question mark appear above her head, and then she couldn't help but burst into laughter, patting Kaoru on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, you idiot! Who said you could buy more apples? Let me add to the question: if you only have one apple right now, and you must distribute it within a minute, what will you do?"
The question became even more unreasonable.
Kaoru pondered for a moment and replied, "What does Senpai want to eat?"
Asahina Nazuna's face darkened; she was the one asking the questions, not the one who needed to answer!
"The distributor is you now; you need to ask yourself what you will do, not ask me."
"I understand what you mean, senpai. Giving one person the apple alone is unfair, but regardless of your feelings, cutting the apple for everyone is also quite excessive," Kaoru said.
"Even if there's only one apple, I think we can discuss it."
Asahina Nazuna fell silent.
If they could discuss how to eat an apple, could love also be discussed together?
"The issue isn't distribution; it's why I only have one apple to give you, and not two or three. Why doesn't everyone have one?"
"…"
Asahina Nazuna's thoughts became tangled.
She couldn't think of any reason to refute Kaoru, even though his thoughts were as detestable as Nagumo's.
Since she couldn't think of anything, she simply gave up on the topic.
"How did you know we would have gym class today?"
The schedules for the two grades were different, and Asahina Nazuna was quite curious about how he knew her class's schedule.
"I checked the location and saw that you and Nagumo-senpai were in the gym, so I came to take a look," Kaoru said, his heart steady.
"Wow, isn't that a bit like a creepy stalker?" Asahina Nazuna was somewhat taken aback.
"I don't watch every day," Kaoru defended himself, noting that someone was worse than him, keeping tabs on her location every day.
"Mitoma-kun, I think first-year students should focus on their studies," Asahina Nazuna said sternly.
"You can skip class today, but who knows what more outrageous things you might do tomorrow? Even if you don't care about the class, you should at least exercise some self-restraint."
"Alright, alright, I'll head back right away." Kaoru was about to leave when he suddenly turned back.
"Don't tell Nagumo-senpai, I'm counting on you, senpai."
Asahina Nazuna watched him leave, and after a while, she returned to the gym with a nonchalant expression.
"Nazuna, let's practice again later."
Nagumo Miyabi patted the girls beside him, sending them back to practice.
"Ahaha, I'm a bit tired," Asahina Nazuna said, sitting aside. "I doubt I can keep up with Miyabi's pace; how about we switch partners?"
"What are you talking about? My partner can only be you," Nagumo Miyabi said dismissively.
"The three-legged race isn't particularly difficult, and didn't we work well together before?"
Asahina Nazuna fell silent for a moment and didn't oppose him further.
However, years of tacit understanding quickly led Nagumo Miyabi to notice her unusual demeanor, prompting him to ask her.
"Is it because of what I just did?"
Seeing Asahina Nazuna remain silent, he said impatiently.
"I've told you many times; you don't need to worry about these trivial matters. The only person I truly care about is you, and they all know that."
So, can she be at ease with this thought?
Asahina Nazuna couldn't help but recall Kaoru Mitoma from earlier; his evasive remarks left a deep impression on her, and more importantly, his last words had been said without a hint of joking, but rather with serious contemplation.
If there were only one apple, it would indeed be unfair because some would want to eat more meat, and if it were less, they would feel wronged.
As the number of people increased, the amount of meat available for distribution would decrease.
After all, they could have enjoyed one apple to their heart's content.
Asahina Nazuna hesitated for a moment and shared this question with Nagumo Miyabi.
In response, Nagumo Miyabi answered nonchalantly, "Of course, it's for you. To me, you will always be my top priority."
The answer was decisive; most girls would expect this answer, and Asahina Nazuna was no exception.
Rationally or emotionally, she didn't want to share the apple.
However, Nagumo Miyabi's actions also made her feel a twinge of unease.
Asahina Nazuna suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.
Why was she thinking so much?
She had been led astray by Kaoru Mitoma; she and Miyabi had been childhood friends, so his apple was undoubtedly hers.
Thus, Asahina Nazuna decided to temporarily forget these thoughts, intentionally or unintentionally ignoring the girls around Nagumo Miyabi.
No, she had already grown accustomed to the presence of girls around him.
After all, they were childhood friends, and Asahina Nazuna was willing to give him more trust.
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