The silver-white snow reflected the fading glow of dusk.
Shops lined both sides of the street, their lights set to illuminate only after six.
Christmas trees, ribbons, banners, and bells stood ready for the holiday's arrival, while faint, familiar melodies drifted through the air.
Akane bought two crêpes and casually handed one to Kaoru.
They sat side by side on a bench, watching the passersby.
"Which one is the Legendary Tree?"
"No idea. They said it's over there."
"How are you planning to confess?"
"Just walk around with him, then casually steer toward the tree. Pretend you have something to give him, and when he's not paying attention—bam! Sudden confession!"
"Can you actually say it out loud?"
"Don't discourage me! If I'm going to confess, of course I can say it. But you—how did you and Ichinose start dating?"
Akane sat on the bench, her slender legs pressed together and stretched out in front of her, her feet fidgeting restlessly.
The contrast between her black Mary Janes and white knee-high socks was striking, like two little bamboo shoots.
She nibbled on her crêpe but stole glances at Kaoru's face—handsome and refined, sometimes wearing a faint smirk, other times serious.
When he wasn't talking, he was actually quite good-looking.
She had assumed he wasn't interested in girls, yet he'd quietly gotten himself a girlfriend.
The thought made her chest feel tight.
"I confessed to her first. She didn't agree at first, but later she did," Kaoru said, wondering how long the effects would last if he changed out of the Black Formal Suit.
"Did your confession fail?" Akane was instantly intrigued.
Girls were naturally curious about gossip, so her questioning didn't seem odd.
"Why did she agree later?"
"I wouldn't call it a failure. She said she needed time to think, so I slowly built a better relationship with her. Eventually, it worked out," Kaoru explained. "But we were secretly dating before. I plan to make it official on Christmas."
Akane froze.
The tightness in her chest worsened, as if something were writhing inside, making her stomach twist.
The crêpe suddenly tasted sour, and she pursed her lips unconsciously.
"Secretly dating… so you've been together for a long time?"
"Since before summer break."
"Wow, so you've basically been together from the start?!"
"Why are you so worked up about it?"
"B-Because none of you told me!" Akane tried to mask her emotions, her eyes filled with anxiety and dejection.
She felt like her stomach lining was burning through, breathing rapidly.
"I'm your senior, yet you didn't tell me anything—you're completely treating me like an outsider!"
"My bad. I'll introduce my next girlfriend to you, senpai." Kaoru studied her expression, sensing something was off.
"Hmph, let's not bother with that." Akane actually felt a little happy inside, though she didn't understand why.
Was it because she heard Kaoru wasn't as attached to Ichinose Honami as she'd imagined?
"We can't just drop it, because I really do have other girlfriends." Kaoru hesitated about whether to tell the truth—he couldn't keep letting Karuizawa Kei and the others cover for him.
"Liar. Who would agree to something like that?" Akane didn't believe him at all.
Though, even if he did have multiple girlfriends, she didn't seem to dislike the idea.
"Why wouldn't they agree?" Kaoru was curious about what bystanders like Tachibana were thinking.
"Because it's just not acceptable! Wouldn't that be cheating?" Akane gave him a strange look. "If it's your boyfriend, but he has several other women, not only is that cheating, but it's also humiliating—like you couldn't even keep your own boyfriend in check."
"What if everyone agreed?" Kaoru proposed another scenario.
Akane was momentarily speechless.
If everyone agreed, then there wouldn't be much to say. She pursed her lips.
"That's impossible. You're dreaming. Only sleazy men fantasize about things like that."
"I was thinking—what if it were you, senpai? Would you agree?" Kaoru held the crepe, feeling it grow colder in his hand.
Akane took a bite of the crepe and mumbled with her mouth full, "I'd definitely get mad… unless he was willing to coax me and make me happy…"
That's a pretty low bar.
Kaoru wondered if she was just love-struck.
"But… if they all agreed, and I didn't, we'd probably break up, right?" Akane's mood suddenly dipped.
"What else can I do besides get angry? I definitely wouldn't want to break up."
Kaoru paused, then said softly, "Like I said earlier, if it doesn't work out, just split up. It's not a big deal."
"Of course I know that." Akane huffed. "But he's the boyfriend I found myself. Don't I know what kind of person he is?"
Kaoru chuckled. "You're right. Horikita definitely isn't that kind of guy."
Akane flushed slightly—she hadn't even confessed yet.
"I had a lot of fun with you today! Even though you're just a junior, you did well!"
"You did great too, senpai. You could've taken advantage in the movie theater."
"W-Wha—?! Why are you bringing that up again? You're the one who took advantage of me!"
"I do the same when I'm on dates with Honami. It's just habit."
"O-Oh, is that so…?"
Akane could feel how stiff her expression was.
Every time she heard him mention Honami's name, her heart wrenched violently, as if a rope were slowly tightening around it.
An inexplicable, intense longing surged within her.
Yet, she didn't even know what she was yearning for.
The anxiety made her want to destroy something.
The emotions that had just begun to fade were now returning tenfold—no, a hundredfold—crashing over her in overwhelming waves.
"I'm also going on a date with Honami. If we accidentally run into each other on Christmas, I'll quickly take her away."
"Ahaha, take her away?"
"You're not thinking of having me play wingman, are you?"
"..."
Akane had already forgotten what Horikita Manabu looked like.
Her gaze was fixed intently on Kaoru, flashes of their time together flickering through her mind, followed by images of Kaoru with Ichinose, and finally their inevitable parting at next year's graduation ceremony.
A twisted darkness gradually took root in her heart, as if some voice was calling out to her, compelling her to move closer to Kaoru without conscious thought.
With every centimeter she closed the distance, the spasms in her gut eased slightly, her heartbeat quickened, her body temperature rose, and her eyes burned with desperate longing.
Just as she was about to reach out under Kaoru's puzzled gaze, the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted them.
"Hello~ Can you guess who this is, Mitoma-kun?"
The cheerful voice shattered Akane's trance.
She stared blankly at Asahina Nazuna, who had playfully covered Kaoru's eyes from behind.
"You didn't even bother to disguise your voice. How could I not recognize you?" Kaoru could feel the warmth of her gloved hands against his skin.
"I slipped up. I just wanted to see you flustered for once," Asahina Nazuna chuckled melodiously as she released her hands from covering his eyes, only to immediately wrap them around his neck instead.
The full, soft curves of her chest pressed against him through their clothes, accompanied by a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Tachibana Akane froze momentarily upon noticing Asahina Nazuna's gaze lingering on her—that knowing, half-amused look that seemed to see right through what she'd been about to do moments ago.
Flustered, she quickly put some distance between them while maintaining a composed facade.
"Popping up out of nowhere like that, Asahina-san. I'd appreciate it if you'd at least consider other people's feelings."
Asahina narrowed her eyes.
She had approached from behind the bench, so neither of them had noticed her until now.
Tightening her arms around Kaoru's head, she pulled him firmly against her chest like a possessive guard dog protecting its meal.
"My, my, how careless of me. I only noticed Mitoma-kun here—I didn't realize Tachibana-senpai was present too."
Her smile was bright, yet carried little warmth.
So they knew each other?
Kaoru was still processing this when Asahina suddenly pinched his side—hard enough to sting.
Seemed like he'd have to come clean to them soon.
Otherwise, they might start thinking he was the type to fall for anyone at the drop of a hat.
"I was just chatting with my kouhai. More importantly, since when were you two so close?" Akane's irritation was palpable.
What had started as mild discomfort now churned into something far more unpleasant at the sight of Asahina clinging to Kaoru like this.
"Hmm, how should I put this? What do you think, Mitoma-kun?" Asahina tilted her face slightly downward, her warm breath brushing against his ear as she murmured softly.
"Well? What exactly is our relationship?"
'This mischievous woman...'
Kaoru remained utterly unfazed.
Instead, he turned his head just enough to meet her gaze directly—so close that their breaths mingled.
"I'm fully prepared. The real question is—when will you agree to it, Nazuna-senpai?"
Clearly not expecting him to counter so boldly in front of Akane, Asahina Nazuna's cheeks flushed pink. She forced composure into her voice.
"Shouldn't that depend on how determined you are, Mitoma-kun?"
Her implication was clear—she wanted to know what he intended to do, whether he was ready to shoulder all the consequences.
But Kaoru simply cupped her chin without hesitation.
Asahina Nazuna was no fool.
At her age, girls already knew plenty about such matters.
In an instant, the senior's face burned crimson as she shoved him away.
Getting forcefully kissed once was bad enough—but a second time? Couldn't he at least make it romantic?
Kaoru smirked at her reaction.
Realizing she'd been played—especially with Akane still watching—Asahina gritted her teeth in belated frustration.
"Mitoma-kun?" Akane's voice wavered slightly. "What exactly were you doing just now?"
"Teaching this arrogant senpai a lesson," Kaoru replied casually. "Haven't you heard the rumors about her lately?"
Akane hesitated.
"Something about a falling out with Nagumo-kun?"
Since it was Nagumo Miyabi's humiliation, he didn't publicize it and asked their classmates to keep it secret.
Outsiders could only hear vague rumors.
"Yeah, because someone forced a decision on me, Miyabi and I are taking some time apart right now," Asahina admitted openly. "So I'm alone for now, and I'll be spending Christmas alone too."
Kaoru felt like she was being sarcastic about something, but he had no proof.
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