This wasn't Tachibana Akane's first time being confessed to.
From middle school until now, several boys had written her love letters—all of which she rejected.
Because back then, she had no interest in romance whatsoever.
Of course, Horikita Manabu had been an exception.
Tachibana had never met a boy like him before—someone who made her feel like a child, tiptoeing around him in caution.
She didn't know what "liking" someone meant. She only knew she cared deeply about Horikita.
Akane thought she had hidden these feelings well, that no one had noticed—until a strange, ill-mannered freshman joined the student council.
From the very first meeting, this guy had the audacity to criticize Horikita, which irritated Akane to no end.
She tried to warn him to watch his words, but he completely ignored her, only fueling her frustration.
Ever since he joined the student council, Akane found herself constantly angry—whether it was his laziness, napping on the student council sofa, sneaking glances at her while she ate, or shamelessly prying into her relationship with Horikita.
Things no one else knew, this guy had somehow figured out—and worse, he had the nerve to tell her to just confess outright.
Every time she thought about it, she only grew angrier.
Who did he think he was? Just an outsider meddling in her business.
However, considering he had leverage over her, Akane reluctantly treated him a bit better, revealing some small secrets to him.
Perhaps it was precisely because she was too kind that he became increasingly bold, clinging to her every day.
Fortunately, her term was about to end.
Akane thought this would finally free her from him, but to her surprise, he didn't even say goodbye—how utterly rude.
Akane was displeased.
Even though she would soon graduate, he didn't seem to cherish their remaining time at all.
Later, Akane heard he had gotten a girlfriend.
Someone actually accepted this guy's confession? That fact shocked her.
If even he could succeed, maybe she could too.
Akane extended an invitation for a date—strictly as practice, of course.
As for what they practiced, the girl had completely forgotten.
All she remembered was that she was about to graduate, and he already had a girlfriend.
"Hah… hah…"
Her small frame trembled as Akane forced a smile. "W-what kind of joke is this? Don't do something so disrespectful to your senpai!"
A fake confession—it had to be fake!
Or maybe she had misheard entirely. That had to be it!
Because she suddenly remembered: the person before her had a girlfriend—Ichinose Honami.
"I heard your graduation ceremony is on March 24th," Kaoru said, gazing down at the girl below him.
"That means there are only two months left."
"Someone told me that if I don't seize the opportunity in time, someone else might take it first."
Seize the opportunity? Akane bit her lip hard, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she swallowed them down.
"You already have a girlfriend!"
Yes, no matter what Kaoru had to say, she knew it was impossible.
Because this guy was just too infuriating!
He had moved faster than her—she hadn't even confessed yet, and he already had a girlfriend. So unfair, so unfair, so unfair!
"These past few days, you must have heard about Asahina-senpai, right?"
Kaoru remained calm. "People say I stole Nagumo's childhood friend. Now I can admit it to you—that's exactly what happened. Asahina-senpai and I are in a relationship now."
Yet Akane shoved him away.
"So sneaky! An ambush like this is just despicable—it's not fair at all!"
Without giving Kaoru a chance to speak, Akane fled down the hallway, dashed down the stairs, and sprinted back to the girls' dormitory.
'Was it too much for her?'
Just like Amikura Mako, Kamuro Masumi, and Sakayanagi Arisu, her instinctive reaction had been resistance and rejection.
But that was a normal response.
Kaoru looked down at his hands.
Even if it was selfish, someday in the future, he didn't want to shed tears over words left unspoken or actions left undone.
No matter whose tears they were.
...
"Honestly, this is just reckless. Of course Tachibana-senpai would be angry."
After hearing Kaoru's explanation, Ichinose Honami was dumbfounded and let out a deep sigh.
"That's her problem!"
Karuizawa, on one hand, felt a sense of empathy, but on the other, a strong sense of crisis.
"Even though I dated Hirata-kun before, I never liked him. But this Tachibana-senpai definitely has feelings for Horikita-senpai."
The thoughts of girls are too complex; sometimes even they don't know what they're thinking.
"Kei has a point, but I think Kaoru was too sudden. The girl wasn't prepared, and the mood wasn't right!"
Ichinose kept a stern face, momentarily distracted, nearly letting Kaoru succeed again.
"Even if Tachibana-senpai has feelings for you, with exams and graduation coming up, she'd definitely hesitate."
"Right, right!"
Karuizawa nodded emphatically.
Seeing both girls criticize him, Kaoru felt a bit frustrated. "I'll figure something out. But why are the two of you together today?"
Leaving aside last night's incident with Tachibana Akane, today he unexpectedly saw Ichinose and Karuizawa together—and they were the ones who sought him out.
For a moment, Kaoru felt inexplicably guilty.
"Because we wanted to take advantage of this training camp to bring everyone closer," Ichinose said, holding Karuizawa's hand with a bright smile.
"That's something you and Kikyō taught me. The experience back then was really wonderful."
Thankfully, Karuizawa didn't understand what she was talking about.
Even Kaoru blushed for her—openly saying such things out loud? Honami was beyond saving.
"Speaking of which, Kaoru's problem lies here," Karuizawa puffed her cheeks. "You won't even spare the upperclassmen? Just how many more people are you planning to involve?"
Kaoru wanted to tell the truth, but he didn't know how to handle it.
Whether it was the girls or the idols, if any of them found out about the others, the situation would spiral out of his control.
"Even if you stay silent, we won't let you off the hook, you know?" Karuizawa said. "Today, Honami and I wanted to discuss something with you."
"Fine, I'll agree," Kaoru surrendered without hesitation.
This outcome took Karuizawa by surprise. "I haven't even said it yet!"
"If I refuse, both Honami and Kei would get mad, right?" Kaoru asked.
"Y-yes, we would. But aren't you going to ask what it is?"
Karuizawa was both happy and frustrated.
She had prepared a whole list of arguments to persuade Kaoru, but now they were useless.
"As long as you two aren't angry, I'll do anything. So there's no need to ask."
Kaoru figured that if he ever really let them meet, as long as they had no objections, he could do whatever he wanted.
Karuizawa sulked, while Ichinose giggled.
"Alright, alright. Actually, we just wanted you to consider everyone's feelings. If you keep adding more people, everyone will feel uneasy."
Relationships need nurturing.
Without daily interaction, how can there be harmony?
Kaoru shifted his gaze from Ichinose to Karuizawa who pouted.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Sometimes I can't believe I have two adorable and gentle girlfriends."
"Ugh, shut up!"
Kaoru took both their small hands in his.
Karuizawa turned her face slightly away, while Ichinose's cheeks flushed faintly.
"It's not just me and Kei—Kikyō and Suzune feel the same way. You can keep acting according to your preferences, but we also want to know if the person is suitable."
"And if they're not, what would you think?"
"It depends on Kaoru's thoughts."
A faint glimmer flashed in Kaoru's eyes—did that mean there was room for negotiation?
To be honest, he was genuinely surprised that Ichinose Honami could even accept Karuizawa Kei.
The two had grown so close that they were now calling each other by their first names, clearly becoming good friends.
"As for Tachibana-senpai, I'll help Kaoru test the waters next."
As a member of the student council, Ichinose had plenty of reasons to interact with Tachibana Akane.
The two had already built a decent relationship during their time in the council.
Kaoru didn't know what to say—his girlfriend was helping him pursue someone else?
However, in the next moment, his girlfriend suddenly became a little terrifying.
"Ah, I almost forgot—when was the last time Kaoru did something bad?"
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