Ayanokoji felt the world had changed. Changed in ways that exceeded every expectation he had ever formed about it.
Haruka had been holding a love letter right in front of him. By any reasonable line of analysis, the conclusion should have been a confession directed at him. Where had he gone wrong?
This was the first time Ayanokoji had ever misjudged a situation. He couldn't even understand it. In what specific way had he lost out to Ryunosuke? It wasn't that he felt anything like jealousy, he hadn't developed that kind of emotion yet. He simply couldn't make logical sense of the phenomenon.
In terms of appearance, Ryunosuke wasn't meaningfully better looking than him. If anything, perhaps slightly less so. By any reasonable theory, why would a girl like Haruka develop feelings for Ryunosuke? He had no answer.
Ayanokoji looked down at the love letter that had been pressed into his hands, and exhaled quietly. "What a nuisance. I'll find a moment to pass it to Akasaka. Whatever else is true, this is a girl's sincere feelings."
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Elsewhere, Yotsuba was dealing with a misery of her own. She had heard the rumors and understood that Ryunosuke already had someone he cared about. She lay face down on her desk, tears falling steadily.
She had been there first. Why had it come to this.
Yotsuba no longer knew what to do. Itsuki and Miku, seeing their sister like this, couldn't bear to do nothing. They wanted to help, or at the very least save her chances. Even Nino, who was usually too proud to involve herself, spoke up.
"They're only dating. They haven't married. You still have a chance."
Yotsuba shot upright with sudden fire. She lifted her chin and clenched her fist. "Nino's right! I still have a chance!"
Seeing her recover, Ichika let out a quiet breath of relief. Even with the odds stacked against her, all five sisters decided they would help together.
As it happened, Ayanokoji had just come back from outside and was immediately intercepted by Yotsuba.
Her eyes were bright as she approached him. "Ayanokoji-kun, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Could you come with me for a moment?"
Her clear blue eyes were fixed on him. This time, Ayanokoji did not make the same mistake. He had adapted. As the highest achievement of the White Room, his capacity to learn and recalibrate was exceptional. He was not going to assume a girl was confessing to him this time.
They ended up at the garden again. The same bench, white with gold trim, the one that was becoming uncomfortably familiar. Looking at it, Ayanokoji felt a quiet, formless sense of dread.
Once they sat down, Yotsuba knotted her fingers in the hem of her skirt. "I, um. There's someone I like. Ayanokoji-kun, could you help me?"
Ayanokoji went very still. Yotsuba continued as though she hadn't noticed, her voice soft and slightly aching. "Whenever I think about him, my heart feels so full. I thought coming to Advanced Nurturing High School and finally getting to see him again was the best thing that had happened to me. But he's forgotten who I am."
The ribbon in her hair drooped immediately, like a wilted leaf.
She looked down and said quietly, "I like your best friend. Akasaka Ryunosuke."
(Right. Of course. Again. Damn it.)
Ayanokoji cursed inwardly at the injustice of everything. What he didn't notice was that he, who had never really had emotions to speak of, had just shown a flicker of something genuine.
He looked at the letter Yotsuba pressed into his hands. Same as before. Help pass this to Ryunosuke. Well, there was nothing else for it. He was Ryunosuke's only real friend.
He prepared to leave. He told himself to stay composed. Only two so far. He could endure this.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Meanwhile, upon learning that Ryunosuke's girlfriend was Arisu, Sato Maya felt the disappointment settle in and decided to let it go. He already belonged to someone, and honestly, he wasn't so extraordinarily good-looking that fighting over him made any sense.
Kei did not share that view. She stood up and decided to try. She happened to spot Ayanokoji returning to class just then, and her eyes locked onto him immediately.
Ayanokoji felt the weight of that stare and tilted his head slightly.
Some time later.
Kei and Ayanokoji were sitting on the same garden bench.
If Ayanokoji had been a normal person, he would have been using some very colorful language by now. He was not a normal person, but the foundations of his composure were beginning to crack.
Same setup, same pattern as before. Kei twirled a strand of golden hair behind her ear and spoke with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "Um. There's, well. Someone I like."
Ayanokoji raised a hand to cut her off and pulled two love letters from his pocket. "Let's skip to the point."
Kei: 😐
"Can you at least let me finish?!" she snapped.
Ayanokoji didn't care. He had no patience left for this. Kei threw her love letter directly at his face in irritation and stood to leave. "It had better reach Akasaka," she called over her shoulder. "Or else."
Ayanokoji exhaled at considerable length. "I'm exhausted."
It was the first time he had ever felt this particular kind of tired. Mental fatigue, a completely unfamiliar sensation.
He was about to get up when Matsushita Chiaki appeared from around the corner, school bag in hand. On reflex, he sat back down.
Chiaki dropped into the seat beside him without preamble and asked, "What did Karuizawa say to you?"
A wave of relief moved through him. At least this one wasn't about Ryunosuke. He answered honestly. "Karuizawa-san asked me to deliver a love letter to Akasaka."
"I see." Chiaki wasn't surprised. She had already guessed as much. She had been meaning to help both of her close friends, but one of them, Maya, had apparently already given up. That was one less thing to worry about.
What Ayanokoji didn't know was that Chiaki had already noticed Ryunosuke's pattern of involvement with multiple girls. She had studied psychology, and the signs weren't subtle. She reached into her bag and produced an envelope of her own, which contained less a love letter and more a pointed threat: accept Kei's confession, or she would expose everything she knew.
Ayanokoji had no way of knowing that.
All he saw was another letter that needed to reach Ryunosuke. The part of him that was usually as still as standing water began to churn.
What he was feeling had a name. It was fury.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Ayanokoji arrived at the student council room, where Ryunosuke was working through the responsibilities of his new position.
Ryunosuke looked up in surprise, but before he could say a word, all four letters hit him squarely in the face.
For the first and only time in his life, something broke through in Ayanokoji's voice: "We're done being friends, Akasaka!"
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