Chiaki, who had already left, walked with her chest heaving up and down from emotion. As someone with an understanding of psychology, she should have been the calmest, but why was her heart so unsettled right now?
She simply assumed that this annoyance arose from defending Kei, without any other thoughts coming to mind.
Not long after, the midday hour passed and the afternoon class periods began. Kei returned from the faculty office with a disappointed expression; it was completely obvious she had just received a harsh reprimand.
Chiaki immediately approached her with deep concern. "Are you okay?"
Kei waved her hand while forcing a smile. "Not bad... it's just that Chabashira-sensei is indeed a bit cruel when scolding people."
Chiaki spoke in a half-joking tone, "That's because you were daydreaming during the lesson. What were you thinking about? Don't tell me..."
She drew closer and asked in a low voice in her best friend's ear, "You were thinking about a guy, weren't you?"
Kei's sweet face flushed red, and she immediately denied it. "N-no! Don't talk nonsense!"
Chiaki laughed. They were truly close friends, to the point of being willing to toss jokes like that at each other.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
The time for school dismissal arrived.
Ryunosuke approached Chiaki, who was about to grab her bag to leave. "Can you help me ask Kei out? There is something I want to talk about with her, just the two of us."
Although Chiaki felt reluctant because she was constantly being turned into a "bridge," for the sake of her best friend's interests, she still agreed to it. She turned her face away and snorted, "I get it, I'll help ask her out."
Ryunosuke felt relieved. "Thank you very much, Chiaki."
"Don't call me so familiarly, we aren't that close!" Chiaki replied curtly.
In Japan, calling someone directly by their given name is a sign of a very close relationship, and Chiaki felt her relationship with this man had not yet reached that level.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Through Chiaki's help, Ryunosuke finally succeeded in asking Kei out. However, for whatever psychological reason—perhaps due to worrying about her best friend—Chiaki secretly tailed them to sneak a look.
The moment Kei knew that Ryunosuke was asking her out, she deliberately went back to the dormitory to take off her uniform and change into a beautiful skirt for the date.
A girl will always dress up in front of the guy she likes. Kei tied up her hair, stared at herself in the mirror, and then went to the date cheerfully.
Ryunosuke was still wearing his red uniform top, but he had changed out of his green uniform pants, which he found a bit ugly. He stood in front of the door of Kei's dormitory with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently.
Kei opened the door and immediately linked her arm through Ryunosuke's. "Let's go, Ryunosuke-kun~"
Ryunosuke only gave a short answer, "Let's go," and then the two of them went toward a nearby restaurant for dinner. Meanwhile, Chiaki hid in a corner and continued to follow them.
Kei, who had previously felt jealous because Ryunosuke carried Arisu in public, instantly felt that it was no longer important the moment she knew the man was taking her on a date.
(Perhaps I really am that easily satisfied. As long as this man is by my side, that is enough.) Kei thought to himself.
Until finally at the restaurant, under the pretext of treating her to a meal, Ryunosuke told everything to Kei—including the reality that he had 16 girlfriends.
Kei stirred her drink with a straw, her heart feeling extremely painful. She took back her words; she was not as broad-minded as she had imagined.
Ryunosuke saw her falling silent and did not want to disturb her; he just sat quietly across from the girl. After a long time, the straw in Kei's hand stopped moving, and then she looked up to stare at Ryunosuke.
"Why... why did you tell me? Couldn't you just lie to me for a lifetime?"
While speaking, Kei began to cry with sobbing sounds. "Let me be a pitiful person who knows nothing forever, couldn't you?"
"Why did you have to tell me this? How am I supposed to accept it?"
Ryunosuke remained silent. He knew this was all his fault, and he had no right to defend himself. While wiping away tears with both her hands, Kei complained.
"Just hide it from me for a lifetime, let me live a happy life without knowing anything, is that not possible?"
"You really had to tell me everything, you bastard!"
Compared to this pain, Kei preferred to be deceived for a lifetime; even if it was fake, she wanted to escape from reality. She regretted it, she didn't want to share, she wanted to monopolize.
Ryunosuke took a tissue and wiped her tears. Kei immediately threw herself into his embrace and cried loudly.
"Bastard, you bastard! Why do you make me have to choose like this? You know, don't you, that after I know, I will definitely accept everything just to be with you, you really are a bastard!"
Ryunosuke comforted Kei in his embrace, feeling driven by the circumstances. He didn't want to let go of a single one of them; he wanted to have them all. It was impossible not to make these girls sad, therefore he chose a middle path.
To make this girl suffer for a lifetime, or suffer for a moment? Ryunosuke chose to suffer for a moment. It was better to be honest now than to lie to her for a lifetime with false happiness; he was determined that he would provide more compensation in the future.
Not long after, Kei stopped crying and began to accept reality.
After all, what could she do?
Choose to let him go?
How could that be possible!
She had already fallen in love too deeply; how could she possibly just let him go like that?
Those who say they can let go must have never truly loved. When you already love someone, letting go is not an easy thing to do. Even though you know it's wrong, you will keep going. Love is indeed a magical thing; it frequently comes together with happiness and disaster.
For the sake of staying together with Ryunosuke, Kei chose to forgive him. However, she didn't want to meet those women; that was her final boundary. She was afraid that if they met, she wouldn't be able to resist pulling hair, scratching their faces, and fighting.
Kei felt that she was truly capable of doing that.
Where is there a woman who can be that generous? How could there possibly be someone who willingly hands over her man to be shared with other women?
Chiaki, who was hiding and saw the entire process, didn't know what to say. She had no right to speak, so she left quietly.
Ryunosuke, of course, noticed her presence. After finishing the meal and escorting Kei home, he immediately chased after Chiaki.
Ryunosuke was a greedy man; the woman he had already set his sights on must be obtained. And Chiaki was one of his targets.
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