"Phew~" Orihime Inoue's cheeks were flushed, her moist lips slightly parted as she breathed out a faint cloud of white mist that brushed across Muten Natsu's face. Her large, watery eyes blinked repeatedly. "It feels like there's something..."
Nestled in Muten Natsu's arms with their bodies pressed close together, she could clearly feel something vibrating against her.
"It's the phone." Muten Natsu pulled out his Denreishinki. "Uno... Captain? Mm, yeah, we're already on our way back. Okay... mm."
Orihime Inoue asked, "Was that Unohana-san?"
"Mm. They're making dinner and wanted to know when we'll be home."
"Ah! Now that you mention it, I'm suddenly hungry." Orihime Inoue gently pushed against Muten Natsu. "Let's hurry back... Oh, right, Muten. We have to keep what happened between us a secret from Rukia!"
Muten Natsu froze. "A secret? Why?"
"Because Rukia likes you too. She just hasn't made up her mind yet." Orihime Inoue lightly poked Muten Natsu's cheek. "You've always thought that we hadn't officially defined our relationship, and Rukia must have thought the same thing. That's why we could all keep living together like before. But Rukia still hasn't figured out what she wants. If she finds out that we've made things official, she might just step aside completely. Then we wouldn't be able to live together the way we used to."
"But..."
"All right~" Orihime Inoue wrapped her arms around Muten Natsu's neck and lightly kissed his cheek. "I'm sure Rukia will figure things out soon. Once she does, we can do whatever we want at home. For now, just be patient. If we really can't hold back, we can always sneak around..."
"No, what I mean is..." Muten Natsu looked into Orihime Inoue's large eyes. "Would you really be okay with me making things official with Rukia too?"
"Why are you asking me that?" Orihime Inoue tilted her head in confusion. "What's there not to accept?"
"I'm being unfaithful. I'm cheating." Muten Natsu explained seriously. "I like you, but at the same time, I also like someone else."
Orihime Inoue looked puzzled. "I like you, but I also like bread. What's wrong with that?"
"Liking a person and liking bread aren't the same thing."
"Then is the way you like me the same as the way you like Rukia?"
Muten Natsu shook his head. "No."
"So what exactly are you worried about?" Orihime Inoue raised a hand and tried to smooth out the crease between Muten Natsu's brows. "Ah, are you worried that if Rukia and I team up two against one, we'll beat you too easily?"
"I..." Muten Natsu calmly examined his own thoughts. "I'm worried you're hiding your hurt feelings from me. I'm afraid I'll keep enjoying all the happiness you bring me while knowing nothing about the pain you're carrying."
"You figured me out..." Orihime Inoue stuck out the tip of her tongue. "I know it makes things difficult, but I want everyone to be happy when they're with me, so I don't want you worrying because of me. So... if I tell you something, you're not allowed to get angry, okay?"
"Mm." Muten Natsu nodded firmly. "I promise I won't get angry."
"Muten..." Orihime Inoue lowered her voice guiltily. "Could you also get Unohana-san to make things official with you?"
Muten Natsu: "...Huh?"
"I know it sounds strange, but Unohana-san really is amazing. It feels like I can tell her absolutely anything." Orihime Inoue fidgeted with her fingers. "And if there were four of us, we could split into two against two. Two against one feels unfair, so two against two would definitely be better."
"You mean..." Muten Natsu's thoughts were starting to tangle. "Not only Rukia, but you'd also be okay with Unohana... Captain being with me?"
Orihime Inoue murmured, "Is that asking too much?"
"It's not really a question of difficulty. Actually, there's no difficulty at all." Muten Natsu took a deep breath. "The problem is that you like me wholeheartedly, while I still like other people too. That isn't fair to you. If you got angry or complained about it, that would be completely reasonable."
Orihime Inoue looked utterly baffled. "Are you getting together with Rukia because you want to make me angry?"
"Of course not."
"Then why do both you and Rukia seem to want me to get angry?" Orihime Inoue asked, confused. "It's like you think there's something wrong with me being happy that everyone can stay together."
Muten Natsu went blank for a moment.
That was right.
If Orihime Inoue could accept it, then he should be happy. So why had he spent all this time...
"I get it!" Orihime Inoue narrowed her eyes. "You two think I don't understand anything. You think I'm only accepting this because I don't understand what it really means. So you want me to understand exactly what's going on. You don't want to brush it aside or deceive me. You really did grow up together. You think exactly the same way."
Muten Natsu suddenly understood.
Orihime Inoue was right.
Neither he nor Rukia Kuchiki wanted Orihime Inoue to accept everything while having no idea what the situation actually meant.
"You both think I don't understand." Orihime Inoue blinked. "But who's actually the one who doesn't understand?"
Muten Natsu's eyes shifted slightly. "You mean..."
"Suppose that from this moment on, you were only allowed to like me and couldn't have anything to do with anyone else. Would we be happy?" Before Muten Natsu could answer, Orihime Inoue answered for him. "No. Rukia would be lonely and hurt, and neither of us could ignore that. Every moment we spent together, we'd keep thinking about her whether we wanted to or not. The happier we were together, the harder it would be to ignore the fact that she was suffering alone. The same would be true in reverse. That's the relationship the three of us have right now."
Muten Natsu let out a long breath. "You're right. That really is how it is."
"You and Rukia both misunderstood one thing. I'm not accepting the fact that you like other people. I'm accepting the fact that the person you like is Rukia." Orihime Inoue paused, then added, "And Unohana-san."
Muten Natsu finally understood what Orihime Inoue meant.
He had thought she didn't understand.
In reality, he was the one who hadn't understood her.
"So what you're accepting isn't simply that someone else likes me. You're accepting that Rukia likes me."
"And Unohana-san too," Orihime Inoue reminded him. "Try a little harder."
"I'm already trying very hard." Muten Natsu pulled Orihime Inoue into his arms. "I really am lucky to have met you."
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