"If you think this is jealousy, then just treat it as love."
Kaguya gave up her last bit of resistance.
Turning her face to the side, she was unwilling, or perhaps afraid to look directly at Ren at this moment.
Her fair cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, and her nervous emotions were reflected in her body language. Her fingers had been tightly intertwined for some time now.
Right now, the usually cold and composed Kaguya was nowhere to be seen.
She was truly beautiful. And unbearably cute.
Ren couldn't help but admire her in his heart. But what surprised him even more was that such an adorable girl actually liked him.
"Shinomiya, thank you for your feelings."
Ren expressed his gratitude first.
"It's just that... I'm not sure what kind of love this is."
Noticing the slight change in Kaguya's expression, he quickly explained,
"I mean, I do like you."
"You're cute, and you have a great personality. From my perspective, I can't see any reason not to like you."
"I probably liked you in the past too... but I don't know if I still feel the same way now."
Kaguya's expression, which had stiffened for a moment, softened slightly.
Although Ren's words were a bit ambiguous, she more or less understood his meaning.
"That is love."
Kaguya answered him directly, her voice steady and confident.
She recalled her conversation with Hayasaka at home.
That time, she had already made up her mind—she couldn't run away anymore.
Because she couldn't bear the thought of some other girl holding Ren's hand, smiling at him so intimately.
Just imagining it made her feel frustrated beyond words.
So this time, she wouldn't hesitate.
The emotions surging in her heart, her desire to hold on, her need to monopolize this relationship, suppressed the shyness threatening to hold her back.
"Amamiya, this is love."
"I do like you."
"It was sudden, I know. Maybe it's because you saved me and freed me from my chains."
"Maybe at first, it was just gratitude, just admiration. But the more I got to know you, the more I wanted to understand you, to learn everything about you… even to have you all to myself."
Kaguya's fiery emotions spilled out in full force.
"Shinomiya…"
Ren's eyes weren't just for show. He could clearly see the raw emotions in her gaze, the vulnerability, the longing, the determination.
She was laying everything bare, hoping he would accept it.
"Our fates are intertwined."
Kaguya stepped forward and threw herself into Ren's arms.
"Your original goal was to be our friend?"
"Don't be ridiculous! How can a man and a woman have a pure friendship? Especially us!"
"I know I can't have you all to myself."
"But I also can't let you go so easily."
Her fingers gripped his clothes tightly.
"Even if you leave, you have to take me with you. I won't let you leave me behind!"
"Don't think you can just walk out of my heart so easily."
"…"
Ren was silent for a moment, then looked down at Kaguya, whose eyes were slightly red.
"I won't leave."
"I don't believe you!"
Kaguya's emotions were running high.
"You said our fates are intertwined."
"Then, even if our relationship becomes something far more special—"
"That would only be natural!"
BANG!
Just as Kaguya declared those words, the door suddenly burst open.
The unexpected intrusion startled both of them—especially Kaguya, who had just made such a bold statement.
At the doorway, not only were Chika and Hayasaka sprawled on the floor from falling in, but a whole crowd of people stood behind them, clearly watching the scene unfold.
Sonoko, the one who had opened the door, took in the sight of Kaguya gripping Ren's clothes tightly, her expression turning a little… complicated.
This… wasn't quite the situation she had imagined.
Ran, standing beside her, shrank back slightly, as if wanting to pretend she had nothing to do with this.
"You… you guys… w-what are you doing!?"
Kaguya's voice trembled.
She couldn't believe that everything she had just said had been overheard by these people!
"I, we just happened to be passing by."
Chika, rubbing her nose after her fall, forced an awkward smile, trying to defuse the situation.
"Yeah, we were just passing by."
Hayasaka straightened her clothes and got up from the floor, her tone utterly deadpan.
"We definitely didn't hear Miss Kaguya's bold confession."
"We definitely didn't hear her admit she was jealous of Fujiwara-san."
"And we most definitely didn't hear her say that she wanted to establish a deeper relationship with Amamiya-san."
"…"
The entire room fell into a stunned silence.
Then, everyone's expressions contorted, trying and failing to hold back their laughter.
Especially because all of them had, in fact, heard Kaguya's emotional outburst.
And now, seeing her face turning redder than a tomato, they just couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Pfft—Hahahaha!"
The laughter erupted all at once.
"Ice Queen, if you wanted to confess, just confess! Don't say things that can be so easily misunderstood!"
Sonoko shook her head, feeling like she had overestimated Kaguya's courage.
She had thought Kaguya was someone who would push through and take things all the way.
But after all that buildup and tension, it turned out to be just a confession?
If she had known that, she wouldn't have even bothered opening the door.
But then again, it wasn't her fault!
Who told Kaguya to say something as dangerously misleading as "I want to establish a deeper relationship with you" during a confession?
How could anyone not misunderstand?!
As Sonoko's words landed, the room exploded into even louder laughter.
Meanwhile, Hayasaka let out a small sigh, looking at her lady with a mixture of exasperation and disappointment.
Miss Kaguya… you finally built up the courage to be bold.
But couldn't you have been just a little more straightforward?
You know Ren is completely clueless in these matters.
If you had just gone for it earlier, wouldn't that have been better?
In Hayasaka's opinion, this moment had been the perfect opportunity for her lady.
But even with such an ideal setup, Kaguya still couldn't fully seize the moment.
Though the result was disappointing, Ai also understood something.
This was probably Kaguya's limit.
Expecting her to be any more aggressive in this kind of situation was… probably unrealistic.
At the very least, in matters of romance, both Kaguya and Ren were equally inexperienced.
In a way… they were each other's first love.
(To be continued.)
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