"Ahhh! Ichika, what are you doing?!" Itsuki muttered quietly from inside the wardrobe.
Although she really liked Hakuto and knew that Ichika had feelings for him, she didn't expect her to go for it so boldly.
On the other side, with golden armor and a golden sword, how could she just rush in right after resurrecting and grab a white sword and white armor?!
"How are you going to fight Nino? You can't win..." Itsuki crouched inside the wardrobe.
To be honest, she was kind of freaking out right now...
She had finally come to terms with her feelings, confirmed that she liked Hakuto, and finally had the courage to compete for him, but now you're telling her it's all over?
Despite Itsuki's meltdown, things outside were still ongoing, with Ichika continuing her attack.
"So, what do you think, Shiratori-kun?"
"Since Ichika already knows Nino is my girlfriend..."
"I know that of course." Ichika replied nonchalantly, "But does it matter?"
Ichika smiled and added, "Shiratori-kun, don't you also want to build a harem?" With that, she mischievously poked Hakuto's side.
Upon hearing her, Hakuto's expression froze, his gaze shifting to something more sorrowful.
"Ichika, are you joking? This is the modern world..." Hakuto sighed in exasperation.
"Then why not just not get a certificate..." Ichika continued with a carefree expression,
"And by the way, Shiratori-kun... the person standing at the bathroom door yesterday was actually me..."
At those words, Hakuto's pupils dilated in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
"So it was you, Ichika... No wonder..."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to deceive you..." Ichika grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest.
"Since you're planning to have a harem, I don't mind these things..."
Seeing the hint of emotion on Hakuto's face, Ichika felt victory was near, and she pressed on.
"Nino also agrees with you having a harem... So what's there to hesitate about?"
With that, Ichika sat on the bed, hugging her knees and sticking out her tongue, making a wide motion that unintentionally gave Hakuto a bit of a reward.
"Ichika, can you give me some time?"
"Of course! I'll wait for your answer tomorrow morning."
Ichika jumped off the bed, knowing she couldn't rush this, but she secretly set a deadline for Hakuto.
However, as she walked to the door, she turned back and looked at him.
"Shiratori-kun, you won't disappoint me, right?"
"I will give you a satisfactory answer, Ichika..."
"I'll be waiting~"
Ichika playfully closed the door, and the moment it shut, she sighed in relief.
To be honest, even Ichika was nervous doing this, after all, she had only seen these kinds of scenes in scripts.
Meanwhile, Hakuto was different. He leaned against the door, breathing heavily, barely holding back laughter.
He couldn't laugh though, as Itsuki was still in the wardrobe, and he needed to keep up the act for a while longer.
Hakuto hadn't expected things to go this far. He had merely set a trap for Ichika, but she jumped right into it without hesitation.
Hakuto couldn't believe that Ichika had come to confess to him in the middle of the night.
What is this? Has he already won two out of the five? No... maybe it's three...
Hakuto glanced at the wardrobe, adjusted his facial expression, and slowly walked into Itsuki's line of sight.
"Itsuki, you can come out now."
As soon as Hakuto finished speaking, Itsuki burst out of the wardrobe, dragging two pieces of clothing along with her.
"Ha..ha..I'm suffocating!" Itsuki gasped, looking just like Hakuto did earlier.
The only difference was one was struggling to breathe, and the other was holding back laughter.
The wardrobe in Yotsuba's room wasn't small, but it was filled with clothes.
Itsuki was also naturally nervous, so it made sense that her breathing became difficult.
Itsuki bent over to catch her breath and then looked at Hakuto. To be honest, she had many questions, but they were stuck in her throat and couldn't come out.
"Shiratori-sensei..."
"If you have questions, just ask, Itsuki." Hakuto sat on the bed, still wearing a gentle smile as if nothing had just happened.
Itsuki climbed onto the bed, holding her own pillow and leaning against the wall.
She gazed at Hakuto's back, hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Shiratori-sensei... are you really dating Nino?"
Hakuto nodded.
"Then... will you accept Ichika's confession? And what's with this harem thing she mentioned?"
Though Itsuki had never been in a relationship, she understood what had just happened.
To put it simply, Nino and Ichika were both willing to share one man...
This left Itsuki, who had grown up in a normal society, utterly shocked!
But amidst her shock, she also understood Nino and Ichika's feelings.
Hakuto really was someone who could make you feel at ease. At least Itsuki had never felt this kind of comfort and peace from any other guy.
She didn't know what the future held, but she knew there was someone sitting in front of her now who made her feel this way.
"Itsuki, can I ask you a question?"
"Mm..."
Hakuto turned around, spreading his hand and extending five long fingers in front of Itsuki.
"Out of these five fingers, which one do you think is the most important?"
Itsuki looked at his hand, pondered for a moment, and then answered.
"From a biological perspective... the pinky finger is the least important, the ring finger is next, and then the thumb and index finger..."
But as she said this, Itsuki shook her head.
After all, these were all parts of the human body, so why should she be asked to choose which is most important?
"Then, Itsuki, if I could only keep one of my five fingers, which one should I keep?"
Itsuki squinted her eyes, giving her answer: "I can't choose..."
"If the thumb represents Nino, the index finger represents Ichika, the middle finger is for you, and the ring and pinky fingers represent Yotsuba and Miku."
"If I had been disabled from the start and only had one or two fingers, then I wouldn't have to make this choice..."
With a smile, Hakuto continued, "But now, I'm faced with a hand that has all five fingers. Do you think I can bear to cut off one or two of them?"
Itsuki shook her head. If it was just a matter of losing a finger, the physical pain could be set aside, but the psychological pain would be unforgettable.
People were very attached to their bodies being whole, even if the missing part didn't affect daily life, psychologically, it would always leave a scar.
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