"Ha! You're the one who yelled and startled me in the first place!"
Tachibana Akane glared at the boy with clear dissatisfaction.
Who suddenly pops out to scare someone and then blames the victim?
"I was just reminding you to be careful. This thing is super rare—it sold out instantly online. I only rushed here because I heard it was available at this store."
Hearing his explanation, Akane examined the Gundam in her hand.
Its design did seem exceptionally rare, so he probably wasn't lying.
"Too late. I've already decided to give this to Mitoma-kun." Akane's reasoning was simple: since it was an ultra-rare item, it would make the perfect gift for Kaoru.
The boy looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.
He had assumed Akane was just playing around with it, never imagining she intended to give it to a guy as a present!
No way… There actually exists a plastic model enthusiast in this world who receives gifts from girls?
And a limited-edition kit at that?
Seriously, dude?
The boy stared at Kaoru standing beside her with the hatred of a sworn enemy, practically wishing he could tear him apart limb from limb.
However, upon getting a proper look at Kaoru's appearance, he froze, an involuntary sense of inferiority creeping in—followed immediately by renewed fury.
This guy was a normie!
Definitely not a model enthusiast!
"Mitoma-kun, do you want this toy?"
Unaware of the boy's inner turmoil, Akane proudly shoved the Gundam into Kaoru's hands.
Though her tone was questioning, her actions left no room for refusal.
Kaoru glanced at the boy's expression—yep, he was furious.
"What the hell do you two think a Gundam is?! This is a limited-edition Unicorn! Do you even understand its value, Tachibana? You can't just hand something like this to some normie because you think it's fun! Don't barge into other people's worlds like this, damn it!"
Great.
A terminally chuunibyou otaku.
Kaoru was about to pull Akane away when she raised an eyebrow defiantly.
"First come, first served. I already have it, and who I give it to is none of your business, Oda-kun."
The boy—apparently named Oda—trembled all over.
Kaoru narrowed his eyes, expecting some kind of outburst, but instead, Oda suddenly pointed at him with a sneer.
"You're on a date with this guy right now, aren't you?!"
Akane's face flushed red, her eyes flickering with unease, but she forced herself to stay composed, raising her voice slightly.
"I'm just hanging out with him! It's not a date!"
"Pfft, who gives gifts when they're just 'hanging out'?" Oda scoffed. "Isn't Horikita the one you like? Why are you dating this guy? Aren't you afraid Horikita will find out?"
"W-what?!" Akane was stunned.
How did he know about her feelings for Horikita Manabu?
"You think you've been subtle? Everyone's known for ages that you're obsessed with Horikita. You're always chasing after him, constantly going on about 'President this' and 'Horikita-kun that.' Don't you find yourself pathetic?"
"Th-that's not true!"
"What's the point of denying it? Has Horikita ever even looked at you? For all you know, he probably finds you ridiculous. You're just one of his convenient underlings."
"Shut up! You're from Class B—you don't understand Horikita-kun at all!"
"Right, I can't understand your feelings toward Horikita. Because you can, that's why you're on a date with this guy, aren't you? Feeling like you've got no chance left?"
"..."
"Looking closely, your standards are pretty high—managing to land a normie like this… Wait, I think I've seen him before…"
Before Oda could finish, Kaoru pulled the bowing Akane behind him and calmly asked.
"Has she done anything wrong to warrant this from you?"
"You her boyfriend?" Oda wasn't intimidated by normies like this, though for some reason, he had a decent impression of Kaoru.
"You think you're helping her now, but maybe you're just her replacement for Horikita."
"I have no obligation to explain anything to you, and neither does she." Kaoru shook the Gundam model in his hand.
"Want this?"
Oda nodded without hesitation, then smirked.
"If you hand that over, I'll keep today's incident quiet. You're Mitoma from the first year, right? Heard you've got a girlfriend."
Whatever the relationship between Kaoru and Tachibana Akane was, Oda felt he had the upper hand.
Though he inexplicably felt a little guilty toward Kaoru.
"Apologize to her first," Kaoru said coolly. "Or I'll smash this thing."
Oda's expression froze.
Was he hearing this right? Destroy a limited-edition Unicorn Gundam right in front of him?
"Even if I break it now, I can cover the cost with points. Or would you rather watch me buy it and then smash it to pieces?"
As he spoke, Kaoru felt Tachibana Akane tug at his sleeve from behind, her voice soft and hesitant.
"Just give it to him. Let's go, Mitoma-kun."
Kaoru held her wrist firmly, his gaze unwavering as he stared at Oda.
At this moment, Oda wanted to defiantly tell him to go ahead and smash it.
But the longer he looked at Kaoru, the more an inexplicable emotion welled up inside him.
This guy… was kind of cool.
Even while threatening him, his voice remained gentle, his movements refined—so much so that Oda felt ashamed.
Here he was, spewing insults, while Mitoma merely wielded a limited-edition Unicorn as leverage.
It was too elegant.
Compared to him, Oda felt like a lowly Zeon grunt standing in the protagonist's way.
So, Oda bowed his head and offered Tachibana Akane a deep, apologetic bow.
...
Carrying the shopping bag, Kaoru reflected on what had just happened.
It seemed the effects of the Black Formal Suit were even more potent than expected.
'Anything involving warped psychology really was extreme, huh?'
With that thought, he glanced at the gloomy Tachibana Akane beside him.
"Want me to go back and teach him a lesson?"
Far from lifting her spirits, his words only made her slump further.
"I actually really like this Gundam. Thanks for being willing to give it to me, senpai." Kaoru tried again to lighten her mood.
"Is there anything you like, senpai?"
Finally, Tachibana Akane reacted.
She lifted her head, her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at Mitoma.
"I've never seen Mitoma-kun as anyone's replacement."
Kaoru was genuinely surprised.
Of all things, this was the first thing she chose to say.
Tachibana Akane felt terrible.
She truly hadn't considered Kaoru as a replacement for Horikita Manabu.
Moreover, she never imagined everyone knew about her feelings for Horikita - she had thought she'd hidden them well, but apparently everyone had noticed.
"Will the confession really fail?"
If Horikita Manabu already knew her feelings, wouldn't that mean this confession was doomed from the start?
"Do you really like Horikita-senpai that much, senpai?" Kaoru asked.
In the past, Tachibana Akane would have nodded without hesitation.
But now, she faltered.
Her heart was clouded with doubt, her expression downcast.
She regretted her impulsive decision and even dreaded the arrival of Christmas.
"Whether you like him or not, you have special feelings for Horikita-senpai, don't you? Because they're special, you care about him. That's why you're wondering whether to confess."
"But… Horikita, he…"
"Don't worry about what he's thinking right now. The question is—what do you want to do? Will you go through with the confession?"
"If it fails…"
"If it succeeds."
Akane looked up at him in surprise, struck by the earnestness in his eyes—so deep and captivating that she quickly averted her gaze, as if hiding her emotions.
Instead, she focused on the snow clinging to the branches, the clouds drifting across the sky, and the faint shimmer of the next snowfall.
"It might not work out. And even if it does… would I really be a good girlfriend for Horikita?"
At this moment, Akane felt lost.
The future loomed before her like an empty void.
A few days ago, she had realized that she would soon graduate—that she would no longer see Kaoru.
The thought had left her utterly miserable.
"In life, there aren't many people who are truly irreplaceable. When you're young, it's easy to point at someone and say, 'It has to be them.' But before you're even in a relationship, how could you possibly know if they're the right fit?" Kaoru said.
"Don't be afraid of losing something. And don't be afraid of gaining something, either. Just remember how you feel right now. Does seeing him make you happy? Does this feeling give you the courage to say you like him? If it does… then why not confess?"
Akane stood frozen.
For the first time, she sensed something in this underclassman—something she herself lacked.
Something that, in its own way, rivaled the qualities she had always admired in Horikita Manabu.
"Whether the confession fails or whether you're suited for each other… those are things you'll only know after you confess."
Kaoru didn't dismiss Akane's feelings.
Love was never something that could be easily explained—especially when Akane had likely harbored feelings for Horikita for nearly three years.
After all, admiration was the emotion farthest from true understanding.
If he denied her now, it would only leave her with lingering regrets.
Better to let her face this head-on and let the outcome reveal the answer in her heart.
What Kaoru didn't realize, however, was how he appeared in Akane's eyes at that moment.
The effect of the Black Formal Suit transformed his every action into the most perfect image in Akane's mind—gentlemanly, elegant, intellectual, strong, kind… And his words had struck her heart with uncanny precision.
Akane stared at him blankly.
After a long pause, she finally remembered who Horikita Manabu was.
Biting her lip, she muttered, "If it fails… you'll have to take responsibility."
"Sure. I'll be responsible for handing you tissues."
"Wait—why tissues?! You just said it might succeed!"
In an instant, Akane's composure shattered.
She smacked his arm repeatedly, flustered.
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
"Are we still continuing the date?" Kaoru looked at the gift in his hand, which contained the Gundam model she had given him—this definitely couldn't be handed over to that Oda guy from earlier.
Of course, there was also the gift she had picked out for Horikita Manabu.
According to her plan, gift-giving seemed to be the final step.
"Of course! This is my first time going on a date with a boy, after all." Tachibana Akane's mood improved quickly, a smile spreading across her face.
Soon after, the two wandered around the mall again, stopping at a claw machine at one point.
Kaoru managed to grab several plushies for her, earning excited squeals in response.
When she spotted a photo booth, Akane dragged him over and insisted on taking several sets of purikura stickers.
Having so much fun, Akane's smile never faded even during lunch at the restaurant.
It seemed that Oda's words hadn't affected this airhead too badly.
After the meal, Akane took him to see a movie.
However, at the entrance of the cinema, the girl uncharacteristically hesitated.
"Aren't we watching a rom-com?" Kaoru asked curiously.
"That one's great, but the horror movie also looks really good..." Akane was torn between choosing the rom-com to advance her romantic strategy or indulging in her personal preference for horror.
"Why not watch one today and take Horikita-senpai to see the other one the day after tomorrow? That should work, right?" Kaoru proposed a compromise.
Akane's eyes lit up—what a brilliant idea!
Kaoru watched as she immediately chose the horror film, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Is this really appropriate for a date?"
"Ohhh? Mitoma-kun, don't tell me you're scared?"
"I just think this is something only guys would do."
"What do you mean?"
"If the girl gets scared, the guy can take the chance to hold her tight, right?"
After hearing his explanation, Akane finally realized—this was an opportunity for guys to take advantage.
"But I'm not scared at all." Akane, confident in her bravery, didn't care about such trivial matters.
"Hmph, if you're scared, you can beg me for help, you coward."
Watching her dash into the theater, Kaoru bought a bucket of popcorn and two sodas before following her in.
Soon enough, Akane realized she had spoken too soon—she shouldn't have underestimated Mitoma-kun.
"Senpai!"
"W-Wah! Let go! This isn't even scary!"
"I can't look!"
"G-Geez, is it really that terrifying?"
"Senpai, keep your voice down..."
"It's because you won't stop touching me!"
Since Akane had said he could rely on her, Kaoru shamelessly clung to her the entire time, burying his face against her at even the slightest scary scene.
Admittedly, this junior senpai of his smelled nice and was soft to hold.
Though Akane wanted to push him away, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Flustered, she let him keep hugging her while obediently comforting him like a mother, just as he asked.
Perhaps it was the effect of the "Black Formal Suit" that made Kaoru's behavior feel inoffensive to her—or maybe she simply didn't mind him taking advantage.
After the movie, Akane adjusted her clothes with a red face.
Thankfully, she had worn a coat and sweater today—otherwise, he really would've groped everything.
"For a guy, you're such a scaredy-cat. How embarrassing!" She thought Kaoru would feel ashamed, but instead, he eyed her with suspicion.
"Senpai, I'm starting to wonder if you knew I'm scared of horror movies and are trying to take advantage of me?"
Tachibana Akane was furious.
How dare this guy turn the tables on her—who was taking advantage of whom here?!
"You're the one taking advantage!"
"I thought senpai wouldn't know how to go on a date, but it seems you're quite experienced. That's a relief."
"A relief my foot!"
Akane lunged at him, teeth bared, sending him scrambling away in panic.
The two chased each other through the mall, bathed in brilliant sunlight, their elongated shadows stretching across the polished floor.
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