"Huh? You're not leaving with him?" Kiryūin looked at Asahina in surprise.
"I'm not some clingy little girl. Life is long—there's plenty of time." Asahina didn't seem bothered at all.
She was about to enter her third year of high school, while Kaoru would only be a second-year.
On the surface, time seemed limited.
But there was still university ahead.
Hearing this, Kiryūin grew even more intrigued.
It was her first time seeing someone so openly maintaining a harem.
"Are you free now?"
"Of course. There's something I wanted to ask you too."
"Great, let's talk about something meaningful."
The two exchanged glances and smiled.
....
Thanks to their previous date, Kaoru had a rough idea of where Tachibana Akane and Horikita Manabu might be—assuming Akane hadn't changed her mind midway.
As evening approached, the temperature dropped further.
Snowflakes drifted down from the dusky sky, and the faint glow of neon lights cast colorful hues over the passersby, painting the white scenery with vibrant warmth.
A Santa Claus handed out flyers nearby, while the jingling bells of a sleigh echoed intermittently. Judging by these scenes alone, it hardly seemed like a strictly closed-off school.
Kaoru arrived at the so-called "Legendary Tree" and glanced up, but it didn't appear any different from usual.
He then looked around but saw no sign of Horikita Manabu or Tachibana Akane—just a young couple.
Strange, haven't they arrived yet?
After a moment's thought, Kaoru decided to hide somewhere.
Just as he put on his black-framed glasses and was about to slip into a corner, someone suddenly tapped him from behind.
"Mitoma-kun?"
The clear, melodious voice sounded familiar.
Kaoru turned around calmly and saw Tachibana Akane standing there, tilting her head slightly as if puzzled by his actions.
"What are you doing here?" Kaoru glanced behind her but didn't spot Horikita Manabu. "Weren't you supposed to be confessing?"
"Uwah! You were secretly following me? You creep!" Akane pouted in displeasure before eyeing his black-framed glasses.
"Hmm… this actually kinda works…"
Her last words were muttered so softly that Kaoru barely caught them.
"My date with Honami ended, so I thought I'd check how things went with you." After explaining himself, he frowned slightly.
"Wait, did you not manage to invite Horikita-senpai out?"
"How rude! What kind of impression do you even have of me?!" Akane huffed, puffing her cheeks.
Did she really come off as that timid?
"Did the confession already happen?" Kaoru considered another possibility.
"Pretty much." Akane sighed deeply, her gaze lowering. "I gave him the Christmas present, and that was it."
Kaoru thought for a moment, then pulled out a tissue from his pocket.
"Need one?"
"I wasn't rejected at all! What are you thinking about!"
"Then why are you so down?"
"Because I'm confused. After thinking about it, I decided not to confess after all."
Tachibana Akane slightly turned her delicate face away, revealing only half of her face.
Her long eyelashes trembled faintly, and the dazzling light reflected on her tightly closed eyelids.
Light snowflakes settled on her head, dusting her once-adorable bun hairstyle with white.
Should we take shelter from the snow together now?
As Kaoru was considering this, she gently tugged at his sleeve and whispered.
"This time, you're not allowed to call me a coward—not even in your thoughts."
At the very last moment, the girl had retreated.
Kaoru didn't know what to say.
"I just feel like I'd be rejected. Horikita has never seen me as someone of the opposite sex—I know that much. He's always carrying this suffocating pressure in his heart. To him, I'm just a classmate."
"Maybe you're right. The distance between us feels so vast. I've been trying so hard to keep conversations going, but his reactions are always so indifferent. I don't know what to do—I want to get angry but don't dare to, want to feel hurt but can't let myself."
"Before today's date, I secretly asked Michi and the others. Turns out, my crush is pretty much an open secret, so everyone deliberately gave us space. I thought they just weren't interested in Horikita."
"But… can someone like me really keep up with him?"
Perhaps today's experience had left Akane even more lost.
Unlike her date with Kaoru, where they happily shared food and even at the cinema—though a little shy—she let him tease her freely.
Yet, with Horikita Manabu, the atmosphere was stifling.
She didn't dare do anything with him, even eating with reserved politeness.
Forget feeding each other—they hadn't even held hands!
This kind of interaction felt completely unnatural to Akane.
It wasn't how a date should be. Being with Kaoru was far more comfortable.
For the first time, she felt an immense distance between herself and Horikita.
"Do you like him?" Kaoru asked.
"Eh?" Akane was caught off guard by the sudden question, freezing for a moment before stammering.
"I—I…"
"Feeling happy just seeing him, wishing to meet him again, genuinely hoping these moments would happen more often," Kaoru said. "No reason needed—just being near him is enough. Do you like him to that extent, senpai?"
Just seeing him would make her happy.
Akane racked her brain, trying to recall her past interactions with Horikita.
Maybe she had felt that way before.
'The first time I saw Horikita Manabu's calm and composed demeanor, the way he blocked the advances of other classes, how he swiftly rectified my mistakes, always giving off a reliable vibe—when serving as the secretary in the office, the first time I saw Horikita Manabu's hopeful gaze toward newcomers—I was so jealous of this guy.'
'My frustrations were always ignored by him.'
'He accomplished something even Horikita Manabu couldn't do.'
'He caught me slacking off.'
'He actually guessed what was going on between me and Horikita Manabu. With that cold face of his, he still sneaks glances at girls' chests—so rude!'
'Just a mere newcomer, yet he dares to look down on me? How bold! And then he touched my chest—ugh! Though he does occasionally help classmates... Still, I hate this guy the most.'
'Even Nagumo, who keeps harassing our class, can't beat him? He even sleeps on the sofa—ehehe, his sleeping face is kinda cute.'
'So fast for just a junior. Who does he think he is, acting all cool? Shameless! At least pretend to be a little sad about my resignation—so mean...'
"Senpai?"
Hearing his voice, Tachibana Akane snapped back to reality.
What was she even thinking about?!
Her mind was completely filled with images of this guy—she must be exhausted!
"L-Later! I still have things to do!"
Facing Kaoru's gaze, Akane flusteredly waved her hands and instinctively turned to flee.
Kaoru sensed something was off and was about to chase after her when she suddenly spun back around and crashed straight into his chest—it was a heavy impact.
"Don't just ram into people out of nowhere!"
"I-I didn't mean to... B-But there are people behind me!"
Too panicked to find a hiding spot nearby, Akane hastily tugged open Kaoru's coat and buried herself inside.
Kaoru froze for a moment as the girl clung tightly to him, her slightly rounded chest pressing against him.
His arms were suddenly filled with a soft, sweet warmth.
"What are you doing?"
"It's... it's too embarrassing! Michi and the others are behind me—I don't want them to see me with a guy," Akane mumbled, her voice muffled.
"Besides, Michi would definitely guess I'm on a date with Horikita today—ugh, I can't even say it!"
Kaoru couldn't follow her train of thought.
After a brief hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, using his body to shield her bun-haired head.
Just then, he spotted a group of girls approaching, chatting and laughing.
"Hey, I thought I saw Akane just now. Weird."
"Ahaha, no way. Maybe she's already with Horikita by now."
"Ugh, so jealous."
Noticing Kaoru and the girl in his embrace, they flashed knowing smirks, likely assuming they were a couple.
Whispering among themselves, they passed by.
Seems like Class 3-A students really ship Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane together.
Kaoru glanced down at the girl in his arms. Admittedly, this senpai was incredibly soft.
At this close distance, he could even feel her heartbeat—wild and frantic.
For some reason, Akane remained motionless, lost in thought, her warm breath tickling against Kaoru's skin.
"Senpai, the person has already left. If you don't get up now, I won't be polite anymore."
As he spoke, Kaoru slightly lowered his palm, tracing along the slender waistline until it was about to touch the plump, perky ass.
Perhaps because Japanese girls are more resistant to cold, Akane Tachibana was wearing a pleated skirt today.
The slight upward curve hinted at the softness beneath, while the long over-the-knee socks accentuated the straight, elegant lines of her legs—though they were noticeably thicker than usual, giving them a more delicate appearance.
She didn't react at all.
Kaoru hesitated for a moment before tentatively giving it a couple of pats.
Sure enough, it was soft.