Haruno laughed more easily than anyone.
Yet tears kept flowing like a broken dam. Unbearable sadness, unbearable heartbreak—along with a deeply slashed heart—poured out thick red blood and clear tears over and over.
Only in this moment did she have no time to put on her mask.
"Haruno…" Yuu murmured unconsciously.
*CRACK!*
The pupils reflecting her face had shrunk to their limit. Deep in his heart, a loud cracking sound suddenly rang out.
Yuu pressed his lips tightly.
"If I'd known it'd be like this, better not to regain the memories."
Haruno sniffled.
She couldn't control her stinging, reddened eyes and nose. Nor did she care about her choked, trembling voice.
She just gazed at the man before her with longing in a blurred world. She gazed at memories she once thought would be beautiful forever with longing.
And she said softly, "I love you, Yuu-chan."
"Back then, yes. Now, yes. Tomorrow, yes too."
"But the future won't be."
Her weak, trembling jaw suddenly clenched. Her face turned fierce. Both hands yanked the bracelet's ends. She sneered, as if satisfied:
"Something like this shouldn't have existed from the start!!"
The bracelet suddenly tensed. The beads shook violently. A creaking sound neared its limit from within.
Yukino's eyes widened. Still recovering from shock at seeing her sister cry, her body reflexively dashed forward. She reached out and shouted:
"Wai—"
Should she stop it? Unknown.
Was this right? Unknown.
She just suddenly felt that if she let her destroy the bracelet like that, perhaps the big sister who truly smiled would vanish from her forever…
Whatever the future, it was an outcome Yukino didn't want to see.
But such thoughts and movements only flashed for a second. They were instantly cut off by the figure blocking in front.
His body no longer stiff. His mind no longer hesitant.
Yuu directly grasped Haruno's hands. He easily neutralized her strength. He successfully reclaimed the intact bracelet.
After pulling his hand back, his clear voice followed the motion, completely shattering the silence and pallor in this shadow.
"You win, Haruno."
"…What do you mean?"
Tears still flowing. Haruno stared fixedly.
Yuu lowered his head. He looked at the cheap plastic bead bracelet. Unsure what expression to show, he chose blankness.
"I love Yuigahama Yui. I love your little sister too… And now, though my feelings haven't returned, I absolutely can't hate you."
Yuu said this almost through gritted teeth. Like complaining, like mocking himself. His gaze full of regret and confusion.
A thousand words condensed into one sentence—
"Meaning, you woman are just too cunning!"
Who could bear not being moved by a farewell like this?
"…"
Yuu had known long ago: if Yukino was ice crystal, Haruno was a piece of glass.
The stronger the sunlight, the brighter she became. She'd turn dark and silent at night. Strong alone, yet fragile. When shattered, the fragments would fly, wanting to hurt the one who hurt her until both lost.
Getting involved with her meant being troubled to death.
"Really…"
He slowly clenched his fist. Feeling the lingering warmth on the bracelet, the corners of his lips curved slightly.
In the end, he didn't know why—he laughed. Painful and helpless at once.
"Fate never goes as humans wish."
After lamenting, Yuu raised his head again.
He saw Haruno's tear-streaked, utterly messy face. He sighed. He pulled out a handkerchief.
"Here. Don't make a face like I'm bullying you… You only lost love. I have to keep fighting Almighty God here."
Seeing Haruno still staring stunned, as if not reacting to what he did, Yuu directly pressed the handkerchief to her still-beautiful, makeup-smeared face. He wiped haphazardly.
…Just like the memories.
Though once lost, as long as he could think, as long as he had a heart, the future would gather new things. It would continue like this.
Taken, erased. Then they met again. Similar yet different feelings arose. The heart's lake rippled again because of the other.
Firmly discard? Impossible, unless memories vanished too.
Just from that one chance encounter at the turn, this life of his was perhaps fated to be endlessly dizzy and stomach-ached by this older big sister.
As if under ashes, new sprouts pierced the soil and grew.
With a feeling of surrender like being defeated, Yuu silently asked the System.
(System, have my feelings returned?)
[Ding!]
[Host's feelings were revoked by the System and have not been restored]
(Then why do I suddenly find Haruno so cute?)
"…"
As if processing the question, the System paused briefly, then answered calmly:
[The System cannot take feelings unrelated to the Host's task at the time. Those belong to the Host himself]
(My own, huh…)
Pondering this silently, Yuu suddenly smiled: (Ha, sounds like I was forced to love them because of the task.)
"…"
(Dog System, whether gained or revoked, all my feelings are my own. You're just the trigger and tool. You have no right to influence who I like or dislike. Got it?)
[That should be the case. Please continue working to complete the task]
After this emotionless line, the System seemed to go offline, no longer responding.
Yuu also withdrew his consciousness. He looked again at the older big sister. She obediently let him clean her face.
As for his girlfriend's current expression, he didn't dare look for now.
"Haruno."
"Hmm~?"
No trace of the earlier firmness and cruelty. Haruno answered softly. She blinked, gazing at him hopefully.
Yuu hesitated—No. A 0.3-second hesitation shouldn't count. He prepared to flee. He said sincerely and honestly:
"Like or dislike aside first. Accepting your bracelet—does that mean I might get to cheat with three women?"
The air froze in that instant.
At this moment, Yuu finally witnessed the speed and limit of human facial expression changes, and how a rainbow of colors appeared on someone's face.
He grew even less daring to see what expression the source of the freezing aura behind him now showed.
"…"
After brief silence, Haruno showed a thoughtful look. She nodded consideringly. She seemed to fully agree with his idea.
"Hmm hmm, I see. Oh well, men think like this. What can you do…"
She suddenly grinned widely. She brushed away the handkerchief on her face. She said sweetly to Yuu:
"Darling, it's okay."
Yuu's eyes widened in shock.
"Really!?"
"Yes…"
Her smile vanished instantly. Her gaze calm as ice. She flipped attitudes faster than turning a book page.
"Just say if you want to die! You trash man who wants sibling donburi!"
"I didn't say that! Yukino, you have to believe me… Wait, why are you grabbing pepper spray?"
"Hmm? Because I forgot to bring insecticide."
"That's too natural, isn't it!?"
For some reason, Yuu fell into the sisters' real battlefield aimed solely at him, unable to help smiling in relief even facing pepper spray.
Though this issue couldn't be called fully resolved, and he still had far more complicated problems ahead…
At least in this moment, he could feel deeply grateful for his clearly wrong choice.
Above the amusement park, the layered clouds slowly dispersed. No rain today, truly.
A clear, clean starry night spread from the distant horizon.