But now she'd just called him a dummy. And somehow, that shocked him more than anything that had happened in the dungeon.
"I—what?" Satou managed.
"You. Dummy," Lyra repeated, enunciating each word carefully. "You absolute, well-meaning, kind-hearted dummy."
"I... what did I do wrong?" Satou asked, genuinely confused. "I was honest with Jessica. I told her I cared about her but couldn't return her romantic feelings. That seemed like the right thing to do."
"It was the right thing to do," Lyra confirmed. "If you didn't have feelings for her. But Satou..." She leaned forward, her eyes intense. "Do you have feelings for Jessica?"
"Of course I do. She's important to me. She's—"
"No," Lyra interrupted. "I mean romantic feelings. Real romantic feelings. Not brotherly affection. Not protective instinct. Actual attraction. Actual desire to be with her in the same way you're with me."
Satou opened his mouth to deny it, then stopped.
Did he?
