Takumi felt a little awkward, facing the two girls squaring off in front of him.
'Speaking of which, hasn't Kaguya always had a pretty cold attitude toward me? So why is she suddenly trying to talk to me alone now?'
"I just have some rather private matters I need to discuss with Takumi-kun, that's all. Or is it that you, Maki, feel I'm getting too close to your boyfriend, making you uneasy, making you think there's a chance I might steal him away from you? If your sense of inferiority has already reached that level, then I won't discuss this with him."
While Takumi was still mulling things over, Kaguya, facing Maki's wary attitude, simply said this with an expressionless face.
"Wh-who, who, who said he's my boyfriend? I'm just worried he'll get tricked by someone like you or something. And hang on—since when did you start calling him Takumi-kun?"
Stung by the key word Kaguya had deliberately emphasized, the girl's face flushed almost instantly, and she waved her hands around as she shouted.
"My, my, you think I would deceive Takumi-kun? For the dignified eldest daughter of the Shijō family to have such childish thoughts… As a member of the same team, would there be any point in my deceiving Takumi-kun? And just a tiny little form of address is enough to make you react like this. How cute."
The corners of Kaguya's mouth curved into a smile, and her words took on a faintly teasing tone.
"Hey, hey, hey, what is even going on here? Are you two acting out some kind of light-novel show?"
Sensing that something was wrong, Takumi butted in at this point, but it was clearly already a step too late—Kaguya's provocation had already completely set Maki off.
"I don't care what you want to say! Hmph, whatever, you two can say whatever you like!"
Gritting her teeth, Maki stomped her foot, then turned around and ran off. When she saw that Takumi was about to follow her, she even shot him a warning glare.
It was obvious that Kaguya's words had more or less provoked Maki and made the girl panic, but even so, Takumi had no intention of acting like one of those Japanese yasashii male leads, standing there in a daze, not knowing what to do; he was planning to keep following Maki.
However, right after that, Kaguya's hand grabbed Takumi from behind and clamped down on him like a vise. If he didn't use his full strength, he really wouldn't be able to break free, and as a result he ended up a step too late, with Maki already having run off somewhere.
"Can't you just talk a bit more normally? What are you even doing, turning it into this?"
By the time Takumi got out into the corridor, he could no longer find where Maki had gone, so he could only turn back to Kaguya helplessly and say this.
"This is actually better. It'll make her more clearly aware of her possessiveness toward you."
Kaguya's expression did not change as she spoke, completely unconcerned. Seeing her like this, Takumi even suspected that this girl was, to some extent, enjoying it.
"So what exactly is this about, that you had to chase Maki away so we could talk in private, and you couldn't just do it over the phone or something?"
He went back into the room and closed the door.
As Takumi spoke, he pulled out a chair and sat down, looking straight at Kaguya and asking bluntly.
At this moment, with Kogawa and Aoyama Nanami's group gone and Maki having run off, there were only Takumi and Kaguya left in the room; there was no third person anymore.
"Before we set out to come here, you suggested that I take action against my family. I want to know why you brought up that topic."
Kaguya likewise pulled out a chair and sat down facing Takumi, and without beating around the bush, she opened by directly asking the question she wanted to ask.
So this was what she had been hung up on?
Kaguya's words made Takumi immediately realize that ever since he had brought this up on the phone that morning, the girl had probably been wrestling with it the whole time, and had only pushed all those thoughts down for the moment because there were more important matters in front of them.
"I just think your family situation is really troublesome, that's all."
Once he knew why she had kept him behind, Takumi relaxed as well and answered in a very casual tone.
"Troublesome?"
Kaguya's brows gradually furrowed.
"To me, you're someone with strong initiative who acts decisively. With you as a teammate, I can feel much more at ease, much more reassured. But precisely because of those inexplicable controls from your family, there are many things you have no way of taking part in—whether it was going to investigate the players' Market before, or the incident where Maki was attacked, you weren't able to get personally involved. From these matters, all I see is trouble, so I couldn't help but butt in, that's all."
Takumi crossed one leg over the other, explaining his thoughts quite directly.
"...Even so, to go so far as to directly propose threatening several of my older brothers—your way of thinking really is quite out of the ordinary. It's even made me start to wonder what kind of person you actually are."
Only after Kaguya had remained silent for a long time did she slowly speak, fixing her expressionless gaze on Takumi as she did so.
Her words sounded somewhat unpleasant.
But from that word "wonder," Takumi realized that the girl's attitude at this moment was in fact softening, to the point that she was openly showing her "wonder" instead of, as before, secretly sending people to investigate him and tail him in private.
So he lowered his head and thought for a moment, then raised it again to look at the girl in front of him, slowly opening his mouth: "What kind of person I am... well, let me think— a sunny, handsome big boy? An outstanding rookie player? That all sounds a bit narcissistic, but I don't think it's too big of a problem. Of course, I probably don't count as any sort of good person. Even though I do feel upset when I see bad things happen—for example, after I learned what happened at Shirakawa Apartments, I wanted nothing more than to butcher those two beasts and felt sincerely grateful to Kyosei—if I had been the one to encounter that family back then, I probably wouldn't have meddled either. I can't do that sort of thing; I can't become some noble person. I'm very self-aware of that."
"As far as I'm concerned, if someone helps me and treats me well, then I have to return the same trust and help to them. Anyone who can work well with me and provide support, I will, within my limits, pay back with equivalent things I'm able to do. As for people who are completely useless, all I can say is that, in an emergency, I have no way to spare them any thought; and when it comes to those who only create trouble, I'll be considering whether to give them a punch. Maybe this way of thinking and acting is a bit different from ordinary people—after all, normal people generally don't start wondering whether to kill someone just because they don't get along with them—but that really is the kind of person I am."
"As for my thoughts on how you should deal with your family… how should I put it? Maybe I was thinking too much, but from the tone and attitude you use when talking about your family members, I really can't hear much of anything resembling affection. When you talk about your older brothers and your father, it sounds more like you're talking about a few strangers who happen to be related by blood. And the curfew and all the rules you're forced to endure whenever you go out—put bluntly, it's like you're being raised as a small pet. If it were me in your situation, as long as I had the ability to resist, I would absolutely never tolerate that kind of restraint."
As Takumi spoke, he watched the girl's reaction in front of him.
But no matter what he said, Kaguya continued to maintain an expressionless face, always hiding her real thoughts behind a mask without revealing even the slightest hint.
Only after he finished speaking and the room fell quiet did Kaguya open her mouth again: "You are indeed very candid, very straightforward… and also very narcissistic."
When she said this, Takumi could vaguely sense a trace of disdain in the girl's gaze.
"To me—how should I put it… you really are quite an unusual person. Among all the people I've interacted with in the past, you might very well be the most unusual one. You're so unusual that my usual ways of thinking no longer work on you."
Then the girl let out a soft sigh and continued speaking, her voice gradually taking on a hint of helplessness.
"As for my family… I will handle it myself. After becoming a player, I truly am no longer the same as before. I believe that one day, I will confront my family head-on and leave the cage they have planned out for me. I will carefully consider your suggestion. Thank you, Takumi-kun. I think your existence has indeed broadened my perspective and my thinking."
She stood up, lowered her head, and bent forward slightly in a bow toward Takumi.
Not expecting Kaguya to treat this matter so seriously, Takumi found himself unable to remain seated; he had no choice but to hurriedly stand as well, accepting her bow with some discomfort.
"You acting like this makes me feel pretty embarrassed, you know."
Feeling a bit awkward, Takumi scratched his cheek.
"Oh? Someone who could calmly trick a girl into a kiss can actually feel embarrassed?"
Kaguya's gaze sharpened.
"Ahem… well, I thought I was going to die back then, okay? And being horny is just part of my nature. But aside from the horny stuff, I still care a lot about saving face."
Takumi let out a small cough and answered Kaguya with a very "bashful" look on his face.
"...That really doesn't show at all. To be honest, you're the thickest-skinned person I've ever seen."
This time Kaguya weighed her words a little before finally forcing herself to speak. To be honest, ever since she found out about Takumi nearly pushing Maki down, she had found it really hard to look at the man in front of her with a serious gaze, and had even wondered whether he might be some sort of incarnation of desire.
"Ahaha, thanks for the compliment. Anyway, if there's nothing else, I need to go find Maki. That kid seems to have gotten the wrong idea about something, so I still have to properly explain things to her."
Seeing that Kaguya didn't seem to have anything more she wanted to say, Takumi turned around and got ready to leave.
However, just as he was about to reach the door, Kaguya, who had fallen silent and not said a word, suddenly spoke up again.
"Takumi-kun..."
Turning his head, Takumi saw a somewhat hesitant expression on her face.
"To be honest, I still don't really understand. You and Maki have only known each other for a few days. In such a short time, is it really worth it for you to invest your feelings in her this deeply?"
The girl asked in all seriousness.
After their conversation in this small room, that cold mask of hers seemed to have cracked just a little.
And so in the end she still posed this question to Takumi—this question she had always been very curious about and had wanted to have answered.
Love.
Two people investing their feelings in each other, liking each other, being close to each other.
In Kaguya's view, such things were utterly boring and completely meaningless.
[Do not rely on others, only use them; do not accept favors from others, only plunder; do not fall in love with others—there is nothing beyond this.]
Raised under these three extremely twisted Shinomiya family precepts, the girl had always found it hard to understand why Shijō Maki, who, like herself, was a daughter of a financial conglomerate, could treat others so gently, and she could not understand the lovey-dovey displays of those couples at school.
In her mind, a person's existence held only utilitarian value, and everything beyond that was irrelevant. Having been indoctrinated with this way of thinking since childhood, today the girl had finally revealed her own doubts and posed her question to someone she didn't even know how to describe, someone who, in her eyes, seemed to belong to another world.
"Because I want to do it, so I just do it, that's all."
Takumi simply answered Kaguya's question in a very matter-of-fact tone.
"There's not that much 'why' to it. So what if the time has been short? I like a girl like her, and she doesn't dislike me, so I'm going to find a way to be with her. That's what I think, and I just have to act on it. Having to assign meaning to every person and every thing—now that, to me, is really boring. When it comes to what you like and what you want, you should take the initiative and grab it with your own hands. Besides, didn't you just say it yourself? I'm the thickest-skinned person you've ever seen; that's my character setting, so of course I have to live up to it, right?"
As Takumi chuckled and answered casually, he reached out and pulled the door open.
"Because of her personality? Her looks? Or what?"
Kaguya, seemingly dissatisfied with that kind of answer, continued to press him.
"Well, let's see. Of course I like her personality; she's both proud and shy, and teasing her is very fun, and she's also very caring, like a little angel—who wouldn't like a girl like that? Her looks are naturally a bonus; rather, a girl that pretty and cute is already in the 'dream-girl' category. And of course, ahem, her figure also has some things worth mentioning. Her skin feels really good, there's that subtle sensation that fits perfectly in one's hand, and—cough, cough, no, that part wouldn't be convenient to tell you. Anyway, being petite also has its advantages. For me, a girl you can just lift up and hold in your arms all at once is really great, you know!"
As the last sentence fell, Takumi had already stepped out the door and placed his hand on Maki's head, who had been hiding behind the door trying to eavesdrop.
There was a brief moment of noise at the doorway, and amid Maki's embarrassed struggle the two of them walked a little farther away. Meanwhile, Kaguya, who sat dazed on the chair, only came back to her senses after a long time, then took a deep breath.
That man… the look in his eyes when he mentioned Maki's figure at the end was honestly a bit terrifying, like a carnivorous animal.
Kaguya couldn't help but recall that moment in the ruins when he tricked her into a kiss.
If you want something, should you take the initiative?
And he likes the type he can hold up in his arms?
His target is only Maki… right? It couldn't include other girls of the same type too, could it?!
Realizing all of a sudden that she was similar to Maki in height, weight, and figure, Kaguya became inexplicably tense, yet she didn't even understand where that tension was coming from.
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