"Ah!"
Erica let out a small cry as her body suddenly left the chair.
Ena cried out too. Akuto did not give them any more time to react. With a slight exertion of strength in both arms, he lifted them off his lap as easily as two oversized dolls and set them steadily on the floor beside him.
Because the entire process was as quick as lightning, Erica and Ena did not even have time to protest before they found themselves standing on solid ground again.
After Erica regained her balance, she brushed back her slightly disheveled golden hair and shot Akuto a reproachful look, though there was not much anger in her eyes.
Ena puffed out her cheeks and muttered, "Can't my king give Ena just a little more time with him?"
Liliana, meanwhile, let out a sigh of relief and hurried back to her seat.
Asuka Tokunaga watched the scene with mixed feelings. The earlier intimacy and Akuto's decisive move at the end kept replaying in her mind.
Wait, what does "my king" even mean?
Judging from the way Seishuuin-san acts like she wants his attention, did Akuto-kun really become some kind of king?
Or is that just some private joke between Seishuuin-san and Akuto-kun?
Asuka was deeply conflicted, but no matter how much she thought about it, she could not reach any conclusion.
...
When lunch break finally arrived, Asuka abandoned her usual habit of eating with her two close friends and decided to eat alone on the rooftop.
Because... she wanted to be alone for a while.
However, before she could open the rooftop door, she heard a familiar voice from the other side.
"Is that... Shizuka's voice?"
Kusanagi Shizuka was Akuto's younger sister. Asuka had known Shizuka since childhood, so she was very familiar with her voice. She also knew that Shizuka often brought Akuto lunch.
However, aside from Shizuka, Asuka seemed to hear several other voices too.
...
Outside the rooftop door, Asuka's feet froze in place.
Slowly, she peeked through the gap by the rooftop door.
Just as she had imagined, Akuto was not surrounded only by Kusanagi Shizuka. Today, there were far more people around him than usual.
Erica and Liliana were naturally there, and Ena Seishuuin was sitting nearby with a cheerful smile. What shocked Asuka even more was that she saw Mariya Yuri.
That dignified and graceful Yuri, famous at school as the tea ceremony shrine maiden, was sitting near Akuto too. Yuri ate her lunch in small, refined bites, occasionally lifting her eyes toward Akuto with a gaze as gentle as water.
That expression looked exactly like a newlywed wife looking at her husband.
Damn it... when did this happen?
Asuka knew Yuri had feelings for Akuto. After all, the only person Yuri invited to the tea ceremony club from time to time was Akuto.
But... wasn't Yuri supposed to have made no real progress with Akuto all this time? Why had things suddenly skipped straight to eating lunch together? And...
With this many people, no less?
...
Even that was not all. Asuka also saw several unfamiliar faces wearing middle school uniforms.
Asuka had only glimpsed their names and photos on the school bulletin board's new student list, so she knew they were newly transferred middle school girls. Yet now, they were sitting around Akuto too.
The girl with bluish-green hair and a distinctive smile was apparently named Karen.
Another black-haired girl with a bright smile seemed to be Arianna. Then there was another girl with a slightly airheaded expression... Alessa?
Asuka could understand Erica, Liliana, and Ena sitting beside Akuto. Judging from their behavior, all three of them clearly liked him.
But... what was going on with those middle school girls?
Did they all transfer here for the same reason too?
At that moment, Shizuka was quietly handing Akuto a rice ball. Erica was elegantly slicing fruit and occasionally offering him a piece. Ena openly shared the fried shrimp from her lunch. Liliana sat up straight, but she silently pushed some of her side dishes toward Akuto. Yuri smiled while chatting with Shizuka. As for the middle school girls, they seemed somewhat reserved, but their gazes still landed on Akuto from time to time, carrying curiosity and... respect, with a faint sense of wanting his attention.
Judging from that...
Did they like Akuto too?
Looking at that strangely harmonious scene, Asuka felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet all the way to the top of her head. A terrifying thought she had never dared to consider exploded in her mind like thunder.
Akuto-kun... he couldn't possibly be... building a harem, could he?
And... judging from how peaceful everyone looked, not only had he built a harem, he had even made everyone in it get along so well?
How was that possible?
Asuka felt as though her understanding of the world had completely collapsed.
She nearly stumbled as she ran to an empty classroom in the neighboring building, slammed the door shut, and leaned against it while gasping for breath.
No.
She needed to calm down.
After taking several deep breaths, Asuka took out her phone with unsteady hands and called her close friends, Sawa and Miyama.
"Hello... Sawa, Miyama... hurry over... I made a huge discovery. It's about Akuto-kun..."
"Hello... I don't know how to explain it. Just hurry to the stairwell near the rooftop!"
Before long, Sawa and Miyama arrived, both out of breath.
Asuka incoherently poured out everything she had just seen in one breath, especially describing the strange "family gathering" during lunch, with everyone sitting in a circle around Akuto.
"Oh? Akuto-kun actually went that far?"
"Besides today's transfer students, even Mariya-senpai and the middle school girls were there?! Akuto-kun... is he trying to build his own harem?!"
Sawa covered her mouth, her face full of shock. Even someone like her, who normally did not pay that much attention to Akuto's affairs, was stunned.
However, once the shock passed, Sawa seemed to think of something interesting. Her eyes turned, and her gaze gradually became meaningful.
Originally, she had thought Asuka and Miyama might end up in conflict over Akuto.
Now, it seemed that concern might have been unnecessary.
...
On the other side, Miyama stayed silent for a long time after hearing everything.
She had always had a crush on Akuto. Among the three of them, she was the bravest, and also the one who had always kept her eyes on him.
Today, after seeing Akuto return, she had finally been unable to suppress her feelings and had bravely tried to confess to him.
Originally, she thought her rivals would be Asuka or Mariya Yuri. For that reason, she had deliberately asked Asuka to deliver her love letter, hoping to restrain Asuka's own actions.
But she had not expected that even after using such a cowardly method, everything would still end in vain.
At that moment, Miyama's face was slightly pale. Her fingers clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes, and her pupils trembled.
That wavering lasted for a full half minute.
After half a minute, all hesitation vanished from Miyama's eyes, leaving only pure determination and hope.
...
"Miyama... you saw it, right? Akuto-kun, he..." Asuka looked at Miyama worriedly, afraid that her friend would not be able to take the blow.
Miyama took a deep breath, then raised her head. Her eyes held an almost stubborn determination. Her voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear.
"I saw it. I heard it too. But... so what?"
"Huh?!"
Asuka and Sawa both froze.
"Akuto-kun... is amazing, isn't he?"
A faint blush appeared on Miyama's face, but her eyes shone with astonishing brightness.
"Since Akuto-kun is so handsome, so outstanding, so outstanding that even girls as amazing as Erica-san and the others are willing to stay by his side like that..."
"So even if that's true... even if he really is exactly what you said, Asuka... I won't change my mind. I... I still like Akuto-kun! I still want to confess to him!"
Asuka was completely speechless. Looking at her friend's expression, like someone marching knowingly toward a dangerous mountain, she felt her temples throb.
Unlike Asuka, however, Sawa's lips curved into an amused smile. After seeing Akuto eating lunch with that group of beautiful girls, she had already predicted what Miyama would do.
Miyama had been willing to use her friend's emotions to block Asuka from acting. It was not strange that she might do something even bolder.
Besides, in Sawa's opinion, being willing to join that circle was not necessarily some shocking act of madness.
...
"Miyama! Get a hold of yourself!"
Asuka could not help grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
"Isn't love supposed to be one-on-one? Joining someone else's harem is way too..."
Halfway through, Asuka got stuck.
Because she realized something too.
Judging from the way Erica and the others acted, their feelings for Akuto were far stronger than hers.
They were not only willing to share Akuto with others, they had even transferred schools for him.
As for her...
She had liked Akuto for a long time, yet had never even dared to confess.
It seemed she had no right to judge them.
No.
Forget Erica and the others. She did not even have as much courage as Miyama.
After realizing this, Asuka could no longer say anything. She froze in place.
...
"Asuka, thank you..." Miyama first thanked Asuka in a strangely sudden way, then spoke with firm resolve.
"All I know is that if I don't try, if I don't tell him my feelings with my own mouth, I'll regret it. Even if... even if I get rejected, or... or even if it really is just one-sided... I'll accept it!"
Seeing that Miyama would not be swayed, Asuka felt a deep sense of powerlessness welling up inside her. She let go, pressed a hand to her forehead, and sighed.
"Fine... if that's your choice, Miyama..."
Sawa also gave a deliberately exaggerated sigh beside them.
Unlike Asuka, who was now doubting herself, Sawa had developed an unprecedented interest in the situation.
For the entire afternoon, Asuka barely paid attention in class. Her mind kept replaying the scenes from break time and lunch, along with Miyama's shocking declaration. It was not until the final bell rang and the students left the classroom in twos and threes that Asuka finally seemed to make up her mind.
She watched Akuto pack his bag, say a few words to Shizuka, and then walk alone toward the less crowded old school building.
A chance!
Asuka's heart instantly leapt into her throat. She took a deep breath, gathered all her courage like someone heading onto a battlefield, and quietly followed him.
...
(End of Chapter)
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