Miyama had considered what might happen if she made her move ahead of the others, but she had still chosen to do it.
On one hand, the boost Akuto had received after his return was simply too strong, and Miyama found herself increasingly unable to keep her feelings in check.
On the other hand, deep down, Miyama believed that no matter how things developed, it would still be better than remaining frozen in a stalemate. If they did not use this opportunity to break the deadlock now, then forcing it open later would only lead to worse consequences.
However, Miyama truly had not expected the greatest variable to come from Akuto himself.
A Campione, a being capable of breaking the rules themselves, was simply too unfair. His existence had directly turned everything she had always worried about into nothing.
...
"Asuka! Sawa!"
Miyama ran toward the two of them, panting. When she saw that Asuka Tokunaga and Sawa were safe and sound, relief appeared on her face. Immediately afterward, she looked at Asuka with complicated guilt.
"Miyama!"
Asuka and Sawa also looked at Miyama with understanding in their eyes.
Seeing Miyama together with Erica and the others, Asuka and Sawa understood that Miyama already knew about Akuto. In fact, heaven only knew how much more she knew compared to them.
But to the three of them now, what mattered most was that all three were safe.
The gazes of the three high school girls met in the air.
After the life-or-death crisis they had just experienced and this reunion now, all the barriers, misunderstandings, and careful little thoughts between them seemed to vanish like smoke.
They threw themselves at one another and embraced tightly beneath Tokyo Tower, with the violent wind howling and thunder roaring around them.
"Thank goodness! You're both okay!" Miyama choked out.
"You scared us to death!" Sawa also started crying.
Asuka held her two close friends tightly, feeling their real warmth and heartbeats. The immense relief of surviving and the joy of regaining what she had nearly lost made tears stream down her face again.
"Right, Asuka. There's something I have to apologize for." Miyama raised her head and looked at Asuka, her eyes full of remorse.
"..."
Asuka lifted her gaze and looked back at Miyama. From Miyama's eyes alone, she already understood what Miyama wanted to apologize for.
However, she had no intention of stopping Miyama. She simply let Miyama continue in silence.
Because only by speaking everything clearly face-to-face, only by resolving the shackles and problems of the past, could their relationship enter a new stage.
Miyama understood that too, so of course she would not stop at conveying her apology with her eyes.
After taking a deep breath, Miyama spoke heavily but firmly.
"I'm sorry, Asuka. I knew from the very beginning that you liked Akuto-kun, but I still asked you to help me deliver my love letter."
"I know that using our friendship like that was awful of me."
"I also know that by putting my own feelings above our friendship, I hurt both of you."
"But even so, I still want to ask for your forgiveness."
"To earn your forgiveness, Asuka, I'm willing to do anything I can."
"Because I truly want to keep being friends with you and Sawa."
...
Asuka looked at Miyama after her confession and, rarely, a trace of mischief appeared in her eyes.
"Miyama, are you really willing to do anything you can to earn my forgiveness?"
"Yes. I am."
"Then what if I told you not to like Akuto-kun anymore?" Asuka suddenly asked.
"I'm sorry, Asuka, but I can't do that," Miyama answered immediately.
"I said I'm willing to do anything I can to earn your forgiveness."
"But no longer liking Akuto-kun is something I simply can't do."
"If I could give up on Akuto-kun, this would never have happened in the first place."
"So I'm sorry, Asuka. Can you ask something else?"
This time, Miyama did not use any tricks. She clearly told Asuka her thoughts and her limits.
...
"Miyama, you really are greedy." Asuka chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Still, I'm not the kind of bad friend who would force someone to choose between friendship and the person they love."
"If I really did something like that, Akuto-kun might not hate me, but his affection for me would definitely drop a little."
"Just like you can't give up on Akuto-kun, I can't do something that would make Akuto-kun dislike me."
"So while I can't say I forgive you right now, I'm still willing to keep being your friend."
"As for when I truly forgive you, that depends on how you behave from now on."
Like Miyama, Asuka also laid everything bare.
Hearing that, Miyama shook her head helplessly.
"Asuka, do you know something? That answer of yours is practically the same as forgiving me."
"If you keep treating everyone like this in the future, you're going to get taken advantage of."
Miyama's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Of course she hoped Asuka would forgive her, but as Asuka's close friend, she was also worried that Asuka would suffer because of that personality in the future.
"Is that so? I'll get taken advantage of?" Asuka smiled gently and took Miyama's hand on her own initiative.
"Then I'll have to ask you to do your best to make sure I don't suffer if I face something like this again."
"..."
Warmth passed through their fingertips. Miyama felt the warmth and softness of Asuka's slender hand, and her gaze grew even more helpless.
"All right. I'll do everything in my power to help you, Asuka."
Although Miyama knew that making such a promise was equivalent to yielding to Asuka in matters of affection, she still accepted it willingly.
Because all Miyama wanted was to become Akuto's girlfriend. That was all.
As for becoming Akuto's only girlfriend? Miyama thought she was fairly pretty, but she was not so delusional as to aim for something that impossible.
So as long as she could achieve her own goal, Miyama did not actually mind coming after Asuka.
Her earlier move had been the result of a limited way of thinking. Now that she knew Akuto could openly have a harem, it was as if the door to a whole new world had opened before her.
"Asuka, I'm going to give you my first suggestion now. Are you willing to hear it?" Miyama leaned close to Asuka's ear and asked softly.
"Mm. Go ahead, Miyama."
Feeling Miyama's breath against her ear, Asuka shrank back slightly.
"Asuka, I think the three of us, you, me, and Sawa, should form an alliance," Miyama suggested seriously.
"An alliance?"
Asuka raised an eyebrow. She could accept Miyama and Sawa becoming Akuto-kun's girlfriends together with her. After all, worldly rules and conventions did not apply to Akuto-kun.
But in her mind, the three of them would each establish a romantic relationship with Akuto separately. What was the point of forming an alliance?
"That's right. An alliance..." Miyama nodded cautiously.
"You saw Erica and the others, didn't you? They all transferred here from Italy."
"But aside from the beautiful girls from Italy, there are also quite a few beautiful girls from Fusou around Akuto. The two major factions look harmonious on the surface, but in secret, they're competing for more of Akuto-kun's time."
"I think that, under these circumstances, we should also form our own little group."
"Asuka, you don't want Akuto-kun's time to be occupied too much by those beautiful girls from Italy either, do you?"
"Of course I don't," Asuka answered at once.
Rather than letting Erica and the others occupy most of Akuto's time, Asuka felt it would be better to let Mariya Yuri and the others have more of it.
After all, she was fairly familiar with Mariya Yuri. Mariya Yuri was gentle and easy to talk to. If Asuka wanted to spend time with them too, Mariya Yuri would definitely agree.
But if it was that conspicuously flamboyant Miss Erica, that would be different.
...
"Exactly. I don't want that either. That's why I want you and Sawa to join forces with me," Miyama said frankly.
Sawa narrowed her eyes. "Oh? I'm involved too? I thought it would be enough for you two to decide."
"Of course you're involved. Three people are stronger than two, aren't they?"
"Sawa, I don't know if you've ever seen certain works aimed at men, but most boys who like light yuri works don't necessarily like girls being affectionate with each other for its own sake. Deep down, they often see both girls in that light yuri pairing as candidates for their own harem."
"If it were a purely serious yuri work, there wouldn't be nearly as many boys interested."
"Because in that case, one of the girls in the yuri relationship occupies the emotional role that would otherwise belong to the male lead, which destroys the sense of exclusive satisfaction that both beautiful girls belong to him."
After hearing Miyama's explanation, Sawa narrowed her eyes.
"All right, I understand what you mean, Miyama."
"I admit, you're right. If we don't want to become invisible, forming an alliance is necessary."
"Huh?"
Asuka looked at her two close friends in surprise. She was astonished by how quickly the two of them had reached a consensus.
However, she had no intention of objecting.
Just as she had said, if she could accept Mariya Yuri more easily than Erica, then compared to Mariya Yuri, she could naturally accept Sawa and Miyama even more.
"All right. Since both of you have made your decision, I've made mine too."
"The three of us will make Akuto-kun spend more time on us together."
Although acting together like this did make Asuka feel embarrassed, the idea of standing beside the same man as her close friends made her heart tremble in a complicated way.
But aside from that embarrassment, Asuka also clearly realized that their alliance was indeed necessary.
"Mm. I'm glad you understand, Asuka." Miyama let out a breath of relief and revealed a sincere smile.
"Well, just remember to call me when it's my turn to help," Sawa also nodded lightly. She had always been the least proactive of the three. If the other two were present, she felt she could push her own progress forward much more easily as well.
And so...
Just like that, another unbreakable alliance was born.
(End of Chapter)
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