"Mmph…"
Under the fireworks, as Hayasaka kissed him, Rinji's eyes widened.
This wasn't her first ti kissing him. It was the second.
The last ti, Rinji didn't respond. He later made it clear when they t again that he already had a girlfriend and wouldn't accept feelings from anyone else.
But for so reason, Hayasaka felt different today. She hadn't ntioned anything about this in their usual interactions.
After a long mont, Hayasaka released his collar and their lips parted.
"When I found out you had a girlfriend, I knew I should give up. It was the consequence of a mistake I made four years ago, and I deserved it."
She took a step back and placed a hand on her chest.
There was no confusion in her eyes.
"But running away only leads you further from your own heart, so I have to change."
She looked straight into Rinji's eyes and said clearly:
"This will be the last ti. I like you, Rinji. No matter how you respond, this is the last ti."
Today, Hayasaka had decided to lay everything bare and confess her feelings to Rinji.
If he still rejected her, then she would let go completely.
No matter what the outco, she refused to run. Even if it ended terribly, she had to face it head-on.
"Hayasaka…"
Rinji's expression went blank. He staggered toward her, as if drunk.
"This… isn't right…"
"Rinji?"
"I…"
He couldn't get a full sentence out. Emotions surged within him.
Today had been too overwhelming.
The joy of finding Hina again, the pain and guilt of learning what happened after he left Japan, the anger at himself for running away—
And now, Hayasaka's confession.
Rinji might've seed composed on the surface, but with so many emotions flooding in within a single day, this confession was the final straw.
"Rinji, what's wrong?"
"Hayasaka, I—"
Thud.
Just as he reached her, Rinji's legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, everything going black.
Hayasaka stood frozen in shock, then rushed to support him.
"Rinji!!"
She'd imagined many outcos, but she never expected him to lose consciousness.
---
"…"
"Still running away?"
"What?"
In the darkness, Rinji stood alone.
In front of him stood a boy who looked exactly like him—just a bit younger, maybe around twelve years old.
"You've always been running away, haven't you? That's never changed."
The young boy—rather, the younger Takamine Rinji—pointed at the 16-year-old Rinji standing before him and said calmly:
"I admit that the old was running away, but I'm not the sa as I was back then," Rinji frowned, retorting at his younger self. "I'm not who I used to be."
"That's just an excuse you made up for yourself," the young Rinji replied indifferently.
"…Then tell , how exactly am I running away?"
"You're running from your own heart."
"How laughable. When have I ever done that?" Rinji scoffed.
"Then how do you respond to Hayasaka's confession?"
"What do you an how? Of course I'll reject her," Rinji spread his hands. "I already have a girlfriend. Why would I accept soone else's confession?"
"Isn't that also a form of running away?"
"Shut up!"
Rinji suddenly snapped, furious at the younger version's words.
But the younger Rinji continued, unfazed. "Even after returning to Japan after four years, you haven't grown at all. You still can't face what's in your heart. Choosing Karura as your girlfriend was already a form of escapism."
"Shut up!!"
"After being rejected once, you never confessed again. You're afraid of failing. As long as soone else confesses to you, it doesn't matter who they are—because you're more of a coward in love than the president."
"I said shut up!!" Rinji roared.
"I won't shut up," the younger Rinji said. "Because I am you."
"…Then what do you want to do? Accept Hayasaka's confession? Accept soone else's love even though I already have a girlfriend?" Rinji shouted. "If I do that…"
"If you do that, even Karura will leave you. Isn't that what you're thinking?" the younger version replied coolly. "Since Uncle Amano passed away, you haven't changed at all. Watching your comrades die made you fear loss. So even if you act fearless in every other situation, when it cos to love, you're paralyzed. That's who 'we' are."
"…"
"Hayasaka didn't run away in the end. But we've never had the courage to face our failure from four years ago. Are we really going to make the sa mistake again?"
"…"
"Ask yourself honestly—how do you really feel about Hayasaka? Only then should you make a decision."
After saying that, the younger Rinji smiled.
Then he slowly disappeared into the surrounding darkness.
"Don't let those useless restraints bind you. We are Takamine Rinji."
"…"
With his younger self gone, Rinji stood alone in the dark.
"Bound… running away…"
"Hahaha… hahahaHAHAHAHA."
Laughing loudly while covering his face, Rinji didn't even know what emotion he was expressing anymore.
"I'm Takamine Rinji—the guy who fears nothing! How could I possibly be bound?! How could I possibly run away?!"
---
Rinji slowly opened his eyes.
Moonlight flooded his vision, making him squint. When he could see clearly, the first thing he saw was Hayasaka's worried face.
"Rinji, are you okay?"
She was sitting on the grass in the middle of the garden, and Rinji's head was resting on her lap.
"I'm fine."
He sat up and shook his head, a small smile forming at the corners of his lips.
"Co to think of it, Hayasaka, you confessed to just now, didn't you?"
"Yes…"
Her cheeks reddened, but she still gathered her courage and said, "So… I want to hear your answer."
"I could never give up on Karura. I really do love her."
"I see…"
As if she had already expected that, Hayasaka let out a faint, bitter smile.
"Sorry for troubling you. From now on—"
"I haven't given my answer yet," Rinji said with a smile.
"Huh?"
"My answer is…"
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her back.
And in her wide-eyed confusion, he kissed her.
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