Takashi leaned his back against the cold tile wall, his voice hollow. "Kasumigaoka, why won't you just let go?"
"Because I love you."
Utaha t his gaze with her wine-red eyes—steady, unflinching, not a trace of guilt.
"You love ?"
Takashi chuckled at her words.
"I don't believe you."
Utaha's eyes dimd slightly, but she still smiled. "I know. But ti will prove everything."
"Kasumigaoka Utaha!"
For the first ti, Takashi shouted her full na in anger.
"I don't care whether you really love or you're just ssing around, but listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
He took a deep breath, looked straight at her, and spoke word by word:
"I, Watanabe Takashi, don't love you anymore. Got that?"
"I don't believe you!"
Utaha stared at him with obsessive intensity.
"How long has it even been since we broke up? I don't believe you could forget so easily."
"What does how long it's been have to do with anything? I've known you for years, and you never fell for ."
"Who said I didn't fall for you? I just…"
She trailed off mid-sentence, biting her lip lightly.
"Let guess—you're about to say that you liked all along but just didn't realize it, and only realized how important I was after I left, right?"
Takashi gave her a mocking smile.
Girl, I know this script too well.
Back when he was hooked on those angsty romance stories from Quora, especially ones by Liu Ruyan, he read plenty just like this.
"Are you sure what you're feeling is love?"
"Isn't it just possessiveness dressed up as affection?"
"It's like I had a dog I raised for years. If it suddenly ran away, I'd feel awful too."
Speaking of dogs—
Takashi suddenly thought of Kuro.
That dog hadn't returned since running off to the Nakano house.
Sigh… he'd been too trusting after all.
"Takashi, how could I possibly not know the difference between love and possessiveness?"
Utaha let out a bitter smile.
"I just didn't want to admit that I fell for you so quickly. It would make my feelings seem cheap."
Takashi silently pushed her off him.
"What's the point of saying all this now? It's too late. I have Eriri now."
"Not everything cos with a second chance."
"Stop clinging to —I don't want her to be hurt."
He brushed past her and headed toward the door.
Utaha stared at his retreating back and suddenly said coldly:
"Takashi, do you really think Sawamura truly loves you?"
Takashi stopped in his tracks.
"Sawamura's not like ."
"I went from eting Tomoya to falling in love with him in under a year."
"But do you know how long Sawamura has loved Aki Tomoya?"
Takashi's voice trembled. "H-How long?"
"She's known him since the entrance ceremony in elentary school."
"They were childhood friends who grew up together—she's loved him for ten years."
"In all that ti, they never lost contact."
"Before you ever t her parents, Aki had already t them."
"Stop talking!"
Takashi's voice shook more violently.
"Even if you two end up together, they'll still keep in touch. If anything ever happens to him, she'll go help him. Can you really accept that?"
"I said stop!"
"You don't seriously think you matter more to her than Aki does, do you?"
"I SAID STOP! Didn't you hear ?!"
Takashi suddenly turned, eyes bloodshot, like a wild beast driven mad—ready to lash out at any mont.
"Sawamura keeps a diary. If you don't believe , go read it for yourself."
…
Fifteen minutes later, Takashi and Utaha returned together, just as they had left.
Takashi walked in silence, while Utaha seed to be in a much better mood.
At the very least, the dead look on her face was gone—replaced by a faint trace of vitality.
By now, all the dishes they had ordered earlier had been served.
"Kasumigaoka, co with ."
Before the two had even sat down, Eriri stood up, tossed out those words to Utaha, and turned to leave.
Takashi's eyelid twitches. He started to feel nervous.
He was afraid the two were going to compare notes.
If they compared notes, a lot of things would be exposed.
Like how he had been a backup for Utaha while also playing lapdog for Eriri.
"Let's eat first. The food's getting cold."
Takashi made one last desperate attempt.
Eriri didn't even look at him and headed toward the restroom.
Utaha, having things to say to Eriri as well, followed along.
"Damn it!"
Takashi hesitated. Maybe he should just bail now and avoid getting publicly humiliated later.
gumi was still in the restroom. Now that Eriri and Utaha had left, only Takashi and Tomoya remained at the table.
The two of them had nothing to talk about—and honestly, couldn't even find common ground.
So they just silently focused on their own als, neither making any effort to strike up a conversation.
…
gumi had just finished in the restroom and was about to leave when she heard Eriri's slightly accusatory voice:
"Have you talked with Takashi?"
"No. But he used to like . And I liked him too."
Utaha's charming, magnetic voice echoed.
gumi wasn't the type to hide in a corner and eavesdrop on gossip.
If she was going to spectate, she'd do it right next to the people involved.
Her presence was so faint that as long as she didn't speak up, no one even noticed her.
That was probably her only advantage from being so plain.
"He liked you? Don't be ridiculous! He obviously likes ," Eriri's voice suddenly spiked with tension.
"He liked before he even t you."
Utaha rested her chin on her hand, a teasing smile on her lips. "I should count as his ex."
Eriri laughed angrily.
"Ex? You never even dated him. How are you an ex?"
"I'm Takashi's first love. Don't flatter yourself."
"Have you ever held Takashi's hand? Hugged him? Kissed him?"
Eriri wasn't just trying to provoke Utaha with these jabs—she was probing.
Trying to see if Utaha had made a move on Watanabe Takashi. If she'd done that.
It mattered to Eriri.
No one wants their first romance to be with soone who's already been soone else's "mistake."
Let alone a first romance—there were still plenty of guys who only wanted a girl's "first."
Eriri thought it was fair to expect both sides to be clean if she was.
"You touched him?"
Utaha's gaze darkened instantly, locking onto Eriri with icy intensity.
"Of course."
The mont Eriri saw that expression on Utaha's face, she knew: Utaha probably hadn't even held his hand.
And that made her feel amazing.
She knew she had a good eye for n.
___
20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comnt, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~
Check out the other translations too
___
Reviews
All reviews (0)