Shirakawa Sawahei trembled all over and turned to look back. Tsukimi Sakurazawa stood not far behind him, walking slowly and leaving a trail of footprints. She held a phone in her hand, and her slender figure appeared particularly fragile in the snowy field, as if she were trembling slightly, with snowflakes gradually turning the girl’s hair white, much like cherry blossoms under the snow.
He stood still and watched, unable to stop the girl’s tears from flowing down. In the world of white, the orange light cast so warmth, though the girl in the distance was still far from him. Shirakawa Sawahei felt as if her tears were falling into his heart, causing him intense heartache.
How was it possible not to notice all along? Tsukimi had actually hinted many tis.
"It was because Shirakawa, you’re too slow~ I behaved so obviously, you know~"
"Shirakawa, please don’t go. I can’t sleep here alone... Sob, I’m begging you."
"Huh, it took you so long to find , Shirakawa, you’re really dull. I spotted you in the crowd right away!"
"Shirakawa~"
"Shirakawa..."
The girl’s voice, clear and endearing, traveled from a distant past, echoing in his ears. Shirakawa Sawahei laughed self-deprecatingly. He had always thought himself clever, yet he never realized until now what this girl, Tsukimi Sakurazawa, truly ant to him.
Is it her excellent acting to bla, or my slowness?
The two of them stood facing each other in silence for a while, then Shirakawa Sawahei sighed softly, slowly walking up to the girl, and reached out to pull her into his arms.
"I’m sorry, I’m late."
As soon as he spoke, Tsukimi Sakurazawa finally found an outlet for her suppressed emotions, crying softly in Shirakawa Sawahei’s embrace. She cried so sorrowfully, her face filled with surprise and fear, yet even so, her cute and lovely face remained as charming as ever. Shirakawa Sawahei gently brushed away the strands of hair on her cheek, simply sighed softly, and then repeated that helpless and pale phrase.
"I’m sorry."
"Shirakawa... Shirakawa... I like you..." Tsukimi Sakurazawa said between sobs, gripping his sleeve and stuttering, "I like you... I’m sorry... I should have told you sooner... I’m sorry... sob, sob..."
"..."
"I’ve liked you for a long ti... Shirakawa... I’m sorry..."
"I’m sorry," Shirakawa Sawahei replied softly, "I should be the one apologizing."
The girl shook her head, her face covered in tears. She looked up, her gaze dim, and said, "No... I had so many chances to tell you... And before, when you asked those questions before leaving ho, my answers weren’t sincere..."
"If I had answered your questions properly, things wouldn’t be like this now," Tsukimi Sakurazawa said softly. "Why are we just friends?"
"Because I like you."
"If I hadn’t accidentally t Koorikin at the cake shop, I might never have realized what you were trying to ask with that question..."
"Similarly, if I hadn’t known that Koorikin had confessed to you, I might never have realized how much I liked you."
"I was so scared, scared that if I didn’t confess, you’d never know I liked you. I feared losing you, but I was more afraid that you’d forget about ..."
"So I said those things... even though my best friend already confessed to you first..."
"Shirakawa... I’m sorry. If my confession had co a little earlier, things wouldn’t be like this now..."
Hearing this, Shirakawa Sawahei froze, silently sighing inwardly, leaving her words unanswered.
What Tsukimi said... maybe it’s sothing that could happen in so parallel world... if she had confessed earlier...
He held Tsukimi Sakurazawa quietly without speaking. After being silent for a while, as if her sadness had been vented, the girl murmured softly, "Shirakawa, does this make a bad person?"
"What do you an?"
"After Koorikin confessed to you, and I overheard, not only did I not help her, I even confessed myself... She must hate by now."
"No, she won’t." Shirakawa Sawahei thought for a mont and said, "Now, Ise Yu is probably the person she hates the most, not you."
"Who is it?"
"The Minotaur."
"What on earth... Shirakawa, did you already et with Koorikin?"
Shirakawa Sawahei nodded and released the girl from his arms.
"Then..."
"I agreed with her."
Tsukimi Sakurazawa sighed faintly with a wry smile, "It figures... Koorikin has such a good relationship with you and has been living with you all along..."
"But, to know that you like is enough, Shirakawa. I’ve finally expressed my feelings properly. If I could do it all over again, maybe I wouldn’t lose... Wouldn’t you agree... Shirakawa?"
Although she was trying to sound nonchalant, in Shirakawa Sawahei’s ears, her words were so heartbreakingly tender. He took the girl’s soft, fair hand once again and said earnestly, "But I don’t plan on giving you up, either."
This ti, the girl didn’t tremble. She blankly stared, her eyes wide open at Shirakawa Sawahei, and after a while, she muttered, "Shirakawa... you... do you want to have an affair with ?"
"It can’t be described with such an unpleasant term. To put it accurately, I have feelings for both of you."
Tsukimi Sakurazawa blinked her delicate and alluring eyes, speechless for a mont before sighing, "Shirakawa, it’s one thing to say such words to , but don’t ever say them in front of Koorikin... she’ll hit you."
"To be honest, I already have been."
"..."
"Shirakawa... are you really trying to beco a player?" the girl said after gazing at him silently for a while. "And you want to be the kind of player who’s blatantly open about it? Are you running a fever? You don’t usually seem so foolish."
She reached out to feel Shirakawa Sawahei’s forehead, but he caught her hand, sincerely saying, "Although this matter may sound a bit confusing... my feelings for Ise Yu are the sa as my feelings for you."
"I like both of you, so I want to be with both of you. If there are any difficulties, I’ll take full responsibility to resolve them. If anyone insults , I’ll ignore it. If anyone insults you two, I’ll... get rid of them."
"Shirakawa! Where did you learn that?!" Tsukimi Sakurazawa exclaid in shock, "It’s a wonder Koorikin hasn’t chopped you to bits. Am I dreaming? Are you a ghost right now?"
"..."
"Did you really tell Koorikin the sa thing? About wanting an openly polygamous relationship?"
"Yes... but I think we can phrase it differently... like changing ’an openly polygamous relationship’ to ’staying together with you both forever’."
"That’s just a player’s excuse! Shirakawa, you’ve changed," Tsukimi Sakurazawa sighed. "Are you saying such things to because you know I wouldn’t bear to hit you?"
"No, actually Tsukimi, if you hit a couple of tis, I might feel a little better."
"Then, I definitely can’t let you feel better," the girl looked at his earnest face and said softly, "Do you really think I would accept it?"
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