A soft sumr breeze whispered along the sloping path that wound up Detective Hill. The cherry trees on either side rustled gently, their green leaves shimring under the afternoon sun. One sparrow flitted down from the pale blue sky, landing delicately on a thin branch. Another was already there—still, calm, as if waiting. The two tiny birds nestled side by side, their feathers brushing softly together, a silent closeness blooming between them.
Kato gumi stood beneath that sa slope, her shoes planted on the gravel, fingers quietly twirling a strand of her hair. That little movent—barely noticeable to most—betrayed her unease.
She didn’t speak imdiately.
In front of her stood Yukima Azuma, his eyes searching hers with a rare seriousness. He watched every subtle shift in her expression, every flicker of hesitation or resolve. He knew the weight of this conversation. One wrong word—one careless slip—and everything he’d built with her could crumble.
"Why suddenly bring this up?" she asked at last, her tone light, almost casual. But the tight way she wound her hair around her finger revealed the storm behind her calm.
Azuma didn’t flinch.
"Since you accepted my love letter, aren’t we already a couple?" he said, eting her gaze head-on.
He emphasized the words—love letter—on purpose. Not to soothe her, but to stir sothing deeper. A reaction. An emotion. He wasn’t trying to escape the tension—he was walking right into it.
And just as he expected, the mont he brought up the love letter, her expression shifted.
gumi looked up at him sharply. Her usually soft, unreadable gaze turned clear and piercing. Those eyes, shimring with a quiet frustration, locked onto him.
She rembered. Of course she did.
Six hundred pages. She had read them all. Every page, every word of his devotion. That foolish, relentless, absurdly romantic love letter had trapped her heart. And she—sensible, calm, observant Kato gumi—had let it happen.
But now she was caught in a mont where she had to ask herself: was it real?
Were they truly a couple?
Or had Yukima Azuma simply swept her into his orbit and left her floating there, unsure of her place?
Her voice was cool, but laced with steel.
"Then what about Kasumigaoka Utaha? Yukinoshita Yukino? Sora Ginko? Oh, and also—Sawamura Eriri?"
She said each na clearly, evenly, one after the other. As if presenting a ledger that needed settling. There was no malice—only clarity. She wasn’t accusing him. She was asking him to be honest.
It wasn’t like her to press so directly.
Usually, gumi avoided confrontation. When she liked soone, she preferred to show it through gentle presence rather than declarations. She would simply stay close—like spring rain, patient and soft, slowly nurturing a bond over ti.
But not today.
Today, she needed to speak.
Because recently, gumi had co to a realization that terrified her.
She loved Yukima Azuma.
Not just a passing crush. Not just curiosity.
This was real, heavy love—the kind that made her stomach twist when she imagined him disappearing, the kind that made her panic when she thought about him choosing soone else.
The feelings she had carefully kept at bay had finally broken through.
And once she admitted it to herself, she could no longer ignore the truth she had long been pushing aside:
There were too many girls around him. And every one of them... was extraordinary.
How long could they continue this way?
Soone, eventually, would be left out. Soone would be the one discarded. And gumi would rather know now if she was that soone. If she was going to be pushed away, she would rather it hurt now—cleanly, like a deep cut—than die by a thousand dull stabs over ti.
Her voice was quiet, but resolute.
"Azuma-san, would you be able to maintain your friendship with all of them for my sake?"
Yukima Azuma didn’t hesitate. He shook his head.
It was a firm, unmistakable gesture.
Because the truth was—he couldn’t. Not with Utaha-senpai, not with Eriri.
Those relationships had already crossed too many lines. To retreat now and pretend they were just friendships? That would be impossible.
In fact, it would be easier to kill Yukima Azuma than to make him forget those bonds.
gumi saw him shake his head and imdiately puffed out her lips.
"That’s way too straightforward! Couldn’t you at least pretend to hesitate a little?" she said with a huff.
Her tone was light, playful, but her eyes were still serious.
She had known what the answer would be—but to hear it delivered so plainly stung nonetheless. She let out a soft sigh, brushing back a loose strand of hair.
Perhaps this was for the best.
At least, if Azuma wouldn’t feel heartbroken, she wouldn’t have to worry as much. That was sothing.
"So please don’t bring up the ’lover’ thing again," she added gently. "I’m okay with it... but if soone else hears, it’ll only cause misunderstandings. That kind of ss would just give you a headache."
She turned away, speaking her farewell like a breeze.
"I’ll go ahead now. Bye-bye."
She began climbing the slope. At the top of the hill, her house waited. Just a few more steps.
She didn’t want him to walk her back. Not tonight.
That would be too cruel—for both of them.
But just as she took her second step—
A hand gripped hers from behind.
It was warm. Firm. Unshakable.
Startled, she turned to look at him. Her eyes wide.
Azuma t her gaze.
"We’re definitely a couple," he said, voice unwavering. "That hasn’t changed. It can’t be changed."
gumi’s eyes narrowed.
"Azuma-san, don’t be sneaky. You were the one who said you couldn’t keep a normal relationship with the others."
"I did," he admitted.
"Then stop being selfish. Do you want all of them to be your lovers too?"
"Yes. I want that."
The mont the words left his lips, gumi froze.
Then her cheeks puffed again in outrage.
"Azuma-san, are you a child? Only a brat would say sothing so ridiculous."
She wasn’t angry. Not really.
She was... baffled.
Azuma wasn’t impulsive. He didn’t speak thoughtlessly. Which ant he ant it.
Which made it even more absurd.
"I’m saying it exactly because I’m not a child," he replied. His grip on her hand tightened.
"When I was a kid, I had nothing. I was lonely for so long."
"And now that I have sothing precious... I won’t let go. Not any part of it."
"I love you, Kato gumi. I love the gentle you. I won’t let anyone—even you—take that away."
Her heart skipped.
He reached up, brushing her cheek softly. His hand trembled faintly—just for a mont—as if he was afraid of being pushed away.
But she didn’t pull back.
Even so, sothing about his tone—his forcefulness—worried her.
Would this sa determination backfire on soone else?
Utaha-senpai would never bow to this kind of pressure. Eriri, with her fragile heart, might break under it. And as for Sora Ginko... gumi didn’t know her well, but she doubted such a person would accept being strong-ard.
Still, before she could reflect more—
Azuma suddenly pulled back his hand. Then, as if conjured from thin air, he revealed a bright red rose between his fingers.
Her breath caught.
The vivid bloom seed almost surreal against the sky. Its soft fragrance drifted toward her.
"Impressive, right?" he said, grinning. "This one’s for you, gumi. And I’ve got plenty more tricks. I’ll find a thousand ways to keep you by my side."
For a second, she just stared at him.
Then she burst into laughter.
This man—this idiot—he wasn’t a child.
He was far more dangerous than that.
She accepted the rose.
"So... Azuma-san," she murmured, "are you really set on building a harem?"
"You’re all my wings!" he declared shalessly.
Her hand shot to his waist, giving it a small twist.
"Owww—!"
Earlier, Azuma had told her that if she got angry, she could pinch his side. That was his little escape hatch.
And now he was playing it up like he was dying.
gumi sighed and rolled her eyes, equal parts annoyed and amused.
She reached up and poked his cheek.
"Say things like that just to , okay? If you tell the other girls, I’m pretty sure you’ll be hated to death."
Azuma gave a solemn nod.
Seeing that, gumi let out a short snort and took his hand again.
"Let’s go. I baked so cookies. You can take so ho."
They walked up the slope hand in hand.
Azuma stared at her back. His heart twisted.
He had braced himself for anger. For tears. For rejection.
But gumi accepted everything too calmly.
She was too kind.
He didn’t deserve that.
And yet... she still reached for his hand.
She still let him stay.
"I agreed," gumi said suddenly, without looking back, "and yet Azuma-san is sulking. Should I make a bigger fuss instead?"
He blinked.
Had she read his thoughts?
No—of course she had.
She always did.
"No need for tricks, Azuma-san," she added with a smile in her voice. "I already know I can’t live without you."
She kept walking, leading him ho.
And sowhere in his heart, Azuma understood—
That sa day she had transferred into his life... she had quietly taken root there.
From the mont he’d spoken to her.
From the mont she’d replied with that soft, curious smile.
From the mont he noticed her in the gym, her eyes quietly watching over him.
She had loved him.
And she still did.
"Have I spoiled you too much, gumi?"
"Maybe," she said lightly. "But what can I do? I love Azuma-san. So I can’t help it."
Reviews
All reviews (0)