───● The Oblivious Boy Seeks Certainty ●○●
It was on my way home after playing basketball with Yuka.
“Good grief… Yuka’s growth is honestly mind-blowing…” I muttered to myself.
Walking through the station’s shopping district as dusk settled, my mind drifted back to Yuka, whom I’d been with just a short while ago.
She understood her strengths now and had expanded her offensive repertoire.
On defense, I could still manage to cover her to some extent thanks to our height difference, but it was getting harder and harder to actually stop her on offense.
“…”
…And that wasn’t just limited to her play on the court, either.
The moment I recalled the reward she’d demanded after thoroughly trouncing me, a shiver ran down my spine.
No matter how you slice it, this relationship is way too unhealthy.
Kids in middle school these days are… (et cetera, et cetera).
I’d told Yuka to stop, but expecting me not to be conscious of her is completely impossible.
Maybe before, but after being pursued that passionately, pretending I don’t feel anything would just be sheer bravado.
…If Yuka is already this insanely cute as a middle schooler, what’s going to happen when she reaches high school…?
Anyway, setting that terrifying thought aside for now.
I pulled my smartphone from my coat pocket and opened my messaging app.
Okano: “I arrived early, so I went inside.”
It had been a week since Okano-san came to the bar where I worked and gave me her contact info.
Today, we were finally meeting to sit down and talk face-to-face.
Over the past week, I’d talked with Seira-san, Shiori-chan, Koumi, and Mizuho, turning things over in my mind as best as I could.
About what it really meant to “love” someone.
Until now, being kind to everyone was just second nature to me, and I’d never connected that to romantic feelings.
I couldn’t truly grasp what “liking” someone felt like within myself.
But now, I felt like I finally understood a little.
And that was why I believed I could face Okano-san head-on.
Which brought me here today, meeting Okano-san at a café near the university station.
Koumi and Mizuho had been worried sick beforehand, bombarding me with “Are you sure you’re okay?! Should we tag along?! What if she tries something crazy?!” and “Should we hide nearby so we can burst in whenever?!” I’d assured them it wasn’t necessary, but still…
I reached the café entrance.
It was a coffee shop with a remarkably calm and relaxed ambiance for a chain store.
Stepping inside and casting a quick look around, I spotted Okano-san right away.
I walked over to the two-person table where she was waiting.
“Um… long time no see, Okano-san,” I greeted her awkwardly as I approached.
“Yeah, it really has been a while,” she replied smoothly.
She had a cool appearance with her short black hair.
Her personality wasn’t particularly aloof, but visually, she definitely leaned toward the elegant, stylish side.
That hadn’t changed at all since high school.
Back in my original world, if memory served, she had been extremely popular among the guys.
…Though, of course, that was strictly back in the previous world.
To be honest, I had no idea how the “me” in this world had dated her… or how we’d ended up breaking up.
Because of that, I couldn’t measure who she was now based purely on my own memories.
I hung my coat over the back of the chair opposite Okano-san and took a seat.
“I was really surprised to see you working in a place like that,” Okano-san said, starting the conversation.
“Ah, well, the person who became my guardian happens to own the shop. She’s letting me work there in exchange for taking care of me,” I explained.
“…You should seriously quit that,” she urged, her tone firm.
Okano-san stared at me with a dark, troubled expression.
Even so, my answer remained unchanged.
“The people working there are all great, so don’t worry. I’m actually having fun doing it,” I assured her.
“F-Fun…?” she stammered, looking taken aback.
I wasn’t lying.
When all was said and done, I genuinely liked working there. I was blessed with wonderful people around me, too.
Claiming I was doing it reluctantly would be a much bigger lie.
After ordering an iced coffee from the server, I turned back to face her squarely.
Okano-san met my eyes with a resigned look on her face.
“So… have you thought about what I asked?” she questioned.
“…Yeah. I’ve given it a lot of thought,” I answered softly.
It had been a week spent confronting my own inner feelings.
Looking back, it was a good opportunity to reexamine who I was.
And this was the answer I’d reached.
I bowed my head slightly to her.
“I’m sorry, but I cannot date you again, Okano-san,” I stated clearly.
“…Why?” she pressed, her voice dropping.
“…Well,” I began, hesitating.
I wrestled with how much I should actually tell her.
If I brought up world transposition out of nowhere, she’d just think I was out of my mind.
“I feel like I’ve finally come to understand what it means to love someone. So… I can’t date someone I don’t love,” I explained sincerely.
I expressed my honest feelings without holding back.
I was different now. I wouldn’t enter a relationship half-heartedly, just clinging to the vague possibility that I might come to like them later.
Because now, there were feelings I needed to face head-on.
“But there’s still a chance you could fall in love with me again, right?” she insisted, leaning forward.
“Huh?” I blinked in confusion.
“I mean, we used to date! So what’s the harm? I don’t even care if you date other people. If you want to date those girls from your university at the same time, I’m totally fine with it!” she babbled rapidly.
Listening to Okano-san rattle off those desperate words at high speed… honestly left a foul taste in my mouth.
“What’s the big deal with adding just one more? Ah, though I might not like that woman I saw at the bar. I mean, Masato-kun, you’re probably just treating her like a cash cow anyway—”
“That’s enough!” I cut her off firmly.
My voice had come out louder than intended, startling the server who was just setting down my iced coffee.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized softly, letting them set the glass down on the table.
I put a stern stop to Okano-san’s rambling.
Because I realized there was absolutely no point in continuing this conversation any further.
“I’ve heard enough. There is zero chance I will ever date you, so please leave,” I demanded flatly.
“W-Why?! I’m pretty cute compared to most—”
“That’s not what this is about!” I retorted.
I closed my eyes, forcing down the surge of anger inside me.
She was different. So fundamentally different.
Compared to the girls who had summoned every ounce of their courage to lay their hearts bare to me.
The gulf between them was so vast it almost made me sick.
“Look, I’m sorry about whatever happened in the past. Honestly… I don’t remember exactly what went down between us, nor do I know how we broke up,” I admitted.
I stared straight at Okano-san, whose face was flustered with panic.
“But I will never date someone who speaks so lightly of the people who are precious to me right now. Not a chance in hell,” I stated firmly.
“…Ngh!”
Her face flushed beet red, Okano-san abruptly stood up from the table.
“What is your problem?! I came all the way out here to see you! Fine, do whatever you want! Thinking about it now, I wouldn’t want to date someone working in a trashy place like that anyway! Goodbye!” she spat out furiously.
Slapping a thousand-yen bill onto the table with a loud thump, she snatched up her jacket and stormed out of the café.
…Sigh. Talk about a total hurricane of a person.
I stared down at the glass on the table, the surface of the coffee still rippling from her outburst.
Honestly, Okano-san’s words had pissed me off… but maybe this had been a valuable experience for me.
I realized for certain that I didn’t think “just anyone” would do.
And that I was fully capable of feeling genuine dislike toward someone who acted horribly.
It seemed so glaringly obvious, yet it taught me that the golden rule of “be kind to everyone” etched into my heart was by no means an absolute law.
…Right as those thoughts passed through my mind—
“…I’m gonna kill her,” a murderous whisper hissed from the booth right behind me.
“Stoooop! No, no, Koumi-chan, a maiden shouldn’t have eyes like a demon’s!! We’re gonna get caught! You’re gonna blow our cover!!” another panicked voice shrieked.
…A set of unnervingly familiar voices was emanating from the table right beside mine.
I let out a long sigh… though I had to admit, it was a sigh tinged with warmth.
I leaned over the booth partition to peer into the neighboring table.
“Ah,” they squeaked in unison.
Just as I’d suspected, sitting there were a flaxen short bob and a set of black-and-pink pigtails.
The pair had put on half-hearted disguises with sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats, looking utterly absurd.
“Sooooo~~~~~~~~~,” I drawled, staring deadpan at them.
“”
“”
“Who are you two even trying to fool?” I sighed.
Koumi and Mizuho apologetically took off their hats and sunglasses.
“W-Well, you see, Koumi was just so────so terribly worried about you!” Mizuho babbled, pointing a finger at her friend.
“Ah! That’s so mean! Mizuho, you were totally hyped about this too!” Koumi cried out, pouting dramatically.
How much of that had they overheard…? Honestly, it was probably safer to assume they’d been sitting there from the very beginning.
“Well, whatever. You guys were just worried about me, right?” I asked softly.
“You betcha! We had to be ready to spring into action and rescue our precious Masato-dono at a moment’s notice!” Mizuho declared proudly.
“That’s a bit extreme…” I muttered with a faint smile.
Still, I’d mentioned to them that Okano-san had come to the bar, so they must have known she could be a bit pushy.
Their worry for me was definitely genuine.
“That woman, seriously…” Koumi growled, dark aura radiating from her body.
“S-Staaay, Koumi-chan, staaay!” Mizuho coaxed soothingly, waving her hands.
“Ahaha…” I let out a weak laugh.
A dark, murderous aura was practically billowing off Koumi.
I offered an embarrassed dry laugh, though knowing her rage stemmed entirely from her love for me sent a flush of embarrassment to my cheeks.
“So, so, Masato-dono!” Mizuho chimed in lively.
“Hm?”
Laughing with a playful “Nishishi,” Mizuho looked up at me with upturned eyes.
“Does that mean we’re included among those ‘precious people’ you mentioned back there?” she asked playfully.
“…Ngh!”
…So they’d heard every single word loud and clear…
“Well… yeah, of course you are,” I admitted, scratching my cheek.
“That’s music to my ears!” Mizuho beamed brightly.
The two girls broke into radiant, carefree smiles.
They really were such wonderfully charming girls.
And that was precisely why I had to face them with complete sincerity.
As terrible as Okano-san’s words had been, this whole encounter had made me realize something important.
That without a doubt, the five of them were deeply special to me.
Leaving Okano-san’s nonsense aside, my habit of being kind to everyone had made me terrified that maybe I could fall for just about anyone.
But now, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that wasn’t true.
Because I knew it was only them.
There was something I had to do before March arrived.
“So… listen,” I spoke up.
“Hm?”
Koumi and Mizuho both tilted their heads curiously at my sudden change in tone.
Steeling my resolve, I looked them both dead in the eyes.
“I want you to go on a date with me.”
Koumi and Mizuho’s eyes both went wide at the exact same moment.
This was something I had to do.
Now that I understood a little of what “love” truly meant, I was going to face every single one of them properly.
So that I could give each of them the answer they deserved.