Are You Confessing to Me?

"Explain yourself, or I'm not going to forgive you."

Hasebe stepped closer again, pinning him against the wall.

The pose was a lot like a kabedon, but there was none of that romantic atmosphere. She was looking at him very seriously.

Yet he had no answer.

After all, he'd hardly ever lied about something like this.

And given the mood, if he said he had no interest at all in Hasebe's body, he wouldn't believe himself—and neither would she.

Honestly, sometimes girls' questions made no sense. There was no right answer.

Hasebe was especially sensitive when it came to talking about her body, which made this even harder.

So he decided to play dead, gazing at Hasebe with an exasperated expression, hoping his sincerity might bring back what little conscience she had left.

Then—

Hasebe burst out laughing and stepped back, letting him go.

"I was just kidding. How could I ever be mad at little Bai Ye? Even if you really did have those kinds of thoughts, I... wouldn't mind."

"Don't you hate that kind of thing?"

"I do, but..." Hasebe looked up at the stars and said dreamily, "When I saw Ichinose from Class B, when I saw how many friends trusted her, I started wondering if maybe all of this was my fault... Maybe I was taking things too seriously."

"Sometimes, you don't have to worry about everything so much, right, Bai Ye-kun~"

It was the first time Hasebe had called him by his name.

Looking at her bright eyes as she gave him a little wink, Bai Ye smiled back.

"You should still worry a little. If you get a boyfriend someday, I'm sure he wouldn't want other men coveting your body."

"Why does that sound so weird, little Bai Ye? Don't tell me... you're confessing to me."

Hasebe gave him an exasperated, teasing look and smiled.

"If I were, how would you answer?"

"Uh... You're not serious, are you?" Hasebe's eyes widened slightly. "I think... I probably wouldn't turn you down. But I'd still rather you call me 'Big Sister.' Would you?"

He was at a loss. "Do you have some kind of weird thing for that? Why do you keep pestering me to call you 'Big Sister'?"

"Because you're so cute when you call me that. I'm serious—can't you just do it once? Just once, and then I'll do anything you want. Please~"

Hasebe tugged at his sleeve, shaking it, looking determined not to let the matter go.

"No."

He pulled his hand away and gave her a frosty look.

"Why not?"

"Because it's too embarrassing."

If he was going to call her Big Sister, there at least had to be the right atmosphere. He imagined calling Hasebe that under these circumstances and shuddered.

Maybe she just wanted to see him get embarrassed, which would be exactly what she wanted. But he'd be throwing away every last shred of dignity.

He'd never call her that, even if it killed him.

"Fine. I should've known you'd be this cold to me. I'm used to it by now," Hasebe said sulkily.

He ignored her. "Take out your phone. I'll transfer you some points."

"Oh."

Hasebe took out her phone and handed it to him without hesitation.

After he'd transferred the money, Hasebe said, "I'll hold on to it for you. If you're ever short on money, just ask me for some."

"..." He said nothing. "Let's go back."

After saying goodbye to Hasebe at the dormitory, he went back to his room.

He was the only one in there.

Ever since he'd said those things to Wang Meiyu last time, she'd understood what he really meant. She still came by to hang out sometimes, but she no longer insisted on sleeping with him like she used to.

That was a good thing for him, too.

It was a little disappointing that he couldn't tease the cutie as often, but he decided to put that aside and focus on his mission.

His current targets were Horikita Suzune and Hasebe Haruka, and he'd decided to pursue Hasebe.

Hasebe had said today that if he confessed, she'd probably accept.

He figured the reason was partly romantic interest, but mostly that she felt sorry for him.

That was right. It was like what had happened between him and Wang Meiyu. Back then, he'd accepted her right away, not just because of the mission, but more because he couldn't bear to see her sad.

Relationships between people were fragile. Friends could still get along peacefully, and whether there was flirtation or physical contact, you could always find some excuse to justify it.

But once you laid your feelings bare, there were only two paths: get together or stop being friends.

Being with someone who had rejected you—even if you didn't mind, every time you spent together afterward would feel like another cut across your broken heart.

And in the end, the only possibility was to let go.

If he really confessed to Hasebe now, he could complete his mission without a hitch. But their feelings weren't that deep yet, and if he broke up with her, it would be goodbye forever.

Even if they made up, Hasebe wouldn't dare get close to him again.

After all, the wound would be far deeper than their love had ever been.

Everyone was an individual. He didn't want to selfishly force her to stay by his side and watch her suffer every day.

He only wanted to see himself and the people around him happy. Otherwise, what would getting stronger even mean?

Having lived two lives, he didn't want to be a foolish, immature boy anymore.

So all he could do was keep nurturing his relationship with Hasebe until she wouldn't let him go, even if they broke up.