Love Master Ayanokoji: Was Kushida Acting or Not?

"Hey, Ayanokoji, what do you think of Kushida?"

"She's all right. Seems like a pretty down-to-earth girl."

"Then do you think I have a chance if I confess to her?"

"You do. A pretty good one."

On the deck, in the lounge beside the pool, Ayanokoji was chatting with Ike.

"Great!"

"I've decided. I'm going to confess to her tonight!"

Maybe the excitement from watching the game had gone to his head, or maybe the orange juice on the table was stronger than it looked. Either way, he suddenly made the kind of declaration you'd only expect to hear from someone who was drunk.

"..."

"Good luck."

Ayanokoji said it flatly. Ike's face was already turning gray in his eyes.

His face would be remembered.

Sudo was clearly concerned for his buddy. As soon as he heard Ike wanted to confess, he widened his eyes and cried out in shock,

"What? Huh!? Are you serious, Ike?"

"If you fail, you'll feel like you want to die..."

He instinctively glanced at the sea around them, his expression strangely grave, as if his eyes were saying, "It'd be so convenient to end it here."

At that, Ike slowly stood up. The sea breeze blew across his face, lifting his naturally side-parted bangs and revealing a baby face with a hint of heroism.

"Of course..."

He worked himself up for a moment, then raised his head at a forty-five-degree angle and spoke with a gleam in his eyes:

"Say what you mean, do what you say. That's my... motto!"

?

Why did that sound so familiar?

Ayanokoji stared at him blankly, almost thinking Ike was about to cross over to another show and start throwing kunai.

Hearing that, Sudo shed a hot tear. "That's so passionate~ Ike!"

As expected, redheads were all too easily fired up.

Ayanokoji couldn't help thinking.

And just like that, before long, evening arrived.

Only a crimson arc remained on the horizon.

At the ship's bow beneath the setting sun, a boy was telling a girl something. He looked bashful, and the shape of his mouth made him seem to be stammering.

The sunset bathed the sea in gold and lent a blush to the girl's face. The evening breeze blew softly, swaying her white skirt and golden-orange hair in rhythm, like...

A pair of windshield wipers?

All right, that metaphor gets zero points.

But it suited Ayanokoji's mood at the moment.

He crouched in the corner, watching the scene with great interest. Beside him, Sudo looked as if his heart had leapt into his throat.

"Hey, Ayanokoji, do you think Ike's going to pull it off? I'm so nervous too."

"Wakannai."

Though he said that, Ayanokoji was nervous too.

It was the kind of nervousness you felt waiting to see the results of an experiment.

The next second, the sea breeze lifted the corners of his mouth.

Ike came running back, shielding his face with his forearm. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, flying wildly in the wind.

"Waaah, Ayanokoji, you lied to me!"

He sounded a little reproachful.

Ayanokoji froze slightly and fell silent for a moment before speaking with a hint of apology.

"Sorry..."

"To be honest, I don't know much about love either."

Ike was stunned. He stared at Ayanokoji's blank face for a long while before suddenly realizing:

Damn!

What was I thinking, asking Ayanokoji?

At night, the lights came on aboard the ship, turning the entire cruise liner into the only point of light on the sea.

On the outer corridor of the guest-room deck, Ayanokoji gazed gloomily at the dark sea.

It wasn't that he had anything weighing on his mind. He just looked gloomy, that was all.

"Ayanokoji-kun, is something bothering you?"

A familiar voice sounded behind him. Ayanokoji came back to himself a little and turned around.

It was Kushida Kikyo.

"I just can't sleep, that's all."

Ayanokoji answered calmly, his gaze settling on Kushida's slightly tired eyes.

"I see... It feels like it's been ages since I last talked to you, Ayanokoji-kun."

Kushida sounded a little wistful, and gave him a gentle smile.

Then she turned her gaze away and faced the dim horizon, resting her hands on the railing as she let out a soft sigh.

"Do you remember when we first met, Ayanokoji-kun..."

"Yeah."

"You were the only one who stood up on the bus. It was kind of cool."

"Did you really mean that?"

Huh?

At Ayanokoji's question, she turned back, looking confused. The light fell across her face again.

"Of course I meant it..."

After saying that, her eyes dipped slightly.

Ayanokoji said nothing, simply gazing at her as usual.

When he didn't respond, she gave a faint, awkward smile, as if to ease the tension, then looked back at the sea and turned her face toward the darkness again.

"Hey, Ayanokoji-kun..."

"Do you think I can keep living like this?"

"You don't need to ask me what I think..."

Ayanokoji answered at once. A glimmer returned to his eyes. He glanced at her composed profile, pretending to be profound as he said,

"Kushida should just do whatever she wants."

At his words, Kushida's slender body seemed to twitch for a second.

Then her shoulders drooped, and she shifted her hips slightly, leaning against the railing as if all the air had gone out of her.

She turned her head toward Ayanokoji, her eyes seeming gentler than usual.

"You really haven't changed, Ayanokoji-kun."

"..."

?

Ayanokoji fell silent.

He had no idea how to answer Kushida's question, so he'd just tossed out some vague platitude, telling her to do whatever she wanted. He hadn't expected her to look so approving.

He looked at her impassively. The next second, he suddenly realized there was something a little off about the situation.

Kushida Kikyo... Why was her acting so natural this time?

There were no flaws. He couldn't find a single one...

It seemed he still had a lot more to learn from this book of hers.

Truth and lies, lies and truth. At his current level, Ayanokoji couldn't tell whether Kushida was acting or not.

Her acting was so masterful it was truly admirable!

Kushida, which side of you is the real one?

He couldn't help wondering.

The night deepened, and sleepiness crept in.

With Kushida leading the conversation, the two of them chatted a little longer.

Of course, they mostly talked about their class.

Finally, after Kushida gave him a smile that seemed to show she was feeling better, they wished each other good night and returned to their respective rooms.

The next day, Ayanokoji wandered around the deck.

There was plenty of entertainment on the ship, but most of it was packed with people. Ayanokoji didn't want to squeeze in with them.

He was thinking of going to the theater alone to watch whatever was playing, just to pass the time, even if it was boring, when his gaze accidentally landed on a girl by the lounge bar.

What a rare sight!

Horikita had finally emerged from seclusion!

Seeing her sitting there all alone, Ayanokoji decided to show a little kindness and go over to check on her.

That was how it always went in anime, wasn't it?

Maybe his brother would even reduce his debt because of it.

Thinking that, he walked slowly toward Horikita. But as soon as he got close, she shot him a look that warned him to keep his distance—or rather, one that seemed oddly wary.

She looked like she was worried someone might find out something.

"That's harsh... I came over to see how you were doing, at least."

Ayanokoji walked around the girl and sat on the high stool beside her. His eyes fell on her, and the hoodie she wore stood out as being particularly unsuited to the season.

"After all, I haven't seen you out here for three days."

"I've just been reading in my room. Besides... I already told you I like being alone."

Horikita replied coolly, though her voice sounded a little weaker than it had before they boarded.

Ayanokoji looked her over, then noticed the cup of milk in front of her, still faintly steaming. He seemed to understand something.

After thinking for two seconds, he slowly spoke.

"Horikita..."

"Are you on your period?"