(P.S. This is my first time writing a romantic showdown, and I had a little trouble reining it in. I think I got a bit carried away, so please go easy on me. OTZ)
The three returned to the Butterfly Mansion in that same formation, one following the other. Ignoring the curious looks from the patients and caregivers they passed along the way, they entered a quiet room together.
Kanae and Makomo sat side by side across from Kanzaki Kumo, with a low table between them.
Makomo looked at Kanzaki Kumo with a measure of apprehension and anticipation.
Kanae remained as gentle and serene as ever.
But the corner of her clothes, which she was secretly clenching beneath the table, betrayed her inner turmoil. She chose not to show it only to avoid putting any additional pressure on Kanzaki Kumo.
Only after meeting each girl's eyes did Kanzaki Kumo speak softly. "Although I've said we're still too young to talk about romance, in a sense, that was partly a way of avoiding the issue."
"Perhaps that really was what I thought at first, but after saying it so many times, 'age' became an excuse I used to stall."
"To stall until you were willing to accept each other, until you tacitly accepted my greed..."
"But that kind of stalling must hurt you."
Seeing that Kanzaki Kumo seemed to have reached the heart of the matter without fully spelling it out, Makomo couldn't help speaking up. "Hey, so what are you trying to say now? That you want both of us? You really are greedy. Confessing in a situation like this, with both of us here..."
She didn't continue, merely staring straight at Kanzaki Kumo.
"I'm not confessing my love. I'm coming clean. About what I've been thinking, about my greed,