Chapter 751 - The Reason
To be honest, he had come here without deciding whether he would say it at this particular moment or not.
And yet, in the end, he had said it without any hesitation or second thoughts—that was all there was to it. It probably meant that the feelings he held were, to an extent that was slightly vexing to admit, quite large.
Fine, he understood. He accepted it, he understood it, and… he had raised the white flag long ago, telling himself it couldn't be helped. But even so,
"…………………………………………………………"
…since it was something he had kept hidden from everyone, he was the only one who fully accepted and understood it all. It was probably only natural that the one who was told would freeze in time.
Ten seconds, then twenty, passed in silence.
He had no experience when it came to romance, so this was his first time 'confessing' to someone.
Similarly, the words he had delivered to the object of his first love today were merely a memory of the past… so, in the truest sense, the words he had just given to the girl frozen before him were his life's first confession of 'conveying his current affection'.
And yet, surprisingly, his heartbeat didn't seem to change much. Was it because he was simply not suited for matters of love, or was it because his partner was her?
He didn't know. He didn't know, but… it was a confession worthy of a self-satisfied smirk—a selfish, childish confession that seemed to say 'to hell with creating a romantic atmosphere'.
"……,……,…………W-well."
Beside him, the crimson eyes watching the self-deprecating Irori wavered, and the girl rebooted.
And then,
"F-for, starters…………—uh, um, could you, say that again?"
She made an unreasonable request with a voice so thin and frail he had never heard it before. It was more than enough to make his heart grow even calmer and for his usual sidelong glance to return.
"I see, you didn't hear me. If that's the case, that's fine—"
"W-Wha—?! Are you kid—! Hey, no, wait, wait, wait!!!"
It wasn't a joke; it was truly how he felt. As he tried to continue the conversation as if that were that, a flustered voice rose up and a small hand grabbed Irori's sleeve.
Don't you dare mess with me, I'm not letting you get away—is what she seemed to be saying. He had no intention of letting things end vaguely, so she didn't need to worry about that.
"I don't get it! I heard you! I heard you, but…! I have absolutely no confidence that I didn't mishear you!"
"…Calm down. You're right, I apologize. I should have chosen my words and the timing better."
"Honest—, y-you,…………!"
As per her unnecessary request, he didn't run away and threw his words at her.
In return… she glared at him with an indignant huff, as if to say, 'How can you be so calm, you jerk?'
She didn't let go of his sleeve.
And so, another moment of silence passed.
"………………………………,……I can't, believe it."
A small voice, with none of its usual energy, trickled out.
"I agree, it feels like a lie—but it's not a lie, or a joke."
It wasn't a monologue, but the voice of a heart seeking words. So he layered his own heart in response, and…
"…Hey, say it again."
"…………"
"Please."
…to the girl who averted her eyes and listened intently, he spoke.
"I'm in love with you. …About twenty percent as a woman, and thirty percent as a person."
"…What's that about? Where did the other half go?"
"How should I know? I can't look at my own heart in that much detail."
"What is, that…"
Really, it was nothing new. He couldn't skillfully change the attitude they had shown each other up to this point. The blunt choice of words, everything.
But that was precisely why.
"I'll make you understand. The reason I started to look only at you."
"…I'm telling you, I'm skeptical about that 'looking' part in the first place."
He had to be blunt and merciless and throw everything at her.
"First of all, I'll confess something that I'm prepared to be punched for."
"………………Fine, go ahead and say it."
His left hand was hot.
He glanced down and saw that at some point, she had grabbed his hand instead of his sleeve.
"You are…—Mi-na, you're similar to Sensei."
"…………………………………………I'm so unable to accept that, I'm surprised I'm not angry at all. Huh? What? Where? What do you mean—"
"Things like how you're both refreshingly and astonishingly confident about your own 'power'."
"Are you subtly making fun of me from the get-go???"
"You fool. As if I would ever say anything to make fun of Sensei."
"Wow… that's incredibly persuasive………… Wait, right now, weren't you being totally direct instead of—"
"And also, the way you both pursue your ideals."
He squeezed his left hand to tell her to be quiet for a moment, and her small, chattering mouth amusingly snapped shut.
"Your personalities aren't alike at all. What you're seeking is completely different. But you both selfishly, willfully… so earnestly that it's captivating, forged your own paths."
"…………"
"—In this utopia, an ideal 'place to belong'. …In your case, I suppose it was a 'place for the two of us,' including Ri-na, not just for yourself."
"…………………………"
"To be honest, when I realized that, I felt a pure sense of respect for you. It's normal to drift towards a place where you want to be, and even if you create one, it's common to read the room… but you, with astonishing dedication and without any compromise, were trying to build your own place to belong."
"………………………………………………"
"It feels strange to say this out loud, but the atmosphere of the top ten, who are closer than some families, was created by you and no one else. Even I, who joined later, can tell."
"……………………………………………………………………"
"You're similar. Willful, selfish… and achieving something great."
In other words, that's all there was to it.
"It's a simple story, isn't it? —You are exactly my type."
It was only natural that he would be drawn to her. It wasn't that he fell for her because she was similar to someone else, but that he had simply fallen for two different people who shared qualities he was naturally drawn to.
It was never a rebound.
She was, in no way, a substitute.
"Now then, Mi-na."
"……,…………"
"You're redder than usual. Are you alright?"
"Don't, look at me, you i-idiot…!!!"
It was simply a matter of being captivated by a light that shone just as brightly, if not more so.
It was just that, and nothing more.
To be continued, for just a little longer.