The moment their eyes met, Takashi's heart sank.
'What is she doing here?'
Feeling guilty like a thief, Takashi immediately turned to run.
But before he could make a move, Eriri, noticing it was Kitahara Takashi, quickly lost the spark in her eyes.
She turned her gaze away and continued with what she was doing.
'Oh right, I'm Kitahara Takashi now, not Watanabe Takashi.'
The panic was mostly because it came so unexpectedly.
Who would've thought that the moment he looked up, he would see her?
Realizing this, Takashi regained his composure.
As his gaze refocused on Eriri, he noticed that her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked extremely exhausted.
Normally, her eyes were as beautiful and clear as the deep blue sea, but now they were bloodshot.
'Strange, where is Tomoya?'
Takashi glanced around but didn't see Tomoya anywhere.
He couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
Logically speaking, even if he wasn't here, Tomoya would usually be by her side, right?
"Takashi, what are you thinking about!"
Before Takashi could think any further, Shota Otani and Kota Tanaka walked over.
Takashi stopped focusing on Eriri and curiously looked at the two. "What are you two doing here?"
"You said the cosplay scene was chaotic, so we came," Shota Otani replied.
As he spoke, his eyes weren't exactly innocent, lingering on the various female cosplayers.
Kota Tanaka was a little better, not staring too much, but he wasn't much better either.
These two were quite the characters—one was openly flirtatious, the other more reserved but still flirtatious in his own way.
Takashi couldn't help but laugh at them. "Which circle isn't chaotic? Besides, if the cosplay scene wasn't chaotic, would you two still come?"
"If it wasn't chaotic, what would we come here for?"
Shota Otani retorted.
Kota Tanaka agreed wholeheartedly.
'These two will definitely become regulars at the Kabukicho red-light district in the future.'
Takashi thought to himself, but he could understand it.
Both of them were athletes, still in their puberty phase, with higher levels of testosterone than average boys. It's normal for them to have stronger sexual urges.
Besides, not many boys aren't interested in women.
"By the way, Takashi, should we ask those girls for their contact details? Do you think they'll give them to us?"
Kota Tanaka seemed to have set his eyes on one girl, eager to make a move.
"You can try."
Takashi was confident that he could get their contact details if he tried.
The advantage of being good-looking was that very few girls would reject him.
However, his experience couldn't represent what normal boys would go through.
Shota Otani honestly said, "We're too scared to ask."
Kota Tanaka finally moved his gaze away from the female cosplayers and looked at Takashi expectantly. "Takashi, how about you show us how it's done first?"
Without thinking, Takashi rejected them, "No."
"Why not?"
The two of them didn't understand.
As long as it didn't touch on a matter of principle, Takashi was usually easygoing.
He glanced at Umaru beside him. "I'm not comfortable leaving her alone."
Umaru also looked at Takashi as he said this, her ears turning bright red beneath her golden hair.
She chose to remain silent, not opposing him.
The two of them glanced at Umaru.
She had a slender figure, fair skin, and long legs. Although her face couldn't be clearly seen, given what they knew about Takashi, they were certain she was an exceptional beauty.
Takashi had a much higher standard than they did.
Whenever they thought a girl was beautiful and showed her to Takashi, his comment would always be: "Just average!"
'He really is impossible!'
The two exchanged a look and cursed Takashi in their hearts a thousand times.
Of course, they only envied him, they weren't actually jealous.
"We're going."
"Good luck!"
Shota Otani and Kota Tanaka exchanged looks, encouraging each other, and then went off to ask the cosplayers for their contact details.
Once they left, Takashi turned his head and said, "People who've been single for a long time tend to think everyone is good-looking, still full of charm."
"They're not bad people."
Umaru smiled slightly at Takashi's words.
Her smile was lovely, like a pure white flower, and even Takashi lost himself for a moment.
A 9/10 charming beauty, truly terrifying.
"I know."
After a brief pause, Umaru hesitated before speaking, "Kitahara-kun, you like me, don't you?"
Takashi's face turned bright red.
"...Yeah."
"First of all, thank you for liking me, but I'm sorry, I'm not thinking about a relationship at the moment."
Because the next words would be too hurtful, Umaru couldn't bear to look at Takashi's expression.
Her gaze fell to the ground, as though something on the floor caught her attention.
In reality, there was nothing on the ground.
"I know."
Takashi's voice was calm, and there was no sadness in it.
Umaru couldn't help but raise her head to look at him.
As she did, she fell into his bright, clear eyes, just like a clear sky.
"It doesn't matter whether you like me or not, I'll be fine as long as I like you."
Takashi's eyes were deep and captivating.
At this moment, his eyes were locked on hers, not blinking.
"Umaru, as long as I like something, I will always go after it, from childhood to now."
"That's the number one rule in my life."
"You're the same."
"If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain."
Umaru understood the meaning of those words.
If you don't come to me willingly, then I'll take the initiative to come to you.
"Umaru, you just need to stand there. Don't do anything. Just wait for me to come to you."
The boy's eyes were crystal clear, filled with sincere and burning affection.
His love was open.
It was bright.
It was love without concealment.
Just like how he could say, "I like you!" to her when they first met, he was like the sun, so dazzling that people couldn't take their eyes off him.
Not far away, Eriri was staring blankly at Takashi.
Perhaps because she hadn't slept well, her vision was blurry, but at that moment, she thought Takashi's figure began to merge with Watanabe Takashi.
She suddenly remembered the boy who had stopped him on that sunny afternoon.
Back then, Watanabe Takashi had been as passionate and sincere as Takashi was now.
His eyes were bright, and his mouth seemed to always smile as he said to her, "Sawamura-san, I like you."
'Actually, you've known all along, haven't you? They're not similar at all, are they?'
She had always thought that Watanabe Takashi was a stand-in for Aki Tomoya.
But in reality, besides their faces, they were nothing alike.
Watanabe Takashi was forever optimistic at his core.
When he smiled, his eyes shone.
When he saw her in a crowd, he would run toward her.
His love was always simple and sincere.
It may not have been the best, but it was undoubtedly the most sincere.
Umaru felt a bit embarrassed and turned her gaze away, pouting slightly. "There's no way…"
How could someone be rejected but still refuse to give up, saying, "I will make you like me"?
Most people would give up after being rejected, right?
The boys she usually rejected never acted like Takashi.
"Others are irrelevant. I'm not the type to give up easily."
"Because the world won't be kind to those who compromise, Umaru."
Takashi smiled without a care, his expression confident.
"If there's a problem, just overcome it."
"If you don't like me, I'll find a way to make you like me."
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