When Kotonoha finally steadied herself, Takashi released her wrist and grabbed the handrail instead.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Kitahara-kun."
After a simple greeting, Takashi fell silent, looking down and playing with his phone.
Kotonoha watched the young man in front of her.
He was wearing a white shirt, black trousers, silver short hair, black earrings, a fair and handsome face, and a tall, lean figure.
He looked just like the last time she saw him.
Everything seemed the same, but for some reason, Kotonoha couldn't explain it—Takashi felt different, more attractive.
Although Takashi had always been eye-catching, now it felt as though he was standing under a spotlight, and people in the train car kept glancing his way.
Kotonoha even overheard a small group of four girls from Sakuragaoka Academy whispering about him:
"He's so handsome!"
"His legs are longer than my life~"
"If I ever get a boyfriend, I want one like him."
"Turns out a buzz cut can look so handsome."
Kotonoha didn't try to start a conversation.
First of all, she wasn't good at initiating chats.
Secondly, for her, even if they didn't say a word and did nothing but quietly spend time together, just being near him and watching him was enough.
Neither of them spoke until they both got off at the same station.
Only then did Kotonoha speak her first words: "Kitahara-kun, I haven't seen you lately. Did you change your train schedule?"
"No."
Takashi yawned and swiped his card to exit the station. "I bought a motorcycle recently. Unless it rains, I probably won't be taking the train anymore."
"…Is that so?"
Kotonoha stopped walking and stared at the back of the boy striding ahead of her.
'Does this mean we can't ride the train together anymore?'
They were from different schools, so they had little contact to begin with. Now, even that small moment of commuting together was being taken away?
As this thought lingered, a feeling of sadness spread in Kotonoha's heart.
Surrounded by the bustling crowd, with traffic flowing past and the red and green lights blinking in the distance, she was clearly in the crowded and lively Tokyo, yet it felt as if she were standing in a deserted city ruin, all alone.
"Kitahara-kun!"
Just as Takashi was about to exit the station, Kotonoha finally mustered the courage to call out to him.
Takashi turned his head. "What is it?"
Kotonoha slowly walked up to him, standing still, and looked up with damp eyes.
"I still want to ride the train to school with you, so… could you please continue taking the train from now on?"
"I refuse."
As if he had already guessed her answer, Kotonoha stubbornly stared at him. "If you don't agree, I… I'll expose what you did."
"Kitahara-kun, you wouldn't want the students from our school to find out that you're selling yourself, would you?"
"Are you threatening me?"
Takashi's gaze turned cold, like a snake hiding in the shadows, watching its prey.
"I'm sorry, Kitahara-kun. I have no other way to maintain our relationship."
As she spoke, Kotonoha bowed deeply. "You don't allow me to visit you at school, you almost never reply to my messages, and you don't allow me to tag you."
"Without our morning commute together, we'll have no connection anymore. I can't think of any other excuse to see you."
Takashi's gaze softened. He rested his right hand on his chin, deep in thought, then suddenly spoke.
"Do you like me?"
"Huh, how could I! I don't, I don't."
Kotonoha flushed red, looking like a little girl whose secret had been exposed, vehemently denying it.
"I want to hear the truth. Of course, if you want to lie, I don't mind. But your answer will decide how I respond."
Takashi's expression was calm, as if he were discussing an academic matter rather than asking if she liked him.
After a full minute of silence, under Takashi's clear gaze, Kotonoha couldn't bring herself to lie to him.
She lowered her head in defeat. "Yes."
"Mm. Then, the second question. What do you like about me?"
Takashi nodded nonchalantly and continued asking.
"Before high school, I had no free time. Every day I had to learn different things—ballet, steel, flower arranging, calligraphy, kendo.
Whenever a classmate asked me to hang out, I had to refuse because I was going to cram school.
Over time, I became someone others saw as difficult to approach, and no one tried to be friends with me."
Takashi suddenly interrupted. "So if you had no parental restrictions, and they invited you, would you go?"
"Yes."
After understanding her thoughts, Takashi nodded. "Go on."
"After high school started, my mom stopped supervising me, and I could make friends.
But I'm still shy and introverted, and I had no experience communicating with anyone outside my family, so I still couldn't make friends."
"Until this semester, Saionji-san took the initiative to talk to me, and I made my first friend."
"Through her introduction and matchmaking, I met my current boyfriend, Ito Makoto."
Takashi suddenly asked, "Do you like him?"
Kotonoha hesitated for a second and then slowly nodded. "Yes."
"Really?"
Takashi took a step forward, closing the already small distance between them. He leaned down, bringing his face so close it was almost touching hers.
His raised eyebrow and the question he asked were something straight out of a drama. "So, between me and your boyfriend, who do you like more?"
They were so close that every tiny detail of Takashi's face was clearly visible.
Even with the proximity, Kotonoha couldn't find a single flaw on his face.
Her face turned bright red as the distance between them made her heart race.
"Kitahara-kun, please stop."
Kotonoha pushed against his chest, trying to push him away.
At that moment, she seemed to spot something and her expression shifted to one of panic, like a frightened rabbit.
Takashi turned to look in the direction she was staring at, his eyes full of curiosity.
Then he saw a boy wearing Sakakino Academy's uniform, with delicate features and wired earphones, walking out of the station while yawning and swiping his card.
Takashi immediately understood and asked, "Ito Makoto?"
"Yes, what should I do?"
"That's simple."
When Kotonoha heard that Takashi seemed to have a solution, she looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"You just need to tell me, who do you like more, me or him? And I'll help you."
Takashi's lips curved into a slight smile.
The smile conveyed a sense of wicked joy, as though he was savoring the mischievous trick about to unfold.
"Kitahara-kun, you!"
Kotonoha bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with tears, looking like she had been bullied.
"Kotonoha."
The sudden intimacy of his address made her heart skip a beat.
"Tell me, who do you like more, me or him?"
Takashi's gaze was burning hot, his breath warm on her face, and their temperatures seemed to merge into one.
Their eyes met, and his gaze was as clear as a bright sky, reflecting her figure clearly in his eyes.
And she had fallen into those eyes.
"You."
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