"S-senpai, are you dating someone?"
Upon hearing that Utaha had gone out with another guy last weekend, Aki Tomoya's smile became visibly strained.
"Wait, who was that guy who looked so much like Tomoya?" Before Utaha could answer, Eriri's expression darkened, and she grabbed Utaha's wrist.
Utaha, who had initially intended to respond to Tomoya, saw the look on the blonde girl's face and smiled.
It was a smile full of amusement.
"Sawamura, what's with that expression? You look like a wife catching her husband cheating."
Both Tomoya and Megumi turned their gazes toward Eriri.
Her face was dark, like storm clouds about to burst. The veins on her wrist bulged from gripping Utaha's arm too tightly.
Her eyes, filled with gloom and fury, burned like hellfire, as if ready to incinerate Utaha on the spot.
"Eriri, what are you—"
"Don't change the subject," Eriri suddenly raised her voice.
"Tell me, who was that guy who looked like Tomoya?"
Right now, Eriri doesn't care about anything else. She just wanted to know whether that person was Takashi.
At the same time, she prayed in her heart that it wasn't him.
Seeing Eriri's reaction, Utaha realized something was off.
It seemed as though Eriri was afraid of hearing a certain answer from her.
'Could it be that she knows Takashi?'
The moment the thought surfaced, Utaha's heart clenched—but she quickly dismissed it.
Impossible.
Takashi was studying in Tokyo.
The fastest route from Tokyo to Chiba took at least an hour.
He only ever came to Chiba when she called him.
There was no way he and Eriri could have met.
Utaha comforted herself with this logic.
After calming down, she spoke in her usual, slightly low and composed voice:
"Kato, the guy I met that day was just a fan of my books. He recognized me in the bookstore and struck up a brief conversation."
As she uttered these words, an image of her last encounter with Takashi suddenly flashed in her mind—his slightly lowered head, his trembling shoulders, as if the world had abandoned him.
For some reason, a sharp pain stabbed at her heart, as if reprimanding her for lying.
Did she really not understand Takashi's feelings?
Was their relationship really as simple as she claimed?
"I don't even know his name."
No one noticed that beneath the table, Utaha's clenched fist was drenched in sweat.
Her nails dug so deep into her palm that they left crescent-shaped marks on her skin.
She hadn't wanted to say that, but with Tomoya right here, there was no way she could admit to having any sort of relationship with Takashi.
'Takashi isn't here anyway, so it should be fine to say this.'
Like a child secretly using their parents' credit card and praying they wouldn't get caught, Utaha kept trying to convince herself.
Hearing this, Eriri slowly regained her composure and let go of Utaha's hand.
Even though she still didn't know for sure whether the guy was Takashi, she felt relieved after hearing there was no relationship between them.
'Wait, why do I care so much about Takashi?'
Now that she had calmed down, Eriri suddenly found her earlier reaction baffling.
'I like Tomoya. Takashi is just a substitute.'
Eriri felt that she should start seeing Takashi less often.
If things continued like this, she feared that her gaze would gradually be drawn toward Takashi instead.
Utaha and Eriri each harbored their own thoughts, but both were thinking about the same person.
Meanwhile, Aki Tomoya, instead of feeling reassured, sensed an even greater sense of crisis.
Perhaps Utaha herself hadn't realized it yet, but she had treated that particular fan differently.
For an ordinary fan, she would at most sign an autograph. There was no way she would chat with a stranger.
Back when he had pursued Utaha relentlessly, it had taken him forever just to get her to acknowledge his existence.
And now, someone else was retracing his steps, slowly replacing him in Utaha's heart. How could he not be nervous?
The solution was simple—he just needed to confess to Utaha.
Once they became a couple, everything would be resolved.
But he couldn't do it.
If he could, he would have done it back then. Why drag it out until now?
Tomoya could sense that his relationship with Utaha was subtly changing.
He realized that he had to take action.
So, Tomoya made up his mind and said, "Senpai, I'm free today. How about I go with you to look for inspiration?"
Utaha frowned slightly. "Didn't I tell you? I already have plans with someone."
"Then let me tag along. I know all your friends anyway, and I can help carry your stuff." Tomoya adjusted his glasses.
"Count me in too!"
Eriri still wanted to confirm if that person was Takashi.
"Well..."
Utaha hesitated.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have even considered it.
But since it was Tomoya, she couldn't just ignore him.
After all, the one being pursued always had privileges.
"I'll call and ask."
With that, Utaha walked out of the clubroom.
Tomoya watched as she left, feeling conflicted.
He hadn't expected that guy to influence Utaha so much.
Would she actually refuse him if that person disagreed?
…
At a shopping center near Kaihin-Makuhari Station in Chiba, Takashi sat on a bench, sipping a brown sugar bubble tea from The Alley while replying to texts from various girls.
Since he had spent the afternoon with Maki, his messages had piled up, and he had to reply to them one by one.
The person who had sent him the most messages was Narii.
Her messages alone had exceeded 99+.
Narii: [Takashi, I'm so bored. What are you up to?]
Narii: [Ignoring me?]
Narii: [Don't love me anymore?]
Narii: [Which girl is sitting on your arm, stopping you from texting me?]
Narii: [Come on, big bro, if you're going to ghost me, at least do it properly. Taking half a day to reply—are you trying to starve me?]
Narii: [Forget it, forget it. I won't bother you anymore.]
.
.
Narii: [Takashi, you jerk. If I ever text you again, I'm a dog!!!]
Takashi skimmed through the messages quickly and replied: [I was busy just now. Looking for something.]
Narii: [Woof woof!]
Narii: [What are you looking for?]
Takashi: [An excuse.]
Narii: [Oh, come on!]
Narii: [Fine, do what you want. If you don't reply, you don't reply. I can't even keep my own hair from falling out, how can I expect to keep you?]
Takashi: [6]
Narii: [6 = liu = like you ❤]
Narii: [6 = 5 + 2 + 0 - 1 + 3 + 1 - 4]
Narii: [That means 520 1314.]
Narii: [So Takashi, you do like me! You want to be with me forever!]
Narii: [You always play these little hard-to-get games.]
Narii: [I get it now. I accept your confession. I'll be your girlfriend!]
Takashi politely replied: [🖕!]
Narii: [💍]
Narii: [When are we going to get our marriage certificate?]
Takashi looked at the messages Narii had sent and thought to himself—Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem was still too conservative.
Just as he was thinking about how to respond, Utaha's call came in.
He answered immediately and switched to his devoted mode, speaking warmly: "Senpai, are you almost here? Wait for me, I'll come pick you up right away."
Utaha bit her lip hesitantly before saying, "I haven't left yet. Um… Takashi, can we cancel today's date?"
She felt really guilty toward Watanabe Takashi for this.
But there was no way she could let Aki meet Watanabe Takashi.
"C-Cancel?"
Takashi clenched his fist.
Why not cancel earlier? Why not cancel later?
I traveled all the way from Tokyo to Chiba, even put on my makeup, and now you're telling me we're canceling?
Do you believe I won't punch you twice?
"But Senpai, I only get to see you once a week," Takashi's voice was filled with disappointment, sounding just like a puppy abandoned by its owner.
Just hearing his voice made people feel sorry for him.
"Can you tell me the reason? Did I do something wrong?"
Hearing this, Utaha felt a twinge of guilt.
She herself felt like a terrible person.
"No… it's just… Aki asked me out."
Damn it, I knew it.
Takashi had already guessed it.
Utaha wasn't the type to go back on her word—only Aki Tomoya could make her change her mind like this.
"I understand, Senpai. Have fun, enjoy yourself."
Before Utaha could reply, Takashi hung up the call.
Staring at his phone screen, Takashi started counting down in his mind: 3, 2, 1…
As soon as he reached one, a notification popped up on his screen—a deposit had just arrived.
Probably feeling guilty, Utaha sent him a full 200,000 yen this time.
Takashi suddenly didn't feel so angry anymore.
Humming a cheerful tune, he walked into the bathroom to remove his makeup.
While doing so, he sent Utaha a message: [Senpai, you know I'm not doing this for money.]
As soon as he sent it, he saw the message status change to [Read].
That was the annoying thing about Line.
Once someone reads a message, it shows [Read], which meant that whenever Takashi accidentally clicked on someone's message, he had to reply immediately.
Seeing that Utaha had read the message, Takashi stopped paying attention.
From what he knew about her, she wouldn't reply until her date with Aki was over.
If Eriri's "Aki" needed unconditional love and companionship…
Then Utaha's "Aki" needed someone who could perfectly replicate his personality, speech, and actions while still making her feel deeply loved.
That was why Takashi acted so devoted to her.
After removing his makeup and revealing his natural, fresh-faced look, Takashi casually found a family restaurant to eat at.
It was actually nice that Utaha wasn't coming—he could go home and rest early.
Yesterday was exhausting.
…
Utaha stared at the message from Watanabe Takashi, her heart feeling even heavier.
'Should I end this relationship?'
At first, she had only approached Watanabe Takashi because looking at his face eased her longing for Aki.
But at some point, she realized her feelings had started to waver.
In the past, if Watanabe Takashi showed even the slightest deviation from Aki, she would get angry.
Sometimes, when she was on her period, she would even take it out on him.
But now, she was gradually finding that she no longer cared whether Watanabe Takashi resembled Tomoya or not.
Watanabe Takashi is Watanabe Takashi.
He wasn't anyone else.
The determination in his eyes, his gentleness toward her, the way she was his entire world—those were things Tomoya never had.
If this continued… Utaha didn't know if she could stay steadfast in her feelings for Tomoya .
Logically, she knew it was time to end this relationship.
But her heart was reluctant.
Utaha felt like a horrible woman—loving Tomoya while also indulging in Watanabe Takashi's kindness.
"Phew…"
She let out a deep breath, patted her smooth cheeks, and walked into the classroom.
"He had something come up at the last minute, so he's not coming. Let's go, Aki-kun. I'll be counting on you today."
Utaha's voice was indifferent, as if nothing was wrong. But anyone present could tell she wasn't in a good mood.
"Alright."
Tomoya was also in a bad mood.
He had won, yet he felt like he was on the verge of losing.
"Kato, you should come too."
Since Eriri and Senpai were both going, leaving Megumi alone seemed unfair, so Tomoya invited her as well.
"Tch."
Utaha clicked her tongue softly.
She was starting to regret rejecting Watanabe Takashi for Tomoya .
If it were Watanabe Takashi, he wouldn't even glance at other girls during their date.
"Hmph."
Eriri also let out a dissatisfied snort.
Her golden ponytail whipped through the air like a whip.
If Watanabe Takashi were here, not only would he not invite other girls, he would immediately reject any who approached him.
"Sorry, Aki. My uncle's family is visiting today, so I won't be able to go." Megumi declined.
"I see."
The four of them left the school together. At the school gate, Megumi parted ways with the others.
"Senpai, where are we going next?"
Tomoya watched as Megumi disappeared into the distance, then turned to Utaha to ask about their destination.
"You're asking me?" Utaha's tone grew sharper.
"Aki, you don't have a plan?"
Even Eriri was a little annoyed.
Every time they went out, Takashi was the one who planned everything.
The weather, expenses, directions, restaurant choices—everything was arranged by Takashi alone.
All they had to do was follow him.
"There wasn't enough time to plan anything."
Tomoya genuinely felt wronged.
This was all so last-minute—how could he possibly have prepared?
'Takashi would have.' x2
Utaha and Eriri thought the same thing at the same time.
Of course, neither of them knew how much preparation Takashi actually put into every single outing to accommodate them.
Opportunities were for those who prepared.
…
At the Famille family restaurant, Takashi took a bite of his meal after everything was served and nodded in satisfaction.
This place was pretty good.
He could bring Utaha here next time.
She would like the flavors.
Takashi mentally noted down the restaurant.
Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder.
"Takashi!"
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