Chapter 45: Starting Line ②

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Translator: Soafp

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“Y-you confessed…?”

Nodoka couldn't finish her sentence.

Of course, she had vaguely noticed that Airi had feelings for Ren.

But she never imagined she would act on them this quickly.

“S-so then… are you and Ren… going out now…?”

Even from a girl's perspective, Airi's beauty was overwhelming.

She was the kind of beauty no one would doubt even if she were an actress or a model.

If she were a guy, Nodoka thought, there's no way she could reject a confession from someone like Airi.

“Don't worry, Nodoka-san.”

Airi smiled softly.

“For now, it's on hold.”

“O-on hold…”

Nodoka instinctively let out a small sigh of relief.

Airi didn't miss it.

“You like him, don't you? Ren-kun.”

“T-that's not true! I-I…”

“You know, Nodoka-san. Being a tsundere is fine, but if you stay like that forever, you'll regret it later.”

“Ugh…”

Nodoka straightened her back as if sitting formally, clenching her fists tightly on her knees.

Then, with her gaze lowered, she spoke in a faint voice.

“To be honest… I don't really understand it. What it means to like someone…”

“Oh? What a coincidence. I was the same.”

“Eh? R-really?”

“Of course. Ren-kun is my first love, after all.”

Airi smiled gently.

Once again, Nodoka thought—

They really were similar in many ways.

“But you know, Ren-kun taught me what it means to like someone. Want me to tell you?”

“Y-yes…”

“According to Ren-kun, love is wanting someone to always stay by your side, and being able to smile naturally just by seeing them.”

Nodoka's body jolted.

There was only one person who fit that description perfectly—Ren.

Her face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head, stumbling over her words.

“T-there's no way I like Ren… Ren…”

“There's nothing strange about it, is there? You always look like you're having fun when you're with him, and he even saved your life, right?”

Nodoka felt her mouth go dry.

Even after taking a sip of her café latte, the dryness in her throat didn't go away.

“Nodoka-san, make a clear choice.”

Like delivering a final ultimatum, Airi spoke firmly.

“Do you want to stay just friends with Ren-kun, or do you want something more?”

Nodoka's lips, her arms, even her legs began to tremble slightly.

She had never really thought about what she wanted.

No—she had simply believed that her everyday life would continue just as it always had.

(Now that senpai has confessed, that's no longer…)

If Airi and Ren started dating—

Then naturally, she, as just a female friend, would be pushed aside.

Airi would even have the right to tell him to keep his distance from other girls.

“I… I…”

Why did her chest hurt whenever Ren was with girls like Yuzuki or Airi?

Why had she felt so down when she heard his injury had healed and he no longer needed her support?

Why did she want him to pat her head while praising her?

There was only one answer.

“I… fell in love with Ren.”

Even though she had a huge fight with Yuzuki, Nodoka already knew the real reason she could never go back to how things were before.

She had fallen for her friend's ex-boyfriend.

Even after boldly declaring she'd help them get back together.

Airi let out a long breath.

“Honestly, it took way too much effort just to make you realize something that simple.”

“What do you mean ‘something simple'!? I've been seriously struggling with this, you know!?”

“Well then, shall we move on to the main topic?”

“Were you even listening to me!? Wait—this wasn't the main topic!?”

Nodoka had no idea what Airi was thinking.

She thought they were about to talk about how they both liked the same person—how they'd be friends, yet rivals in love.

“Nodoka-san, why don't we team up?”

“…Huh?”

“Let's make Ren-kun our shared husband. In simple terms, let's both become his wives.”

“W-what!?”

Faced with an idea she had never even considered, Nodoka let out a loud shout.

People at nearby tables turned to look.

She quickly bowed her head and muttered, “Sorry…” before shrinking into herself.

“S-senpai, do you really think that's possible?”

“As long as the two of us agree, it's fine.”

“What about Ren's opinion!?”

“We'll persuade him. Ren-kun has the personality of a light novel protagonist. He'll hesitate, unable to choose, and eventually shout ‘both!'—I'm sure of it.”

“Senpai, do you actually hate Ren!?”

“What are you talking about? That's exactly why I like him.”

“I seriously don't understand you at all!!”

No matter how nicely she phrased it—agreement, shared husband—in the end, it was still a two-timing situation.

Nodoka felt that, naturally, people would want exclusivity.

“Senpai, do you really think this could work? Like Ren said before, reality isn't some kind of harem fantasy.”

“That's just because Ren-kun underestimates his own ability. You've noticed it too, haven't you? His special power.”

The incident with Yuzuki, the one with Airi—

And above all, how Nodoka herself had been saved from what could have been a fatal accident.

Every single time, Ren had warned them before it happened and acted to prevent it.

Of course, it could all be coincidence.

But Nodoka had a feeling—

Ren had the mysterious ability to see bad futures.

“If a rift ever formed between us, don't you think Ren-kun would see it beforehand?”

“Well…”

“He definitely would. And since we know about his ability, we can ask him for details and work together to prevent it.”

Until now, Ren had been running around almost entirely on his own, solving everything.

But it wasn't hard to imagine how much of a burden that had been for him.

Both Nodoka and Airi shared the same desire—to lighten that burden, even just a little.

“Besides, Ren-kun is already incredibly rich. The three of us could live comfortably at home without doing anything, if we wanted.”

“Huh? That much?”

“If he sold all his stocks, he could buy multiple houses in places like Minato or Denenchofu.”

“W-what!?”

Nodoka's voice echoed through the café again.

She quickly bowed apologetically and shrank down like a turtle.

“I'm pretty sure he earned that money using his ability too.”

“He really does sound like a character straight out of a manga…”

“I told you, didn't I? He's got that light novel protagonist vibe. So we just need to play our roles as harem heroines—supporting him quietly and giving birth to his healthy children.”

“Isn't that jumping way too far ahead!? A-and children…?”

“Oh? Aren't you interested in having kids? Like how many you'd want?”

“Well, I guess one would be lonely, so maybe two—wait, that's not the point!!”

Nodoka was completely overwhelmed, but she somehow managed to organize Airi's argument in her head.

In short—Ren had the ability to support a life with two women.

So the plan was for both of them to work together to win him over.

“…But senpai, will this really be okay? I mean, there's jealousy and possessiveness and all that, right?”

“Well, it's not like those feelings won't exist. But think about it—if we become rivals in love like this, do you really think we can keep being friends like we have been? Wouldn't we just end up like Kitayama-san?”

“…That's…”

“By the way, if I had to fight you as a rival, I wouldn't hold back. I'd use any means necessary, no matter how dirty, to bring you down and win. Do you really want that kind of relationship with me?”

Airi's piercing gaze sent chills down Nodoka's spine.

Could she really win against someone like her?

No—she didn't feel like she could win at all.

More than that, she was simply afraid.

“I want to stay friends with you too, Nodoka. And for that, there's only one path left for us.”

“…I understand what you're saying, but why did you suddenly decide to act like this? Did something happen?”

“You're sharp. Kitayama-san came to Ren's room a few hours ago.”

“…What?”

Airi explained what had happened between Ren and Yuzuki earlier that day.

As Nodoka listened, she finally understood why Airi chose this exact moment to act.

“So… it's a warning shot against Yuzuki, right? Now that you confessed to Ren, he's probably completely moved on from her.”

“Regardless of how she is now, the fact that she's his childhood friend is her biggest advantage. Even if they've grown distant, if she truly changes and comes back to him, there's no telling what might happen.”

“…And she's the one Ren originally loved, too.”

“Exactly. That's why we go with the ‘pick me and you get a bonus' strategy.”

“I'm the bonus!? That's awful!!”

“Just kidding.”

Airi let out a soft laugh and continued.

“Let's face our common enemy and find happiness together.”

Nodoka still wasn't fully convinced that the kind of ‘harem' Airi was proposing could actually work.
But there was one thing they both agreed on.

—They didn't want Ren to be taken by Yuzuki.

“I don't know if I'll become one of Ren's wives with you… but at least for now, I'll team up with you.”

“Good. Since I'm the one who proposed this, I'll make sure there are benefits for you too. Nodoka, to be honest—now that Ren's arm has healed and you can't support him anymore, you've had way fewer chances to see him, right?”

“…Ugh. Yeah…”

“I'll give you an excuse. Teach me how to cook. That way, you can come over to Ren's house almost every day.”

Nodoka's eyes widened.

On her own, it might seem unnatural—but with two of them, it became the perfect excuse.

“That's a great idea! Senpai, you're a genius!”

“Right? Strike while the iron's hot—how about starting with dinner tonight? Oh, and I'd like hamburg steak.”

“…You just want to eat my cooking, don't you!?”

Airi grinned.

“But you'll get to have dinner with Ren too. Not a bad deal, right?”

“…Ugh…”

Nodoka couldn't argue with that at all.