Chapter 69: The end of the harem.

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Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

Nice.

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Hareta’s POV

Takatsuki's deductions never fail to give me chills.

Despite having been with them all this time, I couldn't see what he saw. Yet, just from a single moment yesterday, he saw through everything.

What am I supposed to do with this admiration?

Can I ever catch up to Takatsuki? Can I ever accumulate effort the way he does?

…No, there was no point in thinking about that. I realized that soon enough and stopped.

After all, Takatsuki had acknowledged a different kind of talent in me. I had been given many gifts that kept others at a distance.

Then, I should find something that only I can do. I should choose a different path from his.

I would leave all my sadness here. Because now, I had decided—I would use my strength for someone else.

“Alright, let's head back to the station. It's way past lunchtime. Let's all eat together.”

“No, I think I'll stay here a bit longer.”

I declined Kaito's invitation.

Not because I wanted to cling to this place.

Not because I felt awkward being with the four of them.

But because I needed time alone—to figure out how to save them.

There weren't many places where I could think in such silence.

And if Takatsuki had gone through all this trouble to set the stage for me, then I couldn't let his effort go to waste. I had to use Hareta Kou's strength to its fullest.

“I see.”

The one who answered was Takatsuki.

He gave a small wave before turning on his heel and walking away.

He had been observing me, too, probably even asked Miki and the others for something.

Had he finished whatever it was?

…Well, he must have, since he was leaving. Takatsuki would never abandon something halfway.

“Then, we'll go ahead. Be careful when you head back, okay?”

“I'll be fine, Michiru.”

“Hey, Kou. Let's hang out sometime. We can call the others from the old children's club, too.”

“That sounds great. I want to race you in a boat. This time, I won't lose.”

“Alright. I'm looking forward to it.”

I watched the four of them off, then sat down on the porch.

The rotting wood creaked under me.

Not that I had the luxury to care.

I was about to attempt something I'd never done before—conscious acts of helping others.

Of course, I was nervous.

If only I could have remained oblivious, I wouldn't have to feel this way.

“…Hah.”

I spent a long time thinking.

Eventually, I stood up.

Checking my watch, I saw that it was already past 3:00 PM.

The afternoon wind from the mountains was cold.

The silence had settled into my ears, making the coming noise feel almost painful—but it was time for me to go.

I had to prove myself here and now, or I would never be able to take pride in who I was.

“…Huh?”

Reaching the station, I couldn't believe my eyes.

“K-Kou… I finally found you…!”

Because there, standing with tear-streaked, bloodshot eyes, gasping for breath, looking utterly exhausted—was Aoyama Miki.

Her expression looked as if she was about to break apart at any moment.

“W-Why are you here—?”

“I'm sorry! I-I'm not that smart, so I couldn't figure out where you might've gone! So, I had no choice but to check every temple that offered retreat programs, one by one!”

…Guilt hit me like a wave.

I had tested someone who had been this serious about finding me.

“W-Where is everyone? We got separated on the way, so I thought you'd already met up with them! I even forgot to charge my phone last night, so I couldn't contact anyone, and—”

Her words were a mess.

But that only made her desperation all the more clear.

“Before my phone died, I saw a message from Takatsuki. He told me to ‘understand Hareta more.' …Kou, remember? You once told me about a dream you had—a good dream.”

A dream?

That was something I had muttered absentmindedly, long before I got involved with Takatsuki.

I hadn't remembered it at all.

“You said it was a dream about the past, about a time when you were happy. So, instead of thinking about now, I asked a police officer about Kyoto ten years ago. You also seemed to know a lot about Arashiyama… But without my phone, I couldn't check which temple—”

She trailed off, then suddenly grabbed my hand.

“What's wrong? If something's hurting you, I'll listen, okay?”

Why?

Why had she been able to find me?

That single thought kept looping through my mind.

Then, as if carried by the wind, her golden hair fluttered to the side.

“I guess… Michiru really was the only choice, huh—”

Before she could finish, I interrupted her.

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

“Why… Why are you being so kind to me…?”

“Huh…?”

“I tested you! I hid here, thinking that if no one found me, that would be the end! You know that, don't you?!”

“…Yeah.”

“Then why?! Why aren't you angry?!”

How many times would I have to be wrong?

Getting hurt didn't mean losing everything.

Takatsuki had known that. That's why he told me to wait just a little longer.

And yet, I didn't understand.

I thought that making a decision, hurting everyone equally, was the right answer.

I was so afraid of hurting them unequally that I secretly hoped Takatsuki would come first.

Why?

Why was I like this—?

“Because you cared about us so much that you couldn’t even decide.”

Her voice, in that moment, reached me clearer than anything ever had.

“I knew. Because I was watching you.”

“Y-you knew?! Then why?! That's unforgivable!”

“I chose to be here—even knowing I was being tested. If you're in pain, then this time, I'll struggle alongside you. I can't lead you to an answer, like Michiru or Takatsuki can. But still—”

And then—

“I owe you that much. Even if… it's in a twisted way.”

For the first time, I truly saw what had always been right beside me.

“I'm sorry… I was wrong… I was so wrong…!”

“…It's okay.”

“I'm so sorry… I've always been wrong…! Why did I—?”

Memories flooded me.

The things I had done, the ways I had hurt her.

I had tested her.

If there had been another way, I would have chosen it.

But I was lacking—lacking so much that I couldn’t even arrive at the right answer.

I had treated them unfairly, unintentionally insincere in my obliviousness.

I had built nothing.

I had nothing to be proud of.

“So…”

“It's fine. Because you're you, Kou.”

To make up for this regret, I would have to accept their feelings.

I was about to create two unhappy girls.

But still, I now knew—what I had to protect.

What I had to destroy everything for.

It had always been Aoyama Miki.

Because what was here now… was something meant to be given to only one person.

“…Am I really enough? Even when I'm this pathetic?”

This was both my ending and my beginning.

I didn't know how I could ever atone for this.

How much I should atone.

I would likely struggle with it for a long time.

“There's no one else but you.”

And as my tears fell, I knew—my so-called harem was finally dead.

“…Thank you, Miki.”

I finally understood the difference between Takatsuki and me.

But I wasn't mature enough to put it into words just yet.

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