Chapter 172 – A Response and a Response

The autumn wind stirred, ruffling Aoki’s usually untamed hair.

Time passed in silence—so silent that Aoki began to hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

He drew in a quiet breath.

It was time to say something.

No matter how the answer turned out, in the end… he had to give one.

Refusing—right now, that wasn’t something he could do.

Liking and loving weren’t the same, but wasn’t liking, in its own way, a voluntary surrender?

Accepting—though in this moment he wanted nothing more than to throw caution aside and say “yes,” Aoki still had to think about the future.

He couldn’t just agree irresponsibly.

He had to think about his own life from here on… and about Kita’s life as well.

For now, all he could do was explain.

So Aoki finally spoke.

“Kita, I’m not great with words… but I have to say this—”

His voice was softer than usual, almost like he was talking to himself, yet the way he said it was as if he were explaining something to the girl in front of him.

“I know my own feelings. And after looking into your eyes, after thinking about it for a long time… I think I can more or less guess yours. But I don’t dare make any promises.

That day I dodged the topic and turned you down… I felt so empty, so unbearably awful.

‘You could’ve just accepted her—so why didn’t you?’

I asked myself that over and over again that night.

And the answer… I knew it all too well.

Just like I’ve thought countless times before—‘A crush isn’t the same as liking, and liking isn’t the same as love.’

Being together… that’s something far too heavy for me.

Call it insecurity, call it fear, I have plenty of reasons—but they’re just that. Reasons.

I’ve asked myself, and I’m certain—I do like you.

You smile at me with all your heart.

You greet me with that boundless energy every day.

You have an adorable smile, beautiful red hair that’s impossible not to notice, a gentle personality, and you care about others.

From the first time we met, I know I had a good impression of you.

Insecurity, fear—aren’t those things something I could overcome in the face of all that?

Maybe so. But I know too well… those aren’t the only obstacles.

My personality is terrible.

I’m impulsive sometimes, but mostly I’m overly sentimental, hesitant to a fault.

When I run into something difficult, my first instinct is to think about what comes after.

And when I did think about it… I just couldn’t picture a future for us.

‘Let’s work hard together to become better’—that sounds nice, but it’s too idealistic. I’m painfully aware of how crushing reality can be.

So… so…”

His voice faltered for a moment.

His arms, which had been holding Kita tightly, loosened slightly.

Then he continued, “Faced with all this, even now… I still can’t give you a clear answer.”

“But… people are selfish. I know saying this probably makes me sound like trash, but right now, this is all I can say—”

He lifted his head slightly, eyes looking past Kita to the road stretching out behind her.

After another pause, he spoke again—this time in an almost pleading whisper.

“Give me a little more time to hesitate… until me—until Kessoku Band—can stand a little taller.”

“……”

Her face rested against Aoki’s chest.

In her ears, she could hear his heartbeat.

After his answer, she had to say something.

Even though they were standing so close, it still felt like there was a faint distance between them.

She took in a deep breath, as if to imprint Aoki’s scent in her memory, then slowly let go of her arms around him.

Taking a small step back, she lifted her head.

When her eyes met his, her vision blurred with the shimmer of tears she couldn’t hold back.

But she quickly wiped them away.

She sniffled once, then forced her usual bright, energetic smile.

“You said you like me, that my smile’s cute, my red hair’s beautiful, my personality’s gentle… and that from the first time we met, you had a good impression of me. Kei-senpai, all of that’s true, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I know…”

She nodded once, then let that topic drop.

After a small pause, she looked at Aoki again, her voice steady and serious.

“No matter how it ends, Kei-senpai, I’m not going to give up! Someday, Kei-senpai—someday—”

Her voice grew stronger.

“I’m going to make you accept all of my feelings. I’m going to make you be with me. I’m going to make you truly happy with me!”

“Then for now… Kei-senpai, shall we head back?”

The light turned green again.

“Yeah.” Aoki nodded.

As they crossed the street, Kita said, “Just this once,” and walked beside him, tugging at his sleeve with one hand.

“Kei-senpai, Kei-senpai~”

“What is it?”

“For the dinner tonight, I want hotpot!”

“Let’s ask Nijika and the others?”

“Okay—then that’ll be the first choice on the list!”

“Alright.”

“The kind you make yourself, okay?”

“Hotpot’s just about prepping the ingredients…”

“Then I want you to be the one prepping them!”

“…Fine, fine.”