"Ah, hello."
Yamada Ryo turned her emotionless gaze toward Anon Anon, who stood beside Haru. Suddenly, as if catching onto something, her brow twitched ever so slightly.
This pink-haired girl's intentions were all too transparent. She was using the same old tricks, ones Ryo herself had long since grown bored of.
Still, even faced with such a clumsy rival, she showed no hostility. After all, things were different now. Ever since the last incident, Ryo had found peace of mind. Even if she and Haru hadn't officially become a couple yet, the "wall" that had once stood between them was already as good as gone.
Whatever this pink-haired girl was plotting didn't matter. As long as she didn't get ahead of Ryo, there was no reason to worry.
Of course, for someone as self-centered as Ryo, letting someone else take the lead was absolutely out of the question.
"…"
Anon stared up and down at the beautiful, icy woman whose expression remained unreadable. From the very first moment they met, she had sensed that this was a terrifying rival. Whether in figure or looks, Ryo matched her in every way, and on top of that, she carried a chilling elegance that was both lofty and unique.
The number of girls surrounding Haru had grown before she even realized it.
As the official girlfriend, Anon knew she had to assert her claim. But she was already using every ounce of strength just to keep Nagasaki Soyo in check.
If even more troublesome vixens started showing up, drawn in by his scent, she would really be in trouble.
With that thought, Anon's cheeks puffed out into a cute little pout. She wrapped herself around Haru's left arm and, with a more guarded tone, spoke up.
"Ryo-senpai, it's already so late. Are you sure it's okay to come over to Haru's place like this? If you stay too long... won't your family start worrying?"
"My family doesn't worry and if it gets too late, I'll just sleep over at Haru's place."
Ryo narrowed her glowing golden eyes, delivering her retort in a voice as calm and breezy as ever.
"...T-That's absolutely not okay!"
"Why not? Is it just because you're Haru's girlfriend?"
The moment she heard Ryo say that, Anon's eyes lit up slightly. She quickly placed one hand on her hip and responded with a somewhat triumphant expression.
"Exactly! I'm Haru's official girlfriend, so of course I have to manage the people around him! Besides, we're in the middle of a date right now..."
"Ryo-senpai is just Haru's 'normal friend,' right? Saying you want to stay over at his place out of nowhere feels a bit inappropriate, doesn't it?"
Normal friend?
A strange glint flashed in Ryo's calm eyes. Her cold and beautiful face began to show a hint of mockery.
"Anon, have you and Haru already... done it?"
"...Huh?!"
Anon looked as if she couldn't believe her ears. The woman in front of her, so elegant and aloof like a frost flower, had just said something so explicit, and with a perfectly serious face no less. It was unthinkable that a girl this icy and reserved could utter such words.
But now that the question had been asked, even someone as thick-skinned as Anon was momentarily frozen.
How was she supposed to answer that?!
Haru, standing to the side, gave Ryo a strange look, but before he could say anything, she shot him a teasing glance. Clearly, she was warning him not to open his mouth. With the corners of his lips twitching, he decided against offering an explanation.
"I, of course, haven't..."
Anon, always mindful of appearances, could only stammer helplessly, torn between pride and shame.
"I see, so it's only at that level."
Ryo's eyes carried a faint trace of amusement, and with that, she fell silent, standing still in place.
She hadn't said anything concrete, yet the smug glint in her eyes made Anon feel uneasy. A sudden thought struck her like lightning. Her crystalline eyes widened, and trembling words escaped her throat.
"D-Don't tell me, Ryo-senpai, you..."
Ryo merely raised an eyebrow and gave no reply.
But to Anon, that silence meant confirmation.
Even though Ryo and Haru hadn't officially defined their relationship, the way she acted made it seem like something had already happened. They weren't a couple, yet she hinted at something intimate. A term far too indecent to say aloud flashed across Anon's mind.
Her own boyfriend hadn't even gone that far with her, so how could some vixen who wasn't even official get ahead of her?!
Crushed by a mix of resentment and heartbreak, the flustered pink-haired girl slowly lifted her head. Her ears were bright red, and she stiffly turned her head toward Haru, her voice quivering in disbelief.
"Haru... did you and Ryo-senpai...?"
"Idiot. Obviously not."
With a deadpan expression, Haru reached out and grabbed both of her soft cheeks, one in each hand. Her skin was smooth, like pudding, and he tugged gently until her words turned into incoherent mumbles. This was his way of scolding her for jumping to conclusions.
"Don't believe everything someone says. Besides, Ryo didn't actually explain anything just now."
Anon blinked, finally catching on. She turned a questioning gaze toward Ryo.
But Ryo only watched them with a half-smile, hand over her mouth, barely stifling a giggle. The sight made Anon's face flush bright red.
"You... you were trying to mislead me on purpose?!"
"I didn't say a single thing. What misunderstanding could you possibly mean?"
Dizzy from embarrassment, Anon opened her mouth, revealing her tiny sharp canine teeth. But before she could retaliate, Ryo pulled out eye drops and applied them to her golden eyes. Then she gracefully wiped the corners with a handkerchief, her tone now laced with melancholy.
"Ah, looks like Anon-chan doesn't want me around."
"Guess there's no dinner for me tonight. I'll have to nibble on roadside weeds again just to survive... At this rate, I'll probably starve to death in a ditch someday. But it's okay. What matters most is that Tomori and Anon-chan are happy together."
Faced with this woman's practiced fake crying, Haru could only twitch the corner of his mouth. But the sweet and soft-hearted Tomori couldn't help but panic. After all, Ryo-senpai had helped her many times, even before she formed her band, and had taught her how to get along with Haru.
Seeing her like this now, Tomori felt a pang of guilt.
"A-Anon-chan... don't you think Ryo-senpai seems really pitiful...?"
"B-But I also really care about how you feel! So, Anon... what are you thinking right now?"
She clenched her little pink fists and leaned in earnestly, waiting for Anon's reply.
After all, before she met Anon, Takamatsu Tomori had already formed a good friendship with the rest of the disbanded band. Now stuck between Ryo and Anon, she was completely torn.
"W-Wait! Tomori, don't let her fool you! She literally used eye drops right in front of me!"
Seeing her friend defect in real time, Anon was left isolated and desperate to expose Ryo's act. But to her horror, this woman hadn't even tried to hide it. On the contrary, she made her intentions crystal clear.
Ugh, she's even more troublesome than Soyo!
What was she supposed to do now? Was compromise her only option?
If she gave in now, her grand "plan" would turn into something involving three people. Did that mean she'd have to persuade Ryo to go along with her too?
Just managing things with Tomori had already overwhelmed her. If she had to include Ryo, a girl she wasn't even close to, there was no way she could accept something like a "threesome."
At least not now!
"..."
Anon's frozen face twitched as she shook her head hard, trying to banish the chaotic images from her mind.
Just as her silver-gray eyes darted about in panic and confusion, she froze. A second later, those eyes suddenly lit up, catching a flash of vivid red in the distant crowd.
It was Kita Ikuyo, walking with her friends. As if sensing something, the red-haired girl lifted her head and looked over.
"Eh?"
Their eyes met midair. Kita blinked in surprise.
Anon gave her a pitiful look, practically begging for help. Still puzzled by the strange coincidence, Kita's gaze shifted slightly to Ryo standing beside Anon. At that moment, her lips parted faintly, a glint of recognition flashing in her eyes.
So it was Ryo-senpai...
"Kita-chan, is something wrong?"
The classmate beside her, Komeiji, tapped Kita Ikuyo on the shoulder in confusion, bringing her back from her thoughts.
"Ah, sorry! I… I might need to step away for a bit."
Looking slightly flustered, Kita glanced apologetically at her friend. Komeiji, curious, followed her line of sight and quickly spotted a familiar figure: Haru, the handsome dark-haired boy surrounded by Anon and Tomori.
"I see."
Smiling knowingly, Komeiji gave Kita a friendly pat on the back, then gently nudged her in that direction.
"Ah~ I just remembered, we've pretty much finished looking around today. Time to head home!"
"Go get 'em, Kita-chan!"
Kita Ikuyo looked like she wanted to apologize, but her friend simply smiled in understanding and even raised a fist in a little cheer of support. That smile, filled with unspoken meaning, made Kita blush as she nodded.
It wasn't that she had any other motive. It was just that she and Anon were part of the Anti-Vixen Alliance, after all!
Having made up her mind, Kita said a quick goodbye and took a deep breath before walking toward Anon.
"What a coincidence. Did everyone come to the aquarium together today?"
With her sunny smile beaming across her face, Kita's sweet voice, full of life and cheer, reached them all at once.
The first to respond was the startled little penguin. Seeing Kita approach, she quickly explained, "N-No… I ran into Anon-chan and Haru inside the aquarium. Then when we came out, we happened to meet Ryo-senpai, and now we're going to… Haru's house for dinner."
Kita blinked and exchanged glances with Anon.
"Ikuyo?"
Ryo narrowed her eyes and glanced between Anon and Kita. She immediately dropped her "fake crying" act and returned to her emotionless, coldly elegant demeanor. Her chilly stare sent shivers down Kita's spine.
Ever since she started dating Haru, she'd always felt nervous whenever she encountered Ryo.
But then she saw poor Anon casting desperate glances her way. Gritting her teeth, Kita forced down her fear and smiled brightly.
"I see! I was just out shopping with a friend today too, but Komeiji had to leave early for something."
"I was actually thinking about calling Ryo-senpai to treat her to dinner or… did you already make plans with them?"
Well, that changed things. If Kita was offering to treat Ryo, then there was no real reason for her to impose on Haru for dinner anymore.
"Um…"
Tomori looked awkward, unsure how to explain the current situation.
Seeing this, Haru sighed quietly and gave Anon a light pat on the shoulder, then turned to the girls.
"Anon said she wanted to treat everyone to ice cream. So why don't you three rest here for a bit? I'll take her to get some for everyone."
"…Sure, that works."
Kita looked at Anon, still confused, only to find the pink-haired girl equally dazed.
As Haru led the bewildered Anon away toward the ice cream cart, Kita sat down and instantly felt the air grow heavy and awkward.
The silence around them felt suffocating, her shoulders weighed down by invisible pressure.
Ryo-senpai, stone-faced as ever, radiated such intense presence that Kita didn't dare say anything unnecessary.
"Ugh…"
Tomori, seated beside her, looked completely at a loss. She knew the mood needed lightening, but she wasn't good at chatting. Her face turned red as she struggled to find something to say but nothing appropriate came to mind.
She couldn't bring up anything about stars during the daytime!
Kita understood that if this silence dragged on, the mood would only get worse. Taking a deep breath, she finally asked, "Ryo-senpai, what are you planning to do now? Are you still sticking with your original idea?"
So direct and to the point, her words stirred a reaction in Ryo's icy expression.
By siding with the "harem camp," Kita naturally found herself at odds with Ryo, who preferred exclusivity.
The reason Kita had overcome her fear to support Anon was because she feared Ryo had come to try and claim Haru all for herself.
No matter what, she couldn't let anyone monopolize Haru.
Seeing the determination in Kita's eyes, Ryo casually brushed a few strands of hair from her ear and responded in a playful tone.
"…Why ask me that now? Are you saying you think I've changed my mind?"
Kita hesitated for a moment before replying, her tone conflicted. "Because before, Ryo-senpai didn't stop Hitori-chan."
No one understood Ryo's possessiveness toward the person she liked better than Kita Ikuyo.
Yet that same cold and self-assured Ryo had chosen to help both her and Hitori, like Bocchi was struggling with her feelings for Haru.
If Ryo had truly wanted to monopolize Haru, she never would've helped Bocchi get closer to him. Every new confirmed girlfriend made it harder for Haru to walk away from any of them.
And yet Ryo had helped anyway. That had left Kita confused and even a little shaken.
She no longer understood what Ryo was thinking.
Ryo sat silently on the bench, her gaze fixed on the ice cream cart in the distance. Her sharp beauty drew every wandering eye. Like a winter wind, she was always cool and unwavering.
"I still have those same thoughts sometimes. That I want Haru to fall completely for me… and take all his love for myself."
"But you're right. I helped Bocchi."
Lifting her fair face with a graceful hand, her fingers like white jade, Ryo's expression softened into a faint smile.
"But helping her doesn't mean I've abandoned my 'personality.' I've only ever stayed true to what I really feel. I've never compromised for anyone, or anything."
"After all, I'm so beautiful and adorable. If I really took Haru all for myself, everyone else would cry from the shame."
Kita stared at her, dumbfounded, then slowly felt a weight lift from her heart.
If Ryo had been dead-set on monopolizing Haru, then there would've been conflict, even among close friends in the band.
As a fellow band member and close friend, Kita never wanted to be Ryo's enemy and that had been eating away at her.
But now, she didn't have to worry about that anymore.
Just as a sweet smile began to bloom on her face, Ryo suddenly turned frosty again.
"Kita, you've been doing quite a lot behind my back."
Kita's face drained of color in an instant. Without hesitation, she fell forward onto the bench, trembling as she pleaded.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry!! I'll do anything to help you from now on, Ryo-senpai! Anything at all… please forgive me!!!"
Whether in the dream(Simulation) or in reality, she carried a deep guilt toward Ryo-senpai.
Now that they had laid everything bare, there was no point keeping those feelings buried. It was better to get it all out and be honest with each other.
Still shaking, Kita buried her face into the bench without a word. Ryo let out a long sigh.
"Well, whatever."
She waved her hand lazily, as if it didn't matter anymore.
Both the present and the future had already changed. The things from the dream probably wouldn't happen again.
Because of that prophetic dream, Ryo had once been wary and prejudiced toward Kita. But now that she was willing to go so far for Haru, as long as she didn't do something reckless like run into traffic, Ryo had no plans to hold it against her.
Besides, at this point, it would be more useful to get her help in figuring out how to deal with Nijika.
"…"
Tomori, who had been quietly waiting nearby, gradually focused her amber eyes. From the conversation she had just overheard, she more or less understood what was going on. With a deepening sense of resolve, she pressed a hand to her chest and stepped forward to face the two girls.
"I… I hope we can all get along."
"If Kita-chan or Ryo-senpai ever need help with anything, please… don't hesitate to ask me. No matter how difficult it is, I'll do my best!"
Her eyes sparkled with determination and sincerity. Both Ryo and Kita Ikuyo were visibly taken aback.
But Kita quickly recovered and smiled brightly, grabbing Tomori's hand with joy. Her vibrant green-yellow eyes shimmered with emotion, and her voice burst with cheerful energy.
"I want to get along with you too, Tomori! Let's work well together from now on!"
"Ah, how about we start a group chat, then? I'll invite Anon-chan in too!"
Beaming with excitement, Kita pulled out her phone, her whole face glowing with joy and relief.
…
Elsewhere
Haru had led a very confused Anon to the ice cream cart. Without much fuss, he asked the vendor for five different flavors, then handed a fruit-flavored cone to Anon, who blinked in surprise.
Fruit flavor, her favorite?
Anon glanced at the remaining cones, realizing that they probably matched the favorite flavors of everyone else as well.
"Haru, do you actually remember everyone's favorite flavor?"
"…Isn't that just the basics?"
Haru rolled his eyes and stood there waiting as the vendor prepared the rest.
He didn't dwell on the topic, instead cutting straight to the point.
"Honestly, the reason I asked you to come over wasn't just to help carry ice cream."
Anon blinked, puzzled, but she quickly caught on that her tsundere boyfriend wanted to talk in private.
"I figured as much~ But Haru, what exactly did you want to talk about?"
Could it be… about Ryo-senpai?
Now that she thought about it, Haru and Ryo had known each other for a long time. As much as it irritated her, Ryo had met him before she had. If he was about to ask her to let Ryo join them for dinner, she supposed she could understand…
Seeing the blank look on her face, Haru raised an eyebrow and said bluntly:
"You promised me that aquarium date before, remember? That day, you're mine the whole time."
"No hanging out with any other girls, especially Soyo."
Anon froze for a moment, her eyes going wide.
"T-That's what I said at the airport, right?"
"You did. And I agreed. That day is your date, Anon."
"If you want us to spend time alone together, there's no need to bottle it up. Just say what you're thinking. I already plan to apologize to the others properly. But when Tomori showed up earlier, I didn't even get the chance to open my mouth…"
Hearing that, Anon's face flushed red. After all, she had been the one to suggest Tomori join the date in the first place.
But now she was thrilled so, so happy.
She'd been worried that asking for too much as "the girlfriend" would only burden Haru, make things harder for him as he tried to balance everyone's feelings. But now, she saw that he'd already been thinking everything through. The warmth she felt from that, she doubted even a hug or a kiss could match it.
In that moment, Anon finally understood why she had fallen so hard for this stubborn, sweet boy.
"So then, Anon, what do you want to do now?"
Haru looked at her seriously, waiting to hear her answer.
With a mischievous little grin and her tiny fang peeking out, Anon suddenly asked, "Hey, Haru… wanna try some of my fruit-flavored ice cream?"
"…?"
Before Haru could react, she took a bite, rose onto her tiptoes, and—
A burst of cold, fruity sweetness mingled with the soft fragrance and warmth of the girl before him. Haru stood there stunned as Anon leaned back, licking her lips and flashing a bright smile.
"Well? Doesn't it taste better than lip balm?"
"…Didn't notice. I need another taste."
"Nope~"
Still grinning, Anon held her ice cream close and licked it slowly.
Then, under Haru's gaze, she lifted her head and said with a glowing smile:
"If it's my date, then I get to decide, right?"
"So we're bringing Ryo-senpai, Kita, Tomori. Everyone back to Haru's place for dinner! Ah, might as well call the whole gang!"
She didn't want Haru to feel the need to apologize for putting her first.
As a thoughtful, gentle, and understanding girlfriend, she wouldn't let him carry that burden alone.