After saying all he had to say, Takashi turned away without glancing back at Utaha.
"Now let's talk about you."
With Utaha done, it was Eriri's turn.
"I… I wasn't as awful as her, right?"
She had come here to confront Takashi—but seeing the sharp glint in his eyes, Eriri suddenly felt timid.
"I never compared you to Aki—" she started, but Takashi raised an eyebrow and cut her off: "Never?"
"Uh… I admit, I might've said similar things at the beginning… but it wasn't constant, was it?"
"And I'm not like that two-timing piece of trash Kasumigaoka—I figured out my feelings quickly, and I even brought you home to meet my parents!"
Utaha glared at her, furious.
Talk about yourself—why drag her down with you?
Shameless girl-on-girl competition.
Eriri pretended not to see the glare and continued, "I even reduced my contact with Aki because I was afraid you'd be upset."
"At school, outside of club activities, I barely talk to him."
"Kasumiga—no, Megumi can vouch for me."
"Even that confession you overheard that day, you didn't hear the whole thing."
"You only heard the first half: 'The one I've always liked is you,' and ran off. You missed the second part: '…before Takashi showed up.'"
"That day, you wouldn't even let me explain. I was so sad. So hurt."
She sniffled, looking pitifully at Takashi .
She now looked exactly like a puppy that got separated from its owner, only to be reunited years later at a street corner.
If Eriri had a tail, it'd be wagging like crazy right now.
Takashi's face stayed neutral, but inside he felt weird.
Weren't you here to yell at me?
Why do you look like you're trying to win me back instead?
Utaha watched Eriri, feeling like she was watching a performance—a portrayal of her own heartbreak.
What the hell?
Did you already forgive him?
Did you forget he lied to you?
Did we not agree on this?
In the end, was I the only one who took this seriously?
This wasn't how they had planned things.
"Takashi, please believe me. After I fell for you, there was no more room for Aki in my heart."
Seeing Takashi silent, Eriri thought he didn't believe her. She grabbed his left hand with both of hers, eyes red-rimmed.
Takashi: "…"
I haven't even attacked yet—why are you already using all your skills?
"You can't give me a death sentence just because I used to like Aki."
"Takashi, I don't care that you lied to me or what you did with other girls. Can we start over?"
Eriri clung to his hand, practically begging.
Takashi wasn't sure anymore who the real simp was—her or him.
Utaha stared nervously at Takashi, waiting for his response.
"…Don't cry."
Seeing Eriri's tear-streaked face, Takashi couldn't bear it.
He gently pulled his hand from her grasp, cupped her cheek, and used his thumb to wipe her tears.
"Takashi… are you saying we can get back together?"
Eriri looked up, eyes sparkling with hope.
Utaha's gaze dimmed.
But Takashi smiled and said something merciless.
"There's no need to get back together."
"I won't be with you."
"Not ever. Understand?"
If he wanted to be with her, he wouldn't have broken up with her last time.
"Why?"
Eriri panicked.
She had already gone this far. She didn't care about his lies or his past with other girls. So why wouldn't he take her back?
"Because your world is full of traces of Aki Tomoya. I can't scrub them clean."
Takashi looked at her with soft eyes.
His hand gently stroked her golden hair.
"Remember the Galgame Tokimeki Memorial you asked me to play at your house?"
Eriri nodded blankly.
"You said it was the first Galgame you ever played, and you wanted to share it with me—so I could be part of your past, right?"
Takashi never doubted Eriri's sincerity.
Her love for him was real.
She wanted to share her past, so he could be part of her future.
That was just how she was—once she liked someone, she was in it for marriage.
Honestly, Takashi liked Eriri more than Utaha.
"Yeah."
"But do you know? You never deleted your game save."
At first, Eriri didn't get what he meant—but soon, her face turned pale.
"All your cleared routes were the childhood friend route."
"You showed me your crayon drawings from childhood. The one that stuck with me most was the little girl holding hands with a bespectacled boy."
"In your room, there was a pair of black-rimmed glasses—same style as Aki Tomoya's. Maybe you didn't even realize that yourself."
"And that's not all…"
"Stop… Takashi, I'm begging you—please don't say any more…"
Eriri pressed her forehead to his chest, sobbing into his shirt.
"This is why I won't be with you."
Takashi gently patted her head. "All those things—they silently scream about your past with that guy named Aki Tomoya."
"I'm sorry, Takashi. I didn't know… I really didn't know…"
"I know."
And he believed her—he really did. He knew Eriri had never noticed what all those things meant.
Anyone with even a bit of awareness would've gotten rid of those things.
It was precisely because Eriri lacked such awareness that she overlooked them.
"I can throw all of it away, Takashi. Let's start over, okay?"
Takashi looked down at the little girl crying like a tear-streaked kitten and sighed, somewhat helplessly.
"You can throw things away—but what about the past?"
"Eriri, you still don't understand.
The reason I won't be with you isn't because of those things—it's because I realized Aki Tomoya has already invaded your life and become part of it."
Being with Eriri is like moving into a house your girlfriend once shared with her ex.
The door code is his birthday.
The pets in the house were adopted together.
The shows saved on the TV are ones they promised to watch as a couple.
How could Takashi not mind that?
If he were just an average guy with no options, maybe he'd have to accept it.
But he's not without options.
It's not like Utaha or Eriri are his only choices.
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