The world was utterly silent, snow weighing down the branches, the occasional sound of snowflakes falling to the ground startling Amikura Mako awake.
She tightened her coat around her, feeling the weather grow increasingly colder.
The warmth from the hot coffee earlier had gradually faded with the wind blowing across the lake, leaving her chilled again.
She thought it was lucky she had worn gloves, or her fingers would have frozen stiff.
However, the cold had stealthily crept in through her collar.
She had thought the choker might block some of it, but it proved useless.
Normally, one or two students would pass by this area around this time, which would at least allow her to leave quickly.
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you for so long," Kaoru said. "Because I didn't know how to handle my relationship with you, I kept it hidden until now. But after you saw what happened with Kiryūin-senpai, I knew I couldn't hide it anymore."
"I want to go back." Amikura Mako felt her voice had gone hoarse.
Without meeting his gaze, she turned to leave.
Kaoru grabbed her wrist—perhaps because of the gloves, the touch felt peculiarly icy and unbearable.
"Even if you don't want to hear it, I'm going to keep talking."
"About what?" Amikura Mako stopped but didn't turn around. "About how you manipulated me and used me to get close to Honami?"
"It's true that I used you, but it's also true that I'm genuinely happy to see you now." Kaoru's expression was complicated.
"I know this was despicable, but I've already prepared myself."
"Hahaha, prepared for what? To keep lying to me?" Amikura Mako clenched her teeth. "It was all a lie. You've never spoken a single word of truth."
"Maybe there's a misunderstanding. I never intended to deceive you. I'm just a despicable person by nature—I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want."
"Congratulations, Honami is yours now."
"If I had planned to keep lying to you, I wouldn't have told you any of this."
"You're overthinking it. Honami already told me everything."
"Did she?"
Kaoru didn't call out her bluff.
If Ichinose had told her the whole truth, she would have already given him the cold shoulder long ago.
"What kind of person do you think I am in your eyes?"
"I don't know, probably a combination of a lecher and a fraud."
Disgust flashed in Amikura Mako's eyes.
She must have known from the start, ever since seeing Kaoru eating Kiryūin Fūka—this guy was nothing like his simple surface appearance.
"Better than I imagined." Kaoru shamelessly nodded. "This shows Mako is getting to know me better."
"Don't call me by my name!" Amikura Mako was furious.
Couldn't this guy understand what she was saying?
"Because I didn't know you well, I was always worried you might have expectations of me. Now I'm relieved—you've gained a basic understanding of me."
Hearing this, Amikura Mako abruptly shook off his hand but accidentally dropped her coat, which landed on the snow with a dull thud.
Kaoru picked up the coat just as the girl turned to look at him, her eyes moist and her pretty face carrying a cold sternness.
"I'm returning your coat now."
With that, Amikura Mako decisively walked away.
"Aren't you going to ask why?" Kaoru called after her.
Amikura Mako walked for a while before stopping, resisting the urge to turn back.
"At the very beginning, you didn't know me, and I didn't know you. To me, you were just a student from Class B. Other than being cute, you left no impression on me."
"On the day of the framing, I started paying attention to you. When the rumors hit you, I tried to get closer because I found you interesting. I told you to train yourself, and you actually did it."
"After getting to know you slowly, I noticed you possess the most ordinary qualities of a girl—trusting friends, emotionally sensitive, naive and adorable, prone to self-pity, fond of cute things, preferring sweets, sometimes stubborn, sometimes protective of friends, and never harsh with others even when unwilling..."
"Of course, all this is nonsense. You can now curse me for how despicable I am, because I'll do whatever it takes to have you, just as I did with Honami."
Kaoru stepped across the snow-covered lawn, moving past her before stopping in front of her as if to block her path.
Then, he extended a fist and slowly opened his palm in front of Amikura Mako's eyes, revealing a tiny plush keychain.
Amikura Mako's eyes widened slightly because the plushie somewhat resembled her.
"This is a two-faced doll. The front is the adorable Mako, and the back is the despicable me." Kaoru flipped it over, and the image instantly transformed into his likeness.
"If you're unhappy, you don't have to look at me."
Amikura Mako pressed her lips together.
Clearly, this doll was either custom-made or handcrafted, as she could see obvious stitching marks on it.
"Even if you don't like it, you have to take it." Kaoru forcibly placed it in her hand.
"Merry Christmas, Mako."
The essence of this two-faced doll was the "Chaos Doll," an item that allowed the cursed party to transfer negative effects onto the other.
Though it sounded somewhat frightening, it was actually the most normal reward Kaoru could find.
"Don't think this makes us even." Amikura Mako had already cooled down quite a bit.
While she still felt betrayed by someone she trusted, remembering how Kaoru had even dared to threaten Ichinose made her feel like being one more victim didn't change much.
What bothered her more was that Kaoru had used her to get close to Ichinose.
That was what truly hurt—the realization that she meant nothing to him.
"Hmm, even with that kind of judgment, this still matters to me."
Amikura Mako unconsciously tightened her grip on the doll.
Despite finding it annoying, she felt an inexplicable reluctance to let go, even a desire to treasure his gift.
"After all that, are you saying you still think we can be friends?" The girl raised her head slightly.
"Or are you planning to explain what you meant earlier by 'having me'?"
Amikura Mako knew about Kaoru's affairs, but he didn't know that.
Unsurprisingly, the question left Kaoru momentarily silent, as if he was pondering how to respond.
Amikura Mako waited for his answer—what he said next would determine the future of their relationship.
"I want to fall for you."
In the end, that was Kaoru's reply.
Not "I love you," but "I want to fall for you," making Amikura Mako understand his true feelings.
Their relationship hadn't reached the point where they could openly confess love, or perhaps Kaoru feared triggering an extreme reaction from her.
"Are you planning to cheat on Honami?" Amikura Mako said coldly.
"Can't I like you as well as Honami?" Kaoru countered. "I like oranges—does that mean I can't like apples?"
"It's different. Honami and I are good friends. What you're doing is cheating." Amikura Mako knew he was unaware that she knew the truth, and he certainly didn't know what she and Ichinose Honami had discussed.
"Are you saying if Honami agrees, you'd agree too?" Kaoru didn't fall into her moral trap but calmly pointed this out instead.
Amikura Mako was momentarily speechless before retorting, "You're being presumptuous. Why should both Honami and I have to comply with your wishes?"
"Because I'm not a good person. I choose to Take all," Kaoru stated bluntly.
"Don't you find that disgusting?" Amikura Mako couldn't hold back.
"Who shares their boyfriend in a relationship? And you have shady connections too. Would any normal person lick their senpai's feet?"
"I'd like to lick yours now too," Kaoru replied.
Amikura Mako was so furious she wanted to hit him.
This guy really wasn't listening to a word she said!
"Fine, even if we concede that Honami agrees with your idea, why should I have to be with you?"
The girl's voice suddenly rose several pitches.
"Do you think I'd actually fall for you?"
Did she seem that easy?
That a few sweet words would make her join his harem?
"I'm not that arrogant. Before love comes, I want to understand you better," Kaoru said sincerely.
"Hmph, all smooth talker," Amikura Mako coldly averted her gaze.
"Saying these things on Christmas—I can't tell if you're mocking me or confessing."
"Confessing," Kaoru affirmed firmly.
Amikura Mako shot him a sidelong glance and silently walked past him, seemingly ready to leave.
This time, Kaoru didn't stop her but followed behind.
After a short while, Amikura Mako suddenly halted, leaving Kaoru puzzled.
"Whatever. Overthinking won't change anything. Not seeing your true nature sooner was my mistake."
The girl turned around, her crimson skirt flaring like dancing flames against the snowy backdrop.
This time, her eyes weren't moist—they were clear and radiant.
"It's rude to receive a gift without giving one in return, so I'll give you a present too," Amikura Mako said.
"But before that, I have something to say."
"If you're going to scold me, say it louder," Kaoru reminded her, advising against bottling up bad feelings.
"Idiot." Amikura Mako didn't hold back before pausing. "I'm an idiot too. Even now, I still think you helped me a lot back then. Though Honami and the others encouraged me too, I didn't want to cry in front of them—it was too embarrassing."
She took a deep breath.
When frustrated, vigorous activity was indeed a good way to vent.
But some emotions couldn't be exhausted so easily.
If they lingered by day, they'd ferment further by night.
"I hate the Kaoru Mitoma who used and deceived me, who still says disgusting things even now!"
Kaoru slightly turned his gaze—she really wasn't holding back, completely unconcerned about drawing attention.
"But—" Amikura Mako pressed a hand to her chest.
"I like the Kaoru Mitoma who knows how to make me happy!"
Even Kaoru, who had just cheated using "Emotion Perception," couldn't help but feel astonished by the girl's words at this moment.
"However, since I still can't accept the other side of Kaoru Mitoma, I won't agree to what you just said." Amikura Mako bit her lip. "Until I can accept it, let's start as friends."
Kaoru blinked, his expression odd.
"I might end up wanting to nibble on a girl's feet. Is that still okay?"
"Go nibble on Honami. I won't let you do that to me." Amikura Mako's face flushed pink—no girl would agree to such a thing in this situation.
"At most, I'll let you look."
"If we're just looking, I'd also want to see your safety shorts."
Kaoru continued pushing his luck, finally provoking Amikura Mako's anger.
She promptly gave him two solid punches.
"Ow."
"Friends don't think about peeking at safety shorts!"
"The problem is, I'm different." Kaoru caught her fist as she tried to punch him again. "Because Mako is just too cute, I can't help but want to look a little longer. I don't want you to hide away."
Amikura Mako glared at him, then suddenly remembered the photos she had once sent him.
Her confidence wavered, and she averted her gaze.
"Aren't you going to ask why I like you?"
"Probably because Mako likes the version of herself when she's with me—she seems even cuter than usual."
"Ugh... you're so smooth-talking. You weren't like this before."
"Because pretending was exhausting."
"..."
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