"On Christmas… I made a very cruel decision toward Yuu. I think he must have been deeply hurt then."
"I don't know the details, because Ishigami never told me," Rinji said. "Probably to protect your image."
"Eh? You don't know?"
"I just know you rejected him somehow. Since he never told me how, I didn't ask either."
"I see… Yuu really is such a good kid. Even though I hurt him."
Her smile carried a trace of bitterness, perhaps because she truly felt her actions had been wrong.
"So, what exactly did you come to me for, Senpai?"
"I wanted to talk with you a little about Yuu. You probably know him best."
"Can't say I know him best. Even close friends don't share all their inner thoughts. At least, not in real society."
"What is Yuu like, in your eyes?"
"A kid who might need looking after but is exceptionally kind," Rinji answered. "Sure, sometimes he does things that annoy me, but those times are rare. Overall, he's very good."
"I see…"
Tsubame smiled softly.
"Seems like you think highly of him."
"My opinion doesn't matter. What matters is how you see him."
"Me?"
"Yeah. He likes you. What matters is how you see him, whether you can think of him as more than a friend. What I say is just a friend's evaluation."
"I…"
"Is Ishigami someone special to you? Or rather, can you see him as a romantic partner?"
"…"
After a long silence, Tsubame finally spoke.
"I… don't know."
"Huh?"
"I don't know what my feelings for Yuu really are. I do like him, but I don't know if it's romantic love. Maybe it's just the care of an upperclassman, or something else…"
"Uh…"
"Please don't look at me like I'm troublesome!" Tsubame said, eyes watery.
"Can't help it. This is the first time I've realized just how troublesome you can be, Senpai."
"So mean."
"Whether it's romantic or not is simple to check," Rinji said, shrugging. "Just imagine a future life with him. Would you be happy living together? Would you want to marry him, have kids, and grow old watching sunsets side by side? If all that feels right, then it's love."
"Eh? Imagine that far ahead?"
"Of course. I know young people these days only get into relationships for novelty or impulse. Even if it's real, it's just the honeymoon phase. No one thinks about the future. When the excitement fades and the dopamine drops, they start thinking of breaking up."
"…"
"I've heard about your past, Senpai. People say you had a boyfriend who cheated, and that's why you're afraid of love now."
"No, no, that has nothing to do with this." Tsubame waved her hands quickly. "That wound has mostly healed by now. I just… don't know how to define my feelings toward Yuu."
She lowered her head and spoke softly.
"I can't clearly define what I feel for him. Yuu really is kind, considerate, and being with him always makes me happy. But…"
Rinji: "You're a troublesome woman."
Tsubame: QAQ
"So basically, instead of moving forward with Ishigami, staying as you are now is the best outcome for you at this stage."
"Eh? You think so?" Tsubame brightened.
"Staying friends is pretty nice."
"Yes, yes!"
"As long as Ishigami can accept staying that way, everything's fine."
"See? You do understand."
"Understand my ass."
"Eh!?"
Tsubame was startled.
Rinji was probably the rudest male student she had met since elementary school.
"'As long as everyone behaves, we can stay friends.' If you want to live in a fairy tale, fine. But when you reject Ishigami, don't spout crap like 'can we still be friends?'"
"But I never said—"
"I already know how you feel about him. It's not your fault. Ishigami was the one who fell first. Like a country that declares war first, he's the one without the upper hand." Rinji continued, "But you'd better reject him cleanly."
With just a few words, Rinji had already seen through Tsubame's attitude.
People in love eventually break up, let alone people too hesitant to even start.
Though her feelings were unclear now, Rinji could already see the end.
No matter how hard Ishigami tried, in the end Tsubame would reject him.
Not because she disliked him, but because she didn't want their current relationship to end.
"Though I pity Ishigami, this is between you two. I can't interfere," Rinji said. "But when you reject him, be clear. Plenty of people have confessed to you. Do you tell each of them, 'can we still be friends?'"
"…I actually have said that."
"And how did that turn out?"
"…"
Her eyes dimmed.
Clearly, those people had drifted away in time, even if they claimed they could stay friends.
Except for a rare few, like Rinji and Hayasaka, most guys couldn't endure staying friends with someone who had rejected them.
If Ishigami wanted to keep things the same after rejection, Rinji figured he'd have to send him to Afghanistan for a while.
"Koyasu-senpai, this is a personal request from me."
Rinji looked her in the eye.
"'Killing' is fine, but don't break his heart on top of it."