I can no longer hold you in my arms
Ryuzaki was not too far away.
He was leaning against a tree, nodding off.
Azusa was slowly walking up to him.
“Ryoma Onii-chan ……, are you okay? You weren’t looking well, so I chased after you. Did that …… something happen to you?”
I had to hide myself from view a little farther away to get a better look.
Ryuzaki was still nodding off with a pathetic look on his face, even though Azusa had come to see him.
“…… It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing, is it?”
“I said it’s nothing!”
I guess he has no room in his heart. Ryuzaki, who is usually kind to the sub-heroines, is yelling at her.
It seems that the sound of a man yelling is more frightening to women and children than we can imagine.
But Azusa was unfazed as she stared at Ryuzaki.
“……Ryoma Onii-chan, you look very uncool right now.”
“What!?”
Azusa’s voice was firm and strong.
Ryuzaki glared at her in anger, but Azusa did not flinch at all.
“It’s no wonder Shimotsuki-san doesn’t like you when you look like that.”
Ryuzaki was severely unnerved by these words.
“Why are you talking about Shiho ……?”
“I know, I know. I didn’t need to be told that Ryoma Onii-chan was in love with Shimotsuki-san, I was aware of it. Because Azusa had been looking at Ryoma Onii-chan for a long time, you know? You’ve been thinking about her all the time. How can I not understand~!”
And finally, it began.
The biggest and saddest scene of the sub-heroines opens now …….
“Because Azusa loves Ryoma Onii-chan.”
–At last, Azusa confessed.
Even the most insensitive of protagonists would not be able to misunderstand something when it is said so clearly.
“…… What? What did you say?”
But then again, …… the protagonist also had the skill of hearing loss.
Thanks to this, he can trample on the affections of the sub-heroines without them noticing his thoughts.
But that skill seems to be useless now.
“I said I love you ……, not as a friend, of course. I love you as a boy. I want to spend all my time with you, Ryoma Onii-chan. I want to go on dates with you, I want to touch you, I want you to touch me, and I want to make out with you. I want you to give me everything you have. That’s how much I love you!”
Without the slightest room for doubt, Azusa blurted out her feelings of “I love you”.
Even the most insensitive of protagonists can’t pretend not to notice when someone says something like that.
“…… Oh, you’re kidding, right? I can’t believe …… Azusa likes me. …… You must be joking, right?”
“I’m serious. I love you, Ryoma Onii-chan. …… If you can’t hear me, I’ll tell you as many times as you want. If you don’t believe me, I can give you a hundred reasons why I like you. So, believe me, …… I’m not kidding, listen to me. Accept Azusa’s feelings. …… Let me at least say I love you!”
Azusa’s pure feelings echoed in the forest at night.
In the distance, I could faintly hear the voices of my classmates. Maybe the campfire is about to start……. Little by little, it’s getting noisier.
On the other hand, things were getting more and more exciting here too.
When the protagonist heard Azusa’s words, he slowly raised his head.
“So, it’s true……”
“Yes, but I don’t want to see you now. But I don’t want to see Ryoma Onii-chan’s face right now. …… I don’t want to see his face when he’s whimpering and miserable. Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan has a much better face, you know? Even though Azusa tried her best to approach you, you were still trying to look cool by saying, “Oh dear.” …… I don’t know how many times I wanted to punch you.”
…… Honestly, I want to cover my ears.
I can see where this is going.
It’s like a farce. It’s a terrible game, and it’s not even funny.
Although she said a lot of things, what Azusa wanted to convey was just one point, “I like Ryuzaki.”
And Ryuzaki, thanks to being told over and over again, seems to have finally come to realize this.
“So, don’t be depressed, okay? You can still be Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan. …… You love Shimotsuki-san, don’t you? If so, it would be a shame to give up, wouldn’t it? Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan is a very weak man, but when he wants to do something ……, he does it.”
That affirmation becomes a medicine.
This is a great way to energize the protagonist who has lost his confidence.
“You’re right……. I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t even told Shiho how I feel about her, and it’s …… disgraceful to give up and slump over.”
The voice of the protagonist, who had been sullen until a moment ago, regained its strength.
“It’s not like this is me. …… I’m much cooler now that Azusa likes me. …… So, yeah. I’m going to confess properly!”
Finally, the time had come.
The harem protagonist’s biggest flaw, has been eliminated by the subheroine’s confession.
This is the unique “awakening” of the protagonist.
No one can stop him now.
The story is only going to rise. Every wind that blows from now on will be a tailwind for the protagonist, and he will become the rightful owner of opportunism.
“Azusa……Thank you for loving me like this. I’ll try my best to be the Ryoma Ryuzaki that you love.”
“Yeah … I love the cool Ryoma Onii-chan the most.”
And once awakened, the subheroine is no longer ‘useful’.
“… But I’m sorry. I can’t accept …… Azusa’s confession because I have someone I like.”
And so, Azusa was rejected.
Even though she had tried so hard to confess, her …… feelings were easily trampled upon.
This is a natural result.
There was no way she could confess to Ryuzaki, who was troubled about Shimotsuki, and have him accept her confession.
Even so, Azusa wanted to cheer up Ryuzaki.
Even though she knew she would be rejected …… and hurt, she kept her ‘love’ to herself.
“I see……. but it can’t be helped. The campfire is about to start, you know. If you’ve decided to confess your love, you’d better go now. There’s a jinx that says if you confess your love at the campfire, you’ll succeed.”
“Really? If that’s true, then …… it’s good timing. Thank you for letting me know. Azusa, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had!”
–It is a sin to be insensitive.
It’s …… very cruel to hurt someone so easily without malice.
I think Azusa had reached her limit.
“Yes, yes. Then hurry up and go! Make sure you tell her how you feel…… Bye bye, Ryoma Onii-chan.”
She pushed Ryuzaki’s back and made him go to the square.
“Hey, okay, you don’t have to push ……, I’ll go. Totally …… Azusa loves to touch me, doesn’t she? I’m glad you did, thank you …… so I’ll see you later.”
And then Ryuzaki left the place.
At that moment, Azusa slumped down as if she had lost her mind.
“Hey, Onii-chan? You’re here anyway, right?”
“…… Yeah, I’m here.”
She called out to me, so I showed my face.
But she didn’t look at me, she turned her head down.
The sight was so painful that it …… made my heart ache.
“Azusa, you did your best, right? You don’t have to hold back anymore, do you?”
“…… Yes. No need to hold back anymore. Azusa is a strong girl.”
I hope it makes her feel better. I know it’s naive of me to think that, but I can’t help but say kind words to her.
My stepsister, who once cut me off, …… is still family to me.
She was in too much pain to look at her now.
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!”
Immediately, Azusa began to cry.
She did not wipe her tears, but continued to cry painfully, shedding large tears.
“I loved you so much. …… This was my first love…why won’t you love me back, Ryoma Onii-chan? I loved you so much, so much……!!”
There was nothing I could do about the sad wailing.
The only thing I could do was to be there for her.
We were no longer close enough for me to hug her.
The truth is, of course I want to comfort her. I want to comfort Azusa, who is in pain.
But I can’t do that.
I could not, and would not, be the ideal Onii-chan that Azusa envisioned, so I have no right to …… hug her.
This is the result of the choices that Azusa has made.
Now, the only person who can comfort Azusa is …… her acknowledged “real Onii-chan”.
