Look at ‘Reality,’ Not a ‘Story’
–Looking back, Ryoma Ryuzaki in Part 4 was a “failure” in everything.
His confession to Yuzuki, his confrontation with Kotaro, and his responses to them… Everything that should have been a favorable turn of events for him has now become nothing more than a series of hardships.
The “Opportunism” that had always been Ryoma’s greatest ally is no longer in play.
The capricious god of romantic comedies has grown tired of him.
That’s why Ryoma finds it hard to bounce back in his current situation.
He’s never been rejected by people in life like this before. Typically, girls close to him acknowledged and affirmed him. He was forgiven and accepted no matter what he did.
But now, it’s different.
Kotaro Nakayama, an outlier, wreaked havoc in his romantic comedy and exposed numerous embarrassing moments, ultimately stripping him of his status as the protagonist.
Even so, Ryoma still thinks of himself as the “protagonist”.
Deep down, he still thinks, “I can somehow handle this”.
Because of this, he treated Kirari harshly.
He was arrogant, thinking that no matter what he said, these girls would eventually accept him and pamper him.
In other words, even after losing his protagonist status, Ryoma Ryuzaki continues to behave like a protagonist. Even in times like these, he still… hopes that life’s story will somehow favor him – that if someone like her were to appear now, Ryoma’s story would take a dramatic turn.
If she, Ryoma’s first love interest, Shiho Shimotsuki, were to appear, his romantic comedy would drastically “pivot”.
By betraying Kotaro and choosing her childhood friend Ryoma, he would lose her qualification as a harem protagonist but gain the person he loves most.
Ryoma still held onto the hope that such a development might be possible.
That’s why he hoped for someone other than Kirari to appear when the intercom rang.
The person he had hoped for was, of course, ‘Shiho Shimotsuki’.
That’s why he felt irritated when Kirari, an unexpected presence, appeared.
“–Look at ‘me’.”
Even in the face of such a despicable man, Kirari stands her ground.
If she were still just a “sub-heroine” she probably wouldn’t have dared to intervene in this situation. She would have waited patiently for Ryoma’s anger to subside, acting according to her “status.” Or perhaps, she might have tried to comfort him in hopes of receiving his favor.
But Kirari had stopped being such a pitiful character.
“How long are you going to dwell on the past? Ryu-kun… no, Ryoma Ryuzaki. Why aren’t you looking at the present? The past me doesn’t matter anymore. The present me is right in front of you.”
She didn’t shout.
She didn’t get emotional like when she confronted Kotaro.
She remained calm.
Kirari pointed out Ryoma Ryuzaki’s “distortion” politely.
“How long are you going to carry the weight of your childhood friend, Shiho Shimotsuki?”
–She was aware of it.
She sensed that he hadn’t forgotten Shiho yet.
Because she loved him.
She could somehow tell from his gaze, gestures, and actions.
And she understood that this was the cause of the “distortion”.
To correct Ryoma Ryuzaki, she had to address this issue firmly.
“No matter how hard you try, how much you expect, or how much you wish… Shiho Shimotsuki will never belong to Ryoma Ryuzaki, okay?”
She needed to make him understand.
That not everything would go according to his desires.
That such convenient things were rarely found in the real world.
“Enough.”
Kirari coldly delivered her message.
In order to show Ryoma Ryuzaki “reality” instead of a “story”.
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