February 14th. Valentine’s Day had arrived.
On that day, there were two girls at my house… each of them gave me chocolate.
“Ryu-kun, here you go. I-It’s not like I made it just for you or anything.”
“…Is that so?”
“No, it’s a lie. I just imitated it because the character I like was acting tsundere like this.”
Kirari handed me the chocolate with a smile, and even from the wrapping paper, I could tell it was slightly misshapen.
She must have worked hard to make it. I sincerely thanked her for her feelings.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, no problem~. Well then, it’s Yuzu-chan’s turn next.”
“Yes. Ryoma-san, this is from me too… It may seem trivial compared to Kirari-san’s chocolate.”
“What’s that? Are you being sarcastic? Yuzu-chan is starting to talk like that too… For a bad girl like you, it’s okay to give you a belly rub punishment, you know?”
“Eh!? N-No, that’s not what I meant… I mean, I got into a fight with Ryoma-san and ate a lot out of stress, so I gained weight. So, please don’t touch my stomach.”
“You’re saying that, but you’re the type with fat talking to your chest! Hmph, you’re still getting bigger… Maybe even bigger than Mary-san?”
This kind of exchange between the two of them felt like it had been a long time.
Kirari and Yuzuki had always been like this.
Today, it seemed they had run into each other in front of my house.
But there was no surprise, and they seemed to have accepted each other easily.
“Thank you, Yuzuki, too.”
They were still straightforward, too much for me.
That’s why I wanted to face them properly… Someday, I wanted to express my feelings to them.
“I’m really happy about Kirari and Yuzuki’s feelings.”
As I said this, the two of them stopped chatting and looked at me.
They were quietly listening.
“I understand both of your feelings… But as I said before, I still don’t know my true feelings.”
Clumsy as it may be.
Even if it’s uncool, I want to express my honest feelings like them.
“You don’t have to wait for me. If you find someone else you like… don’t hesitate to forget about me. But if you’re still willing to wait for me—”
If they still liked me.
“Someday, I’ll give you an answer to my true feelings for Kirari and Yuzuki.”
Who I like.
Who I’ve fallen in love for.
Because I’ve never loved anyone other than myself, I still don’t know.
But someday… at least before I graduate from high school, I’ll make it clear.
By then, I’ll probably — no, definitely, like either Kirari or Yuzuki.
If they still liked me until then, I would give them a proper answer… I would firmly convey it.
I feel very inadequate that I can only articulate such unclear words at this point.
But that’s just me. Ryoma Ryuzaki was unfortunately not that cool of a person… There wasn’t the purity to change his mind in an instant.
That’s why I had no choice but to say this.
Even I think it’s really pitiful.
However, they… still smiled and said it was okay.
“Don’t worry. We’ll wait for you properly.”
“Please, be carefree. Please be honest with your feelings… Both I and Kirari-san are not the kind of people to resent not being chosen.”
Their words lightened my heart.
The two who liked me were such good girls… Thinking that, my eyes became warm.
“–Thank you.”
For liking such me.
For not abandoning such an ugly me.
Thank you, really.
I won’t hurt them anymore.
From now on, I’ll face them properly.
So, please… keep watching over me…
–Thus, my harem story came to a close.
Looking back, there were various things. It was a romantic comedy full of hurting heroines, failures, and mistakes.
I don’t know if this ending is right.
But… even now, there are girls who continue to like me.
To repay their feelings, I’ll grow properly.
From now on, not as a protagonist… but as just a normal ‘Ryoma Ryuzaki’, I’ll walk through life.
There may be no sense of drama, and it might seem boring to outsiders.
But if I and the people who liked me are happy, then that’s enough.
If I could obtain such ordinary happiness… that alone would be sufficient.
[Part 4/Complete]
