"H. . . HUH?"

At a complete loss, Takumi's mouth hung open in the shape of an 'o'.

"I never stopped," Naoya continued, still spiralling. "Me telling you that I did was a lie. Sure, I've tried! But, it's been hard. You've been nice to me since the day we met. I grew up with extremely little, so when I used to pester our classmates to trade snacks with me or buy my doodles for pocket change, you never judged me. In fact, you shared your lunches with me and always made sure I never went hungry. Every time I jumped into a random pool or rolled around in mud, sure you seemed disappointed, but you just led me to your house and made sure I got cleaned up. When I accidentally broke your bicycle and blamed it on aliens, you forgave me, and even took me on walks. Every single day! Even though you were busy! And, when I was bored, you'd take me to the park and throw frisbees for me to catch only for me to come back with random tree branches. Remember that? Man! If I could just take Runa's place and live with you, I would!"

Hold on. As Naoya rambled on and on, I awoke from my daze with a jolt. Was this really a love confession? It sounded more like he was asking to become Takumi's pet. . . that, or he already was.

I whipped my head left and right to banish the idea.

"If I may. . ." I interjected, clearing my throat.

For a dumbstruck Takumi's sake, I clarified the situation to him. The blackmail Naoya had received. How cornered he felt. Also, that he had originally meant to frame me. By the end, Takumi clutched his head, as if fighting off a migraine.

"I see. I get the full story now."

"Please don't abandon me," Naoya begged, on his hands and knees now. "I don't even have to take Runa's place, just let me stay by your side! As long as I'm fed and taken care of, I'll be happy!"

He seriously was a puppy. . . The notion hit me once again. Oh, Naoya. Fundamentally, there were so many things wrong with his confession, but at the same time, his sincerity shone through.

At the very least, it was obvious he cared a lot about Takumi.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Slowly but surely, Takumi lowered his arms by his sides, deep in thought.

"I'm not going to 'abandon' you. Even if you asked me that a million times, I don't exactly want to lose you either." He delivered the words with unbelievable poise, and broke into a respectable bow. "But, I'm sorry, Nao. I don't feel the same way."

His lower lip wobbled. "I know."

"If you do, then you should've already predicted how I'd react," Takumi added. "Why would I ditch you? Whoever sent you that letter—I'm starting to suspect they might be a girl I rejected in the past, who has it out for anyone remotely close to me."

Nope. It was, in fact, a Creeper with a lot of free time on his hands and a vendetta against me, but I refrained from providing either of them that information.

"Normally, I'd say screw them, but I can see you don't want the entire school to ever find out about this. Even if it was for a good reason, technically speaking, you are partly responsible. Then, we really are stuck."

I hooked my thumb towards me. "Like. I. Said. This is the 'best' ending."

Takumi frowned. "Hinomori. . ."

Naoya glomped into a hug.

"Ann. . . !" he blubbered. "I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you. . . !"

Not this again. I peeled him off me. "Go run fifty laps around the school and then we can call it even."

Imaginary ears perked on his head, his invisible tail whipping back and forth.

A blinding grin stretched to his ears. He brought his hand to his forehead in salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Nao—" Takumi called after him, to no avail. He was already out the door. Almost instantly, he seethed. "Hi-no-mo-ri."

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," I snorted. "He's so pure."

"That's why he'll really run fifty laps."

"Should I have made it a hundred?"

His glare darkened.

My gaze veered elsewhere.

"A-anyway." I fake-coughed into my fist, steeling my nerves. "Look. I know I'm asking for a lot. But, please. Respect my wishes about this. Let things stay as they are for now. Let me do this for you."

It was a selfish request. Even if I was right about this ending being the best alternative, he definitely couldn't accept it. The guilt was going to eat at him. Worst case scenario, he'd even have nightmares about his inability to prevent this outcome.

"In return for my selfishness, and as an apology for not confiding in you, I owe you one," I added, meekly. "You can ask me for anything. Do anything, even. Whatever you can think of, cash it in any time."

"—Then, I'll take you up on your offer."

His response was so unexpectedly swift—so extraordinarily smooth—that my brain short-circuited. I hardly noticed when in particular his face had gotten so close to mine, and when exactly I'd been pinned up against a bookshelf.

The warmth of his hand on my cheek. The back of my head rustling against the books that lined the shelf. His lips on mine. One by one, my surroundings, the room around me, melted, fading and disappearing. The utter lull of the moment put me in a trance. It was only a couple of seconds—no more than ten at most—yet time stretched for eons.

"This is the longest you've gone without talking." At some point, he'd retreated, leaving only centimetres between us. My lips—every bit of skin—continued to burn. "This might be a record."

"I-I. . . er. . . H-huh?"

My tongue hardly moved.

There wasn't anywhere on his porcelain-white skin that wasn't dyed red. Forget me, this was the hardest he'd ever blushed. No amount of teasing could've resulted in this.

"You said 'anything' so I assumed. . . Did I mishear you?"

"N-no, uh. . . Y-you didn't. . . Er, I j-just wasn't expecting. . ."

If it was up to me, I'd shriek at the top of my lungs.

What the hell! What the actual hell! Did I just have my first kiss? In the school library?

Takumi kissed me?

"Wait, that's what you wanted?" I spluttered. "I said anything, you know! You could've asked for my life savings!"

"You don't look like you have one."

Okay, that was a knife through the chest. I forgot I was talking to a rich kid. Money—let alone what little amount I could save up—didn't interest him.

Head lowered, he twiddled his bangs between his fingers. "I had a sudden urge. You let Nao cling to you like that. . . Not that it bothered me.  . . but after all, it did bother me. . ."

Where in the world was the librarian? Rescue me.

"I never wanted to accept it. I kept telling myself I wouldn't let anything distract me from my studies, or from victory. . . yet, all I am is distracted." His ice-blue eyes bore into mine, chock-full of conviction. "You're all I think about."

My lungs collapsed.

"Most of the time, I just hear your voice ringing in my ears. Taunting me. Gloating about how much you're better than me. . . I thought I'd find it annoying, but all it does is just make me want to hear it more," he admitted. "I couldn't figure out why it was that I struggled to fall asleep at night. Why I'd sometimes lose my appetite when I thought of you. Why your every word or action carried so much weight in my life. I assumed it was because I desperately wanted to prove I was better than you. That it was what I wanted more than anything. But, after everything that's happened recently, maybe—maybe it isn't that.

"I don't think I ever really cared about the awards or trophies, or my how much I've achieved. The more I had, the more leverage I had over you. And that was enough for me to work harder. But, no matter how hard I worked, you were the opposite. During our classes, you were either fast asleep or daydreaming. You never scored higher than the average. It got on my nerves. I knew you were a genius. I knew you were so effortlessly talented. So frustratingly intelligent. Yet, it seemed the person who couldn't acknowledge that fact the most was you."

"That's. . ." I spoke through the awkwardness, albeit barely. "I do acknowledge it, to a degree. . ."

He frowned, as if he'd proved a point. "The reason other people have never found out is because you won't let them see that side of you. Almost as if you're embarrassed by it. Even now, you chose a solution to this ordeal that'll make it impossible for them to ever know the truth. That's what frustrates me the most about you, Hinomori. You don't see yourself the way I do. These last few months proved just how amazing you are and can be if you put your mind to it. I'll never be as good as you."

"You never know that for certain. Besides, aren't you the one always saying you can't wait to finally beat me—"

"Forget I ever said that. It's fine if I never do."

"Wh-what?"

They were words I never would've imagined would leave his mouth—even if he were held at gunpoint. Except, for some reason, here he was, saying it with a straight face. "I spent so long trying to win against you. Ten years, I've had my head filled with you. Thinking only about you. If I were to suddenly lose that. . . if I suddenly can't challenge you anymore. . . or secretly admire how flawlessly you outperform me every time. . . at this point, what else am I supposed to look forward to every day? Who else am I supposed to dedicate the rest of my life to?"

"Dedicate your life," I sputtered, senselessly. What in the otome. . . He mentioned it once, but I didn't think he was serious. "There are roughly eight billion people on this planet. Surely, you can find somebody else with a higher IQ than me—"

"Who cares if somebody like that exists. I'm only interested in you."

Oh, damn.

"I love you, Hinomori," he admitted, his entire face aflame—scorching—even from our distance. "Of course, I feel bad for Nao. . . but clearly, he noticed how I felt about you way before I did. Honestly, I hate that it took me this long to realize it myself."

I needed to lie down.

I wanted this, remember? My conscience tried to remind me. Well, not exactly this. Back then, I merely hated Takumi's guts and wanted revenge. Creeper's blackmail pushed me to follow through with this, too.

I could just imagine Creeper congratulating me on "winning" his heart—reinforcing that this was indeed a pretend dating game.

A lot's changed since then, though.

Takumi's feelings—his timidity—it felt straight out of a visual novel. These were the types of lines a love interest would utter, and the heroine would giddily celebrate, leading straight to the ending credits.

This should've been a happy moment, yet the only emotion that consumed me was dread. I lied to him, and to Naoya. As long as Creeper was in the picture, there would be no happy ending.

"Do you not. . ."

Due to my long silence, and most likely the uneasy expression on my face, Takumi sobered up from his elated fantasies in an instant.

I awkwardly rubbed my arm. "It's not you. Well, you could say it's me. Real-life situations like this are all around uncomfortable for me. But, it isn't you because I feel that way towards everyone. So, like, surprise kisses and stuff. . ."

"O-oh. . ."

"I'm sorry," I spitballed, in a heap of guilt. "At least right now, I don't see you the same way. I'm trying to, of course. . . I think I really could, too. . . There's probably something wrong with me. I have no clue how I'm supposed to be feeling right now, to be honest."

Even from my perspective, heartbreak was written all across Takumi's face. Despite that, his mouth curved up gently—the first means of a smile he'd ever displayed in front of me.

"Something you don't know? I wouldn't have expected that," he chuckled. "Usually, you have all the answers."

Although my instinct implored me to snap back with something sarcastic, once again today, Takumi was one step ahead of me. He caught me off guard, this time, with a big hug.

"There's nothing wrong with you. I should've asked first."

"Asking now would've been appreciated too," I squeaked into his chest. It was definitely a weird sensation. Moe hugged me occasionally, but with her scrawny physique, it was easier to shoo her away. "I will admit, though, you can be pretty smooth. For a himbo, anyway."

"Drop that term already," he remarked.

I bit back a laugh.

His arms tightened around me, his chin nestling my hair. "I can be persistent," he murmured after a pause. "Giving up isn't something I'm familiar with."

That, I knew.

"You know, when I was younger, I hurt the people around me just for being a 'genius.'" I didn't know what possessed me to be honest. "I unintentionally screwed up your life, too. The fact that you didn't give up on challenging me despite that—it definitely came across as a shock. Still, it was nice. Whenever you feel nostalgic and need me to put you in your place again, just let me know."

"I swear. . ." he deadpanned.

"By the way, your hugs are surprisingly comfortable." My hands roamed down his chest. I blinked repeatedly. "Whoa. I can feel your abs."

His blush spread to his ears. "Hey."

MR. FUJINAKA, AND THE REST OF MY CLASSMATES, WEREN'T PLEASED TOO WITH MY APOLOGY. However, despite their animosity, they were left with no other option but to accept it.

"Clearly, you don't need to be sitting so close to the board—as you have nothing to gain from my lessons—so you're going to move back to your original seat starting today," Mr. Fujinaka informed me.

Gone were his smiles—now replaced by a cold, unbudging scowl.

Should've expected this.

He was a nice man who had placed a lot of faith in me, and I supposedly stomped all over it. I'd be angry, too.

Gathering my belongings from my desk, I swapped places with Naoya. He took his original place at the front of the classroom, while I shuffled on over to the back corner by the windows. Our original seating plan.

I could barely make out the back of Takumi's head from here. I forgot about how far apart our desks used to be.

As Mr. Fujinaka commenced his lesson, I slowly directed my gaze out the window.

The last spring flower fell from the tree. The leaves had turned a vibrant green. Spring was over, with summer on the horizon.

So??? When were you going to tell me you won his heart??? (*≧∀≦*)

Creeper's messages were impossible to predict. I hid my phone on my lap.

You were there?

Was I there? Was I not? The library is open to all students, you know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

You might've got lucky with Takumi but I'm sure this coincidence won't be repeated.
Still up to continuing our little game?
ヾ(๑╹◡╹)ﾉ"

I grinded my teeth. Those stupid emojis.

Unless I do, I won't be any closer to figuring out who you are, will I?

What a waste of a high IQ (￣3￣)
I'm all for it, though. Let's see which one of us will outlast the other: if you'll find out who I am before we reach the end, or if I'll blather all your secrets and claim victory
(☝︎ ՞ਊ ՞)☝︎
✨ There are still 4 more love interests to go ✨

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.

.

.

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.

# 🅁🄾🅄🅃🄴🅂 🄲🄾🄼🄿🄻🄴🅃🄴🄳
= 1 out of 5

# 🄳🄰🅈🅂 🅁🄴🄼🄰🄸🄽🄸🄽🄶 🅄🄽🅃🄸🄻 🅃🄷🄴 🄴🄽🄳 🄾🄵 🅃🄷🄴 🅈🄴🄰🅁
= 307

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_______________

So, it's official. Takumi's "route" has finally come to an end. Next up is Love Interest #2 👀

Please let me know your overall thoughts on Takumi/Anri's relationship as well as Takumi's character in general!

I personally didn't think it would take this long to move on to the next love interest in Creeper's game. I aimed for 10 chapters per LI and now look at me, almost at chapter 20.

Clearly, this book will end up being really long. I hope you all don't mind :D

I'll try to pick up the pace. A lot more interesting scenes + twists to come!

Look forward to it!!

Vote & Comment! <3