I ended up living together with the school's number one beauty who rejected me even though I hadn't confessed to her, but why are her beautiful sisters aiming to steal my virginity?

Akane Hiiragi was dreaming.

In the dense and overgrown forest, at its center, a small area was created as if hidden. It was a small sanctuary for Akane, her only refuge from her childhood.

When something unpleasant happened, she would look up at the sky from here. When things were tough, she would shed tears in this place.

This small place was Akane’s own little secret base.

…But on that day, there was someone with her who wasn’t supposed to be here. In the winter’s deep night forest where no one should come, a boy with dim eyes stood still. He sat on a lonely bench, gazing straight up at the night sky.

“Why are you crying?”

The boy wasn’t shedding tears, but for some reason, those words overflowed from Akane’s mouth.

“I’m not crying.”

“No, you are. I can tell… Because I’m the same.”

“…..”

The boy looked at Akane, and Akane looked back at the boy. The boy, like a doll made of the darkness of the night, was cold, dark… and above all, he was beautiful.

“This is my secret base. Here, I can be alone, and no one will get angry no matter what I do. So, it’s okay to cry here, you know?”

“…I see.”

Hearing Akane’s words, the boy closed his eyes. But he didn’t cry. As if he had forgotten how to shed tears, his eyes remained dry.

“…..”

Akane thought that this boy was just like her. He must be living in the same way, with no place to belong. Living in the midst of painful loneliness to the point of forgetting how to shed tears.

So Akane said, “I’m always here. So feel free to come see me anytime.”

Few words were exchanged between them, and their feelings didn’t necessarily connect. However, from that day on, that place became a refuge for both Akane and the boy, a place to escape from their life.

“Did you come again?”

“You’re always here, too.”

“Because this is my secret base.”

“That’s right, it’s the same for me.”

“By the way, would you like to eat some sweets?”

“…Sure.”

At first, they sat silently, looking up at the sky as if it were an unreachable distance. But as time passed, the distance between the two narrowed. Because they were the same. Cold loneliness and irrational anger. The eyes of the two who had lived in such a hell were similarly dark.

‘No, that’s not it.’ Akane realized.

‘This boy was enduring a much more difficult life than me. His eyes seem to have given up on everything and his bruises are increasing day by day. Just by looking at them, it is easy to imagine the kind of hell he was living in.’

So Akane said, “Let’s run away together.”

Even if two children ran away, reality wouldn’t change. He would have probably run away alone if it were that easy to solve. Despite knowing that, Akane found herself saying those words.

“Wherever I run, it’s the same. There’s no paradise in this world.”

“It’s not the same! If I’m with you, I can forget the bad things. So, I’m sure we’ll be okay if it’s just the two of us!”

“Do you… like me?”

“Is it bad if I say yes?”

“No, it’s not bad. I’m really happy. Thank you.”

For the first time, the boy smiled. Like any other child, he smiled innocently.

“…..!”

The moment she saw that smile, an electric current ran through Akane’s body. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would break, and her blood heated up throughout her body.

‘I’m even willing to die for him’, she thought.

Akane seriously thought before saying those words and there was no lie hidden in it.

And from that day on, the two made a promise. One week later, they would meet at this place after preparing to run away.

Akane packed various things into her big backpack until it was bursting. Money from her savings box, her favorite sweets, her favorite stuffed animals, and a cherished keychain.

Just by packing these precious things into her backpack, she felt so happy she could cry.

And then, one week later. Carrying the same large backpack, Akane came to the usual place.

“…?”

However, even as the darkness of the night was covered by the morning sun, the boy never came. Not the next day, or the day after, nor even after a year had passed.

Surely, she thought, ‘I was the only one serious about it.’

Thinking that, her chest ached. It was lonely, painful, and sad. Above all, it was embarrassing. Akane’s chest continued to ache for the coming days as well.

And so, Akane’s first love came to an end.

…Or at least, it was supposed to. One year later, a woman approached Akane, who was still waiting for that boy. That woman, with a radiant smile like the sun, said to Akane, “Hey there cute girl, would you like to make a contract with me? If you do, I’ll let you meet your beloved boy.”

Without hesitation, Akane took the woman’s hand. And thus, Akane took on a certain role, so that she could meet that boy again.

…The boy who was supposed to be dead.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

“…Why am I having such dreams now?”

Muttering to herself, Akane slowly lifted her body from the bed. Despite not feeling unwell, her body felt unusually heavy.

“It’s raining again.”

She looks up at the dark, stained sky and lets out a deep breath. Then, her gaze shifted to the red bracelet on her arm.

“It’s about time, huh?”

She muttered and rose, as if shaking off her lethargy.

Three days have passed since she expelled Nazuna from the Hiiragi house. During that time, she hasn’t spoken a word to Midori. Also, there was a dispute with Shiemi, who finished the game event and came out of her room, and even now, there’s an ongoing cold war between the two.

And then, Touka and Kaede. The two also seemed somewhat subdued. It had been only about 10 days since Nazuna was at the Hiiragi residence. Yet, everyone, as if they lost something precious, stopped smiling.

“It’s ridiculous.”

Those words were just a diversion. But Akane had her reasons to say so. The duties imposed on the Hiiragi sisters, the secrets. In addition to that, Akane had reasons to reject Nazuna.

“…It doesn’t matter.”

Leaving the room, finishing a meal without conversation, and completing various preparations. A little while ago, life was so noisy that it was nauseating, but now a quiet life has become the norm.

“I’m off.”

Muttering absentmindedly, she leaves the house. The sky she glimpses is still covered with clouds, but the rain has stopped. So Akane walks to school without an umbrella at a brisk pace.

“Why are you here?”

Continuing to walk briskly as if escaping, Akane spots the back of a man.

He was none other than Nazuna Haimiya.

He was walking slowly towards the school with a languid air surrounding him.

“..…”

Since the day she forced him to leave the Hiiragi residence, Akane hasn’t spoken to Nazuna even once. Whether it’s because of the awkwardness that Touka and Kaede couldn’t become her allies or for some other reason, it seemed like they hadn’t gone to see Nazuna either.

And Shiemi couldn’t leave the house due to certain circumstances. So only Midori was always looking for Nazuna most of the time. She left early today because she had to work on a shift, but it seemed like Midori went to see Nazuna every break.

“That girl. Did she used to admire her big sister most of the time?”

As the youngest, Midori had a strong admiration for her older sister. So, she probably treasures the existence of her first-ever younger brother more than anyone else.

“…It’s the worst.”

Suddenly, rain starts pouring down. The rain that started just now was much stronger than the one that was falling until a moment ago, piercing Akane’s body like needles.

Normally, Touka or Midori would have given her an umbrella to avoid this kind of situation. But today, no one offered her an umbrella. So Akane, as if escaping, rushes into the eaves of a nearby shrine.

“Ah…”

And there, she finds Nazuna, who was walking in front of her, also taking refuge in the same place.

“It’s a coincidence.”

Awkwardly, Nazuna says.

“…Yeah.”

Akane replies with just that single word.

The intense rain continued to soak the hard asphalt, enclosing the two of them.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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