Chapter 46: Love triangle (2)
Akiko’s eyes went wide, staring at him like she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Her hand was trembling slightly in his, and there was something in her expression that made his chest tighten – a mix of shock, hope, and something deeper that he couldn’t quite identify.
"Haruto-kun..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You... you really mean that?"
The way she was looking at him was intense, almost overwhelming. Like he’d just handed her everything she’d ever wanted. It made him feel guilty as hell, because this wasn’t exactly how he’d planned for things to go, but seeing that happiness in her eyes made it hard to regret the decision.
Azame watched this exchange with mild interest, like she was observing an interesting scientific experiment. "How sweet," she said, and her tone was perfectly neutral. "Young love and all that."
"Look, Azame," Haruto started, trying to figure out how to navigate this conversation without making everything worse. "About what you wanted—"
"Oh, don’t worry about that," she interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "I’m not particularly concerned with your romantic entanglements. I simply need someone to play the role of my boyfriend for certain... social obligations. Nothing more complicated than that."
"But I can’t," Haruto said firmly, squeezing Akiko’s hand. "I love Akiko. I can’t pretend to be with someone else when I’m with her."
The words felt strange coming out of his mouth, but they weren’t entirely untrue. Maybe he didn’t love her in the way she wanted him to, but he did care about her. And right now, claiming to be her boyfriend might be the only thing keeping both of them safe from whatever game Azame was playing.
Azame’s smile didn’t waver, but something flickered in her eyes. "Love," she repeated, like she was testing the word. "How... inconvenient."
"It’s not inconvenient," Akiko said suddenly, and there was a fierceness in her voice that surprised both of them. "It’s beautiful. Haruto-kun and I—" She looked up at him with those adoring eyes. "We belong together."