Chapter 197 – One Step Closer, or One Step Back for Love

A soft, delicate warmth lingered on his lips.

Pressed against him, Aoki could feel the trembling weight of Nijika’s embrace, her faint citrus fragrance brushing past his nose like a ghost of summer.

His pupils contracted. His body stiffened.

Almost by reflex, he thought of pushing her away—

But the moment he moved, even slightly, he felt the desperate strength in her arms.

The way she clung to him wasn’t just affection—it was resolve.

In that instant, the memory flashed before him: the glimmering tears on her cheeks, her misty eyes wavering just before she had stepped forward and kissed him.

The urge to push her away weakened.

Nijika had been hurting so much.

Her thoughts, twisted by fear and overthinking, had even led her to consider cutting ties with him entirely.

And now—finally, finally, her heart had softened.

So… perhaps allowing her this small moment wasn’t wrong. Just for now. Just for a little while.

The chill on his lips slowly warmed.

Only after a long, fragile silence did Nijika pull back.

She loosened her arms around his neck and stepped half a pace away.

Her eyes were still misty, her cheeks streaked with the faint trace of tears.

But her sobbing had stopped.

She looked at him, lips trembling as if the kiss still lingered.

She bit down gently, and suddenly—her heart had never felt so clear.

She loved Aoki.

Not a fleeting crush. Not admiration.

It was the kind of love that wanted a lifetime together, the kind that couldn’t bear to be apart.

The kind of love that wanted to give and give, no matter what—love that longed to date him, to hold him, to truly be with him.

Once, responsibility had chained those feelings down.

But now?

Now, after hearing his words—

“You can lean on me.”

“You’re allowed to be selfish sometimes.”

“Every word you say, I remember.”

“It was you who changed my life.”

How could she ignore her heart any longer?

She couldn’t.

She wouldn’t.

So she wiped away the last of her tears, and when she looked at him again, her lips curved into a smile.

A genuine smile, radiant and unforced—so dazzling it hurt to look at.

She took a deep breath.

“...Aoki-senpai.” Her voice was soft, sweet—like 200 yen cotton candy from the Asakusa shrine. “I like you.”

The words slipped out like a confession etched in her very soul.

But she didn’t stop there.

Because Nijika understood.

She understood his kindness, his burdens.

He hadn’t pushed her away. That was already more than she could have asked for.

She knew Kita, too, carried feelings for him.

She knew Ryo, in her quiet way, cared deeply as well.

From his perspective, no matter what choice he made, someone would be hurt.

Someone’s bond in Kessoku Band would be broken.

But Nijika also knew this: it wasn’t her job to make the choice for him.

This was her heart. Her future. Her love.

And she couldn’t keep running from it.

So—

“Also… I’m sorry about today,” she said with a sheepish laugh. “I cried like an idiot, I said all sorts of weird things, and then… I even did something that selfish.”

Her voice wavered, but her eyes shone.

“But thank you, Aoki-senpai. Thanks to you, I finally, finally—finally—know how I truly feel.”

“I like you, Aoki-senpai.”

“Even if you don’t decide right now, it’s okay. Really. Just knowing that you understand my feelings is enough.”

Her voice grew stronger, brighter—until suddenly, at the last line, it softened to a tender whisper, as if the words were for him alone:

“Aoki-senpai… I like you. I want to be with you in the future. I want to go shopping with you, go on dates, fall in love… I want to hold you every second I can. In winter, I want us to be that silly couple wrapped in one scarf. Aoki-senpai… I love you.”

Her words hung in the silence.

Aoki’s heart pounded violently in his chest.

For one terrifying moment, a reckless thought surged inside him—

‘It’s okay to be impulsive. Just be with Nijika. Forget everything else.’

But then—he remembered.

Kita’s trembling voice when she had confessed her feelings.

Ryo’s quiet plea: “Suki-san, it’s okay to be selfish sometimes.”

A sharp pang stabbed his chest.

He knew.

He knew just how pathetic he was.

If he chose… he would wound someone. No matter what.

If he clung to this feeling… did that make him trash?

Probably.

And if he were forced to choose right now—could he really be that cruel?

His lips parted. But no words came.

His eyes flickered with hesitation he almost never showed.

For once, Aoki was silent.

Across from him, Nijika watched his struggle. And then—she smiled again. A smile both fragile and brave.

“Anyway… thank you, Aoki-senpai,” she whispered. “I’ll go now, okay?”

“...”

“…Yeah.”

She opened the door and stepped out.

The hallway led to the store’s main room, where the faint chatter of customers drifted in.

At the counter stood Starry’s manager, Ijichi Seika—back from who-knows-where.

As Nijika entered, she caught her older sister’s eyes.

Seika only needed that brief look to know.

She had always been able to read her sister like an open book.

Her eyes narrowed, curiosity flashing.

“Nijika… you and that Aoki kid…”

“...”

Nijika froze—then broke into a smile as bright as the winter sun.

“Yeah, sis!” she said, voice ringing with certainty. “I’ve decided—I’ll keep trying. I will be with Aoki-senpai!”

Her voice was clear, her smile dazzling.

And though it was the beginning of December, in that moment— her warmth could have melted the snow.