"Do good friends go home together late at night?"
A reporter held up a photo of Takashi and Watanabe Akari returning home.
"Don't they?" Takashi shot back with a faint smirk.
"Do good friends take racy photos like this?"
Another reporter took the opportunity to show a picture from a cosplay event with Takashi and Kitagawa Marin.
"My dream is to become a photographer. What's wrong with my good friend volunteering to be my model and help me out?"
Takashi glanced at the photo and chuckled.
"If you want, I could also be your girlfriend's good friend and take pictures of her for free."
"..."
That reporter suddenly went silent.
"Wait, don't tell me… you don't even have a girlfriend?" Takashi suddenly sensed something and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"No! I just broke up,"
Under the strange gazes of his colleagues, the slightly overweight, balding man in his thirties tried to argue, but Takashi immediately cut in:
"No way, no way—there's no way someone almost thirty doesn't even have a girlfriend, right? Didn't the government issue you one?"
"The government doesn't issue that kind of thing!"
"But I've had girls confessing to me since kindergarten. Nonstop confessions up to now.
Each one says she's my girlfriend. I honestly don't even know who my real girlfriend is anymore."
Takashi's words were like knives, stabbing the reporter's heart until it bled.
And that bastard of a man wasn't done.
He added, "Sorry, I thought girlfriends were something you naturally get once you reach a certain age."
"If I hurt your small and fragile heart, I apologize."
The reporter fell deeper into silence.
Even the reporters around hadn't expected Takashi's firepower to be this overwhelming.
This was nothing like the intel they had received.
The Takashi they'd heard about was modest and polite, elegant and easygoing, respectful to teachers and elders.
But this Takashi? He was saying whatever would hurt you most.
And what's the best way to break someone down?
Tell the truth, bluntly and plainly.
Everyone knows—lies don't hurt, but the truth does.
And everything Takashi said was true, which is why that reporter couldn't say anything back.
"Takashi-san, what's your view on stealing someone else's girlfriend?"
Having learned from what just happened, the next female reporter didn't press too aggressively.
Her tone was as gentle as possible.
But Takashi's response left her instantly speechless.
"Which one?"
Which one, he said?
How many girlfriends has he stolen exactly?
"I mean the matter with Katsura Kotonoha."
"Everyone knows my idol is Chancellor Cao. So I'm just inheriting his ambition, following the legacy of Wei Wu, and embodying the spirit of Jian'an. Totally normal, right?"
Takashi spoke calmly and eloquently to the camera.
The female reporter: "..."
Everyone knows?
Sorry, but we had no idea your idol was Cao the Scoundrel.
"Takashi-san, Yukinoshita-san clearly likes you so much. Don't you feel guilty doing things that betray her?"
She likes me?
More like she despises me.
Takashi complained inwardly, but what he said aloud was:
"'The one you can't get always stirs the heart, and the one favored acts with impunity~'"
As soon as the girls around heard this, they all started scolding: "Scumbag."
In their minds, Yukino had now taken on the image of a devoted girl who gave endlessly, watched helplessly as the person she liked tangled with different girls every day, and despite repeated heartbreak, still held on—hoping for the day he might turn over a new leaf.
"Then Takashi-kun, among all the girls you know, who do you like the most?"
The smile on Takashi's face disappeared in an instant.
No more smiling.
What kind of question is that?
Is this something a reporter should ask?
Where's your journalistic professionalism?
Aren't you supposed to be condemning me morally, criticizing me, verbally attacking me?
"Whoever likes me, I like them back."
Takashi dodged the question and started walking faster.
I shouldn't have walked so slowly to begin with.
"Takashi-kun, are you avoiding the question?"
"Takashi-san, please answer directly."
Suddenly, the reporters got excited.
He's scared!
He chickened out!
This was the moment they lived for.
"Takashi, do you like Yozakura Hitomi more, or Kamikawa Narii?"
Takashi abruptly stopped walking and looked toward the last speaker.
That must be a plant sent by the Shinomiya family.
Takashi turned to face all the reporters.
"Fine. Since you all want to know, I'll tell you who I like the most."
He stood tall, took a deep breath, then threw back his head and shouted:
"I—Kitahara Takashi, from Class 1-A of Aoba High, a future destined for greatness!"
"Right here, right now—I want to confess to a girl!"
Whether it was because he shouted too loudly, or because everyone was curious to know who it would be, the entire scene suddenly fell silent.
"Sis, listen closely—he's definitely confessing to me."
At that moment, inside Koshien Stadium, where the live interview with Takashi was being broadcast, Narii's face was filled with confidence.
"Hehe~"
Hitomi let out a disdainful chuckle.
'He, he, he's not about to confess to me, is he? What should I do? Should I reject him?'
Umaru felt a wave of joy followed by sudden gloom.
"Ryuuju-san, want to bet on who Takashi's going to confess to?"
Nagisa turned to Momo.
"It definitely won't be you."
Momo crossed her arms and coldly snapped back.
She didn't believe for a second that Takashi would like Nagisa.
'Could it be me…? Haha, just kidding.'
Tsubame dismissed the thought as soon as it came to her.
"I really don't get what's so great about that guy."
Maki, who had been dragged along by Nagisa, muttered in irritation.
"Yukino, do you think he's talking about you?"
Yukino Haruno teased Yukino.
"No way."
Yukino's expression turned ice cold.
She wasn't mad that Takashi might confess to her—she was mad that Haruno was spouting nonsense in front of everyone.
'If he dares confess to me, how should I reject him?'
Adagaki Aki habitually crossed her legs, deep in thought.
"Big sis, is Big Brother really about to confess to you on camera?"
Katsura Kokoro looked up at her older sister, who had immediately bought a ticket for the next day as soon as she heard Takashi would be at Koshien.
"Kokoro, don't talk nonsense."
Kotonoha blushed slightly, but couldn't help the faint glimmer of hope in her heart.
"Yotsuba, is he going to confess to you?"
"Congrats in advance on being the first one of us to get a boyfriend."
Ichika and Nino chattered excitedly around Yotsuba.
Yotsuba looked both happy and conflicted.
Miku clenched her fist secretly: 'He's still not giving up on Yotsuba? I won't allow it. I'll protect this family.'
Itsuki: munch munch munch!
'A confession, huh? I wish someone would confess to me like that in front of everyone too.'
Sakurajima Mai didn't like how flirty Takashi was, but she couldn't deny that part of her longed for someone to express their feelings as boldly as he did.
(Azusa Sakuta: I feel like I'm living in his shadow.)
Under the expectant gazes and hopeful anticipation of countless girls, Takashi finally shouted out:
"Shinomiya Kaguya, Class 1-A of Shuchiin Academy, I like you!!!"
"Please go out with me!"
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Welp..
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