Chapter 129: Satsuki's Choice

"T-the practice ended already and my mother told me to bring that basket of fruits."

He stuttered a bit before telling his reason why he is here. Of course that's probably an excuse. He's here to see what state we're in.

Satsuki fixed her posture and clothes before going to the door so he probably didn't see something amiss. But the fact that we're alone in this house and me being in her room, that made him panic.

"I see. Do you want to come in?"

Still maintaining my normal voice, I acted friendly to him, just like always.

"N-no. I'll go now. I somehow angered her."

What the hell is with this guy? He's a bit forceful earlier and now he became this timid. Either way, this is better. With what happened, Satsuki will probably be more confused.

"Alright. See you tomorrow? I still haven't learned about the thing you told me to ask so…"

She's in the middle of telling me about the incident, you know? And you knock on that part.

"That could wait. Can you tell her I'm sorry?"

He had a dejected face as if he had done something horrible. This guy…

"No problem. I thought it was a thug, really. What happened that made you agitated?"

Do I even need to ask? It's because of me. Even if I don't want to feel bad for him. When I see him like this, I guess I should let him be happy with someone. As long as it's not Satsuki, I can let him be happy with someone.

She's already mine and I won't give her back to him. In the first place there's nothing going on between them. I inserted myself before they took up the courage to confess to each other.

"I don't know. I think I just made her hate me."

He looked longingly towards the interior of the house, trying to catch a glimpse of Satsuki.

"Don't worry about that, I'll explain it to her."

I patted his shoulder to cheer him up even though I knew that wouldn't work.

This guy always treated me as a friend but what did I do to him? I stole the girl he couldn't get the courage to confess to.

If it's before all the things that happened to me, I wouldn't think anything wrong about this and move on. But now, I feel like Satsuki wouldn't be happy once we reveal to him about us. This is the guy she fell in love with for the past 4 years. And it probably stemmed from something that he did way back then.

He's not a bad guy, he was just unlucky that he met me.

Ah. As long as it's not Satsuki. It's too late to give up on her, you know? I already love the girl.

"Onoda, can you tell me if you also started liking her? I couldn't get this out of my mind."

Faced with this question. Should I lie or should I tell him the truth? What would Satsuki like? What would be better for us to move forward?

"I don't think it will ease your mind even if I tell you I don't. Man. Clear up your mind and think properly, after that, let's talk again."

Right. Even if I lie to him. It wouldn't have any effect at this moment.

"You're right... I'll go back first. Onoda. Take care of her."

He looked straight at me. Maybe looking for something that would give away my thoughts about Satsuki.

Even his last sentence is directed to the idea that I've already made a move on her.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to her. We're at her house, right?"

Hearing those words, his eyes trembled a bit before he nodded and went out of the door. I watched on as he quietly disappeared outside. Whatever it is that happened to them before, I really want to know about that now.

After confirming that Sakuma already left, I moved back to the living room and saw Satsuki restlessly sitting there. She couldn't look straight at me.

She eavesdropped, right?

"He already left."

I told her as I sat next to her.

"Seeing him like that, it feels like I did something unforgivable to him."

Satsuki was also trembling. She's probably blaming herself. To succumb to me and to betray her love for him, she's starting to find that unforgivable.

"You did nothing. I told you, all the blame was on me. I started this, let me settle this."

I circled my arms around her shoulder and pulled her to lean her body to me. She didn't answer and just continued staring down.

"If I didn't appear before you, none of this would've happened. But Satsuki. I already love you. Maybe I did something horrible to him but this is now my bare feelings for you."

"He always treated me as a friend and what I did to him was to steal you for myself, the girl he clearly likes. See? I'm the one who did something unforgivable."

Satsuki is back at the state she was in when we're at the infirmary, on the bed next to the sleeping Sakuma.

She's about to break from what happened. I have to prevent that and push the blame to me.

"Once he cleared up his mind, I'm going to tell him everything that I did. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on you."

I lifted up her head and turned it to face me. There were a bit of tears trying to form at the corner of her eyes. She's thinking and I don't know if it's about me, Sakuma or us.

"Ruki. Carry me to my room…"

She only managed to utter these words. She didn't comment on everything that I just said but I'm sure she heard it and was thinking about it.

I nodded and did what she asked, though she's taller, she weighed only a little heavier than Akane. When I first went here, I only supported her to go to the bathroom after our first time. But now carrying her upstairs, I couldn't tell her that this is a bit difficult.

Arriving at her room, I put her down to her bed. But since her arms never let go of me, I placed myself next to her and hugged her as well.

Feeling her body heat like this, I couldn't help but have a reaction but it's not the time for that.

"Satsuki."

Whispering her name on her ears, she looked up to me.

"Tell me, Ruki. I did betray him, right? Even if you told me to blame it all on you. It's my choice to be taken by you."

She's starting to rethink everything that we did. Like with Kana, she also chose to do that with me at one point.

"It's not him you betrayed, Satsuki. In the first place, you two only have feelings for each other but neither of you confess. If you're going on that idea that you betrayed him, I'm going to stop you."

If there's anything she betrayed, it's her love for him.

"Right… I wanted him to do it but you came and appeared before us, and you made me like this."

She lightly hit my chest as a protest but that only made me hug her tightly. I wanted to ease her worry but I couldn't think of anything. In the end, it will still be her decision.

"Ruki. I told you, I already chose between the two of you. And who I've chosen is now here with me. You really did something unforgivable. Ah no. We both did."

"Don't take the blame off me, please? If you did that, I will just keep thinking about it when the time comes."

While her face was buried in my chest, her muffled voice was clearly heard by me. She really chose me and she didn't want me to let her think that it's only my fault. She will only be at ease if some of the blame also fell on her.

"Alright. I hear you. Let's tell him about us."

Hearing my words, she looked up at me and nodded.

"You won't let me regret my decision, right?"

Satsuki asked. She wanted more assurance from me.

"I'll take care of you. I love you, Satsuki. If you have any complaints just straight up tell it to me. I'm a bit dense on sensing that. But Satsuki, I couldn't abandon the others just for one. If you can accept that--"

Before I could finish what I was saying, Satsuki put a finger on my lips to stop me from talking.

"Stop at that, Ruki. For now, I don't want to hear about them when we're alone. You're solely mine at this moment, right?"

Ah. At this moment, she still couldn't accept the other girls but yeah, we'll get there soon.

"...Yes. That's how it is."

She nodded and took my lips on her own initiative. It was just a quick kiss but her feelings were conveyed from it.

"I can't say those words yet, but know that you're already here."

She pointed at her heart. Satsuki finally confessed her feelings to me and it's not just the like she told me before. I finally have a place in her heart. She chose me over Sakuma.

"Alright. Can I shout here?"

I sat up and asked her.

"Idiot, why?"

With an incredulous look on her face, she's confused at what I said.

"To tell everyone how happy I am?"

To shout about how happy I am now. I feel like I really need that. Even with what happened just earlier. Satsuki got the final push from that.

"Just kiss me, idiot. Focus on me now. I still have to tell you the story about us."

She pulled me down to her and like she asked, I took her lips again. And from just using our lips, it grew into a more passionate one. I've been restraining myself since earlier. Now that we're here at her room, I don't think I can still do that.

After what happened, I want her to feel how much I love her. So from her side, I put myself on top of her. She just accepted it and circled her arms to the back of my neck and pulled my head down to her.

"Tell me about it after this."

Satsuki understood what I'm talking about and with a nod, she just gave me permission to do what was on my mind.

The story could wait, for now I want to take her again and just by looking at her, she's the same. To take our mind off at what just happened, we let ourselves be consumed by our longing for each other.