Chapter 241: Conflicted

Aside from the sound of the teacup being filled, there's no other noise that can be heard in the room. She really wanted me to drink everything she brewed and I'm already at my 7th cup.

In any case, hearing her thoughts like that earlier, it made me feel some sort of understanding towards her.

She's actually holding a grudge towards me from showing up and taking Haruko's attention.

Well, it's a bit over the top to call it a grudge. Most likely it's her jealousy.

But despite that, her reaction to me these past few days were genuine. Even that blushed she had earlier were a result of her reacting to my words.

Maybe tired of the silence or the way I keep my gaze locked to her, Mina asked.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

"There's only the two of us here, who else will I stare at?"

"Admire the room, duh?"

There's nothing to admire in this room though. I already observed it thoroughly the first time I was here. And the room's not the reason why I am here with her.

"But I'm more inclined to admire the beauty in front of me. I still remember that every time I show up, you will stay away from me. This is the second time we're this close. Seeing you on the door doesn't count."

"Ugh. I'm purposely avoiding you, of course. Hurry up and finish your cup. I can't wait to kick you out of this room."

Mina answered before putting down the refilled cup in front of me.

I picked it up and drank it again. Though it's tasty, I'm already full from all the tea I drank. I might need to visit the restroom before going to the club later.

"I thought we already reached an understanding, Mina?"

"Yes. I understand now how much of a pervert are you."

"Eh? But I haven't done anything yet?"

"Just your stares are enough to answer that."

"Haa. Alright. I concede. I won't stare at you anymore."

I already got a fill of staring at her anyway. And by giving in to her demands, she will slowly loosen up to me.

"Great. If you listen to me like that then, I think we'll get along well."

"So do you like someone who will listen to you?"

"Not really. You're just too hard to deal with. Remember when you first visited here? I only left for a while and when I came back, Himeko was already making out with you."

She still couldn't forget that, eh? If I'm not wrong, watching us like that affected her a little. She's saying she hated it but the truth is she's curious how we ended up in that position.

But yeah, unbeknownst to her, Himeko realized what Haruko possibly wanted by introducing them to me.

"Himeko and I got to an understanding back then, you know? And I like to have the same understanding with you."

"You need more than just words to do that, Onoda-kun. After everything that happened, I think I understand now why Haruko asked you to steal us from her. We became too dependent on her that all her time was being spent with us."

She filled another cup and put it back in front of me before continuing.

"She's happy with us, true. But the level of happiness she started projecting after you showed up is like the last piece of the puzzle which she was searching for so long was finally found. You completed her. By introducing you to us and asking you to steal us from her, it's probably her way of sending the message that we need to grow up."

"Is that how you interpret it?"

I took the cup and downed it in one gulp. It's already a bit lukewarm so... it became easy to drink it but I'm nearing my limit. How many cups are left?

For now, I will do what she wanted me to do. I can understand her better this way. Only when she became relaxed with me will I start to try and open her up.

"Yes. Is there any other interpretation?"

"Well, I don't know. We might have different interpretations on what she wanted us to do but I guess it's all correct."

Thankfully, she stopped pouring more tea even after seeing the cup in front of me emptied.

"I am observing you all this time… And, even though your methods were somewhat odd, the way you helped Himeko is admirable. I've known her longer than you but in the end, she opened up to you about her problem. That's why… Onoda-kun, I'm giving you this chance."

Giving me the credit again... I only let the two sisters meet. And now, they're trying to resolve it by themselves.

"What kind of chance?"

"This chance."

Since I stopped staring at her and turned my head away, I didn't notice that she's already moved next to me, kneeling on the cushion. With her brown eyes, my reflection could be seen there as she observed my reaction about her being this close.

Is she testing me?

"If you're this close, I will not be able to restrain myself from kissing you, Mina."

"You might be an idiot, but, Onoda-kun, you're a man of action. Why else will I move close to you when I know your habits?"

Though faint, there's a little hesitation in her voice.

"I see. So this chance you're giving me is to kiss you, correct?"

"Will you kiss me or not?"

"I will, of course. But Mina, I don't think this is the chance you're giving me."

Slipping my arm from her waist to support her back, I pulled her closer which ended up in her leaning on me.

But like with any other girls, she's trembling right now. She's really testing me.

"Why do you say that?"

"Like you, I'm observing you clearly whenever you enter my eyes. You will not just throw yourself like this to me. If I kiss you like you asked. It will be the end, right?"

Upon hearing my words, her eyes shook. Her head then drooped down until it ended up leaning on my shoulder.

"…"

Ah. Her reaction and the silence confirmed it.

"You don't need to do this to test me. A simple rejection is enough to make me stop. I know how much you love Haruko and I am the same. I might have a lot of girls but I love them all the same. Maybe that will include you as well. I went here in the hopes of knowing you better and I did learn a lot. Thank you."

After saying that, I let go of her and this time I poured tea to her cup before placing it in front of her.

It's not that I predicted that she's trying to end it by asking me to kiss her. But knowing her, she's not the type to do this, even if she became interested in me. She's the type who will initiate the kiss instead.

"… How? How can you see through my intention easily? It's just a matter of kissing and not kissing me. You can just not kiss me and that will make you pass. Why do you break it down like that?"

"It's not that I see through you, I guess, somehow, I already know how you will react to me. You're conflicted, right? So you want to decide it with that 'chance'. I like you, Mina. If you want me to stop pursuing you then I will. Just say the word."

"You're a bit cruel, Onoda-kun. True I'm conflicted whether I will give you a chance or cut you off completely. But you don't need to confront me like this…"

She then picked up the cup filled with the tea I poured for her and downed it in one gulp.

Once she's done, she puts the cup down on the table with force.

And with her eyes glaring at me as if she was about to swallow me whole, she stood up and leaned down to cup my face between her palms.

She then lifted my head and on her own, Mina placed her lips over mine.

I didn't resist it and instead, I responded to her kiss. She's already used to it so without noticing it, she ended up sitting on my lap as our lips continued to meet. Soon enough, our tongues moved as well which made the temperature around us rise up a notch.

Like I thought, she's the type who will initiate it instead of asking me to do it.

But with this, I don't know if this is her deciding on what she got conflicted on or this just her way to vent her frustration from what I did.

Either way, it's a win for me. If she ended up saying it's over. I'll just need to restart, right? She'll always be at Haruko's side after all.

"Ugh… Why did you get carried away as well?"

Mina broke off from our kiss when she realized that it was not ending anytime soon.

"I'm not someone who will reject a kiss from someone I like, you know? It was satisfying, thank you."

"Haa… After all these, I ended up the same as Himeko."

Mina sighed and punched my chest softly before continuing.

"I still haven't decided yet so… I'll give you another chance next time."

"I see. Then I will wait for that another chance. In the meantime, I want to know more about you, Mina."

"Do that next time. Here, empty this first before you go."

Mina stood up from my lap and picked up the almost empty teapot and poured the last of its contents on my cup.