Tokyo: Idol Girls have absolutely no bad intentions!

After being repeatedly told the same "problem," Ito finally couldn't help but ask, "So what exactly is the problem?! What are you all talking about?!"

"Don't worry about those details," Mori suddenly interrupted, his tone gentle, as if he didn't care about the answer to the question at all.

She picked up a French fry and stuffed it into Ito's slightly open mouth, her face bearing a smile that could only be described as "virtuous." "Even though Hisahito didn't say it directly, it's okay."

"Anyway, Yujin-senpai has always been like this, and he has this problem. I'm used to it."

Are you really okay?!

Then why are you secretly tightening your grip on my shoulder?

Ito felt like his collarbone was about to be crushed!

There's clearly a connection between them!

In the following rounds of the game, the atmosphere seemed to return to normal, or rather, everyone tacitly skipped the topic that made Ito so uncomfortable.

The loser this time is Yoshida Nai.

She was asked the same tricky question.

Have you ever been dumped?

Ito held his breath, secretly hoping that she would also choose to give up or struggle a bit, so that he could feel a little more at peace.

However, Yoshida Nai blinked and, almost without hesitation, gave her answer readily, decisively and without any fuss.

After answering, she gave Ito a meaningful glance, a sly smile playing on her lips:

"I'm not like some people who can't take a joke and then act like a scoundrel!"

Ito: "..."

This cannot be treated as the same thing and treated fairly at all!

Besides, is it something to be proud of to be ruthlessly dumped by someone?

In the next round, Ito became the person who drew the lowest card and was responsible for asking questions.

And the one who received the punishment was none other than Rin Iketani.

Whether it's retribution or karma, the other party ended up in Ito's hands.

Ito looked into Ikeya Rin's eyes, thought for a moment, and did not have any intention of retaliating.

Since the other party was likely only slightly interested in bass, Ito asked a relatively simple and mild question.

"Iketani-kun, how have you been feeling spending time with everyone?"

He had assumed that Iketani Rin would, as usual, take out her phone to type a reply or use extremely simple words to brush it off.

However, Rin Iketani only tilted her head slightly in thought for a moment before saying, "Very good. Everyone is doing well. I'm happy."

The answer was short, yet surprisingly complete and sincere.

"Rin is the best!" Yoshida Na cheered and rushed over to hug Iketani Rin.

But the enthusiastic hug did not interrupt Rin Iketani's focused eating of fries at all. She calmly accepted the hug while putting the fries into her mouth one by one.

The game continues.

The one who drew the biggest card this time was Chinatsu Morikami.

The one who was responsible for asking questions was Fujikawa Kaze, who drew the lowest card.

Fujikawa originally only intended to ask a few simple questions, such as "What do you like to eat?"

It is unknown which criminal slipped a note under his drink cup while he was in the restroom, and even thoughtfully attached a black mark to the note.

This forced him to pick up the slip of paper with the question written on it and stammered out the question.

A damn problem.

"Excuse me... Mori-gami... how far have things progressed between you and Ito... Susumu?"

The moment the question was posed, the area around the table fell silent.

Kissing or... these are not things that can be said in person right now!

Yoshida covered her mouth, her brows furrowing and relaxing in turns, with an excited expression that said, "This question is too explosive!" She clearly didn't want to miss it.

Takikawa raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Asada turned her head away instantly, and subconsciously glanced at Ito before quickly lowering her head again.

Even Ikeya Rin, who had been engrossed in eating, paused for a moment, looked up, and showed a rare hint of curiosity.

Ito didn't think the answer to this question mattered; he and Mori were still innocent... or so they should be.

But that doesn't stop him from complaining about the problem!

What's wrong with Fujikawa? Why is he asking such a... such a question!

He looked calmly at Mori, indicating that the other could speak with peace of mind.

The person being questioned, Mori, crossed his legs, gently picked up the drink in front of him with his fingers, and took a sip through the straw.

She then put down her cup, raised her violet eyes, scanned the entire room, and finally fixed her gaze on Fujikawa Kaze, who was so nervous he was practically curled up in a ball.

There was no shyness or anger on her face.

"How far have we progressed?" She tilted her head slightly, seemingly seriously considering how to answer the question. "If you're referring to the level of physical contact... we've already hugged and kissed. As for anything more..."

She paused deliberately as she spoke, glancing almost imperceptibly at Ito, who was now frozen in place beside her.

“…Not yet.” She finally gave her answer. “After all, some people seem to be more… innocent and cautious than we imagine. I think taking it one step at a time is a good idea.”

"Pfft—!" Yoshida Nai was the first to burst out laughing.

After receiving the answer, Fujikawa Kaze quickly apologized, saying it was incredibly rude of him to ask such a question as a senior!

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that question!"

Mori simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Let the game continue," she said calmly.

Ito: "..."

He was completely unable to speak.

Mori's ability to discuss this kind of topic without batting an eye... is simply terrifying!

And what did she mean by her last sentence?!

Is this implying he's not proactive enough?!

Also, did she just laugh?!

He definitely laughed!

The second half of the sentence could have been omitted, or even just the first sentence would have been enough!

The game went on for several more rounds.

Finally, the focus returned to Asada.

She drew the highest card available at the time.

The question was raised by Takikawa.

The guy who claimed to be an ally asked a question that was equally thorny, one that could drive Asada to the brink of despair.

"Asada, among everyone here, is there anyone who has ever made you feel... jealous in a romantic sense? And what was the specific reason?"

Asada's face flushed bright red instantly, redder than ever before, almost as if it were about to bleed.

Answering that would be the behavior of a bad child... but she really does have those thoughts...

Asada's eyes darted around nervously, not daring to look at anyone. He stammered for a long time but couldn't squeeze out a complete sentence.

How could she say something like that, that she's jealous every day! She even emphasized it to Takikawa this morning, right in front of Ito.

"Oh, it's okay if you can't answer!" Yoshida Nai jumped in at the right moment to smooth things over, her eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a successful prank. "You can accept punishment too! The punishment is..."

"I'll personally feed each of the girls here a fries! I'll do it myself, one by one!"

What kind of punishment is this?! It's clearly a perk! Ito complained inwardly, but didn't say it aloud.

Asada is currently in a difficult predicament...

But to everyone's surprise, Asada shook his head vigorously.

She took a deep breath, then raised her head, her eyes suddenly becoming unusually firm, though her voice still trembled noticeably.

"No... I don't want punishment. I... I want an answer."

I still have to say it!

She paused for a moment and looked around at the crowd watching her.

Yoshida, Takikawa, Eiri, Iketani Rin, Fujikawa and Shinno were all surprised, and Mori's gaze was devoid of emotion.

Finally, there were... Ito's bewildered and slightly worried eyes.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Ito's face, then, as if summoning the greatest courage of her life, she said, word by word:

“I... I like Ito-kun.”

She paused, as if afraid of being misunderstood, then added urgently and earnestly:

"It's not liking a partner, nor is it liking a friend. It's... it's the kind of liking where you want to be with him."

They had no intention of leaving themselves a way out.

"So the answer to that question is that I am jealous. I am jealous every day. I am jealous of Mori!"

In an instant, this corner of the dessert shop fell into absolute silence.

The air seemed to freeze.

Everyone was stunned, including Ito.

He froze completely, his mind blank, staring incredulously at Asada, at her flushed yet determined face, at her slightly trembling face.

I never considered this situation...

The reason why he always subconsciously ignored Asada's request was that he was able to confess his feelings so directly and without reservation in front of everyone.