All the people who like me are other people’s girlfriends! ?

The moment their eyes met, Toyokawa Shoko's face flushed red, and her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know how to describe the feeling, only vaguely sensing that something important had changed the moment Kiyono saw her, as if "beauty for tourists to admire" had become "beauty that blooms only in front of you."

She turned her face away in a panic, not even daring to greet anyone, and raised her hands to cover her cheeks, feeling a burning sensation in her palms.

*

A cold night wind swept across the empty streets. Komari Chika wrapped her thin coat tighter around herself as she checked the simulation's progress.

She was in the timeline before the start of her second year of high school, a year older than in reality. Her light novels had unsurprisingly been wiped clean, and she still needed to take care of her younger siblings... But nothing else mattered except her family. It was only three months; what mattered was what she was about to do.

Clear field.

In this spring, she wanted to at least make him understand her feelings; this was her only reason for starting the simulation.

"And, moreover, at this time, maybe I could... take that guy home!"

Just then, a bold idea suddenly popped into my head.

If I could let Kiyono live in my home for these three months, spending every day together, she would surely come to understand my reliability, gentleness, and... cough cough, charm as the eldest sister! Then it would be only natural for me to confess my feelings afterward!

Her eyes were filled with barely suppressed excitement, almost shining with it. She had the air of someone who thought, "The Empress is far away, and today is the day for the concubine to rise up," and she even straightened her back a bit.

With this in mind, Xiao Ju began to transform into a hunter, plunging into the city to search for the respawn points of the clearing monsters.

A park bench in an abandoned park—completely empty.

A sheltered spot under a dark bridge arch—only the wary eyes of a stray cat are visible.

Even at a busy intersection, you can't find anyone setting out a bowl.

She ran quickly, and when she encountered passersby, she mustered up her courage and asked in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. After searching for most of the day, she found nothing. Finally, a kind girl told her where Kiyono was, saying that he was working at a coffee shop.

But with no one helping him now, how could Kiyono possibly work in a place like that? He must still be struggling with food and lodging!

Xiao Ju sighed inwardly and searched in the usual places for a while, but it was getting dark and she still hadn't found anything. She had no choice but to go to the company without any hope.

And then, and then…

She felt like she had come to a celebrity meet-and-greet, or rather, a host club.

The boy surrounded by the girls was Kiyono, whom she thought was living a "miserable" life.

Xiao Juzhi stood frozen at the doorway, her lips twitching.

..

"Scumbag, scumbag."

The rebuke came out of nowhere, and Kiyono saw his friend's smile freeze on his face.

He turned his head to look at the gloomy girl sitting next to him, who was sneering. It was getting late and the store was closing time. He had thought the girl was some kind of suspicious person when she was in the corner, because he really didn't expect to see Xiao Ju here.

"Sooner or later, someone will punish you." As if one strike wasn't enough, Xiao Ju unleashed a second attack.

"It's just for making a living," Kiyono said melancholically.

Xiao Ju snorted. After a moment, the girl quietly raised her eyelids and glanced at him quickly. Her barely suppressed curiosity and concern finally broke through her gloomy facade, and she spoke softly, with a hint of inquiry:

"You, how did you end up working here?"

"It was a coincidence, I suppose." Kiyono's answer was as brief as it could possibly be, cleverly avoiding details like "being taken in by Teacher Daisho," which required a detailed explanation of being a kept man.

"Oh……"

Xiao Ju gave a curt "Oh," and the air fell silent again. Just when he thought the conversation had stalled as usual, she suddenly took a deep breath, as if she had made a huge decision, trying her best to make her voice sound nonchalant, but the last syllable still betrayed a hint of tension:

"So...do you have a place to stay now?"

However, she heard a reply that shocked her.

"Yes, I have."

Wait, wait a minute, what kind of script is this guy using this time?! He's even arranged a place to stay?!

Xiao Ju was a little confused, but she tilted her head and subconsciously asked the question that had been lurking in her mind.

"Then, what about food?"

Hearing this, Kiyono was suddenly touched. In this world, how many people would worry about whether you would go hungry when you travel between worlds?

Then, as if he had thought of something, his expression became somewhat subtle, and his gaze drifted to the side.

—Okay, it seems there really are quite a few.

Xiao Ju understood what was going on and let out two signature, sarcastic, and insightful sneers.

"hehe……"

—Where is Yukinoshita? Where is Lady Yukinoshita? Quickly punish this womanizing scoundrel! And this system needs to be severely punished too!

At the same time, a flash of lightning also struck Kiyono's mind.

Looking at the gloomy girl before him, who was clearly angry but whose eyes couldn't hide her worry, a startling thought occurred to him:

Xiao Ju has come to this world... Does that mean she is the real female lead?

What exactly happened in this simulation?

?014. Mu: Clear the fields, help Xiang [two-in-one]

Confess.

This is an extremely youthful thing. When it comes to confessing, most high school students will have vivid images in their minds: the other person's face under the dazzling fireworks of summer, a sincere confession in a quiet shrine, an empty classroom under the orange sunset, and letting their feelings soar high with the sound of baseball on the playground...

Komari Chika had also fantasized about such a moving scene more than once late at night.

She decided to confess her feelings.

Tell the person you like about your feelings.

However, she also understood that it would be irrational, risky, and reckless to make a move when the two of them were not close enough.

A confession should be the clarion call of victory, not the call to charge.

In fact, the girl agrees with this statement. Put yourself in her shoes: if a boy who doesn't like you confesses his feelings to you directly, you will also feel confused and bewildered—even in a GalGame, there is a series of preparations to increase affection before entering a route.

However, I suppose, probably, maybe... Kiyono must have at least a little bit of affection for me, even if it's not romantic love.

Xiao Ju secretly comforted herself.

Waiting until you're almost certain the other person likes you before confessing is indeed the safest approach. However, things don't always go as planned, and this process can take a long time. In that time, the relationship might have already been won over by someone else, leaving you with no choice but to regretfully exit the stage and become a so-called "loser"...

Therefore, she was in a situation where she had no choice but to confess her feelings.

Because if she didn't speak up now, she would never have another chance.

Because doing so would at least—at least make his eyes, which are always focused on other people, briefly and truly notice him, right?

Even if only for a moment.

For this slim chance of "at least", she decided to do something bolder than she had ever done before, something that would make even herself tremble with fear.

but--

This feeling is absolutely genuine.

It was already passionate and sincere, but it was stimulated and burned even more intensely, making her unable to control herself.

In the mundane routine of daily life, the little moments spent with him, the unintentional glances he gave her acknowledging her small efforts, the timely helping hand he always offered, the seemingly casual jokes that magically dispelled the gloom in her heart, and the subtle shifts in her feelings—all these led to a gradual stirring of emotions and a feeling of ease.

Then I fell in love with him, valuing him more than myself. I would think of him every night before I went to sleep, my heart would race whenever I saw him, I would get angry and jealous if he chatted with other girls, I would get excited when I talked to him on the phone, and I would feel panicked when I saw him being affectionate and close to other girls...

That's how she felt.

"But speaking of which... how do you even say something like 'confess'?"

Xiao Ju rolled around on the bed, clutching her pillow.

Excitement, agitation, fear, unease... all sorts of emotions gripped her heart, making her head spin a little.

If rejected, they might not even be able to maintain their current relationship. Once the words are spoken, everything could end. Just thinking about Kiyono becoming cold, distant, and even looking at her with a hint of unease... made her feel like she had fallen into the abyss of sadness.

"Don't do that kind of thing!"

She buried her face in the pillow and screamed, then turned her head to one side, her pretty face flushed.

The girl was always insecure.

She knew that Kiyono lived in a wider world, while she was always stuck in the shadows in a corner, and she felt that she needed a "trigger".

An opportunity that made her feel slightly closer to the boy and gave her the courage to act.

..

April arrived in the blink of an eye.

Why do I have to go to school in the story I started?

Xiao Ju quickly straightened her uniform in front of the mirror, remained silent for a while, and then uttered a profound question.

However, she couldn't find the right opportunity to confess her feelings recently, so she decided to go to the school first...

I changed my shoes and went out.

Although the cherry blossoms are not yet in full bloom, the unfolding petals are already desperately trying to make their presence felt.

Arriving at school, being assigned to classes, the opening ceremony, and most importantly, building new relationships in the new class... none of these mattered to Xiao Ju. She was the kind of person who was obviously all alone in the class.

Xiao Ju used to hate her school life, and while she doesn't exactly like it now, she's become slightly less averse to it.

Because she would think of Kiyono.

In the future, Kiyono will be in the same class as her.

Just watching him in the classroom made the world seem much more colorful.

The morning passed peacefully, and of course, no new friends were made. Xiao Ju quietly left the classroom, took her lunchbox, and went to her safe haven, the Literature Department.

Minister Tamaki and the senior students have already opened their lunch boxes in the club.

"Xiao Ju is here! How's it going in the new class? Has anyone talked to you?" the warm-hearted club president asked with concern.

The girl simply gave a cold laugh, the answer of which was self-evident.

"Yeah, that's true..." the club president sighed. "We're also in our final year of high school this year. In a few months, we'll graduate. I hope Xiao Ju won't be all alone again then."

In the past, hearing the club president's tender words would have made her overjoyed, her face flushed and her heart pounding, leaving her speechless. But now, all she felt was a faint sigh of sadness at her senior's impending graduation...

Oh right, I think I used to have a crush on the minister.

Xiaoju suddenly realized something, and Qingye understood it too... It seems that he has one more thing to do before he can confess?

"Xiao Ju, when we graduate soon, you'll be taking over as the head of the Literature Department, right?" The senior pushed up her glasses, her eyes full of care as she looked at the gloomy girl.

"Is it a literature club for one person...?"

Xiao Ju muttered to herself that during the last simulation, she focused on practicing light novels and neglected many things at school, so she didn't trigger this event.

Would you consider this a branching route in a visual novel?

“You could recruit new people… well, that does seem pretty difficult.”

The minister scratched his head, then a brilliant idea struck him. "How about we try joining the student council? If we become a member, it'll be easy to find nominal members by leveraging the position!"

"Idiot." The senior student gently tapped his head with her chopsticks. "Joining the student council means explaining your ideas and plans in front of the whole school! Do you think Xiao Ju can do that?"

"Too……"

The two seniors abandoned the plan at lightning speed, but Xiao Ju froze on the spot.

In front of the entire school...

speech?

What, what a joke!? Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely impossible! Even killing her wouldn't do it!

But, on the other hand.

A faint thought emerged, like a tender sprout breaking through the soil in the darkness.

If you practice hard and achieve this...

Will that give me the courage?

Does that mean... I can confess my feelings now?

..