Utaha was still leaning closely against the pillow, her gaze fixed on Haizaki as he sat up. She continued, "You did something so excessive to me, and you… don't want to take responsibility?"
Hidden beneath the blanket, the girl wore a sly expression mixed with anticipation.
Her wine-red eyes were filled with laughter.
"Utaha, may I ask exactly what 'excessive thing' I supposedly did to you?" Haizaki asked.
Her words were highly misleading, but as he gradually calmed down, Haizaki realized something was off.
His underwear was intact, with nothing unusual. Aside from the pleasant scent of the girl lingering around his nose, there was none of that mysterious post-incident smell men supposedly have.
His body felt relaxed, but not the kind of relaxation that comes after that kind of thing. Moreover, Haizaki recalled Utaha's dark, mischievous personality.
This was definitely her true nature showing.
When dealing with people she was familiar with, she liked to tease and flirt as a way of expressing friendliness.
"What a hateful man. You did such… such excessive things to a girl like me, kept me awake all night, and now after waking up, you ask me what happened?"
"If it was my snoring or teeth grinding that affected your sleep, then I apologize," Haizaki replied seriously.
"Tch…"
Utaha, you definitely clicked your tongue just now, didn't you?
"What a boring man. You clearly asked me to get on the bed and sleep with you last night."
"Can I say that I have absolutely no memory of that?"
This was definitely made up. Even if he talked in his sleep, there was no way he would say something like that.
"Men are all like this—once they get what they want, they start denying everything?"
"Sounds like you're quite experienced, Kasumigaoka-san. Uh—"
Utaha shot him a vicious glare.
Unfortunately, instead of looking fierce, she looked even cuter.
"What did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly."
"I said that a beautiful and charming lady like Utaha must be very popular at school. The men chasing after you could probably fill all of Tokyo Bay."
Utaha was fairly satisfied with his answer, but thinking about the sharp intake of breath he had just taken, she felt secretly pleased while also a little worried.
"No men are chasing me right now."
Her captivating wine-red eyes met Haizaki's black ones, her expression serious.
"I think there definitely will be in the future."
As long as they returned to the original world, she would surely be surrounded by admirers once again.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
"What about you? Are the girls chasing after you lined up from Chiba's Sobu High all the way to Tokyo's Toyogasaki?"
"Do you really think that's possible?"
In his memory, no one had ever pursued him. Love letters, rooftop confessions—those things were completely unrelated to his life.
"Of course it's possible," Utaha said. She was extremely curious about Haizaki's past.
This curiosity came partly from a girl's love of gossip, and partly from her interest in Haizaki's life experiences.
"No. Not a single one."
"Eh—" Utaha let out a laugh-filled sound. "Haizaki, do you really think I'd believe that?"
"Really, none."
"Then you never planned to pursue a girl?"
Once the topic of romance was brought up, Utaha pressed forward, determined to get to the bottom of it.
"A person needs self-awareness. Back then, I had nothing. What was the point of pursuing a girl? Spending my limited time and energy chasing girls would only make my future even more uncertain…"
Haizaki smiled self-mockingly, bitter reality surfacing in his mind.
"I don't know how it is in Japan, but over in the Union…"
"Pretty girls never lack suitors. Compared to those men, I had no advantages. No looks, no money, no sweet words. Someone like me wanting to pursue a girl I liked?"
"Giving up my study time, abandoning my dignity, all to chase a girl I liked, just to make her understand my sincerity…"
"In the end, at best, I'd only become a backup."
"So I figured it was better to improve my overall abilities. Only then would I maybe have the chance, in the future, to expect a girl I liked to become my girlfriend."
These were Haizaki's genuine thoughts before the apocalypse in his previous life.
But reality developed far beyond human expectations. Who could have imagined that the apocalypse would suddenly erupt?
Everything was completely overturned.
And now, as for him—he was destined to walk a path of shadows and solitude, carrying heavy burdens, taking on the responsibility that was his.
Someone had to do it. Since fate had chosen him, then he would be the one to see it through.
"Then what about now? What are your thoughts now?"
She wanted to know what Haizaki was thinking in a world where only he and she remained.
"No particular thoughts. This is fine."
Utaha fell silent.
His words made her completely understand his attitude toward women.
Even though he hadn't been hurt by a girl, in reality, it was no different from someone who had suffered emotional wounds.
That was why Haizaki had never considered pursuing her.
He was afraid. He was worried. He was afraid of being rejected by her.
Even though—
Utaha clenched her fist.
"There's never been a girl you liked or secretly admired?"
She thought of two girls. If Haizaki denied it, then everything he had said might be false—just words to fool her.
"Yes."
Liking someone didn't necessarily mean romantic love. A man liking a beautiful girl was normal—just like people liking beautiful things.
"Can you tell me their names?"
Haizaki froze for a moment. He realized that Utaha had caught onto something important.
His mind began searching. Ten seconds later, he finally thought of something.
"Yukinoshita Yukino and Isshiki Iroha."
Yes—those two student IDs had led Utaha to form assumptions about his crushes.
Thankfully, he thought of it. Otherwise, he had no idea what kind of questioning he would face next.
"Is that so? Then what were your original plans regarding the two of them?"
"After graduating from university, once I had a respectable, well-paying job—if neither of them was married or had a boyfriend, I'd probably confess."
That really was Haizaki's style.
A self-conscious man with no courage.
Waiting until success before pursuing someone—by then, it was already too late.
Were appearance and family background really that important? Shouldn't feelings just be about feelings?
Perhaps this was a difference between the Eastern Union and Japan.
But at this moment, a question surfaced in Utaha's mind.
Why could Haizaki, someone with poor family background, fly a plane?
That wasn't a skill an ordinary person would have.
...