Chapter 5: Each Love in Its Own Form

I'll... I'll tell you exactly what happened!One moment I'm getting captured looking like roadkill, the next the final boss is confessing to Rentarou...!

You might not understand—hell, I didn't understand either...

Felt like my brain was melting... No way this was mishearing or some dumb misunderstanding... I glimpsed something far more terrifying...!"

"Guh...! Cough... Hack...!"

"And you—what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Seibetsu... always pushing yourself too far...!"

...Everything hurts.In the dark, I panicked and couldn't even turn on my phone's flashlight, so I just kept running into furniture. Rich people's homes have way too many sharp edges. Current status: covered in mud and blood, lacerations plus bruises, and utterly exhausted.

So this is what "beaten to a pulp" means... Can't even sit up straight. The guards didn't even tie me down, but I keep faceplanting anyway.

"...My, my. Good work. Though I certainly never ordered such rough treatment."

"With all due respect, ma'am... the intruder kind of... injured themselves? It's not a lie...!"

"...Let's go with that, then."

I'm so sorry, guards...!Rentarou and Inda are unharmed—probably because Hakari's mom told them not to hurt her daughter's "friends." Which makes me feel even worse.

"...Aijou Rentarou. I will never approve of your relationship with Hakari."

"And I'll never give up! I swore I'd make her happy!"

"Hmph... Still spouting pretty words, I see."

The final boss, Hanazono Habari, snaps her fingers—and out rolls what looks like a massage chair. Turns out it's a custom-built lie detector. Sit, answer questions, and it judges your honesty. Convenient.

First up: Inda Karane.To test it, Hahari asks for her cup size. Who drops that question in this atmosphere?!

Results? Well... Yeah.The machine's way too precise. "B-cup leaning toward A"? What kind of function is that?! And she's not even sitting down! That's just voice analysis—the chair's decorative?!

Next question: Do you love Aijou Rentarou?Inda casually says "Yes"—LIE. What kind of machine is this?! Rentarou spits blood. Emotional damage?

Wait... this detector's broken, right? Maybe it flags any hesitation? Then...

"Inda-san! I think this thing counts any hedging as a lie! 'Like' or 'really like' won't cut it!"

"B-But...! Then... I super duper love him!"

[LIE! LIE!]

Rentarou's coughing up blood again. He'll live—emotional wounds heal faster than my physical ones—but still. C'mon, Inda. Hit her with the unfiltered truth!

"Inda-san...!"

"Grr...! FINE! I LOVE HIM MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!! ❤︎❤︎❤︎"

[TRUTH! TRUTH!]

"KARANEEEEEE!!!!! ❤︎❤︎❤︎"

It worked! Guess you had to go all-in—half-measures got rejected.

"I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING TOO, KARANEEEE!!!!! ❤︎❤︎❤︎"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Honestly, what the hell are you two even doing? Though I guess when love overflows, you just can't hold back... Look, they're saying the exact same thing word for word.

After that, well... yeah.

"I'd stake my life to make her happy!""Her happiness matters more than mine!""I'd die for Hakari!""I LOVE HAKARI MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!! ❤︎❤︎❤︎"

[TRUTH! TRUTH! ALL TRUE!]

"GYAAAAAAAAH?! IMPOSSIBLE! NO WAY THIS SINCERITY-DEMON OF A SIX-TIMING MAGGOT MAN EXISTS...!"

Yeah, yeah, saw that coming. This is our Aijou Rentarou we're talking about. The moment she said "lie detector," I knew how this would end. Obvious conclusion. Oh, what the hell—might as well join in. Watching them go at it made me weirdly lonely. Is this what they call the urge to scream your love...?!

"I'd die for the Rentarou Family too!"

[KINDA A LIE! LIE!]

"...Huh? Then—"

"I'd die for everyone in the Rentarou Family... except me!"

[TRUTH! TRUTH!]

"Ohhh, that's the one. Makes sense."

...Hm? Rentarou and Inda just snapped their heads toward me. Was that weird? I mean, it's obvious, right? Rentarou said the same kinda thing. Maybe the phrasing was bad? Should've gone with "LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING"? ...Yeah, probably.

"............!"

"Seibetsu... we're talking later."

...Oops. Killed the mood. After finally proving Rentarou's innocence—wait, is he innocent? Six-timing is a fact... Well, whatever. This atmosphere sucks. I was about to change the subject when disaster struck.

"EMERGENCY, MA'AM! LADY HAKARI IS—SHE'S TRYING TO JUMP FROM HER WINDOW!!!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Inda moved. She seized Hahari as a hostage, barking at Rentarou to go save Hakari. "She'd never just wait forever."

Rentarou didn't hesitate. He bolted for Hakari's room without a second glance. I wanted to follow—but my body wouldn't budge.

Then, Hahari moved. Even with Inda choking her, she charged toward her daughter. Is this a mother's love?! But Inda refused to yield. Is this a best friend's love?!

Watching the three of them fight... I couldn't just sit here. I had to think—what could I do? My body was wrecked, but if I crawled, I might reach the window ledge.

If Hakari fell, Rentarou wouldn't hesitate to jump after her. That's the kind of man he is. The kind who'd gamble everything on a losing bet if it meant saving someone. But even he wouldn't survive that drop.

We needed something to cushion the fall. Wait—we already had it. That fountain in the garden. If they hit the water just right... it might absorb the impact for both of them.

Dragging myself to the window, I realized how dark it was outside. My phone's flashlight was too weak at this distance. But what else could—

Then Hakari fell.

Rentarou barely caught her wrist, but now he was slipping. Inch by inch, his body slid over the ledge. No time. Light or no light, there was only one option.

Our eyes met. Not for any reason—just instinct. He knows me. Knows I'd be scheming something. So I did the only thing left: with every ounce of strength, I hurled my broken, flickering phone—straight at the fountain.

"RENTAROU...!"

"GOT IT...!"

Good. He understood. The phone spun wildly but lit up the fountain at the perfect moment. Now, even if just a little... their chances just went up——!

"You did it... You actually did it, Rentarou...!"

A perfect water landing. Of course he'd kick off the wall to adjust his trajectory mid-fall. That's our Rentarou. As expected... Aijou Rentarou is one hell of a man.

The three waiting below dove into the fountain to pull them out. One nearly drowned in the process, but hey—the effort counts.

Hanazono Hahari and Inda finally caught up, and then... well, you know how it goes. Inda chewed Hakari out. Rentarou said something to Hahari—probably the whole "I'd stake my life" spiel again. Turns out, seeing him like this was enough to wipe away her doubts.

Now she's bowing so low her forehead touches the ground—a full dogeza. Guess she's entrusting Hakari to him? Probably. Hard to tell from this distance. I'm just piecing together the conversation from body language and what I think Rentarou would say... Seems about right, though.

Whew. Glad it worked out.

...But maybe...

Maybe they could've saved Hakari without me. Maybe they would've landed safely even if I hadn't thrown my phone. Hell, my whole decoy stunt might've been pointless. If I hadn't been there, that cat might not have shown up at all—apparently, it liked me. No cat, no alarm. No alarm, no need for a decoy.

I let out an involuntary sigh. Bad train of thought. Gotta switch gears. Oh right... Inda said she wanted to talk later. Ugh. Definitely getting chewed out. Yeah, I did blurt out that "except me" thing, but it's the truth... How do I even explain myself? To distract from the dread, I glance back at Rentarou, who should be wrapping things up.

......Except from afar, Rentarou's gripping Hahari's arm, his expression dead serious. Huh? Wait a sec. Something feels off. Normally, it'd be "Leave Hakari to me!" but... What am I missing?

"Rentarou-chaaaaan! Go out with me, pleeeeease! ❤︎❤︎❤︎"

...Oh.

Right. She did say that earlier. So that's what this is?! That look in Rentarou's eyes—the look of a man steeling himself for a new resolve—it's about THAT, isn't it?! No way... Even for Rentarou... Her mom?!

...Actually, yeah, that tracks. And if the reason Hahari suddenly derailed the serious mood earlier was... Bzzt! ...related to being a fated soulmate...

Everything clicks. Horrifyingly well. Oh god, Rentarou's getting smooshed into Hahari's chest now. You gotta be kidding me. This is happening. 100% confirmed. Wow... I never saw this coming... Hakari's mom joining the Rentarou Family? Huh.

...WHAT THE HELL EVEN IS THIS SITUATION?!

HOW... HOW DID WE GET HERE?!