"...Why did you lie to them?"
Held tightly in Tetsuya's arms, Ai's voice came out slightly muffled.
"If you had just told them the truth, they would have definitely stopped me no matter how much I wanted to force myself on you..."
"It was to protect our possibility."
Although the girls had already left the recording studio, Tetsuya still didn't release his embrace.
"If the commotion here had actually alerted someone else, your idol career would be over long before the May live. I don't want you to ruin yourself over a moment of impulse, and I don't want us to end up in that mutually destructive outcome... I told you, there must be a better option for us."
"..."
"I know, Ai. The loneliness and solitude of these seven years make it hard for you to believe what I'm saying, so... I won't force you to accept my way of thinking anymore."
With that, he released his embrace and caressed her cheek in the darkness.
"You can continue to hold on to your convictions and your feelings, and I will continue to do everything I can to make you accept the possibility where we can both find happiness... Just like an argument, until one side gives in, or we both reach a consensus, let's just continue being stubborn."
"!"
Hearing this, Ai's body couldn't help but tremble slightly. The hands that had been pressed tightly against Tetsuya's waist slowly fell away.
"What... are you saying."
An indescribable, bittersweet ache welled up in Ai's heart.
"You don't even plan on accepting me, so why didn't you push me away when they came in, or reject me more decisively?"
"Both acceptance and rejection must be built on a foundation of clear feelings. So right now, I am neither prepared to accept anyone, nor do I have the right to reject anyone."
"Even so, I was just a hair's breadth away from doing the worst, most irreversible thing to you... How can you still talk about the future with me so calmly?"
"Mhm."
Tetsuya's answer was still without hesitation.
"As long as you are still Ai, and I am still Tetsu... we will forever be that pair of children who longed for happiness and a future together. This bond between us, and this alone, will absolutely never change, no matter what happens."
Ai completely let go, allowing Tetsuya to continue gently caressing her cheek.
"Even if I had actually succeeded just now... you wouldn't resent me for it?"
"I'd probably complain a fair bit, but even so, I would likely still continue to find a way to change our ending."
Tetsuya said with a small smile.
"I told you, didn't I? No matter what happens, Tetsu will never hate Ai. And no matter how terrible the future... it can't possibly be worse than our time at the orphanage, right?"
"......"
Finally, in the reassuring calm of Tetsuya's voice, the agitation and frenzy in Ai's heart completely subsided.
Compared to her own impulsive and extreme nature, Tetsuya's warmth and composure were far too reliable.
These warm arms that had protected her seven years ago were still open to her now.
"In the end, compared to me, who's been living in the past for seven years, you already became an adult long before I did, Tetsu..."
Feeling the same tenderness and care from seven years ago, Ai said in a low voice:
"To you... a mentally immature child like me probably can't be seen as a woman, can I?"
"I don't think a girl who hasn't grown at all in seven years could become a massively popular idol all over the internet in just a few months."
Tetsuya shook his head with a laugh.
"Besides... since it's just the two of us right now, I'll be a little honest."
"Honest about what?"
"For a fashion designer, seeing a woman's body directly is actually nothing new."
Tetsuya said truthfully.
"Just from a single regular fashion show last year, I followed my director and saw I-don't-know-how-many models' bodies... But even so, I didn't have a single impure thought or any reaction at all."
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"So... this... you should be able to understand what I mean, right?"
"......"
Ai looked up slightly.
As his eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, Tetsuya could vaguely see a starlight twinkling in her purple eyes.
"...That's too cruel, Tetsu."
Her tone no longer held the ambiguity and seduction from before, but had changed to a purer form of complaint.
"I was already mentally prepared to retreat as the loser... but after hearing you say all that, I have no choice but to pick myself back up again, do I?"
"Mhm. That's why I told you."
Tetsuya said calmly.
"I want you to continue to shine on the idol stage with that almost insane passion."
"What if I try to force myself on you again after hearing all this?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to shout for help from the people outside."
"...No. I don't want to see you ask any woman other than me for help."
Ai huffed lightly.
"As a memento for our seven years apart, and for the emotions of today... I won't force myself on you again today."
"Hey, could you at least extend that time limit a little? Even just a month."
"No. If I could, I wouldn't want to hold back for another second."
Ai said, pressing herself close to Tetsuya once more.
"But today... because you said a lot of things to make me happy, I'll let you off for now."
"......"
Hearing this, Tetsuya let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.
It seemed he had safely cleared this life-or-death challenge.
However, the next second, just as he was about to move to pick up the coat Ai had taken off, her next words made him freeze on the spot—
"For today, I'll just collect a little interest."
In the dim light, a pair of soft, slightly cool lips suddenly attacked Tetsuya's neck.
Sucking, biting, licking, light kisses.
Numbness, stinging, itching, intimacy.
For a moment, the unprecedented pleasure almost made Tetsuya cry out.
But this dizzying stimulation didn't last long. After just ten seconds, as if she had finished a meal, Ai lightly tossed out a "Thanks for the meal," left Tetsuya slumped on the floor, and moved to pick up her coat. Then she walked straight out of the recording studio.
And so, this chaotic and dangerous night of fate, with both parties left unsatisfied, finally drew to a close.