“Um… what do you want…?”

As the two gyaru closed in on her, Asuka instinctively took a step back, bracing herself.

It was obviously a pickup attempt. In this world, it’s women who do the approaching—but the pushiness hasn’t changed.

“Nothing weird, we’re just saying you should come hang out with us.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re totally our type. Wanna hit karaoke with us?”

“I have things to do… so I can’t!”

Asuka refused flatly and tried to slip past the two of them.

“C’mon, just a little.”

“Please? C’mon, okay? Okay?”

“P-please move…”

The gyaru didn’t back off.

Unlike my old world, where the way someone looked influenced their chances of being approached, here any cute girl could become anyone’s target.

“We’re not exactly being unreasonable here, are we?”

“Come on, it’ll only be for a second—”

“Kya…! P-please don’t touch me!”

The atmosphere took a sudden, dangerous turn.

Between this and the groping incident earlier, it seemed that being a society dominated by women didn’t automatically make it safe.

“…………”

She might end up hating me.

But I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.

I stepped in between the three of them and knocked the gyaru’s hand away.

“Hey. She’s clearly uncomfortable. Cut it out.”

“Huh?”

Both of them turned their gaze on me at once.

And the moment they realized I was a guy, they snorted.

“Huh? What’s with this guy?”

“Bwahahaha! A guy butting in? That’s hilarious!”

“F-Fukase-kun?”

It seemed Asuka had finally realized it was me, her voice tinged with confusion.

She even called my name. That alone made me a little happy.

“Asuka, let’s go.”

“Eh? Wait—”

I grabbed Asuka’s hand and tried to pull her away.

“Hey, wait a second. We were the ones talking to her first.”

“Know your place, inferior.”

The two of them blocked our path.

But I didn’t feel afraid.

They were about Asuka’s height—small enough from my perspective.

I stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

“Move out of the way.”

“…! Wh-what the… he’s… big…”

“L-let’s go! Something’s off about him!”

Whether they were intimidated or just startled, the two fled without even throwing parting insults.

When I glanced around, I saw passersby staring at us in shock.

Just when I thought it would be bad to stay here any longer—

“Hey… come this way!”

“Huh, Asuka?”

I’d been holding her hand when she suddenly shook it off, grabbed my arm, and pulled me along.

Asuka dragged me into a dark alley.

“…Why are you here?”

Putting some distance between us, Asuka asked quietly. It was a perfectly reasonable question.

“It’s a day off, so… I just felt like going out. I-I wasn’t following you or anything.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I-I’m telling the truth! Our houses are close, and we use the same local station!”

“Then why do you know where I live? Are you stalking me?”

“I’m not! I’m really not! Even if I explained it, you probably wouldn’t believe me…!”

It wasn’t like she trusted me the way Aoi or Kokonoe did.

Of course Asuka would be suspicious.

“…………”

After staring at my face in silence for a while, Asuka let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t understand you at all…”

“Yeah…”

Given how I kept doing things that made no sense, that was only natural.

“But… still… thanks for earlier.”

“Huh…?”

My heart skipped a beat at those unexpected words.

To think that Asuka would actually thank me.

Yeah… this was it.

This sincerity—this was what made me fall for her.

“I told you, didn’t I? I won’t say it again.”

“Haha… you’re welcome.”

Her blushing face as she turned away was unbearably cute.

“…Here. Put this on. And this too.”

“Eh? Why—”

She suddenly placed a bucket hat on my head, then shoved a pair of sunglasses into my hands.

“You’ll stand out if you stay like that! Your clothes are fine, but if you leave your face exposed, it’s obvious you’re a man!”

The hat carried a faint trace of Asuka’s scent.

Doing as she said, I put on the sunglasses.

“…Come with me.”

“Huh…?”

Without explaining anything, Asuka started walking toward the main street.

What was this supposed to mean…?

Between the surprise and the rising excitement, my heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt.

◇◇◇

The place Asuka brought me to was a quiet café, a little removed from the bustling downtown area.

Despite it being a day off, there were only a few customers inside, and time seemed to pass peacefully.

Asuka pushed the door open first, and I followed close behind.

The interior had warm wood accents and was comfortably quiet. Without hesitation, Asuka took a seat at an open table, then motioned with her chin for me to sit.

I obeyed the silent instruction and sat down across from her.

When a staff member came to take our order, Asuka immediately said, “Two hot coffees,” and nothing more.

She was probably doing that so I wouldn’t have to speak. She really was considerate even in little things like that.

“…Is this, like… a date?”

“That total lack of awareness of yours is really something. Say that again and I’m dumping coffee on you.”

“S-sorry…”

I mean, come on… a guy and a girl sitting across from each other over coffee—anyone would think that, right?

Well, maybe not Asuka.

Before long, our coffees were brought over.

Asuka quickly added two spoonfuls of sugar, stirred them in, then blew on the cup before taking a sip.

I prefer mine black, so I drank it as is.

“…You can drink it like that?”

“Yeah. I see you still add lots of sugar, like always.”

“…Gross.”

The fact that I knew things about Asuka clearly unsettled her, and a faint crease formed between her brows.

Even so, Asuka looked genuinely cute today.

Her makeup was more polished than at school, and her outfit was stylish.

A blue turtleneck paired with a jumper skirt—just like always, the neat casual look was unmistakably a part of her identity.

“Hehe…”

“W-what? I don’t look weird, right?”

“No, it’s just… I’m happy just being able to have tea with you like this.”

“You’re seriously gross… honestly, what is with you…?”

Of course she was confused.

In this world, having a man show romantic interest in her was probably beyond anything she’d expected.

But I wanted to build something with Asuka again. Giving up had never been an option.

“…I like you, Asuka. That’s why I want to help when you’re in trouble, and if there’s anything I can do for you, I want to do it.”

“Even if you say that… you’re a man, and I don’t know anything about you…”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why… even once in a while is fine, but could you make time like this? I want you to get to know me properly. I’ll tell you everything.”

“…………That’s impossible. Today was just a coincidence… nothing more.”

Well, things weren’t going to work out that easily.

To the Asuka of this world, I was something that didn’t quite fit under the category of ‘normal.’

If I put myself in her shoes, her reaction was perfectly reasonable.

“Then… at least let me have your contact info. If you don’t like it, you can block me… I mean, I’d be absolutely crushed if you did, but…”

I gently placed my phone on the table and slid it toward her.

Asuka frowned slightly, staring at it for a moment—

“…I’m not going to reply, you know.”

“—Th-thank you!!”

This was my first step toward staying connected with Asuka.

I didn’t need a reply. Just knowing she’d see my messages was more than enough.

Asuka took out her phone and silently displayed a QR code.

I scanned it, added her contact, and sent a single sticker.

The sticker popping onto the screen made my chest feel strangely warm.

“—So then. What kind of relationship do you have with Kokonoe-san?”

I’d been about to stand up, not wanting to intrude on her day off any further, when she continued the conversation.

It seemed Kokonoe was on her mind.

“I want you to keep this between us, for Kokonoe’s sake… she seems to have an interest in men.”

“…That’s unusual.”

“Yeah, most people would think so. But I think it started as simple curiosity.”

In reality, there was more than just interest involved, but that didn’t need to be said.

“Interest…? Normally, men aren’t something you’re supposed to get involved with.”

“Yeah, I was surprised too, but Kokonoe seemed different. Apparently, one of the reasons she chose Bira High was to see if the library had any materials about men.”

“So… you were like a research subject?”

“Probably something like that… And as we talked more, she mentioned having some insecurities about her appearance. So I asked my sister to help her with that.”

Even though we pushed her into it a bit, she really did end up becoming cuter.

“So that’s why she changed so much…”

“Yeah.”

“…Then you should just go out with Kokonoe-san.”

Something pricked at my chest.

Even as a joke, that one hurt.

“The one I like is you, Asuka. No matter how cute Kokonoe gets, that won’t change.”

“…D-don’t say things like that… How many times do I have to tell you…?”

“Haha… I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

In my original world, I only needed to confess my feelings to Asuka once.

But in this world, it felt like I had to build things up properly, step by step.

In a world where men were pushed aside, the hurdles were simply too high.

“You got confessed to a lot back in middle school too, didn’t you?”

“…Well. More or less.”

“And you never dated any of them?”

“I don’t really get romance. I’ve never liked anyone before…”

In my original world, she had definitely come to like me.

But in this world, it seemed she hadn’t fallen for anyone at all.

“Then… I’ll make you fall for me. Look forward to it.”

“Shut up… say whatever you want…”

Maybe Asuka was weaker to persistence than she let on.

If I really were nothing more than an inferior being, she probably wouldn’t even be talking to me like this.

Even so, the Asuka standing here now felt a little closer to me.

“Alright, I’ll leave now. Here’s the money.”

“…That’s too much.”

“…Don’t call me Asuka… idiot.”

“Haha… Otomi. See you at school.”

“…………”

I left the coffee money on the table and stood up.

As I stepped out of the café, Asuka was still staring out the window.

—That was one step forward.

I wanted to reach a future where I could stand beside Asuka again, just like in my original world.

But the story surrounding me would come to involve not just Asuka, but other girls as well—.