He acted the moment the thought crossed his mind. Kagami Yuto turned around and headed straight for the teaching building of her grade.
Since it was currently break time, he thought he might have a chance to call her to the counseling room for a chat. At the same time, he wanted to see what she was usually like around campus.
However, when he arrived outside her classroom, he didn’t see her. Surprised, he had no choice but to ask a student from the same class.
“Tsukimi? I think she just went out a few minutes ago.”
A girl answered him.
“I see. All right, thank you.”
“Looks like my timing really is bad.”
Just as he was returning to the counseling room with some regret, he spotted a familiar figure at a corner on the first floor of the teaching building. Beside her stood an unfamiliar boy.
The sight caught him off guard, so he instinctively stopped and hid where the two of them couldn’t see him.
“Tsukimi, p-please go out with me!”
“…”
“I refuse.”
“Eh?! Why…”
Tsukimi Ryuune didn’t even glance at the love letter being held out to her.
“There’s no ‘why.’ We’re classmates. Don’t make this awkward for me, Kiriya-kun.”
“B-But I still want to know the reason! Or at least tell me what kind of boys you like. Even if I fail, I want to fail knowing why.”
“Please, Tsukimi. Can’t you just give me one chance…?”
Her expression remained cold. Even when faced with the boy’s pitiful appearance, there wasn’t the slightest ripple in her heart.
The boy had been trying to get close to her in various ways for a while now. She had already sensed something was off back then. She just hadn’t expected that he was actually trying to win her over.
How laughable. He actually thought he could conquer her—a god.
“Your confession is causing me trouble. Please don’t harass me again from now on.”
It’s over?
Hearing footsteps approaching from the other side of the wall, Kagami Yuto’s heart tightened.
At the same time, as the footsteps drew closer, he quickly straightened up and resumed walking normally.
“…?”
“Oh, Ryuune?”
Seeing the beautiful girl suddenly appear from around the corner, Kagami Yuto deliberately acted surprised.
Tsukimi Ryuune only gave him a faint glance. Without saying a word, she walked straight past him.
Kagami Yuto was momentarily stunned. Seeing that she didn’t question him like he had expected, he felt relieved—yet at the same time, he suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit.
“Ryuune, wait a moment!”
He quickly caught up to her. Seeing that she showed no sign of stopping, he called out while jogging after her.
“Do you have time to talk? During the last counseling session, you told me about a lot of things that were troubling you.”
Tsukimi Ryuune’s steps slowed slightly. She only gave a cold reply to the person following her.
“I don’t need it.”
“Is it because you have class? It’s fine. We can talk after school too.”
At his words, she suddenly stopped, clearly displeased.
“Teacher, did you not understand what I said?”
“Huh?”
“I said I don’t need it. Not that I don’t have time. You can’t help me with anything. Since that’s the case, why should I waste my time?”
“Ryuune…”
Looking at the girl in front of him who was filled with coldness and hostility, Kagami Yuto couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
“Our last conversation was too short. Besides, psychological counseling isn’t something that can be resolved in one go.”
“So? What exactly are you trying to say?”
“…”
“As a teacher, I want to guide you out of your current predicament, Ryuune.”
In the corridor of the teaching building, he looked at the cold and arrogant girl in front of him with complete sincerity.
Tsukimi Ryuune was slightly taken aback. Having just gone through one confession, she was now suddenly faced with another—this one not romantic, but sincere in its own way.
It left her in a daze, unable to clearly grasp the situation. She stood there blankly for a long time.
“Why… What do you mean by guiding me out of my predicament? What makes you so determined to approach me like this?”
Her gaze turned a few degrees colder. This reaction was something Kagami Yuto hadn’t expected at all.
No—had she misunderstood something?
“Uh, Ryuune, I’m a counseling teacher. My job and duty is to help every student who comes to me for help.”
“I don’t have any other intentions. My only wish is to see every child grow up healthy, both physically and mentally.”
As he said this, certain memories surfaced in his mind, and his tone unconsciously carried a trace of sorrow.
“Especially for an excellent child like you. As a teacher, I really don’t want to see my students suffering inside.”
“After all… I once saw with my own eyes what happens when a child with no one to help them ends up walking down a tragic path because of their mental struggles.”
He didn’t directly compare her situation to that. What he wanted was for Tsukimi Ryuune to trust him.
As a counseling teacher, Kagami Yuto knew very well that if he couldn’t build trust with his patient, then any further guidance would be impossible. That was why he had to make the girl in front of him stop rejecting him so strongly.
“…”
“Saying all this… Are you trying to show that you’re some kind of saint?”
These words also stirred something in her. Looking at Kagami Yuto, whose entire being seemed filled with pure righteousness, Tsukimi Ryuune felt a surge of irritation.
What she hated most—more than anything—was this kind of completely selfless person. Why was it that even she, a god, couldn’t do what this ordinary, unremarkable human could do so naturally?
“Ryuune…”
“Enough. You’re saying all this just to show how great you are, aren’t you?!”
“No, Ryuune, what’s wrong with you? Why did you suddenly—”
From Kagami Yuto’s perspective, he could see the golden eyes of the girl in front of him filled with a complicated mix of disgust toward him.
“Get lost!”
“If you dare come near me again, I’ll make you disappear from this world!”
Seeing this, he still wanted to say something, but an invisible, powerful force suddenly slammed into him. The next second, Kagami Yuto felt himself crash hard into a stone pillar. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
The corridor instantly fell silent, leaving only the girl’s rapid breathing echoing softly.
Tsukimi Ryuune’s chest rose and fell heavily. It wasn’t from exhaustion—just the overwhelming surge of her emotions.
“Damn it…”
She stood there, trying to calm herself while looking at the unconscious Kagami Yuto on the ground. She raised her hand, intending to erase him.
But the moment the thought arose, his earlier words echoed in her mind once again.
Unwillingly, she clicked her tongue in frustration.