Chapter 52: Chapter 52 - Kuro Stops Sleeping Peacefully

Kuro Kurokane can no longer feel relaxed in his own house.

This is a very unfair situation because up until now, aside from ahoy the rooftop confrontation every interaction he has had with the three girls has been dangerous both emotionally and physically and has drained Kuro mentally.

Now it is apparent to him just how much he is loved by Akari , Aoi

, Mina.

And even more horrible than having them love him, is that they will no longer keep that love for him secret.

Kuro opened up the refrigerator looking for some water after midnight.

"Can’t sleep?"

Aoi was standing silently behind him in oversized pajama pants and rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Kuro nearly rocketed the bottle of water.

"You are too quiet when you walk."

"Sorry." She didn’t sound sorry at all.

Then calmly, Aoi moved next to him.

Her shoulder brushed up against Kuro’s arm as she reached for a cup to pour tea into.

From that point forward, Kuro was extremely hyperaware of her soft skin touching him, the smell of her shampoo and the small amount of contact between them.

"...Your face is red."

"It’s hot."

"It’s midnight."

"...Global warming."

That’s actually a good argument.

Aoi stared at him for several seconds.

And then smiled.

A small and knowing smile "...Cute."

That was a critical hit for Kuro.

He bolted out of the kitchen.

Cowardice saves lives.

Sadly the next day was even worse.

Because Akari went into the "aggressive affection" phase which was physical contact terrorism.

As soon as Kuro sat on the couch before school.

Akari dropped directly beside him.

On top of him.

Kuro almost died.

"...Heavy."

"Rude."

Akari casually leaned on Kuro’s shoulder scrolling through her phone like nothing was happening.

And while this was happening Kuro’s body was shutting down,because now Kuro notice little things how soft her hair rubs against his neck,how warm she was, how naturally she invaded his space.

And unfortunately Kuro’s heart was racing each time she did.

Then Akari looked up at Kuro. "Why are you stiff as a statue?"

"Survival instincts."

"You’re a drama king."

And then all of a sudden Akari smiled. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

And then leans in closer on purpose.

"Kurooo..."

"Ugh."

"You’re aware of me now, are you?"

An arrow just hit Kuro between the eyes.

Kuro froze because she was right.

Before Kuro thought of Akari being an angry ball of energy.

Now every hug from Akari was dangerous.

Akari noticed and smiled sweetly at Kuro.

Almost like she was happy.

Then she said quietly and proudly to Kuro.

"Finally."

Kuro’s spirit left his body.

And there was no one safe at school either.

They went to eat lunch on the roof.

Mina appeared suddenly at his side and handed him a can of watermelon soda.

At that moment, Mina seated herself just in front of Kuro. Their knees touched ever so slightly. Not by chance.

"Move."

"No."

"Public harassment."

"True."

She opened her drink with a grin.

But today it scared Kuro.

Mina’s way of teasing him had changed in such a way as to be out of his control.

Every time she leaned slightly forward when saying things quietly.

Every time she gave him that soft smile instead of that loud-smiling one.

Every time she looked at him as if he was someone special. It was all very unfair.

Right before she suddenly grabbed his bread from lunchtime.

"...mine."

"...ours."

"That’s communist behavior."

"No, that’s relationship behavior. "

Mina’s face became beat red.

"...wait."

Kuro choked violently at nothing.

"...you did this."

"I KNOW."

Panic immediately ensued.

Meanwhile, students sitting nearby watched the whole thing happen in the open.

Random Boy: "...They’re already dating."

Kuro felt like he was dying inside.

Mina was an emotional bomb ready to go off.

Meanwhile, over at the opposite end of the roof, Akari angrily crushed her juice box.

Later on at school Kuro became painfully aware that he could no longer focus normally when in the presence of girls.

Everything now distracted him, each tiny thing.

Aoi fixated herself with perfect hair. Definitely dangerous.

Akari sleeping against the window .Cute.

Mina crossing her legs next to him.

Psychological damage.

And on top of that his mind automatically began comparing how each girl made him feel:

Aoi = calming.

Akari = warm.

Mina = exciting.

He couldn’t stop thinking about his own horrible realization.

After school, Kuro fled to the library to seek peace and escape all of the stress.

He picked the wrong place to do it.

Rika Saionji sat by herself, quietly organizing the books.

As soon as Kuro walked into the library, she looked up from her work and said, "You look terrible."

"And I’m dealing with the emotional aspect of being hunted as well," Kuro replied.

Rika laughed softly at his response.

"That sounds like a really tough situation," Rika said.

After several moments, Kuro dramatically fell into the nearest chair.

A few minutes later, Rika placed an unopened can of coffee on the table beside him.

Even though it was small, simple gesture, it provided Kuro with just enough comfort to help him relax when looking at her.

"Thank you," Kuro said when looking at her.

Rika smiled at him.

Unexpectedly, Kuro felt a bit relaxed at that moment.

There was no pressure. No attacks. No confusion surrounding romance.

Rika noticed Kuro’s facial expression changing slightly.

When she looked down, it became apparent to her that seeing him relaxed around her caused her to feel very confused.

It felt very dangerous.

Later that night, Kuro lay awake looking up at the ceiling in his bedroom.

He was unable to sleep, as his mind repeatedly replayed the events that caused him to become so stressed.

The quietness of Aoi being close to him.

The warmth of Akari being close to him.

The happiness of Mina being close to him.

The calmness of Rika being close to him .

Kuro was affected by each girl differently.

And this was the first time he felt that.

He also realized something very scary for the first time.

He now felt real feelings for all three girls.

And just then, his phone buzzed.

Mina: Are you awake?

Next Akari:What are you doing up?

Last Aoi: Sweet dreams, Kuro.

So three messages.All sent by three girls.

All three of them evoked such disparate emotions simultaneously within Kuro that he stared stupidly at his phone for a few moments and then dramatically buried his face in his pillow.

"Ugh... I’m screwed..."