I can no longer hold you in my arms?
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Ryuzaki was not too far away.?
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He was leaning against a tree, nodding off.?
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Azusa was slowly walking up to him.?
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“Ryoma Onii-chan ……, are you okay? You weren’t looking well, so I chased after you. Did that …… something happen to you?”?
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I had to hide myself from view a little farther away to get a better look.?
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Ryuzaki was still nodding off with a pathetic look on his face, even though Azusa had come to see him.?
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“…… It’s nothing.”?
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“It’s not nothing, is it?”?
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“I said it’s nothing!”?
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I guess he has no room in his heart. Ryuzaki, who is usually kind to the sub-heroines, is yelling at her.?
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It seems that the sound of a man yelling is more frightening to women and children than we can imagine.?
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But Azusa was unfazed as she stared at Ryuzaki.?
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“……Ryoma Onii-chan, you look very uncool right now.”?
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“What!?”?
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Azusa’s voice was firm and strong.?
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Ryuzaki glared at her in anger, but Azusa did not flinch at all.?
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“It’s no wonder Shimotsuki-san doesn’t like you when you look like that.”?
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Ryuzaki was severely unnerved by these words.?
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“Why are you talking about Shiho ……?”?
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“I know, I know. I didn’t need to be told that Ryoma Onii-chan was in love with Shimotsuki-san, I was aware of it. Because Azusa had been looking at Ryoma Onii-chan for a long time, you know? You’ve been thinking about her all the time. How can I not understand~!”?
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And finally, it began.?
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The biggest and saddest scene of the sub-heroines opens now …….?
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“Because Azusa loves Ryoma Onii-chan.”?
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–At last, Azusa confessed.?
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Even the most insensitive of protagonists would not be able to misunderstand something when it is said so clearly.?
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“…… What? What did you say?”?
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But then again, …… the protagonist also had the skill of hearing loss.?
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Thanks to this, he can trample on the affections of the sub-heroines without them noticing his thoughts.?
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But that skill seems to be useless now.?
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“I said I love you ……, not as a friend, of course. I love you as a boy. I want to spend all my time with you, Ryoma Onii-chan. I want to go on dates with you, I want to touch you, I want you to touch me, and I want to make out with you. I want you to give me everything you have. That’s how much I love you!”?
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Without the slightest room for doubt, Azusa blurted out her feelings of “I love you”.?
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Even the most insensitive of protagonists can’t pretend not to notice when someone says something like that.?
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“…… Oh, you’re kidding, right? I can’t believe …… Azusa likes me. …… You must be joking, right?”?
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“I’m serious. I love you, Ryoma Onii-chan. …… If you can’t hear me, I’ll tell you as many times as you want. If you don’t believe me, I can give you a hundred reasons why I like you. So, believe me, …… I’m not kidding, listen to me. Accept Azusa’s feelings. …… Let me at least say I love you!”?
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Azusa’s pure feelings echoed in the forest at night.?
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In the distance, I could faintly hear the voices of my classmates. Maybe the campfire is about to start……. Little by little, it’s getting noisier.?
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On the other hand, things were getting more and more exciting here too.?
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When the protagonist heard Azusa’s words, he slowly raised his head.?
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“So, it’s true……”?
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“Yes, but I don’t want to see you now. But I don’t want to see Ryoma Onii-chan’s face right now. …… I don’t want to see his face when he’s whimpering and miserable. Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan has a much better face, you know? Even though Azusa tried her best to approach you, you were still trying to look cool by saying, “Oh dear.” …… I don’t know how many times I wanted to punch you.”?
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…… Honestly, I want to cover my ears.?
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I can see where this is going.?
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It’s like a farce. It’s a terrible game, and it’s not even funny.?
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Although she said a lot of things, what Azusa wanted to convey was just one point, “I like Ryuzaki.”?
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And Ryuzaki, thanks to being told over and over again, seems to have finally come to realize this.?
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“So, don’t be depressed, okay? You can still be Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan. …… You love Shimotsuki-san, don’t you? If so, it would be a shame to give up, wouldn’t it? Azusa’s favorite Ryoma Onii-chan is a very weak man, but when he wants to do something ……, he does it.”?
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That affirmation becomes a medicine.?
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This is a great way to energize the protagonist who has lost his confidence.?
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“You’re right……. I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t even told Shiho how I feel about her, and it’s …… disgraceful to give up and slump over.”?
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The voice of the protagonist, who had been sullen until a moment ago, regained its strength.?
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“It’s not like this is me. …… I’m much cooler now that Azusa likes me. …… So, yeah. I’m going to confess properly!”?
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Finally, the time had come.?
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The harem protagonist’s biggest flaw, has been eliminated by the subheroine’s confession.?
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This is the unique “awakening” of the protagonist.?
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No one can stop him now.?
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The story is only going to rise. Every wind that blows from now on will be a tailwind for the protagonist, and he will become the rightful owner of opportunism.?
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“Azusa……Thank you for loving me like this. I’ll try my best to be the Ryoma Ryuzaki that you love.”?
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“Yeah … I love the cool Ryoma Onii-chan the most.”?
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And once awakened, the subheroine is no longer ‘useful’.?
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“… But I’m sorry. I can’t accept …… Azusa’s confession because I have someone I like.”?
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And so, Azusa was rejected.?
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Even though she had tried so hard to confess, her …… feelings were easily trampled upon.?
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This is a natural result.?
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There was no way she could confess to Ryuzaki, who was troubled about Shimotsuki, and have him accept her confession.?
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Even so, Azusa wanted to cheer up Ryuzaki.?
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Even though she knew she would be rejected …… and hurt, she kept her ‘love’ to herself.?
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“I see……. but it can’t be helped. The campfire is about to start, you know. If you’ve decided to confess your love, you’d better go now. There’s a jinx that says if you confess your love at the campfire, you’ll succeed.”?
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“Really? If that’s true, then …… it’s good timing. Thank you for letting me know. Azusa, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had!”?
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–It is a sin to be insensitive.?
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It’s …… very cruel to hurt someone so easily without malice.?
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I think Azusa had reached her limit.?
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“Yes, yes. Then hurry up and go! Make sure you tell her how you feel…… Bye bye, Ryoma Onii-chan.”?
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She pushed Ryuzaki’s back and made him go to the square.?
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“Hey, okay, you don’t have to push ……, I’ll go. Totally …… Azusa loves to touch me, doesn’t she? I’m glad you did, thank you …… so I’ll see you later.”?
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And then Ryuzaki left the place.?
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At that moment, Azusa slumped down as if she had lost her mind.?
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“Hey, Onii-chan? You’re here anyway, right?”?
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“…… Yeah, I’m here.”?
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She called out to me, so I showed my face.?
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But she didn’t look at me, she turned her head down.?
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The sight was so painful that it …… made my heart ache.?
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“Azusa, you did your best, right? You don’t have to hold back anymore, do you?”?
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“…… Yes. No need to hold back anymore. Azusa is a strong girl.”?
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I hope it makes her feel better. I know it’s naive of me to think that, but I can’t help but say kind words to her.?
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My stepsister, who once cut me off, …… is still family to me.?
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She was in too much pain to look at her now.?
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“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!”?
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Immediately, Azusa began to cry.?
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She did not wipe her tears, but continued to cry painfully, shedding large tears.?
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“I loved you so much. …… This was my first love…why won’t you love me back, Ryoma Onii-chan? I loved you so much, so much……!!”?
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There was nothing I could do about the sad wailing.?
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The only thing I could do was to be there for her.?
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We were no longer close enough for me to hug her.?
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The truth is, of course I want to comfort her. I want to comfort Azusa, who is in pain.?
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But I can’t do that.?
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I could not, and would not, be the ideal Onii-chan that Azusa envisioned, so I have no right to …… hug her.?
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This is the result of the choices that Azusa has made.?
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Now, the only person who can comfort Azusa is …… her acknowledged “real Onii-chan”.