Chapter 341: Confession
"First, I didn't have a chance to explain, and second, I was still thinking about which solution was the best one." Homura explained while shrugging his shoulders.
"Which solution?" Maki said with an exasperated look. "Seriously, there are so many of us, and we can't figure it out, and you've already thought of multiple solutions?"
"Why not use all of them?" Honoka blurted out without thinking as if it were the most obvious solution.
Everyone: "..."
"As expected of Honoka." Homura shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Well, since that's the case, let's just use all of them!"
Following this, his gaze soon focused on Rin, approached her, and then asked her a question.
"Rin, the things I said back at home earlier—everyone heard it, and of course, you did too, right?"
Rin nodded, though this time, it seemed like she had realized something.
"So... please don't take what I'm about to say as a joke or think that I'm just saying it to help you overcome your trauma."
As soon as Homura said this, the others began to catch on.
Was he about to confess?
"Maybe hearing what everyone said earlier made you think that way, and I can't blame you for it since you're really close with them. As friends, saying stuff like that feels natural, doesn't it? But it might've made everything feel a little unreal for you."
"A thought like, 'If this is how my friends see me, then how do other people see me?', has been stuck in your mind, hasn't it? And because of that, other people's words have been affecting you all along."
"You know, boys and girls aren't the same. For you, perhaps the thoughts of a boy like me... or even the thoughts of other boys are the very thing you want to know but are also afraid to find out."
"Well then, I'll tell you what I think of you right now."
Rin felt like she couldn't keep calm anymore, and the others couldn't help but swallow nervously, their eyes glued to Homura and Rin.
"Rin, I like you. I really, really like you."
Homura stated gently, gazing into Rin's glittering eyes.
"I like Rin who is always full of energy and brimming with life."
"I like Rin who is always cheerful, lively, and adorably carefree."
"I like Rin who sometimes acts a little clueless but has the cutest little quirks."
"I especially like Rin who, despite being allergic to cats, is completely obsessed with them and loves them."
Upon hearing Homura's honest confession, Rin's body trembled slightly—she opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Soon, tears started to stream down her face.
Seeing this, Homura smiled and gently wiped her tears with his fingers, but as soon as he cleared them, more fell.
Again and again, Homura wiped them away, over and over.
"Harasho..." Alisa gasped, covering her mouth and widening her eyes.
"Mph!" Maki instinctively shouted in surprise but immediately covered her mouth with her hands.
As for why they reacted like that?
Watching Rin throw herself into Homura's arms was enough to startle anyone into shouting!
Kotori stared at the scene with envy, her expression mirroring how Rin had been looking at her earlier with the same kind of longing.
Needless to say, the tables had completely turned!
As for Hanayo, she looked incredibly happy and relieved.
'Rin-chan, can you still say you don't have any feminine charm?'
With this thought, Hanayo kept looking at Rin in Homura's arms with gentle eyes.
"A~ah~ Looks like Rin-chan has fallen too..." Nozomi remarked with a slight smile. "But honestly, it's no surprise... hearing those words, I almost fell for him myself."
"...Nozomi." Eri muttered, feeling a little speechless.
She wasn't sure if her friend was being serious or just joking.
"Hehehe... I got some good footage!" Yuki chuckled mischievously while looking at her phone screen. "With this, I feel like I could eat three big bowls of rice!"
Hearing this, Alisa and Honoka were speechless.
Seriously, who still thinks about recording at a time like this?
Even Homura's hand, which had been gently stroking Rin's hair, paused for a moment when he heard Yukiho's words, feeling a little taken aback.
"I never thought I'd see something like this..." Nico sighed.
"Well, now Rin should be fine, right?" Umi genuinely felt happy for Rin now.
As for feeling a twinge of jealousy, Homura had already made it clear he intended to build a harem, so if it were someone else, maybe the girls present would feel a bit jealous, but when it came to Rin, all them present could only sincerely offer their blessings.
Even though none of them had openly expressed their feelings yet, at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they all ended up with Homura.
For now, Rin just happened to be the first to receive a serious confession. Even if she hadn't expressed her feelings, her actions already gave her the answer.
As for what challenges or obstacles might come with so many women being with one man, that was a problem for their future selves to deal with.
At this moment, Rin stayed quietly in Homura's arms, listening to his heartbeat and basking in the warm embrace of happiness. Eventually, she realized that all those hurtful words that used to bother her didn't matter at all anymore.
After letting go of the burdens in her heart, however, Rin suddenly felt a wave of shyness. Her tears had completely stopped, her face began to flush, and her body temperature was slowly rising.
'Now that I think about it, Homura-kun's confession just now was really embarrassing, nyaa!' Rin thought with embarrassment. 'And why did I throw myself into his embrace?! Embarrassing!'
Since Rin had her face buried in his chest, Homura couldn't see her expression. But his hand, still gently stroking her hair, could feel her rising temperature.
"Rin?"
Homura called softly but received no response.
"Rin?"
Homura's voice grew a bit louder but still received no response.
"Rin!"
Homura supported Rin's shoulders, creating a bit of distance.
Upon hearing Homura's voice and observing Rin's behavior, the others hurried over.
"Rin-chan! What happened to Rin-chan?!" Hanayo asked panickedly.
"Nyaa~" Rin unconsciously let out her usual catchphrase, her eyes swirling.
Honoka quickly checked Rin's body temperature, touching the back of her hand to Rin's forehead.
"So hot!" Honoka exclaimed in surprise. "Could Rin-chan have a fever?"
"No way!" Maki exclaimed, looking surprised. "She didn't show any signs earlier. Why would she suddenly get a fever?"
"But her face is so red..." Nico said with a puzzled expression, then suddenly thought of something. "Wait... could it be that Rin fainted from embarrassment?"
In an instant, the atmosphere became awkwardly strange.
Honoka noticed that Rin's temperature was starting to cool down, making her expression a bit peculiar.
Meanwhile, the others couldn't help but have their lips twitched, unsure of what kind of reaction to make.
"Alright, let's get going..." Homura spoke up, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Rin and Hanayo's house is a bit farther away. She'll probably wake up in a bit."
"Homura-kun... don't tell me...?" Kotori asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, I'll carry Rin for now." Homura nodded.
With that, they set off again, with Homura carrying Rin in his arms—of course, in a princess carry.
"A princess carry, huh..."
Muttering softly, a dreamy look flickered in Kotori's eyes.
"How nice..."
Hearing Kotori's mutter, Nozomi smirked mischievously.
"If you want that, just tell Homura-kun. I bet he'd be more than happy to carry you."
"Nozomi-chan!" Kotori pouted, her face turning bright red as she looked at Nozomi.
"No need to be shy~ Haven't you already ridden on his shoulders before?" Nozomi continued her teasing.
In an instant, everyone's minds were filled with memories of that moment when Muse did their first performance.
In the end, Kotori and Nozomi immediately started playfully bickering.