Now Haruto understood why the quest from the system wasn't marked complete despite him passing what he thought was the critical stage. It turned out the true test hadn't even begun yet.
This was it—the moment where words could either unite or shatter everything he had built. He took a deep breath, steadying the pounding in his chest, and spoke, his tone resolute and firm.
"There's something I need to tell both of you."
Mari paused mid-bite, her chopsticks hovering in the air. The look on his face was far too serious for this to be about something trivial.
Placing her chopsticks down, she gave him her full attention, her brow furrowing in concern.
Haruto turned his gaze to Asuka first, his voice unwavering. "Asuka, the other woman I brought here… isn't Chiyo. It's Mari."
Asuka's eyes widened, the shock evident on her face. She had expected him to evade the truth, to dance around the topic like he always did. But this—this was unexpected.