The Agreement is Null and Void

Agreement?

Various scents of girls surrounded him, and Shinichi leaned back slightly, with a surprised expression on his face.

Nino's smile faded as she stepped forward.

"Don't tell me you forgot what was said in the health room!"

Upon hearing what she said, Shinichi immediately recalled that it wasn't long ago.

"I remember, but..." He frowned slightly, unsure whether he should say it or not.

"You don't know how to tell it here, right?"

In the evening at "Straw Rich Man." Nino made a promise with him in the health room:

[When I can say 'I like you' again... Take my first kiss and let you take the initiative]

Shinichi remembered it vividly.

The agreement allowed Nino to stand firm amidst emotional turmoil, dispelling her confusion, and creating a safe distance between them.

However, the reason was himself. Of course, Shinichi couldn't forget the scene back then.

Thinking about it, he understood the reason for Nino's current change.

"...Was it because I was looking for your father at the sports festival?"

Shinichi asked with a wry smile.

"Do you think this is a trivial matter?"

Nino stared seriously into his eyes, containing an undeniable brilliance.

"Maybe for you, those were just kindness and tenderness you gave effortlessly. Similar things have been done to many girls."

"But this is the first time my deliberate wish was heard. For the first time, someone responded to my intentional desire. For the first time, someone gave me encouragement from my father. For the first time, someone helped our family come together at the sports festival."

"It was the first time I felt that making that change was good, the first time I held the happiest sports festival, the first time I went home and my thoughts were filled with school-related things. Looking back on it, please don't laugh at me like a fool."

"Also, for the first time, someone made me like and hate myself so much that I didn't want to leave."

Fists on the table clenched.

"So many first experiences taken by you. What else can I do but fall in love with you?"

Shinichi looked at her in silence, with a calm expression that couldn't hide his turmoil, leaving people wondering what to do.

Nino bit her lip, the red hue on her cheeks deepening, her eyes fixed on his face.

"You treated me well without permission, solved my problems without permission, entered my heart without permission, and refused to leave, yet you act as if it's not a big deal, and you're so comfortable with it."

"Asada Shinichi, whether in the past or now, I dislike you intensely. I dislike you the most!"

"And more importantly—"

She stood upright, her short hair falling over her shoulders.

Her voice wasn't deliberately raised, but it still spread clearly throughout the student council room.

"I like you!"

No matter how many times that confession was uttered, Nino's face remained red, but she never hesitated.

"I like you, and it hasn't changed since that day until now."

She showed a mischievous smile. "Will it be like this in the future? It depends on your performance?"

"Okay, I've declared my love again. According to the agreement... What's your response to me?"

Nino didn't look at the people behind her; it wasn't necessary.

She gazed down at Shinichi, who was silent in the chair from a higher vantage point.

She folded her hands in front of her chest, and the green-white tips of her fingers entered the sleeves of her shirt, quietly nervous.

After a few moments of silence.

"...Are you sure?"

Shinichi sighed softly.

Not willing.

The resistance crossed her mind, an inexplicable fear emerged, and a cold feeling came from her fingertips, as if she didn't want to accept what he would say next. Nino almost wanted to cover her ears and find an excuse to leave.

As long as she didn't hear his answer, she wouldn't have to make a choice and could continue to be by his side.

But there was no other choice; she wouldn't find true happiness this way.

Nino bit her lip harder, staring more intensely at his expression.

"I'm a girl ready for you to kiss, so why are you hesitating?"

"So, is this lipstick you're wearing specifically for this?"

"Don't worry, it won't taste strange... Maybe. What's with your expression! I've never kissed or been kissed, how would I know if it's possible!?"

In the slightly tilted atmosphere, her voice remained her favorite soft tone.

"Will you fulfill your promise today?"

When those words were spoken, Nino felt her chest growing colder, so cold that it hurt.

The worst feeling.

"Why, can't you do it?"

Not hearing disappointment, fear, and cowardice in those words, Shinichi held his forehead with his hand.

"How should I say this... Even I can't do something like that with a calm mind..."

Moreover, Yotsuba had been kissed by him a few hours ago, and Shinichi even accidentally stuck out his tongue. Now, without washing his mouth, he was about to take Nino's first kiss.

Although her face had long been angry, Shinichi's shame and conscience still made him hesitate.

"If not, tomorrow..."

Before he could finish speaking, a pair of hands slapped the table hard, startling him.

"Enough!"

It was a slightly distorted, high-pitched shout.

Shinichi looked up in surprise, and what he saw was Nino's face, about to cry but tightened to avoid looking sad.

There was a mist in her eyes, refusing to turn into tears.

Completely different from her expression just now, she said coldly, "Speak directly, Shi-kun. You don't dare to kiss me in front of Fumino and Rizu, right?"

After those words were spoken, the atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds.

A slightly shaken voice was heard from behind, "Nino, you..."

"Sorry, please let them finish talking first."

As expected, when Fumino took a step forward, she was stopped.

"Itsuki... Could it be Yotsuba..."

"Well, now is a very important moment for Nino... Can you watch quietly here?"

"..."

Nino ignored the conversation behind her and couldn't even feel the warmth of her eyes.

Nino just stared intensely at Shinichi, her expression of disbelief slowly fading and shattering in the mist.

"Not talking?"

"..."

"Then I'll take it as your default."

Coward.

Disgusting coward.

She lowered her head, wiped away her tears with her hand, and sniffed her red nose.

If she made a scene and resolved the issue now, she would only make herself look like a loser and appear ugly.

Nino wanted to be proud of the love she had longed for, whether it stayed or went, she couldn't compromise.

Even if she felt the pain of making a choice, it was better than losing the ability to lift her head.

"The agreement is cancel; I'll go back first."

She turned around, her short hair fluttering, and she didn't give him a chance to save her.