"She's really amazing..."
Fujimiya Konomi sat on the sofa, murmuring to herself. Watching Sato get up to fetch the cleaning supplies, she suddenly asked,
"Are they all like that?"
"What do you mean by 'all'?"
Sato looked at her in surprise.
"'All' means there are many of them, a whole bunch, enough to summarize together. In other words, there are lots of girls like that!"
Konomi explained with complete seriousness.
"You're overthinking it."
Sato twitched the corner of his mouth, looking speechless, though he didn't quite dare meet her eyes.
"You're feeling guilty!"
She stared straight at him.
"I'm not."
Sato denied it while lowering his head to sweep the floor, wondering if he should buy a robot vacuum.
Though... did they even have those yet?
Konomi got up from the sofa as well. Picking up a freshly washed rag, she crouched down beside him.
Stare...
Her gaze lingered on him.
Sato couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. That look was surprisingly lethal.
"What if..." she said quietly, "I tell her I'm your girlfriend?"
"Not a good idea."
Still wiping the floor, Sato looked up at her.
"Don't you think that would be really strange?"
"What's strange about it?"
Konomi blinked curiously.
"And what would be the point?"
"Hehe, of course to declare my claim! I'm the official girlfriend. Anyone who comes later is the other woman, a homewrecker!"
"Would you really do something like that?"
Sato suddenly found himself genuinely curious, looking at her with an odd expression.
Konomi blinked a few times before deflating.
"...No."
She wasn't that kind of person.
Still, she added stubbornly,
"But maybe someday I really will!"
"Oh? Really?"
Sato raised an eyebrow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Then why did you say those things in front of Yukinoshita?"
"Because she likes you!"
"Did she tell you that?"
"I could tell!"
Konomi clenched her delicate fist in annoyance and swung it at him.
Sato casually leaned aside, easily dodging.
Looking at the pouting girl glaring at him, he grinned.
"Missed."
Embarrassed and irritated, Konomi gritted her teeth and lunged at him.
Since Sato was crouching, there wasn't much room to dodge. If he threw himself sideways, she would definitely fall flat on the floor.
After calculating the situation in an instant, worried she might get hurt, he chose not to move.
Bang!
Konomi tackled him straight to the ground.
She ended up on top of him.
Although the position was rather suggestive, Sato didn't mind in the slightest. No matter who was on top, he wasn't the one losing out.
Lying there, he smiled at the pretty face only inches away.
Konomi's face was filled with panic and embarrassment, a rare sight that made her look especially adorable.
"So you like taking the initiative, Konomi? Isn't this moving a little fast?"
"But I won't resist. Go ahead."
He spoke with complete composure, watching her face turn bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Don't say such nonsense!"
Grinding her teeth in embarrassment, she punched him lightly in the chest before scrambling to her feet, hurriedly straightening her rumpled clothes.
Sato chuckled as he sat up, crossing his legs on the floor.
"Are you okay?"
Konomi looked at him worriedly. She had clearly heard that loud thud.
"I'm fine."
"Really?"
"Really."
She let out a relieved sigh, then glared at him again.
"But I know I'm right!"
The conversation circled back to the earlier topic.
Shaking his head with a smile, Sato said,
"Maybe she just has a favorable impression of me."
"Is there really a difference?"
Konomi frowned in confusion.
"Of course there is."
Still smiling, Sato explained,
"Having a favorable impression, liking someone, and loving someone are three different levels."
"They deepen step by step."
"A favorable impression is the most superficial. It's a vague feeling that might disappear the next second. It doesn't necessarily develop into liking someone, but it isn't indifference or dislike either."
"Liking someone means you've formed a clear attachment. It won't change just because of one or two small incidents."
"And love, at its deepest, means loving someone until death. It's the highest form of emotion, and the hardest to change."
Konomi listened carefully to everything he said.
After a moment, she crouched down again and asked curiously,
"Then what level are your feelings for me?"
"I'd say... liking."
"Huh? You don't love me?"
Sato rolled his eyes.
"Could you at least be a little more reserved?"
After composing himself, he continued,
"Honestly, I've always thought the word 'love' carries a lot of weight. It's not something that's easy to reach or easy to say."
It reminded him of idol fandoms.
Some people had never even met the celebrity in person or understood who they really were, yet after seeing them on television or social media, they became completely obsessed, constantly shouting things like, "I love you, XXX!" or "XXX, I love you!"
He found it rather laughable, and a little childish.
It even made words like "like" and "love" feel cheap.
Konomi thought quietly for a moment.
Then a mischievous gleam flashed through her eyes.
"So..."
"How do you feel about Yukinoshita?"
After thinking for a bit, Sato looked into the eyes fixed firmly on him and answered honestly,
"I guess... I have a favorable impression of her."
"Hmph!"
Konomi snorted unhappily.
"I'm your girlfriend, you know!"
Is that really something you should say in front of your girlfriend?
Couldn't you at least lie to make me happy?
Sato laughed and winked at her.
"You know I'm an honest person. To be honest, I have a favorable impression of every pretty girl."
No normal guy was immune to beautiful girls, unless he was gay or a eunuch.
Actually... even eunuchs in the imperial palace formed companion relationships with palace maids.
"You womanizing idiot!"
Konomi stood up, thought for a moment, then tossed the rag into Sato's hands.
"Do it yourself! I'm not helping you anymore!"