Chapter 178 – Declaration of War: How to Respond

“Huh?”

The “goodbye” she was about to say got stuck in her throat.

Hearing Ryo’s quietly certain question, Kita froze for a moment.

It was like a sudden rainy day in winter — unexpected and without warning.

For a few seconds, she couldn’t think of how to respond.

“L-Liking someone is… complicated, Ryo-senpai. You asking me something like that out of nowhere…”

Her voice faltered. Unsure how to answer, Kita hesitated, then tried to brush it off.

But before she could finish, Ryo interrupted.

“Then… do you at least have feelings for him? Do you want to be with him?” she pressed.

“Mm…” Kita fell silent.

She thought for a moment, looking seriously at Ryo by her side, then shifted her gaze away.

“…Yes. I like him. I want to be with Kei-senpai.”

When she finally spoke, her voice was much softer than before — but her tone was unwavering.

After answering, Kita took a deep breath and looked back at Ryo.

Behind her, under the moonlight, the streetlights swayed slightly, their glow shimmering faintly.

Kita could already guess what Ryo was about to say.

It was something they had both vaguely known for a while, yet never faced head-on.

The lights wavered. The cold wind blew.

The chill in the air spread through her body as she inhaled deeply, and in that moment, she could hear her own heartbeat loud and clear.

“I like Suki-san too.”

Ryo finally spoke.

“When I’m with him, it feels easy. I want to be with him. It’s the kind of liking between a man and a woman — the kind where you want to stay by his side forever.”

November. The wind bit sharply after it passed.

Kita’s heartbeat quickened at those words, even though she had already guessed what Ryo might say.

Even though she had known that, sooner or later, she would have to face this moment…

Now that Ryo had laid it bare before her, she still didn’t know how to respond.

Her lips parted, but she fell silent again as she met Ryo’s gaze.

Before she got this close to Kei-senpai… before she was sure of her own feelings… before she’d hugged him tightly—

Kita had always known: no matter how you put it, Ryo-senpai was there first.

Even if Ryo hadn’t had those feelings before, Kita was still the one who came later.

But love doesn’t work like that.

Kita knew her heart. She knew how she felt about Aoki Kei.

If this had been a day earlier, before she and Kei-senpai had that heartfelt talk, maybe Ryo’s words would have made her hesitate.

But not now.

She would fight for her own happiness — even if that meant being called selfish.

Because “liking” someone is selfish by nature.

After a long silence, still looking into Ryo’s eyes, she finally spoke again.

“Ryo-senpai… why are you telling me this? If you just kept it to yourself, if you just hid those feelings deep down—”

Her voice was soft, but again, Ryo cut her off.

Shaking her head, she looked away from Kita.

“Because we’re bandmates, friends… almost like family.”

Looking into the distance, she answered seriously in her cool, calm voice,

“We’re bound by fate. We can rely on each other. So I felt I had to tell you how I feel — even if I don’t know how to say it, even if I don’t know how to handle this.”

“…I see.”

Kita nodded slowly.

Ryo-senpai was right.

Even if bringing it out into the open would cause pain or heartache, it was better to say it now.

She blinked. In her amber eyes, Ryo’s face wavered faintly.

Those words — “I don’t know how to say it” and “I don’t know how to handle this” — echoed clearly in her ears.

They were both precious to each other, and that made Kita’s heart ache just a little.

But even so… her determination didn’t waver.

She didn’t know how they would handle this from here on out, but she knew one thing for sure—

“Ryo-senpai… thank you for telling me this.”

Her voice carried a weight it had never held before, even though her heart felt heavy, even though she didn’t know how to respond or handle this relationship.

“But, Ryo-senpai… even so, I’m going to win.”

“I’m going to be with Kei-senpai. I’ll do whatever it takes to become his girlfriend. I’ll make him fall so hard for me that he chooses me without a doubt—”

Kei-senpai valued everyone’s feelings.

That’s why he hesitated, unable to choose.

But if she just tried a little harder, got a little closer…

“So, Ryo-senpai—”

Her eyes still reflected Ryo’s face.

Kita took another deep breath, her voice clear and certain.

“From today on… we’re enemies.”

“…”

Ryo blinked at the words, slightly taken aback, before recovering a moment later.

“…A declaration of war?” she asked.

“Mm!” Kita nodded firmly.

Ryo opened her mouth, as if to say something, but hesitated and closed it again.

Lowering her gaze for a moment, she stared at the pavement, then looked back up.

“…Alright. Then… good luck.”

From that talk in Uji to her earlier claim that she “didn’t care” — even now, Ryo herself wasn’t entirely sure what she felt.

When it came to Aoki Kei, she could tell him exactly how she felt, could say she’d accept all of him.

But with Kita…

Just like she’d said earlier — she didn’t know how to handle this.

…

Under the streetlight, 8:30 p.m.

The air fell silent again until Kita broke it with a sudden, almost playful remark.

“Well, Ryo-senpai — even if we’re enemies, we’re still in the same band.”

She gave a small smile, took a few steps forward, and added—

“Anyway… thanks for telling me all this tonight. And, Ryo-senpai… see you tomorrow!”