The Fate of the Protagonist Who Chose the Harem Ending - Episode 20

The Difference Between Amamiya Shizuku and Imakoga Takako 

No bridge to connect them……. 

If that’s the case, someone needs to step in as a bridge. 

If anyone comes to mind, it would be Aiba. 

However, that person isn’t here right now. 

“Shizuku, do you think you could act as a bridge?” 

“Sorry, I can’t really deal with anyone seriously except Yuri-chan and you.” 

Come to think of it. Back in our first year, Shizuku had a line of people confessing to her. She ended up drawing jealousy from other girls. 

That experience made her wary of interacting with others outside of Aiba and me. 

That’s also why, when Shizuku fell for Ichijou, she straightforwardly chose to support him without hesitation. 

“Ah….… Is *that* still ongoing?” 

“Yeah. As long as I have you two, that’s enough.” 

“Oumi-kun, next is…! …That’s it for today! I’m leaving!” 

“Huh? Imakoga? W-Wait, you forgot your bag!” 

Imakoga-san noticed us and became visibly flustered. 

She hurriedly urged Oumi-kun to leave as though fleeing from us. 

“What… was that?” 

“She saw us and ran away, right?” 

Unsure of Imakoga-san’s behavior, we decided to call it a day and went home. 

I walked Shizuku home and decided to talk to Aiba tomorrow to figure out what happened. 

—

The next day. When I told Aiba about the incident in the library, she let out a knowing “Ah…”. It was as if something clicked. 

“Do you have any idea why?” 

“…You two, listen carefully. Just don’t interfere.” 

“What? Why not?!” 

Shizuku was clearly dissatisfied with Aiba’s suggestion to leave them alone. She protested. 

Even I couldn’t accept it. But Aiba insisted we listen to her explanation. 

“I probably wouldn’t be able to help either. And others might just make things worse, so she wouldn’t listen to them. But you two? You’d only come across as mocking her.” 

“Mocking her?!” 

“I’ll explain the difference between Shizuku-chan and Imakoga-san.” 

Aiba began to describe the difference in how I and Oumi-kun were perceived. 

Shizuku was influenced by her cooperative relationship with me. She had actively rejected the harem setup. 

For example, sharing lunches and seeking opportunities to be alone together—those were good examples. 

Above all, when Shizuku distanced herself after Ichijou’s “gigolo” declaration, it was me who chased after her. 

(Note: Lol. From “harem” declaration to “gigolo”. What a change.)

Because of that, it wasn’t considered strange when Shizuku switched from Ichijou to me. 

Onlookers saw our frequent, meaningful interactions and misinterpreted them as signs of mutual feelings. 

Imakoga-san, however, was different. 

She pushed Oumi-kun away and joined the harem. 

She had cold, sarcastic attitude and composed demeanor. Combined with her refusal to argue back, it fueled personal grudges against her. 

Additionally, she didn’t criticize Ichijou’s “gigolo” declaration. Which worked against her. 

She earned a bad reputation for being dismissive of Oumi-kun, who many saw as a lovable fool. 

Even if she wanted to return to Oumi-kun’s side, Aiba speculated that she feared her bad reputation would rub off on him. 

That’s likely why she hasn’t accepted his confessions—she’s afraid. 

“That’s why Oumi-kun has to win her over on his own. You two need to stay out of it. If she starts feeling self-loathing, it could lead to her dropping out entirely.” 

The realization that our presence might be making things harder for Imakoga-san was a bitter conclusion to hear. 

“To Imakoga-san, you two are what she might’ve been if she hadn’t succumbed to Ichijou’s influence.” 

“It’s frustrating, isn’t it? Trying to help would just backfire.” 

“Isn’t there something we can do…?” 

Disheartened, Shizuku and I headed home. We respected Aiba’s advice to stay uninvolved. 

“But there’s still hope,” 

“Oh? What hope?” 

“Oumi-kun said, ‘Still no, huh?’ when he confessed. And he’s still tutoring with her. That shows he wants to try again.” 

Her words made me realize something. 

Yes, Oumi-kun hadn’t given up yet. 

He said “still no”. Which means, he believes there’s a chance someday. 

They’re still studying together, so he must feel there’s progress. 

As long as he doesn’t give up, there’s still hope. 

“For now, let’s leave it to Oumi-kun and focus on our exams.” 

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”