Rui's Confession

　　As the sun disappeared below the horizon, the beach grew cold from the moonlight.

　　The clear sea reflected the night sky, and the boundary between heaven and earth seemed increasingly blurred in this scene.

　　The waves are accompanied by the sound of the wind, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

　　After Shinichi and Rui finished their midnight snack, they washed the dishes together, left the villa, and walked side by side to the beach.

　　Rui took off her shoes, stepped on the sand, and casually made a small sand hole with her heel, then she looked at him.

　　"Why don't you let go of sandsl?"

　　Enjoying the feeling of freedom, Shinichi closed his eyes and opened his arms wide towards the sky.

　　He took a deep breath of the cool, salty sea breeze, and spoke softly with a comfortable smile on his lips.

　　"Never take it off."

　　"If you don't take it off, don't take it off. There's still a lot to play for." Rui reached out to poke his waist, but he avoided her.

　　Shinichi took two steps back, covering his waist.

　　"Do you really want to have your forehead flicked five times? OK, then I will do it for you now."

　　Then he folded his fingers, and the clicking sound was clear intimidation.

　　"Okay, let's go."

　　Rui walked forward without changing her expression.

　　Shinichi put aside his slightly deliberate movements, and followed her slowly.

　　The two of them walked back and forth like this, only the sound of rustling and the tidal wind filling the silence.

　　They all knew that this silence would not last long.

　　Both parties have things they want to convey to each other, things they want the other party to know, and feelings they need to be aware of.

　　So, when the two pairs of footprints slowly spread towards the center of the beach, Rui was the first to speak.

　　"Now, do you have any problems now?"

　　Shinichi answered subconsciously.

　　"No. What do you ask for?"

　　"Are you lying again… No, you can't say that." Looking nostalgic, Rui stared straight at the sea ahead.

　　"Whether you're smart or not, when faced with this problem, your first reaction is to deny it first, and then start thinking about whether it's true, right?"

　　"…"

　　Shinichi was silent because he was really thinking about his problems lately, which seemed to be quite a lot.

　　Rui sighed.

　　"Am I not one of your problems now? Admit it. Men are just pretentious."

　　Shinichi found it very annoying, Rui turned her head and looked straight at him.

　　"Let me state up front that I will not apologize and I don't think I need to apologize for anything."

　　"…I didn't say I wanted you to apologize."

　　Shinichi avoided his gaze.

　　It wasn't that he felt guilty, he just felt that her gaze was too firm.

　　Looking away from Shinichi's face, Rui kicked the sand beneath her feet.

　　"Do you like me?"

　　This question was asked so suddenly that Shinichi didn't act, but the tone of his answer was beyond question.

　　"Of course I like you... From your point of view."

　　 Rui raised her finger seriously.

　　"Take out the last sentence and say it again."

　　Shinichi nodded and said without changing his expression: "Of course I like you, because you are a little sister."

　　 Seeing that Shinichi did not intend to fulfill such a small request, Rui was angry, and with a little force in her steps, the footprints on the beach became deeper.

　　"I'm different from you."

　　"Whether from the perspective of family or the opposite sex, you are the one I like. Only today did I truly confirm this."

　　She didn't seem to care about Shinichi's answer. Rui wouldn't stop what she wanted to say.

　　"At first, I didn't know what liking someone was, what falling in love was, why I wanted to be a girl's boyfriend, and why I didn't want to tell him about my hidden feelings..."

　　"And when I first moved in, I really didn't have any feelings for you. I also think you have a pretty annoying face. You are a typical human model with a crooked face. I left as soon as I lived here for two months because I didn't want to be with you. You are asking for trouble here."

　　Rui smiled unconsciously.

　　Even if she didn't look back, she could still guess Shinichi's current expression.

　　Her heartbeat pounding, Rui felt relaxed.

　　If this reaction was a disease, could it be the so-called "love disease"?

　　"…So, how did I fall in love with you?"

　　Rui put her hands behind her back and twisted her fingers slightly.

　　She looked down at the ground and spoke calmly.

　　"Since the summer vacation, the memories with you, the days when I was cared for by you and laughed at, your voice praising my delicious cooking, the feeling of reading with you, knowing that you are not smart at all, it's a shortcoming... The pile of stupidity makes me want to be with you more and more, the sour taste of seeing you having a good relationship with another girl, and the escape of your refusal to admit that I really like you..."

　　She sighed.

　　"Really, it's only been a little over a month, but the reasons are already countless. Who knows why I fell in love with you?"

　　Rui turned around and faced Shinichi.

　　Her expression gradually became serious, and Rui spoke.

　　"Because I don't know, I keep looking for evidence to prove it."

　　"It doesn't matter what the reason is. The important thing is that I don't want you to speak eloquently based on your own misunderstandings, casually defining other people's thinking, saying that it should be like this or that, and as a result, even the most basic questions will be ignored. If you don't understand, you will run from the answer like a coward."

　　Rui spoke to Shinichi word for word without evasiveness.

　　"You are not me, don't explain my feelings to me!"

　　The wind suddenly blew hard.

　　Then, amidst the sound of the strong wind, a clear confession was heard.

　　"Because of this trip, I finally understand..."

　　"Asada Shinichi, I like you."

　　"If I say I like you, I only like you. Whether it's an older brother or a male boyfriend, I only want to be with you. Don't use a lot of inexplicable reasons to deal with me. This is my current relationship."

　　On Rui's face, the blush remained clear at night.

　　Nervousness from confessing for the first time. Her eyes did not dodge, and she stared at the young man in front of her.

　　"The proof is in my chest. If you don't believe it, just touch it yourself. You will know once you touch it."

　　Rui puffed out her chest with a serious expression and looked forward.