The moment he pushed open the rooftop door, a fierce wind violently whipped through Hikigaya Hachiman's black, unruly hair. The smell of the sea hit his nose. Beyond the Kaihin Makuhari Promenade, Tokyo Bay glittered, reflecting the setting sun. The rust on the fence stood out starkly in that light. In the center of the rooftop, there was a lone figure. With the sunset at her back, he couldn't make out her face clearly. But he could see waist-length, straight black hair dancing softly in the wind. (*Yukinoshita… Yukino, huh.*) Hachiman swallowed hard. So she was the one who sent the letter. He took a step forward. The concrete floor felt gritty under his soles. Another step. He could feel his heart pounding faster than usual. "[gentle]Hikitani-kun. Thank you for coming." Yukino turned around. Seeing her face, Hachiman stopped in his tracks. This wasn't the usual cool Yukinoshita Yukino. Her long, narrow lapis lazuli eyes were now wet with tears. A single glistening trail ran down her cheek. Her supposedly perfect beauty was crumpled and distorted. His wariness swelled all at once. "[sarcastic]What's with that face? Some new kind of bullying? The old crying-to-make-me-feel-guilty routine?" Hachiman deliberately made his tone sarcastic. If his opponent flinched, it would be the usual pattern. But Yukino shook her head slightly. "[sad]No. This is… my true feelings." She took a step closer to Hachiman. Reflexively, Hachiman stepped half a pace back. But Yukino didn't come any closer, just stared intently into his eyes. "[serious]I'm the only one who has the same memories as you." The wind carried her words away. "What do you mean?" "Memories of the original world. The day I first met you in the library at Sobu High School." Yukino's voice trembled. But her words were clear. "How you won the cross-dressing contest at the culture festival. How everyone was forced to run the three-legged relay at the sports festival. How on Valentine's Day, Yuigahama-san and I fought in the cooking room, and you suggested those 'friend chocolates.'" Hachiman was speechless. All of those events were in his own memory. Things he had experienced in the original world. But in this reincarnated world, he had never spoken of them once. "[sad]I remember everything. I'm the only one who has the same memories as you." Yukino's voice grew even smaller. "And… this world was created by my wish." Hachiman's eyebrow twitched. "Your… wish?" "[crying]Yes. In the original world… I couldn't convey my true feelings to you. I was filled with regret, my heart aching every single day. Someday, I absolutely have to tell him. The result of continuing to wish for that… is this." Yukino spread her hands, gesturing to the entire rooftop. "This sparkling school. The reverse-harem system where everyone likes you. The absurd rule where the more you run away, the more their affection grows. All of it, born from my twisted love." Hachiman stared at her, mouth agape. The reverse-harem system. That was the root of everything tormenting him in this world. Run away and become popular. Act cold and girls flock to you. That utterly unreasonable system. "[sarcastic]You're… the mother of that shitty system?" "Yes." Yukino hung her head. Her black hair fell beside her face. "[sad]My wish went out of control. I just wanted to convey my feelings to you, but before I knew it, it changed into a rule where 'the more you reject affection, the more everyone around you likes you.' It just kept swelling, beyond my control…" "That's not all." Hachiman stepped forward. Now it was her turn to step half a pace back. "Hiratsuka-sensei's ban on being a loner. Was that you too?" "[whispers]…Yes." Yukino's voice was so small it seemed about to vanish in the wind. "I thought, if only someone would stop you from wanting to be alone. The school rule against eating by yourself. The rule that you must always be with someone after school. All of it, the embodiment of my feeling that 'I don't want you to be alone.'" "[sarcastic]Hah… you're kidding me." Hachiman looked up at the sky. The southern sky was dyed orange. (*This woman… she even changed the school rules to eradicate my loner life?*) He was beyond exasperation, almost impressed. Had she been driven that far into a corner, to pull off something like this? "[cold]Your affection… is seriously malicious." "Yes. It's the worst, isn't it?" Yukino raised her face. Her tear-wet eyes stared straight at Hachiman. "That's exactly why, let me make one final proposal." The wind stopped. The air on the rooftop suddenly grew heavy. "[serious]We'll turn this world's rules against itself. The two of us, shutting ourselves away on this rooftop." "Shut ourselves away…?" "If you interact with no one but me, the reverse-harem system will create a 'closed space for just the two of us.' It will completely block the interference of other girls and protect you. In other words—" Yukino took a step closer to Hachiman. This time, Hachiman didn't run. "We can't return to the original world. But we can be together forever, in a world for just the two of us, where no one can disturb us." Something tightened deep in Hachiman's chest. Her eyes were serious. "[whispers]This is my ego. The worst kind of confession, just wanting to lock you away. I know that. Even so—" Yukino gently grasped the hem of Hachiman's school uniform. A single tear glistened in her lapis lazuli eyes. "I want to hear your answer." A long silence enveloped the rooftop. Hachiman looked down at Yukino. Her fingers were gripping the hem of his uniform tightly. Trembling. (*To think the Yukinoshita Yukino of the original world would show a face like this.*) When they first met in the library. She was a lonely, proud girl who opened her heart to no one. But deep inside was a heart just as twisted as his own—someone who thought more deeply about things than anyone, who understood people's pain, and therefore deliberately acted cold. "[sarcastic]Hah… your ego is way more malicious than my cynicism." Hachiman let out a huge sigh. "Let's search for a way back to the original world. Together." Yukino's eyes widened. "Eh…?" "[cold]In a world with a shitty system like this, you think just the two of us could survive? Count me out. I've had enough of being fawned over by every girl, and enough of Hiratsuka-sensei's lectures." Hachiman firmly peeled Yukino's hand off. "[sarcastic]Being jerked around by you and Yui in the original world is still way better." "…!" Large tears spilled from Yukino's eyes. "[crying]That's cruel… so cruel. Saying something like that. Denying my ego, and on top of that, bringing up Yuigahama-san's name." "Shut up. Since when are you the type to cry?" "[crying]I'm not shutting up. I'll cry when I want to cry. It's your fault." The wind from the sea passed between them. The smell of the tide. The sky was beginning to change from orange to purple. Hachiman turned his back to the fence and looked up at the sky. "[gentle]…But, well. If you're the one who created this world, you've gotta take responsibility." "Responsibility?" "The responsibility of getting me back to the original world. I said we'd search together, didn't I?" Yukino wiped her tears. She was still trembling a little, but a faint smile appeared on her face. "[gentle]…Are you stupid?" "Shut up." At that moment— *Clang.* The rooftop door burst open with force. "[angry]Yukinon, that's not fair!!" The person who rushed in was a girl with a fluffy, chestnut-brown short bob. Her large brown eyes were filled with anger and sadness. It was Yuigahama Yui. Breathing heavily, she looked back and forth between Yukino and Hachiman. "[angry]Calling him up to the rooftop with a letter, doing something like that behind my back! I was so worried I followed you here!" Yukino's face turned pale. "[surprised]Yuigahama-san… why are you here?" "Why?! Because I was worried, obviously!" Yui marched right up to them. Her usual cheerful smile was nowhere to be seen. She looked genuinely angry. Yukino murmured in a trembling voice. "[whispers]This is impossible… this place should be completely blocked off by the system. No one but me should be able to approach this rooftop." "[cold]Looks like there was a bug in your plan." Hachiman gave a wry smile. (*So that's how it is.*) Yui had exceeded the predictions of the reverse-harem system Yukino created—the ultimate love rival born from the system itself. The other heroine, whom Yukino could not eliminate no matter how much she wished. "[angry]I seriously like Hikitani-kun too! Yukinon, keeping him all to yourself isn't fair!" Yui clung tightly to Hachiman's other arm. "Hey, wait a sec—" "I won't wait!" "[cold]Yuigahama-san, let go. This is between him and me." "I won't let go! This is my problem too!" With a girl on each side holding his arms, Hachiman was completely immobilized. "What a pain…" The sea breeze drowned out his words. On the rooftop as the sun began to set, a new battle in this love triangle was just about to begin.