Yutaka rolled Kyouko off of him and fixed his pants. He then princess-carried her to the school. Along the way, he avoided the stares he received from everyone he passed by and made his way to the nurse's. When he arrived, the nurse gave him a confused look as Yutaka placed her on a bed.

"She's drunk. The Haagen Dazs stand on the second floor is selling alcoholic ice cream," he explained breathlessly.

"I see," she responded, checking Kyouko's temperature with the back of her hand. "Thank you for notifying me."

"No problem." With that, he rushed out of the room and searched the building for Ayano. He couldn't find a trace of her anywhere and ended his search in the student council room. There, he noticed a knocked over trash bin with what appeared to be a crumpled up envelope nearby. He knelt down and picked it up.

"Come get some fresh yakitori!"

"Sukiyaki only ¥200!"

Yutaka slid the door closed and resumed opening the envelope. Inside, he found a wrinkled piece of paper with writing on it. He pulled it out and read:

'Toshinou Kyouko,

This really isn't easy for me to say, and don't think this means I'll let you do anything you please just because I feel this way about you. But... for a long time now, I've admired your wild, amusing and energetic personality, and as annoying as it can be, I find it endearing, for whatever reason. I know this is pretty surprising coming from me, but this is how I have always felt. You know, I still kept that pudding you gave me a while ago in the student council's fridge. Even though I didn't act like it, I treasured it, gazing at it everyday while thinking about you. So I was wondering if you perhaps felt the same way about me?

Sugiura Ayano'

Yutaka felt his heart twist. This was a love letter. A love letter from Ayano, who was going to give it to Kyouko, until he fucked things up. He put the letter back in its envelope and placed it on the table at the center of the room. He brought his palms up to his face and sighed deeply. Not only did he have sex with a girl while she was drunk, but he had also left another girl heartbroken.

...

"Kyouko, I really am sorry," Yutaka kept apologizing. He had been telling her that ever since she woke up thirty minutes ago, the morning after the cultural festival. It was around 8:00. He had stayed by her bedside overnight.

"I said it's okay, already! Geez, Yutaka-kun, I've never seen you so worried before!" Kyouko complained.

"Of course I'm worried! You were drunk and I had sex with you because I couldn't control myself... don't you respect your own body?"

"Of course I do, but you know, I wasn't really that drunk..."

"You passed out!"

"Look, um..." Kyouko blushed. "It's not as if I regret what I did with you, even if I can't really remember it all that well..."

"Kyouko..."

She clutched the blankets. "If we did that again, I wouldn't mind."

"No. I'm not doing that to you again."

"Well... can we still be friends?"

Yutaka smiled. "Of course we can. We'll always be."

Kyouko felt relieved and embraced him. Knowing Kyouko still wanted to be friends with him helped wash away some of the guilt he felt. Though, he was aware that his problems were far from over.

"So then, are you feeling all better now?"

"Yup! My head kinda hurts but I feel pretty fine. Can we go to the convenient store?"

"I'm not getting you rum raisin after what just happened."

Kyouko pouted. "I didn't even say I was going to get some."

"But you were thinking it."

"Yutaka-kun…"

Yutaka say awkwardly next to Ayano on the bench, unsure of what to do. It was around Christmas time, so Kyouko took it upon herself to use 'The Box' again to set everyone up with dates. For the second time, fate would have it that Yutaka ended up getting paired with Ayano once again. And well, as if it couldn't have gotten more awkward than last year, it somehow did.

The atmosphere between them was tense and unbearable. They were sitting even farther than last time, which really said something. The couples surrounding them didn't make things any better, if anything the romantic air did nothing but remind them. However, Yutaka really wanted to apologize to Ayano for what she saw a week ago.

Yutaka cleared his throat. "The season's really nice this year."

"Hm."

"Ayano-"

"Sugiura," she corrected.

He cursed himself for the slip of the tongue. He must've come off as rude. "Sorry-Sugiura-san. "I'm really sorry for what happened last week, at the festival. I, uh... I didn't mean to get in the way." When he finished his sentence, Ayano kept silent for an agonizingly long time. "I saw that love letter you wrote in the student council room."

She turned to look at him with eyes shining with tears. "She was drunk, and yet you decided to do that to her? You're her best friend, even. What kind of friend are you?"

"I... know. It was wrong of me, I betrayed her trust and there's not a thing I can do to make up for my mistake. But I don't want that to stop you from pursuing your love with Kyouko."

Ayano grabbed his jacket sleeve. "Then come with me."

"Huh?"

"Come with me!" she persisted, her voice nearly a shout. Yutaka reluctantly rose from the bench and she tugged him along to a deep alley in between a restaurant and karaoke building.

"What is this about?"

She grasped the front of his jacket and glared at him dangerously. "You had sex with Kyouko. If I did it with you, then..." she blushed deeply.

"W-what are you saying?! You want to have sex with your rival?! Why the hell would you do that?"

"Please, Funami Yutaka. B-besides, I also... I also like you, too. Just... just let me indulge in this for once, then... I will see to a relationship with Toshinou Kyouko."

"But is sex with me really necessary?"

"This is the least you can do for me after what you did."

He frowned. He had had sex with a girl who only wanted to make another girl jealous. Then he slept with her sister, who only wanted revenge on her girlfriend. He also took advantage of his own best friend while she was intoxicated, and yet she had no problem forgiving him, even if he didn't deserve it. The least he could do was let this girl be happy, even if he was only going to get used again. Right?

"Fine."

"Huh?"

"I said fine. If this is what you want." After all, he was nothing but a piece of meat to be used in place of the girl she truly loved, just like he always is. He didn't feel the need to kiss her, so instead he went straight to undressing the lower half of their bodies. Ayano was wearing only a skirt with black stockings, which was fairly easy to peel off. His pants were down and she was blushing furiously at his erection pointing straight at her. Yutaka carried her under her thighs and pushed her against the wall, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist to keep herself from falling. She had her hands entangled in his dark hair, though she preferred if it was blonde.

Yutaka's cock was pressed right against her wet slit, awaiting any possibility of Ayano changing her mind. When there was none, he went straight inside, not stopping until he was met with a bit of resistance. He was used to this now, hymen. Every girl he slept with had been a virgin except for Nadeshiko.

"Break it," she said, wanting to get it over with already. Yutaka plunged the rest of the way in and watched her face suddenly grimace with pain.

"Sorry," he said quietly. He started his thrusts nice and slow, hoping Ayano would enjoy the experience. She was a very deep shade of red, and Yutaka could see that his member was glistening every time he pulled back.

"Toshinou Kyouko," she whispered, thinking he didn't hear her. To tell the truth, Yutaka didn't really mind all that much. If imagining him as Kyouko made it easier for her, so be it. It wasn't like his own feelings mattered, anyway.

"Say, Sugiura-san… what good does this do to you anyway? I just took your virginity. Wouldn't you have rather had Kyouko done that?"

"T-this… nnh… in a way, this is like having indirect sex with Toshinou Kyouko…."

'That's not quite right, Ayano… is she that desperate?' "That's very foolish of you to think that."

"Shut up," she growled.

'So, I really am a harem-anime protagonist after all. I never knew being one could be so… complicated.' The only sounds coming from the alley was the slapping of skin and Ayano's light gasps. She slapped a hand over her mouth to silence her stifled moans. The alley they were in was a rather dirty place to perform this act, and judging by the used condoms littered on the ground, they weren't the only ones to have done this here. Yutaka would occasionally turn his head over his shoulder in case someone walked by the alley or opened the back door to the restaurant. Thankfully, today seemed to be a pretty slow day.

Abruptly, Yutaka helped her feet onto the ground, Ayano giving him a confused look, until he motioned for her to turn around. She bent over and placed her hands on the wall, then glanced back at him, slightly embarrassed to be exposed in such an indecent manner. Yutaka had never seen a girl look so aroused and ready for him, he was almost too eager to stuff her dripping pussy with his stiff rod. He gripped her hips tightly and thrust inside just as she moved against him, their actions in sync.

"Toshinou Kyouko," she breathed again. Not having to face him directly made it easier for her to pretend it was Kyouko behind her. The thought alone of that blonde otaku was enough to suddenly spike her arousal, until she was fucking herself desperately with his cock. Yutaka released her hips and held back her wrists, ramming himself against her powerfully. "T-Toshi-Kyouko!" her body shuddered with utmost pleasure and at the same time she felt her womb being filled with an unfamiliar warmth. And yet, it made her feel so… complete.

Yutaka slid his cock out and watched with fascination a mixture of his sperm and Ayano's own juices leak from her well-used hole. Ayano recovered from the aftershocks and pulled her panties back up as well as her stockings. Yutaka got properly dressed as well and looked back awkwardly at her.

"Um… sorry."

"For what?"

"For causing you all this trouble."

Ayano sighed. "You know, I expected that I'd feel even worse after doing this with you, but… I feel happy now."

"Huh?"

"Doing this… it made me realize my feelings for Toshinou Kyouko, I mean… if I was willing to go this far with you for her, then I must be madly in love with her, right?. If I didn't really love her, I think I'd have refused. But, just the knowledge that you had done her, then me, it really turned me on like crazy. I must sound like an idiot, huh?"

"Yeah. But I think I sort of understand."

"I know I was just desperate, but... thank you… Funami Yutaka."

Yutaka smiled back at her. "You're welcome. Now let's head back before Kyouko comes looking for us." Ayano nodded and the pair returned to their bench just a little ways up ahead. It took another half-hour for Kyouko to come back with the others, and they all shared some good laughs and stories for a good amount of time as they wandered aimlessly around the city. Yutaka saw how Himawari and Sakurako looked much happier together. Underneath their petty quarrels and superficial rivalry, he could tell there was something even deeper to their relationship. They even ran into a news reporter down the road, and when asked for input on the weather, Sakurako told them 'being with your lover in the snow immerses me with a special feeling and I like it,' or something like that, while Himawari covered her face in embarrassment. Eventually, the groups split up and only ones left were him, Akari, Ayano and Kyouko, when they stopped at an old, traditional bridge far off away from the heart of the city.

"Wow, look at that winter sunset!" Kyouko pointed out. The sky was a beautiful shade of melancholic blue with a contrasting, warm orange near the horizon. The four stared out into the distance, amazed.

"I've never seen such a lovely end to the day!" Akari exclaimed happily.

At that time, Yutaka pulled out a crumpled envelope out from his jacket pocket and discreetly handed it to Ayano. Her cheeks, already pink from the cold, turned darker as she took it. He winked at Ayano and gave her a thumbs up. Knowing it'd be better for Ayano and Kyouko to be alone, he turned to Akari.

"Hey, Akari-chan, let's go to the park. I hear it's really nice to listen to music during a sunset."

"Alright, Yutaka-kun!" She linked her arm with his and as they walked off to the park, he glanced back and saw a fire in Ayano's eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Surprisingly, the park was empty, though that wasn't really such a bad thing. Akari and Yutaka sat at a bench and by now, the sunset was almost over. Akari took out her iPod and offered Yutaka the left earphone while she took the right. Once the music started, he noted the fact that it was classical music, which was slightly unusual for her. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful piece, if not a bit tragic.

"You listen to classical, Akari-chan?"

"Oh! Um, well, yeah… you must think I'm weird for that. But my onee-chan always listens to classical music so it kind of stuck on me, too…"

"It's not weird at all. I think it kind of suits you."

"Really?" Akari blushed. "What kind of music does Yutaka-kun like?"

"Me? Well, uh… I like most genres of music, actually. It doesn't really matter to me as long it isn't that dubstep stuff."

"I see. That's really cool."

"Ahah, you think so?"

"Mhm!" she beamed.

Yutaka grinned back at her. She really was such a sweet girl. Maybe if they had met under different circumstances, he would've gotten to know her in another way. However, given the kind of person he had become around girls, Akari didn't deserve someone like him. At the very least, he could still be her friend, though. As their ears were filled with a symphony of stringed instruments and the air became colder, she leaned in to his shoulder for warmth. Yutaka closed his eyes and felt his heart flutter.

'So this is bliss,' he thought.