Next day in class, Kyo apologized again to Ranma for making him worry about Akane.
"I'm sorry Ranma, I didn't expect that Akane and I would end up talking for a long time and I really didn't know she is your fiancée."
This seemed to pacify Ranma and he decided to try to be nice. Kyo aside from being good looking, smart and athletic, is also friendly and outgoing. Soon he became among the more popular guys in school. With his popularity growing, Kyo has taken the focus away from Akane and Ranma who are grateful for the peace and quiet. Overtime, he has become good friends with both Ranma and Akane.
Early in the school year, Daisuke and Hiroshi told Kyo all about Ranma and Akane including all the suitors and the craziness that surrounds the two. He could not believe the stories at first but he witnessed several fights between Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi over the course of the school year and he is convinced that Ranma attracts chaos like a magnet. He felt sorry for Akane who appears to be putting up a brave front through it all.
One day, Kyo and Akane were at the library doing some research after class and this time she made sure to tell Ranma where she is so that there won't be a repeat of the café incident. Kyo glanced up from his book to look at Akane. She is the most popular girl in school. She is beautiful, smart, athletic and kind. It was easy to see why a lot of guys envy Ranma for being her fiancée but what he couldn't understand was how come Ranma seems to be the only one unable to see how great a girl Akane is? Kyo has been on the receiving end of Akane's kindness, many times in the past. She has helped him on different school projects, shown him around town and introduced him to people including the local Doctor, Doctor Tofu. Yet Ranma insists on calling her names and making her feel bad. He could see that despite Akane's best efforts to hide it, she is troubled and pained by the verbal abuse.
"Akane, I hope we have become good enough friends that I can presume to ask you a personal question?"
"We are good friends and I will answer your question only if it is not too personal, what do you want to ask me?
"I know the engagement was forced on you and Ranma by your parents, but what I want to know is do you want to stay engaged to Ranma?"
Akane instinctively said no, of course not. It was their parent's idea and both she and Ranma didn't ask for this arrangement.
"Since you don't want this engagement, does this mean I can ask you out?"
Akane was caught off guard. She didn't expect that Kyo would ask her out. She had no reason to suspect that he was interested in her. She was certainly flattered but she politely declined.
"I appreciate your interest and thank you for asking but while Ranma and I did not ask for this engagement, out of respect I must honor our parent's wishes and so I do not think it would be a good idea for me to date you, while the engagement stands."
"I'm sorry to hear that Akane, I feel that you are much better suited for someone who appreciates you, someone who is kind to you and loves you. It does not seem that Ranma is worthy of being your fiancée, much less your love."
"Thank you Kyo but Ranma's not as bad as everyone thinks he is. He can be really gentle and caring and thoughtful when he wants to be. He is always there to save me when I'm in trouble and it may not always show but Ranma has a great sense of honor and loyalty. He is also a highly disciplined martial artist and can be very considerate at times."
"I have a hard time believing Ranma to be considerate, after all he has three other women chasing after him and while I know he isn't to blame for this situation, he sometimes encourages them by patronizing their cooking. He uses that to his advantage when he wants to eat well and it is shameful if you ask me."
Akane looked at the ground, at a loss for words. She has to agree with Kyo about Ranma's weakness for free food. She wished Ranma wouldn't go to Ukyo's and Shampoo's every time he's hungry. She wished she were a better cook so that Ranma doesn't feel the need to go to the other girls for sustenance.
"To be perfectly honest, I can't really blame Ranma for running to Ukyo and Shampoo, when my own cooking is toxic even to my own family."
Kyo felt bad for bringing up a topic that is obviously painful to Akane and yet he had nagging doubts.
"Akane would you stay engaged to Ranma if your parents decided to release you from this agreement?"
Akane wasn't sure how to respond to this. She did not want admit to anyone else that she does not want to be freed from her engagement to Ranma. However she felt that Kyo deserves to know the truth.
"Kyo, I have gotten used to the idea of being engaged to Ranma and eventually marrying him. I have even grown to care for Ranma so I would not want to break the engagement but if I knew that breaking it off would make Ranma happy then I would gladly let him go."
Akane knew this wasn't the whole truth but she couldn't tell Kyo that she loves Ranma and the thought of not being with him brought her considerable anguish. Kyo seemed to accept her response and thankfully stopped asking her about her relationship with Ranma. They continued their research in peace and went home soon after.