Bab 170: No regrets

"You already know the answer to that question you just asked. I still like you, Sumire. I love you a great deal. But if you were to ask me if my love can beat Yuhi's, or Ichinose's, I'd answer with a 'no.' Unlike those two, I won't be able to do anything grandiose in helping you.

Even though I can stand beside you when you're in pain, aside from that, then I won't be able to give you the comfort and love you need. Truthfully speaking, you knew even before I confessed and already crossed off of the candidate list right? "

"You're making it sound like everything was an experiment." Sumire pauses when she saw Shin's questioning gaze. "Perhaps it was something like that. At the end of the day, I ended up choosing an ending that's different from the original script."

She chose Yuhi. She didn't choose Arashi. She picked a more painful path, one filled with more thorns.