I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

To her, someone who couldn't even control their facial expressions was perfectly easy to understand. The reason Horikita provoked and confronted her was simply due to territoriality.

If they were outside, even if Horikita bumped into Amane and her being so intimate, she probably wouldn't say anything and would definitely pretend she didn't see anything. As for whether Amane would be pinned to the bed and given a good scolding when she got back, that was her business.

But now Horikita is like a hedgehog. When he encounters Sakayanagi, this "enemy," he immediately curls up warily, revealing all his sharp quills, trying to scare Sakayanagi away.

Even if Sakayanagi demonstrates even more powerful methods, Horikita will not give in. The reason is simple: she knows that if she gives up resistance, she will be at the mercy of others.

Only by maintaining hostility can Sakayanagi back down.

However, in Sakayanagi's opinion, Horikita completely misunderstood one thing: that her 'invasion' was actually brought here by that idiot Amane. Although she did not stop her, Sakayanagi had no intention of competing with Horikita right now.

On the one hand, it's because she now has to devote some of her energy to the management of Class A. Although Sakayanagi has tried to reduce the impact of Totsuka's incident on Class A, somehow the news still got out and even Katsuragi came to her to inquire about the matter.

Sakayanagi thought she had handled the situation very well, but Class A was still in turmoil. Everyone was hesitant to make any rash moves because of her previous contributions to the class or her strength. However, if Sakayanagi made even the slightest mistake, it would cause quite a stir in Class A.

Given the current situation, Sakayanagi has no intention of fighting Horikita. It is true that Class B has been chasing Class A, but behind them is the deadly Class C led by Ryuen, who is keeping a close eye on them. Moreover, the internal situation is also in chaos caused by Kushida. This situation of internal and external troubles means that before Horikita completely controls Class B, they will not have the energy to compete with her for Amane or attack Class A.

However, if there is any slight disturbance, such as if Sakayanagi displays too much of a threat this time, Horikita might try every means to cause her trouble, or even use her to divert internal conflicts within the class.

Even though Sakayanagi wasn't afraid of Horikita's harassment, she hated doing things that benefited others. Besides, given Amane's personality, no matter how much she suppressed Horikita, she couldn't possibly defeat him in one fell swoop. Since she couldn't kill him outright, there was no need to show her claws and make the other party wary while also making herself uncomfortable.

But things have come to this point, how can Sakayanagi shift the threat? Even if she pretends to be a harmless little rabbit now, Horikita probably won't believe her… I've got it!

Sakayanagi glanced at Amane with a hint of apology. Since Amane was the one who caused all this trouble, she should be able to accept suffering a little.

Having made up her mind, Sakayanagi reached out her small hand and groped inside Amane's coat, quickly finding Karuizawa's confession letter.

"To be honest, I don't know what Karuizawa wrote to you in his confession letter. May I take a look?"

Sakayanagi held up the confession letter in her hand with an innocent expression.

Amane's body stiffened instantly. She secretly pinched Sakayanagi's waist with her other hand, signaling her not to mention such things. However, Sakayanagi had already decided to sacrifice Amane to help her divert Horikita's attention, so naturally she couldn't take the letter back.

"A love letter? Tianyin... are you going to explain this to me?"

Sure enough, Horikita's attention was easily diverted upon hearing something more threatening.

The plan is approved!

"This...this was actually written to me by Hui as a joke..."

Tianyin is still trying to defend herself, but unfortunately, all the physical evidence is here, and it's obvious whether it was written as a joke or not.

Tianyin is really pitiful.

Looking at Amane, whose face was pale and whose eyes were darting around as if she was thinking of a solution, Sakayanagi couldn't help but smile. But fearing that he would give himself away, Sakayanagi quickly suppressed his smile.

"Really? Sakayanagi-san, could you please let me see the letter?"

Horikita ignored Amane and went straight to Sakayanagi to ask for the confession letter.

Sakayanagi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Amane as if seeking her consent.

The more she refused to show it to Horikita, the more Horikita might misunderstand. Amane could only nod and force a smile, which made Sakayanagi feel a little sorry for her.

However, he still handed the letter to Horikita.

Horikita took the letter and began to read it, occasionally glancing up at Amane.

"It's quite well written. To be honest, this confession letter surprised me quite a bit. I didn't expect Karuizawa-kun to have such commendable writing skills. I was a bit too careless before... But, I just can't figure out what's so great about you, Baiyin? How could you possibly win Karuizawa-kun's heart? You wouldn't... um?"

Horikita gave Amane a very ambiguous look, which startled Amane so much that she waved her hands repeatedly.

"I didn't do that to Megumi! I'm innocent, you can ask Arisu, I'm even..."

"I can testify that they only kissed each other and hadn't gone any further."

Tenon looked at Sakayanagi with a resentful expression.

Arisu is the worst!!!

"I didn't expect you to be so affectionate, Tianyin, when you're not around."

Horikita cupped Amane's face in his hands and examined it closely. Amane maintained an awkward smile, but cold sweat kept pouring down her face.

"Don't stay silent. It makes it seem like I'm being unreasonable. You know that's not the kind of person I am, Tianyin. Come on, give us your opinion on this love letter."

Horikita made a gesture as if she were holding a microphone with one hand, then placed her hand near her mouth, indicating that she had no choice but to speak.

"Ahem, I think... it's actually quite practical and cute—hiss!!"

Tianyin suddenly gasped.

Horikita's smile deepened even further.

"So, in your eyes, Karuizawa is a cute girl? Hmm, she's quite pretty. And what else? Did you accept her confession?"

Amane was a little scared and hid behind Sakayanagi. Horikita was acting strangely, so it was best to be careful.

"I didn't accept Hui's confession; I just told her to go home and wait for news."

When Horikita heard that Amane did not immediately accept Karuizawa's confession, the smile on her face faded a little, and she looked much more composed.

Seeing this, Tenon secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Horikita had no intention of pursuing the matter further.

Just when Amane thought she had escaped this calamity, Horikita's next question completely stunned her.

"So, how do you plan to reply to her?"

Chapter 99: Please Confess Your Love to Me

Horikita's casual remark put Amane in a dilemma.

Because she hadn't figured out how to respond to Karuizawa, Amane felt that something was missing between her and Karuizawa. In addition, whether Karuizawa truly understood what attachment and liking were was also a rather serious question.

Seeing that Amane hesitated, Horikita slowly raised his hand and then slammed it on the table.

With a loud bang, Amane's ahoge (cowlick) trembled a few times in fright. Horikita looked at her with a look of complete disappointment. Even Amane had never seen Horikita Suzune like this before.

"You accepted her confession letter without even thinking about how to reply to Karuizawa? How could someone as smart as you do something so foolish? Miyako Amane, you should know how cruel this is for Karuizawa, right? You gave her false hope, and how much torment she must have felt when she waited for your reply with such hope but never received one? I can guess without you saying that you probably left the confession letter because you were afraid of hurting her."

"But do you know what the consequences of your actions will be? You must know how much courage a girl needs to confess to someone, so why do you have to betray her courage and determination? If you can't say yes, just say no. Is that so hard?"

Horikita's views on love made it unacceptable for Amane to be so casual in such a formal setting. Normally, it didn't matter what Amane did, but now Karuizawa was asking her for the position of lover.

This is no longer a situation that can be resolved with a little bit of playful banter and taking advantage of others. Just from Karuizawa's words, Horikita can easily see Karuizawa's love for Amane. It would be understandable if Amane accepted her confession. At least, she thinks that if Amane had accidentally agreed at the time, she could barely understand it.

From both a rational and emotional perspective, Karuizawa's confession was indeed very likely to move others' hearts, so from an absolutely rational point of view, she could understand why Amane accepted another girl's confession.

Of course, understanding is one thing, but whether one can accept it is another. Besides, she doesn't think she will lose to Karuizawa, nor does she think Amane will agree to Karuizawa's request.

Therefore, in Horikita's view, Amane's answer to Karuizawa should only be a refusal, not the ambiguous one she is giving now.

"Rin...would you like to confess your feelings to me now?"

"Confess? Now? In a place like this?"

Horikita was taken aback, glancing somewhat guiltily at Sakayanagi beside her. She had been preparing to confess for a long time, but she had always been hesitant. Now that Amane had suddenly asked her to confess to Sakayanagi in front of an outsider, it was an even greater challenge for Horikita.

"Is it not allowed?"

"It's not that it's impossible, it's just... I'm not mentally prepared to confess yet..."

Horikita lowered his head somewhat awkwardly.

Amane naturally moved from behind Sakayanagi and sat down next to Horikita, as if it had been a long time since she had sat so close to her.

"No need for any preparation. Even if it's just saying something cheesy like you like me or want to be with me, I can take it as a confession. So... Rin, can you say it to me?"

Amane grasped Horikita's hand, looking at her with expectant eyes.

Horikita began to feel uneasy. She hadn't expected things to develop in this way; her plan didn't include a confession at all.

And...shouldn't we wait until I and Sakayanagi have settled things before moving on to this stage? Why is Amane in such a hurry to hear her confession?

Feeling a little shy under the intense gaze, Horikita unconsciously moved her lips.

But every time their eyes met, she would subconsciously try to avoid Tenon's gaze. However, this time, Tenon did not give her a chance to escape. Tenon cupped Horikita's cheeks in her hands, and the smile on her face gradually faded. Tenon stared at Horikita with her most serious attitude.

"Rin, you promised me that when we were on the deserted island, you said you would go through the formal confession process when we came back. Now, I am the most serious version of myself in front of you. I'm really looking forward to your confession, Rin. I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. So... Rin, can you confess to me? Right now, right here. Arisu is our witness. Everything is ready. We're just waiting for you to say the words of confession, and then we'll be lovers."

Tenon affectionately brushed aside Horikita's slightly disheveled hair, her fingertips gently tracing across her soft face, every movement stirring Horikita's heartstrings.

At this point, it would seem rather pretentious for her to refuse any further.

Horikita glanced shyly at Sakayanagi beside her. Amane had just said something embarrassing about asking her to be a witness, and Sakayanagi might just get up and leave.

However, Horikita saw mockery and pity in Sakayanagi's eyes.

It was extremely rare for these two emotions to appear simultaneously, and she couldn't even imagine what kind of feelings Sakayanagi was experiencing to produce such an expression.

Regardless of how she came up with such a complicated expression, who was she pitying? And whose misfortune was she planning to witness?

Horikita vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but at that moment, Tenon had already embraced her in his arms. Feeling that warm and soft body, Horikita had no time to think about those external matters.

Just as Horikita was about to blurt out her confession, her mind suddenly cleared up, and even amidst Amane's overwhelming love, Horikita managed to regain a sliver of rationality.

"If I confess my feelings... Tianyin, you'll say yes, right?"

She was certain that if she confessed to Amane before Sakayanagi did, even Sakayanagi couldn't change the outcome.

The reason is simple: given her current close relationship with Amane, there is no way Amane would reject her confession. If she did reject her confession, all her previous actions would be seen as Amane toying with other people's feelings. In that case, all the girls who have a good relationship with her would have to consider their own worth. Even Horikita Suzune, who has such a good relationship with Amane, was rejected when she confessed. So what are they?

Once the relationship can't progress further, and they've lost all hope, no matter how hard Tianyin tries, she won't fall for it.

Therefore, if she confesses her feelings, it will be an absolute killer move with no chance of "rejection." Tianyin will have no choice but to agree when she has no way to refuse.

Otherwise, even if the answer is ambiguous, Amane will not be able to find a way to compensate Horikita if she wants to maintain their current relationship.

The advantage is entirely in her hands.

but……

Her worst fears came true.

Tianyin looked at her calmly, but showed no intention of answering her question.

Chapter 100: I'm sorry, you're a good person

"Tianyin, why aren't you saying anything..."

Horikita was starting to fear that Amane would give her the answer she found most unacceptable.

"If I give you the answer beforehand, wouldn't there be no nervousness about confessing? Given the relationship between us, the answer is obvious, isn't it?"

Tianyin's tone was very gentle, and her serious face returned to a smile as if the spring snow had just melted.

Seeing Amane like this, Horikita patted her chest with lingering fear. This wretched girl was just trying to create tension; she had thought Amane…

"Next time you want to create a certain atmosphere, please be sure to tell me first. Do you know how scary that is? My heart was pounding in my chest."

As Horikita spoke, she lightly punched Amane twice with her fist. Amane deliberately scared her like this, and it would be a shame not to tease her properly.

However, even though it was just a joke that Amane played on her, it still made Horikita feel a sense of crisis.

She had always thought that the initiative was on her side, since Tianyin should not have refused the option in the first place.

But now that she's about to be confessed to, she realizes that the initiative has never been on her side. She wants Amane to confess to her, but the confessions that come out of Amane's mouth are always so frivolous. Even though Amane has never stopped saying that she 'likes' her, Horikita always has a feeling of unease.

The main reason why their relationship hadn't been officially established even as they were about to enter their second year was that she couldn't figure out Tianyin's true feelings. If Tianyin were to confess, she would probably feel uneasy.

After all, Tianyin has probably said "I like you" to other girls many times, and she doesn't feel that she is the most special one.

Therefore, she had to be the one to confess, partly to put her mind at ease, and partly to take control of the confession process.

Since Horikita Suzune had already decided that she would be the one to confess, then whether or not to confess, and when to confess, should have been up to her. But Amane was able to take away all the advantages that belonged to her with just one sentence.

It has even come to this point where we are caught in a dilemma.

She knew she wasn't ready to confess her feelings yet, but Tianyin kept urging her to do so.

'Wouldn't it be strange if two people who like each other didn't confess?'

When Amane said those words, it was indeed true that it would seem a bit strange to outsiders if two people who were in love didn't go through the process of confessing their feelings. Perhaps this was also the reason why Amane attracted so many suitors; it was because her relationship with Horikita hadn't been officially confirmed that she was so confident.

If they officially confirm their relationship, those annoying girls should keep their distance from Tianyin, right?

Horikita found one reason after another to convince herself that, no matter how you looked at it, confessing now in the mood would be a win-win situation for both of them.

But she just couldn't bring herself to say it. She didn't know why. The sentence, "I want to be your lover, Tianyin," was only a few words long, but she hesitated dozens of times and couldn't utter a single word that conveyed her love.

Amane's gentle gaze was full of encouragement, but Horikita was so anxious she was about to cry.

She can't.

Perhaps she was afraid Tianyin would refuse, or perhaps she wasn't mentally prepared, in any case...

Horikita couldn't bring herself to confess to Amane right now.