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

Just as Horikita and Sakayanagi were discussing how to make Amane look bad, Amane, who was holding Airi, raised her hand to the two of them.

"This kind of thing shouldn't be said in front of me, right? Suzune! You can't let Arisu lead you astray..."

Before Tianyin could finish speaking, one of her arms was pulled into someone's embrace.

"Alright, stop chatting and come play games with everyone!"

Ichinose grabbed Amane's arm and tried to drag her into the pool. Amane's last shred of reason was trying to awaken her last vestige of conscience, controlling parts of her body in a struggle.

until……

Hui quietly took Airi away from her arms, and Tianze, who had been swimming over, took advantage of Tianyin's unpreparedness and leaped out of the water, wrapping his legs around Tianyin's back like an octopus while covering Tianyin's eyes with his hands.

Guess who I am~

"You wicked woman! Release Tianyin right now!!"

When Nanase saw that Amasawa was cheating and actually swam over to ambush Amane, she could only grab Amasawa and try to pull him off Amane's back.

Little did she know that when Nanase pulled, Amane was also dragged to the edge of the pool.

"Miss Amane looks so cute when she's working hard~ But today, everyone just wants to see your brave side."

Hayasaka approached Amane and gently poked her forehead. The poke caused Amane's body to lean back sharply. Realizing that she couldn't escape, Amane used all her strength to throw her phone away before falling into the pool.

Her phone has countless valuable things stored on it; she absolutely cannot die in a place like this!!

With a splash, Tianyin plunged into the water, and the entire pool erupted in chaos, filled with the screams and playful shouts of the girls.

Sakayanagi sat down on a deck chair and pressed the barrier switch, instantly turning the previously enclosed swimming pool into an open-air pool.

Many girls even brought volleyball nets, seemingly planning to play a game of volleyball in the water. Hui, being the more clever one, suggested playing "Red Light, Green Light" in the water...

Sakayanagi showed a satisfied expression as she watched the various antics of the crowd, but she soon realized that the atmosphere was still a little lacking.

"Kaede, turn on all the speakers in the swimming pool. Masumi, go and bring in the snacks and drinks we prepared for everyone."

Hearing that Sakayanagi was really going to make a big fuss here like a party, Kamuro felt a little guilty and whispered in Sakayanagi's ear.

"Sakayanagi, are you really planning to bring food and drinks in? That's against school rules."

No food or drinks are allowed in the changing room of the swimming pool, let alone in the pool area.

"Sigh, Masumi, you've been with me for so long, how come you're still so inflexible? If I remember correctly, the swimming pool rules don't allow food and drinks inside, but when did I bring food and drinks in?"

"Huh? You mean you want me to take the blame?"

Kamuro assumed that Sakayanagi meant that 'she' didn't bring anything in, so it didn't violate school rules.

Kamuro, who was actually in charge of carrying out the plan, became the unlucky scapegoat. Just when Kamuro was so angry that she was thinking about throwing Sakayanagi into the pool as well, she found that Sakayanagi was looking at her like she was an idiot.

"Now I understand why you were persuaded by that guy Hashimoto to think that you and your friends could sideline me and replace me with a new class leader. What I mean is, who will know if you bring these things in? The student council is in charge of the surveillance, but who is in charge of the student council? I turned off the surveillance in the swimming pool a long time ago. You can do it without worry. No one will know what you brought here."

After speaking casually, Sakayanagi lay down on the recliner with a relaxed expression.

Only Kamuro, his hands and feet ice-cold, stood beside her like a wooden chicken, feeling a bone-chilling cold throughout his body and even his hands and feet.

"One, two, three! Statue, don't move!"

As soon as Amane turned around, she saw Nanase with a flushed face almost face-to-face with her. Logically speaking, Nanase should have won, but this pool-like "one, two, three, freeze" game doesn't have a concept of winning or losing, mainly because you can't move.

"Tsubasa, you have to hold on and not move!"

"I...I'll try my best!! Hmm..."

"Tsk tsk, I feel like you've gotten a bit more developed, Yi?"

"Please, please don't say it out loud, it's so embarrassing... um..."

The large group of girls behind Nanase watched as Nanase was bullied by Amane and could only make single-syllable sounds. They blushed and deliberately showed off their figures to Amane.

Tianyin naturally noticed the others' covetous gazes towards her; wasn't she also always poised to strike?

Seeing that Nanase had actually survived the first round without even moving, Amane had no choice but to reward her with a bite, and then started walking to the back.

"Hey! Tianyin, stop touching me like that!"

"Tianyin, how could you have left me out? Come back and start over!"

"No way, sister, you couldn't hold back after only three strokes? How are we supposed to play like this? I haven't even been checked yet! I should have gone to the front."

Tianyin swam from beginning to end, her smile never stopping. She had seen all sorts of girls today, and it wasn't just her deliberately groping her. Some girls, taking advantage of her being underwater when she said not to move, would secretly take advantage of Tianyin when she got close.

Girls are indeed such strange creatures; they won't hesitate at all when it's time to take advantage.

"After this round, only Shichang moved! So Shichang, you have to accept the punishment!"

Fukuyama Shisho, who was led to the front, blushed and completely lost her usual gentle and dignified demeanor.

"I'm so sorry, this is the first time I've been so close to Tianyin in front of everyone, I wasn't mentally prepared for this... May I ask what the punishment is?"

Fukuyama glanced embarrassedly at Fukuyama Shinobu, who was standing in the water looking at her with a helpless expression.

Being forced to do that kind of thing in front of her younger sister and everyone else was quite shameful for Fukuyama Shisho, who was relatively conservative. However, since she had agreed to play, she accepted her loss and was willing to accept it.

"For punishment, just draw one card randomly from there."

Tianze tried hard to hide the smile on his lips, and then took out a small, dark box from somewhere. Fukuyama Shishou, who sensed something was wrong, was about to add a condition, but found it was too late. Under everyone's gaze, Fukuyama Shishou could only bite the bullet and pull out a small piece of paper from the box, which was in a waterproof bag.

"Perform a set of O-shaped love gestures with Tianyin"

Tianze read the contents of the note aloud.

The entire pool erupted in commotion as the girls stared in horror at Tianze, who was laughing heartily.

This first-year student is a devil!

Fukuyama Shisho almost fainted from embarrassment upon hearing the details of the punishment, and his hand holding the small note began to tremble.

Although she was willing to accept the consequences of her bet, this kind of thing was... a little... for her.

"Heaven, Heavenly Sound..."

Fukuyama Shishou looked at Amane with pleading eyes. Amane gently stroked Fukuyama Shishou's hair and then took the punishment note from her hand.

Just when Fukuyama Shishou thought that Tenon was going to change her punishment, she saw Tenon looking at her with a wicked smile.

"Shichang, what kind of movements do you like?"

……

"Young people these days are really lively."

Sakayanagi sipped his chilled orange juice while watching the group of people having a great time.

"When did you start talking in such an old-fashioned tone? You're clearly the same age as us, yet you keep talking about young people. I've only ever seen and heard girls who want to stay young forever. I've never seen anyone like you who doesn't mind elevating their age and seniority."

Sipping on chilled tomato juice he brought from home, Horikita lay down on the recliner next to Sakayanagi.

Large birthday parties like this are either intended to let Tianyin have a good time or to cater to people who don't usually see her or want to get closer to her. People like them, whose status is already stable, can have their fun for a while. Horikita chose to give her time to the 'newcomers' who need it more than them. Otherwise, if she just stood there, Tianyin would basically have to revolve around her, and she wouldn't have time to wander around among the flowers.

Anyway, there's plenty of time in the evening. They'll have plenty of time to spend with Amane in the future, so there's no rush. Besides, even she felt a little uncomfortable in front of so many people, let alone Ichinose and Karuizawa.

The two of them had long since left the pool and were sitting by the pool, eating ice cream and discussing whose figure was better.

"Horikita-kun, did you know that a doctor once said I wouldn't live past 25?"

The moment Sakayanagi spoke, the atmosphere around them changed. Horikita, who was drinking his beverage, froze in mid-air and only slowly put it down after a long while.

"Could it be a misdiagnosis? Doctors often exaggerate patients' conditions to earn more money..."

"That person is already the best cardiologist in the country."

"..."

Horikita fell silent.

The topic had become so heavy that Horikita had no idea how to respond.

"Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think. I've already prepared myself mentally for that day to come. I'm 17 years old this year, which means that if his diagnosis is correct, I have 8 years left to live."

The thought that I can spend another 8 years with Tianyin fills me with immense satisfaction. If I had to say what regrets I have in my life, it would probably be that I only met Tianyin when I was six, didn't dare to tell her I liked her until I was fifteen, and didn't truly confess our feelings and overcome that hurdle in our hearts until we were sixteen.

Sakayanagi looked at Horikita with an expression that was hard to describe in words—an expression that was a mixture of regret and sadness, sadness mixed with happiness, and happiness containing a hint of regret.

"So even though we are the same age, I feel like I have already lived most of my life, so when I see you all so full of energy, I can't help but sigh at the beauty of youth."

There's something I've been wanting to ask you.

Horikita gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind to confront Sakayanagi completely today. She had kept that matter in her heart for a very long time. Originally, Horikita planned to wait until graduation to confront Sakayanagi, but now it had come to the point where she had to speak up earlier.

"Oh? Then tell me about it. Anyway, Tianyin won't get enough of playing around in a short time. We have some time today, so we can have a good chat."

Sakayanagi readily agreed to Horikita's request.

Why did you allow those girls to get close to Tianyin?

Horikita pointed to the girls who were surrounding Amane and asked Sakayanagi beside her.

"What's wrong with them? Aren't they all quite cute? Tianyin likes them too."

"But what they took away was Tianyin's affection for you."

As soon as Horikita spoke, she realized that what she said was far too direct, like rubbing salt into Sakayanagi's wounds. So Horikita quickly tried to change her words, but saw Sakayanagi looking at her with a half-smile.

"According to Horikita-kun, wouldn't you be the one who took away the most of Amane's affection for me?"

Sakayanagi's words made Horikita blush, but she didn't know how to respond.

Seeing Horikita's embarrassed expression, Sakayanagi waved his hand.

"I'm sorry, please don't take it to heart. I was just joking. Actually, I understand what you mean, Horikita-kun. That's why I'm willing to share Amane's feelings for me with someone else, right?"

Sakayanagi directly pointed out the core question that Horikita had hidden in her words. Seeing Horikita nod and make a serious listening expression, Sakayanagi couldn't help but chuckle.

"I didn't expect you guys to still be debating this issue. The answer is simple: I need someone to stay with Amane until the end. Horikita-kun, is my answer satisfactory to you?"

Sakayanagi smiled nonchalantly and looked at Horikita.

Horikita's lips moved for a long time, as if she was thinking or organizing her thoughts. In any case, after a while, she finally answered in a somewhat incredulous tone.

"Is that really all there is to it? If, I mean, if it's really as you just said, then shouldn't one receive all of Tianyin's love in their final moments to avoid any regrets?"

Sakayanagi pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then composed himself and spoke with an extremely serious expression and tone.

"Horikita-kun, if it were you, would you really choose to possess everything in Amane during the last moments of your life?"

"Of course! I know my answer might make you think I'm a bit selfish, but feelings are supposed to be selfish. People like you, Sakayanagi, are the odd ones out in the eyes of normal people."

Horikita's answer was decisive, but it only earned her a sigh from Sakayanagi.

"That's why you chose Horikita Suzune instead of Sakayanagi Arisu. What's the point of letting her pour all her love into me? To make her cry her heart out when I'm gone? Knowing her personality, she might even do something foolish like wanting to leave this world with me. Many people say that Amane is fickle and promiscuous, but in my eyes, she's the one with the purest and most transparent heart. She knows what I want to do, which is why she tried to make herself like other people, like..."

Sakayanagi's gaze met Horikita's for a fleeting moment, then the latter quickly looked away as if trying to escape something.

"Even if you say that, it won't sway me. I love Tianyin, and Tianyin loves me. I know that's enough."

Sakayanagi couldn't help but laugh when he detected a hint of fear in Horikita's voice.

"Don't be afraid. I am not your enemy, not now, and not ever. If I really considered you an enemy, you would never have had the chance to get to Tianyin's side. No, to put it another way, you wouldn't even be qualified to enter this school. From the very beginning, it was my request to my father to tamper with the enrollment list so that you could get into this school smoothly. It was also my painful decision to put Tianyin, who should have been in the same class as me, into your class. Don't you understand what happened?"

Sakayanagi's words shocked Horikita, who opened her eyes wide. She had always thought that her encounter with Amane was just a coincidence, but now it seemed that everything about her was arranged by someone else. Her fate was being manipulated by someone else in a way that she couldn't see, but Horikita hadn't noticed any trace of it.

This is absolutely insane!!

"Why did you do this? What good did it do you? You gave me half of Tianyin's love, and all you got in return was my greed and hostility, wanting to possess all of Tianyin's love. What is your purpose?"

Horikita had absolutely no idea why Sakayanagi would do that.

Horikita originally thought that Amane's closeness to her was because of the promise they made years ago. This made Horikita feel that the chance encounter between her and Amane after several years and their subsequent relationship was a beautiful story. However, Horikita suddenly realized that things were not as simple as she thought.

"Why? Would you believe me if I said it was to repay a debt of gratitude? If it weren't for you lending Tianyin the vehicle, I probably would have lost my life in that downpour. Having narrowly escaped death, I want to repay you in some way. But if it's something about profit... that seems a bit vulgar. So, I'll give you half of my most precious possession. That should be enough to settle the debt I owe you. And my most precious possession is Tianyin, so... I'll allow her to fulfill her promise to you. It's that simple."

Sakayanagi's relaxed tone made it sound like he was talking about something trivial, but the sheer amount of information conveyed in his words made Horikita frown. For a moment, even she couldn't tell whether what Sakayanagi was saying was true or false.

Are there such selfless people in the world? Horikita didn't know, because she wasn't a selfless person, so she couldn't imagine what a selfless person would look like, but if there were, they would probably be like Sakayanagi.

But this was something Horikita found hard to accept in a short time. Amane and her beginning did not originate from a fateful reunion, but from Sakayanagi's fulfillment, or rather, charity.

This was hard for Horikita to accept; things shouldn't have turned out this way!

"I know that you have regarded me as an enemy from the very beginning, and you still are now. Even when you stand respectfully in front of me, or even when you deliberately imitate me and act magnanimously in front of Tianyin, your real purpose is to diminish my influence around Tianyin."

I also know that you want to see me lose more than anyone else, and you even teamed up with Hashimoto to support him as the class leader, hoping to make me too busy dealing with student council and class affairs and eventually force me to give up one of them... I have to say, Horikita-kun, you are the most suitable partner for Amane among all the people I have ever met. Although you are not the one I rate the highest, you are the most suitable one because you are ruthless enough and have learned to disguise and scheme after failure... You have already surpassed your brother Horikita Manabu, but... what you have done seems to me as childish as playing house.

Because no matter if I lose once, ten times, a hundred times, or a thousand times, it won't affect my position in Tianyin's heart. She might even feel that I've been bullied and want to stand up for me. Horikita-kun, sometimes please take a longer-term view. I've entrusted Tianyin's future to you, but you've been playing house here. It's inevitable that I'll feel like I've entrusted the wrong person.

You don't need to be afraid, nor do you need to doubt that Tianyin truly likes you. You don't need to constantly think about how to surpass my position in Tianyin's heart. Rest assured, everything I have now will be yours in the future. So please promise me one thing, okay?