Make Them Love Me Or They'll End The World-Chapter 143: Who Are You?

The room was silent.

Not the comfortable silence that came from sharing space with people you trusted, but the kind that gnawed at the edges of your nerves. Kentaro sat there, his body stiff, his breath unsteady. Across from him, three pairs of eyes blinked back at him, Serica, Yura, and Aria, all beautiful, all familiar, and yet… Utterly foreign.

Their stares were vacant, like freshly written pages stripped of ink.

Kentaro swallowed hard. His hands trembled under the table, hidden from view, but his eyes stayed fixed on them. They were narrowed as though glaring, but deep inside, fear and uncertainty swirled like a storm.

"All I know is… I live here."

The first to speak was Serica. Her soft voice cracked faintly, but the way she said it was as though she was reciting something half-remembered, a fact she couldn't prove but somehow believed.

Kentaro's eyes widened slightly. His heart lurched.

"So you know you're living here… But you don't know why?" he asked carefully, his tone low, steady, desperate not to scare her further.

Serica tilted her head. Her lips parted, but no answer came at first. It was as if she had to pull the thought up from beneath dark waters.

"Well… I don't know it. I remember being in a plaza and then… I was here." Her eyes dropped, guilt flashing across her face, and she glanced sideways at Yura, almost like begging her to fill in the blanks.

Kentaro's chest tightened.

He turned. "…Then you, Yura?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The black-haired girl leaned back, arms crossed, eyes sharp as ever. But her sharpness was different now; it wasn't prideful, commanding, or fiery. It was hollow. Empty.

For a moment, silence stretched. Kentaro could almost hear the clock on the wall ticking. Yura pressed her fingers against the table, tapping once, twice, before she finally spoke.

"Well, human… From what I remember…" She narrowed her eyes, almost as if she distrusted her own memory. "I was on an island. How I got there, I'm not sure. But I have this faint memory of… Humans attacking me. Then I was just here. In this house."

Her voice didn't waver. But there was no conviction in it either. Just words that fell like stones into the still air.

Kentaro's head dropped for a moment, his thoughts racing. So it's fragments. Their memories don't stretch past where I found them…

Slowly, his gaze shifted to Aria. "What about you?"

The girl with red hair sat quietly, her posture small, her voice even smaller.

"…A busy city. I think Tokyo. Then I found myself here."

Her tone was flat, uncertain, like she wasn't even sure if she had dreamed it.

Kentaro exhaled slowly, then forced a smile, though his lips shook.

"Right… I know you might not believe me, but here I go."

He shut his eyes, drew in a long breath, and then said it.

"I love you."

The words tore out of him with such rawness that even he was startled by them.

All three girls' eyes widened. Their faces flushed red instantly, blood rushing to their cheeks in perfect unison.

"Wh-what!?" They all shouted together, their voices overlapping in panicked harmony.

Kentaro's grin widened sheepishly as he threw both hands up.

"Wait, wait, before you kill me, tell me how you feel." His voice softened.

The girls exchanged bewildered glances, but their answers came together, as if pulled from the same invisible thread.

"Funny. And… my heart is racing."

Kentaro froze. His chest squeezed painfully as he looked down at the table.

"So they… Do you still have feelings for me? But the memories that shape those feelings, they're gone."

Yura suddenly shot up to her feet. Her finger jabbed at him accusingly.

"What is the meaning of this, boy? You say you love me, then you say it to them as well! Do you not value your life?!"

Kentaro flinched, holding his palms out. "No, no, no! I meant it! I just-I was testing something. Please, if you'll let me explain, I'll tell you everything we've been through. All of us." His voice grew small toward the end, weighed down by the guilt of having to retell their own lives to them.

The sight of him, shoulders hunched, eyes downcast, made even Yura hesitate. With a reluctant huff, she dropped back into her seat.

"Very well, human. Speak."

Serica and Aria both nodded faintly, their eyes wide with curiosity.

So Kentaro spoke.

For the next hour, his voice filled the room. He recounted everything: the plaza where he met Serica, the island with Yura, and the Tokyo encounter with Aria. He told them of battles fought, laughter shared, and the fears they'd overcome. Every triumph, every wound, every scar etched into their journey together.

He didn't exaggerate, didn't dramatise. He spoke with trembling honesty, his words dripping with sincerity, as if he were clutching onto these stories not just for them but for himself, too.

By the time he finished, his throat was dry, his eyes watery.

"…And that's why we're here. That's why you're with me." His voice was barely above a whisper.

For a long moment, silence reigned again.

Then Serica leaned forward. Her voice was soft, but there was a tremble to it.

"So… You're telling me I've been with you through all that. And you saved me three times already."

Kentaro scratched the back of his head, his cheeks burning.

"Y-yeah… Well, for you girls, I'd do anything." He let out a dry, nervous laugh.

Aria's lips curled into the faintest smile.

"…Thank you, Kentaro. I don't know why you go so far for us. But… I'm grateful."

Yura smirked, standing tall again. Arms crossed, chin high.

"Hmph. Very well. For your hard work and dedication… I will allow you to remain here."

"…But this is my place," Kentaro muttered, eyebrow twitching.

Before Yura could fire back, the apartment door creaked open.

Tenka. Haruka. Shogo.

"Sorry for leaving again, but I brought these two," Tenka said with a soft smile.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. The three Alberlines stiffened, glaring at the newcomers as though they were trespassers in their home.

"Who are these other two uninvited guests?" Yura asked coldly.

"Relax, relax! These are the people who helped me save you," Kentaro said with a chuckle.

Shogo didn't waste a second. He sprinted forward, voice booming.

"Yura! You might've lost your memories, but surely you haven't forgotten me!"

Yura's glare sharpened.

"This fool must have a death wish."

"No! No! He's just an idiot!" Kentaro jumped up, flailing.

Shogo blinked, then, perhaps realising his mistake, dropped to one knee.

"I apologise, Miss Yura. Please forgive my ignorance."

Yura's frown twisted into a pleased smirk.

"Very well. You shall be my dog. Serve me well."

Kentaro sighed, rubbing his temple. "I swear this is déjà vu…"

Then, BAM!

Tenka's foot slammed into Shogo's gut, sending him flying into Kentaro's room.

"My room…" Kentaro muttered, eyes hollow.

"Thank you, Commander!" Shogo's muffled moan cried from the wreckage.

The scene devolved into chaos, but eventually, Tenka managed to explain everything: Halcyon, Cradle, Spire, the play, Shaula. By the end, the girls had a rough understanding, though confusion still lingered in their expressions.

Serica tilted her head.

"So… After all that, we're meant to do a play?"

"Exactly," Tenka said with a sigh.

Haruka adjusted her glasses. "If they're not up for acting, we can place them backstage."

"Hmph. As if I'd settle for a side role. Give me the best part," Yura demanded.

Kentaro chuckled nervously. "Well… About that…"

Kentaro explained the 'best role' behind his role as the MC.

"Ah. Princess. Kissing you." Yura tapped her lips thoughtfully. "Hmmm. Strange. But… It doesn't sound bad."

Serica and Aria both flushed crimson, shrinking back, too shy to even consider it.

But Tenka's expression hardened.

"Yura… That role's already taken."

Yura's gaze shot toward her.

"Tsch. I demand a switch."

Tenka didn't flinch. Their eyes clashed like blades.

"Don't think that's happening."

The tension was palpable, lightning sparking between them. Kentaro panicked.

"W-wait! Before you two destroy my apartment, Yura, how about you be the antagonist?"

"…Who the hell is that?" Yura asked flatly, eyebrow raised.

Before Kentaro could even open his mouth, BAM! Shogo suddenly slid out from behind the couch like he'd been hiding there all along, nearly tripping over his own foot as he struck a dramatic pose.

"THE ONE WHO MAKES THE MAIN CHARACTER'S LIFE ABSOLUTE HELL!" he shouted, finger pointing skyward like some second-rate stage actor.

Kentaro blinked, then, in perfect sync with Shogo, threw his arms wide and screamed, "YEAH, EXACTLY THAT!"

A beat of silence. Everyone just stared.

Kentaro's face went pale. He spun on Shogo instantly.

"Wait, why are you even here?!"

Shogo puffed his chest out, totally ignoring the question. "I go where the drama is!"

"…I hate you so much right now," Kentaro muttered, burying his face in his hands.

Tenka sighed, cracked her knuckles, and punched Shogo in the gut, sending him sprawling.

Even after that over-the-top sales pitch, Yura seemed to mull it over. Then she smirked.

"Fine. As long as she's important."

Kentaro breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted.

For now.

Later that night, silence finally returned to the apartment.

Kentaro lay in his bed for the first time in what felt like forever. The faint rustle of trees outside the window filled the air. In the living room, the three Alberlines slept, or tried to.

"Jeez… This feels weird," Kentaro muttered, rolling onto his side.

"Yeah, but silence isn't the worst thing." Tenka's voice drifted up from the futon beside him, soft and calm.

"True… But the girls just chose to sleep out there instead of with me. Doesn't that seem weird to you?"

Tenka giggled, rolling to face him.

"Hahaha. Kentaro, you're such a pervert."

His face burned crimson.

"N-no! That's not what I meant! You know that!"

Her smile lingered, but in her heart, a darker thought coiled. She shouldn't have been happy about their memory loss. She shouldn't have felt relief at having Kentaro to herself again. But… She did. Just a little. Enough to sting.

"Ken…" She whispered.

He stopped mid-protest, eyes meeting hers.

"Yeah?"

"Sometimes I wonder... If everything disappeared, if there were no Alberlines, no halcyon, none of this, just me and you, like before I introduced you to everything... Would you still choose me to be by my side?"

Kentaro blinked. Then smiled softly.

"Of course, Tenka. Without you, I wouldn't even know where I'd be. I still remember how we met… Though, lately, it's getting fuzzier."

Her lips curled faintly.

"Heheh… I'm surprised you remember that. Yeah. That park… I wonder if it's still there."

"…Park?" Kentaro frowned, sitting up. "Wait. I swear it was under a tree."

Tenka froze. Her eyes widened slightly as she sat up too.

"No, Ken. I know it was the park. The outskirts of Oshawa. Don't tell me you're forgetting everything now."

But Kentaro's mind had gone back to the image of a tree, not a park. A tall, lonely tree swaying in the wind.

"…Maybe I'm just tired," he muttered, lying back down.

Tenka sighed, lying back down too.

"Yeah… Get some sleep, dummy."

"Sure. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah…"

The room fell silent again. But Tenka's eyes lingered on the ceiling. Her thoughts repeated one word, over and over, echoing in her mind until sleep finally claimed her.

"Tree… huh?"