episode 5

## Project: Love-Hate — Part 5: The Final Decision (Finale)

Len’s face was inches away from Rin’s. Rin’s heart was pounding wildly, and she felt herself getting lost in the intensity of Len’s gaze. She was just about to close her eyes when, suddenly, a deep voice boomed from around the bend in the corridor.

"Len! Stop forcing Rin like this."

Both of them recoiled in shock. Standing before them was Reo, his eyes blazing with anger. He stepped forward and pried Len’s hand away from Rin’s wrist.

"Reo? What are you doing here?" Rin asked nervously.

"I came looking for you, Rin," Reo said with great seriousness. Then, he turned and looked directly into Len’s eyes. "The festival challenge is over, Len. All the votes at the counter have been tallied... and I’ve won. The girls gave more votes to the desserts I created and to my service."

A wave of disappointment washed over Len’s face for a fleeting moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He clenched his fists and said, "So what if you won? That doesn't prove that Rin belongs to you."

"No, what it proves is that your childish antics and bullying tactics aren't going to work anymore," Reo said, taking Rin’s hand in his. "Rin, let's get out of here. You have no reason to stay with him."

Rin paused for a moment. She noticed that Len had lowered his head. The boy who was always laughing and smiling in front of the entire class looked—for the very first time—completely quiet and despondent. There were still traces of small cuts on her hands—perhaps from scouring bookstores last night, or from the hustle and bustle of festival preparations that morning.

That was when Rin realized it. Reo was perfect; he was polite, and superior in every way. Yet, her heart had never fluttered for Reo. Her heart beat, instead, for that fool who left a carton of strawberry milk on her desk every morning just to tease her.

Rin gently withdrew her hand from Reo’s grasp. Reo looked at her in astonishment.

"I’m sorry, Reo," Rin said in a soft yet clear voice. "You’re a wonderful person, but... I can’t go with you."

Len looked up in surprise. Suddenly, a new spark of hope lit up in his eyes.

Rin walked toward Len. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down slightly toward her. Her face was still flushed with embarrassment, but this time, there was no hesitation in her voice.

"Len, you really are a complete idiot. Your timing is always terrible, you tease me in front of everyone, and that weird smirk of yours... it honestly drives me crazy," Rin said.

Len’s heart was just about to sink when Rin, smiling, finished her thought: "But... I love the way you hide your concern behind all that teasing. I hate you, Len... but perhaps now, I’ve fallen in love with that hatred, too."

Upon hearing this, the widest, most beautiful smile in the world spread across Len’s face. Without wasting a single moment, he stepped forward and pulled Rin into a tight embrace. It felt as though the entire world had come to a standstill right there. The last golden rays of the evening sun, streaming through the corridor window, shone down upon them both. Reo took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and—with a faint smile—turned around and walked away. He had realized that he could never truly come between them in this 'love-hate' game.

"So... does this mean that starting tomorrow morning, you'll happily accept my strawberry milk?" Len asked teasingly, burying his face in Rin's hair.

Rin gave him a gentle shove and, laughing, replied, "Don't get too full of yourself, Mr. Prince! I still have plenty of your habits to fix."

Len took her hand in his. "You have a whole lifetime for that, my Princess."

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