With a sensation like my consciousness was floating upward, I found myself back in the room where Megiddo-san and Alice were waiting.
"So... how did it go? Even I can't observe what happens inside a Heart Match from the outside."
"U-Uhh, well, I won for now, but I don't know if I'd call it submission, exactly... Also, I awakened my Heart Tool."
"Huh? You mean Memories? Heh, well, congratulations."
"How do you know the name... Wait, that's right. You have Hecatoncheir, so you can see the information on my Heart Tool."
Hecatoncheir was just too powerful for a Heart Tool. Then again, she couldn't do anything with it on her own; it was likely a cheat-level ability born from evolving alongside Alice time and time again.
While that thought crossed my mind, I turned toward Megiddo-san. He had his eyes closed as if searching for something within himself. Suddenly, his body emitted a reddish-black light. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing a brilliant, piercing red.
However, unlike the eyes of his destructive impulse, I could sense the light of reason within that radiance.
"Heh... Hahaha! It seems that getting thrashed by Kaito really hit home. I've got it under perfect control now. Looks like I wasn't wrong to ask you after all. Seriously, you're quite a guy."
"Ohh, to think you actually made that blockhead submit. As I thought, Kaito-san might actually be world-class when it comes to raw mental power."
It seemed the submission had been a success, and Megiddo-san had brought his destructive impulse completely under his control. Now, even if he exerted his full power, he wouldn't go on a rampage against his own will.
At any rate, the matter was successfully resolved. I picked up the black tea Alice had prepared at some point and took a sip. Since the battle had taken place in a mental world, it hadn't physically affected my body, but I still felt a wave of mental exhaustion.
"Alright, I'm sold! You can have your way with me, Kaito!"
"Pffft!?"
I sprayed my tea everywhere at Megiddo-san’s sudden, nonsensical declaration.
"Oh, or if you'd rather be the one on the receiving end, that's fine too. I guess we can figure that out while we're doing it. For now, first things first—!"
Alice punched Megiddo-san just as he put his hands on his clothes to strip.
"Ow, ow... Hey, what was that for, Shaltier?"
"That's my line! What are you suddenly getting all worked up for, you Shitty Gorilla!"
"Huh? Like I said, I fell for Kaito from the bottom of my heart during that fight, so I told him he can have me. Letting someone else take the lead is a first for me, you know? But everyone has their preferences. If Kaito wants, I can be the one on top..."
"That's not what I mean! I'm telling you to take things in stages! Are you a muscle-brain even when it comes to romance!?"
I was extremely grateful for Alice's intervention. Megiddo-san looked genuinely confused, his logic seemingly beginning and ending with "I fell for him, so we should sleep together."
In response to his confusion, Alice began explaining the fundamentals of romance with the intensity of a raging fire.
"...Ah, so, basically, it's that? You're saying if I'm going to do that, I should make Kaito fall for me first? We can just worry about that afterward."
"No, we can't! For starters, don't you ever consider that you might be outside of Kaito-san's preferences or something?"
"Huh? That doesn't matter. I'll just have to make him fall for me so hard his tastes and fetishes change to suit me."
"This guy is way too 'strong style'..."
As expected of Megiddo-san, his frontal breakthrough stance applied even to romance. He was terrifyingly straightforward.
While I was processing this, Megiddo-san leaned in close, peering intently into my face. In his true form, Megiddo-san was an incredible beauty, and my heart skipped a beat despite myself.
"Well, apparently that's how it is, so I've decided to take a little more time with this."
"Y-Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you did..."
His eyes were sparkling, and a smile played on his lips. It felt less like a lover's gaze and more like a predator that had finally locked onto its prey.
"So, I'll restrain myself to just this much for today."
"Just this—mmph!?"
With an incredibly natural movement, Megiddo-san kissed me. Wait—what!? This was way too sudden! And his lips were so soft...
While I was frozen in a daze, Megiddo-san was immediately sent flying. Naturally, it was Alice's doing.
"I said, what do you think you're doing, you Shitty Gorilla!!"
"Ugh... What? You told me to take it slow and go in stages, so I thought I'd start with that..."
"Your first move is a kiss!? Good grief... I'm going to have to get Kuro-san to help me hammer the essence of romance into this person..."
In front of the heavily sighing Alice, Megiddo-san wore a blank, innocent expression as if he truly didn't understand the problem. Whether he was just being too proactive or what, I had certainly reconfirmed that he was a truly outrageous individual.
I felt a deep sense of anxiety about what the future held.
Serious-senpai: Gyaaaaaah! Restrain yourself! Your actions are way too fast!!
???: Seriously, this gorilla really does act the second he thinks of something...