Teren has talked about this scenario before. According to the author, even if Ajisai had confessed to Renako before Mai did, they likely wouldn't have ended up together at that point in the story.

Ajisai wasn't the type of person who could keep pushing after being rejected once, and Renako still saw Ajisai more as someone she admired than as a potential romantic partner. More importantly, Renako hadn't developed enough self-confidence yet and wasn't really in a position to accept anyone's confession. Teren basically said that, at that stage, Renako probably wouldn't have been able to say yes to anyone.

That said, Teren also explained that the Quintet members are written as people who are ultimately capable of growing, finding happiness, and earning their own happy endings regardless of the route. So even in a timeline where Ajisai confessed first and was rejected, that wouldn't necessarily mean the relationship had no future. If both of them continued to grow and mature, it's entirely possible they could have reached a different outcome later on.

[https://mond.how/ja/topics/oyjea4zn509ssih/nkul9689p1yh4dy](https://mond.how/ja/topics/oyjea4zn509ssih/nkul9689p1yh4dy)

 That's essentially the author's view on the topic.

What if Ajisai had confessed to Renako before Mai? (Author's perspective)