Shoutout to Mark, Mandy G, GMandyG for their pledges. An extra chapter just to show my appreciation.
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Eriri was naturally distressed. The times were different now, and the old ways of handling things wouldn't cut it anymore. She could, of course, approach Kanade slowly and steadily, allowing their relationship to develop at a comfortable pace. But doing so came with a dangerous risk—
One day, Kanade might just casually bring a cute girl to stand before her and say—
"Eri, this is my girlfriend. To prevent any misunderstandings, let's not contact each other anymore."
"..."
Absolutely not! Such a scenario was completely unacceptable. Just imagining it made her chest tighten as if an invisible rope was slowly squeezing the air out of her lungs.
"Mmm..."
In her deepening spiral of depression, she momentarily forgot about the sheer embarrassment of having an indirect kiss with her crush. Instead, her mind was consumed by a terrifying vision of the future, one where she was completely abandoned by Kanade.
Subconsciously, she lowered her head and chomped on her sandwich with renewed determination. Meanwhile, her small, delicate hand discreetly reached out and latched onto Kanade's sleeve, clinging tightly as if grasping for a lifeline.
Natsukawa Kanade felt the slight tug on his arm and turned to look at her. When he saw the way Eriri was subtly holding onto him, he blinked in mild surprise.
So shy over something so small? Heh, how unexpectedly cute.
Thinking she was simply feeling embarrassed about the indirect kiss situation, he smiled softly and patted the back of her hand, offering a silent reassurance—'It's okay, Yukinoshita-san isn't the type to gossip.'
Feeling the gentle tap against her skin, Eriri instinctively glanced up, only to find Kanade looking right at her with a calm and comforting expression. Then—he actually winked at her.
Wha—?!
What the hell does that mean?!
Her brain short-circuited.
Doing something this shameless in front of others—so bold! What if they got caught?!
If Kanade could hear her inner thoughts, he'd probably be baffled, but at that moment, Eriri's mind was running wild.
She knew it was something she shouldn't be doing, yet now that it had happened, she couldn't shake off the feeling of... shame and excitement intertwined. It was like she had turned into one of the blonde-haired tsundere characters from the stories she had written, with Kanade as the oblivious male lead being drawn into her pace.
Guuu! No! Focus! She couldn't let her imagination derail her now!
"..."
"Although it's not my place to say this, as the student council president, shouldn't you be mindful of your public image when interacting with others?" Yukinoshita Yukino's voice cut through the moment, her tone poised and businesslike.
With her cool and collected expression, it would almost seem as though she was merely offering a polite reminder—if not for the subtle sharpness in her gaze.
Natsukawa Kanade stiffened slightly. Wait—did she notice his little gesture under the table?
Feeling a tad awkward, he coughed lightly. "Well... I suppose that's true..."
Just as he was about to discreetly pull his hand away, something unexpected happened—
Eriri tightened her grip.
"This has nothing to do with Yukinoshita-san, does it? Even if I'm not as refined as you, I don't think it's so bad that I embarrass Kanade just by being with him." Her voice carried a trace of irritation, her usual proud demeanor making a return.
Logically, she knew that Yukinoshita wasn't actually criticizing her. But the way she spoke, with that detached, almost condescending tone—it instantly reminded Eriri of a certain infuriating black-haired woman she often clashed with.
Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Their personalities were completely different. Their body types? Opposites. Even their manner of speech wasn't the same. And yet—Eriri instantly recognized the core of it.
This girl was definitely another love rival!
If that was the case, there was no need to be polite. No matter how cute or elegant the other party was, there was no way she could consider them a friend. The only exception would be if Yukinoshita was willing to be her model for artwork like Kato Megumi.
In the past, she had cared too much about superficial social relationships, which led to a painful distance forming between her and Kanade. But she had learned from her mistakes.
Now, she knew who the truly important people in her life were.
A single high-quality relationship was far more valuable than a dozen shallow ones.
And when it came to Natsukawa Kanade, her favorite idiot?
She absolutely wasn't going to let go of him this time—no matter what.
"Since Yukinoshita-san knows it's not your place to comment, then it has nothing to do with you who Kanade wants to associate with, right? It's his own choice, and neither you nor I have the right to interfere." Eriri frowned, her tone slightly sharp.
Truthfully, she wasn't great at talking back, but after spending so much time with Kasumigaoka, she had picked up a thing or two. Still, her own sense of propriety kept her from going too far with her words.
"Indeed, Yukinoshita-san is very cute and has a lovely voice, but that doesn't mean all boys will revolve around you. At the very least, Kanade isn't that superficial… right?" She turned her head towards Natsukawa Kanade, giving him an expectant, confident look.
However, Kanade hesitated, his gaze shifting slightly.
"Ah… uh… maybe…"
Of course, Natsukawa Kanade felt guilty. After all, there was a time when he had been drawn to Yukino, orbiting her like a lost satellite.
Now, under her sharp gaze, lying was simply not an option.
Seeing his reaction, the corners of Yukinoshita Yukino's lips curled up slightly. The irritation she had initially felt dissipated somewhat, replaced by quiet amusement.
As for Eriri—she was frozen in place.
She wasn't stupid. The situation was painfully obvious—he was feeling guilty!
The funniest part? She had just made such a big declaration, swearing that "Kanade isn't that kind of person," and yet, the very next second, she got a reality check.
That girl must be laughing at her in her head right now, right?!
Eriri felt so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
Fortunately, Yukinoshita didn't mock her. Instead, she calmly explained, "You misunderstood me. That wasn't my intention."
"As the student council president, you represent the face of the school to a certain extent. You should set an example for the other students. Being overly intimate in public is inappropriate. Even though our school doesn't have strict dating rules, you should still be mindful of your personal image."
Hearing this, Natsukawa Kanade was about to respond, but Eriri suddenly let out a strangled noise.
"L-lo-lo-love… lover! H-Hey, wait, no, they don't look that similar…" Eriri, now red-faced, quickly looked down in embarrassment—but deep inside, she was secretly delighted.
"…"
Yukinoshita Yukino turned her gaze toward Natsukawa Kanade, her expression unreadable, as if silently asking, "Has she always been like this?"
Kanade, equally lost, shook his head blankly, indicating he had no idea either.
To be honest, this wasn't the Eriri he knew. Shouldn't she be snapping back with something like, "We're not a couple! We just happened to run into each other"?
Where had his proud, tsundere golden retriever gone?