After parting ways with Shinomiya Kaguya, Natsukawa Kanade originally planned to contact Hikigaya Hachiman and the others for lunch. However, before he even finished packing his things back in the classroom, a classmate approached him with an unexpected message.
"Someone's looking for you."
Kanade raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"A blonde girl with a tiny fang showing when she talks. Kinda cute, actually."
"..."
Blonde hair and little tiger teeth? Who else could it be but that little golden retriever?
But what did Eriri want with him? They had just met in the morning—had the atmosphere somehow gotten to her, making her suddenly concerned about her partner?
"Got it. Thanks." After thanking his classmate, Kanade made his way to the designated meeting spot.
The location? The small lake he had visited earlier that morning.
As he approached, he immediately spotted the little golden retriever sitting on a bench, a sketchpad in hand. She seemed completely absorbed in her work, occasionally glancing up to observe something before resuming her strokes. She had the serious expression of an art student in deep concentration.
Kanade slowed his steps, watching quietly from behind. He had intended to greet her, but seeing how focused she was, he decided against disturbing her. Instead, he peered over her shoulder, observing her drawing in silence.
Minutes passed.
Finally, when she seemed to finish her piece, he broke the quiet with a whisper. "Why did you suddenly decide to draw... this kind of scenery?"
Judging by Eriri's usual preferences, she was all about drawing characters—preferably cute, 2D waifus with exaggerated expressions. A pure landscape painting like this, with no figures at all, was definitely out of character.
Was she going through an artistic transformation? Or was she… preparing to return to the sea?
"Wha—?!" The little golden retriever nearly launched her sketchpad into the air, startled out of her skin.
Spinning around, she glared at Kanade with puffed-up cheeks, her face tinged with an embarrassed pink. "You idiot! Why are you sneaking around behind me?! You scared me!"
Kanade couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. It was just too cute.
"You were so lost in your work that you didn't even hear me walk up." He circled the bench and took a seat next to her, his teasing grin widening. "Could it be… that our esteemed doujins artist is finally preparing to go ashore?"
"Sh-Shut up!" Eriri practically jumped in place, immediately scanning the area for eavesdroppers. Her eyes darted back and forth, her nervous energy cranked up to max. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did she let out a deep breath and glare at Kanade.
"You idiot! Why would you bring up... that, in a place like this?!"
Kanade smirked. "Relax, I already checked before coming over. There's no one around."
Of course, he was just teasing her, but he wasn't heartless enough to expose her secret identity as a doujin artist.
"Besides, it's lunchtime. Everyone's busy stuffing their faces in the cafeteria. Who'd be wandering around here?" He shrugged, recalling the packed cafeteria he had passed on the way.
"So? What's the real reason, Miss Kashiwagi Eri?"
"W-Well…" Eriri fidgeted, suddenly looking like she was about to be interrogated under a spotlight. "No reason, really… I just… felt like drawing."
She tried to sound nonchalant, but Kanade immediately saw through her. Even she must've realized how flimsy that excuse was because she quickly added, "I mean, I am the ace of the art club. I have to contribute some works every now and then, right?"
Kanade tilted his head. "You really just called yourself the ace…"
Still, he had to admit, her explanation made sense. A club as serious as the art club had to submit works for every major school event. And as their supposed ace, Eriri was naturally given that responsibility.
And yet…
Something about her expression didn't quite match her words.
She looked more like someone doing something embarrassingly personal and getting caught red-handed. It was exactly the same expression she had the first time he caught her drawing lewd doujin art…
But whatever. Everyone had their own little secrets, and Natsukawa Kanade wasn't the type to pry. Sometimes, keeping a little distance was the key to maintaining a good friendship. If you respected someone's privacy, they'd be more willing to trust you in return.
"Let's not get caught up in that," Kanade said, shifting the conversation. "Did you call me out here because there was something you wanted to talk about?"
"W-Well… it's nothing, really…" Eriri hugged her drawing board a little tighter, her movements stiff and unnatural.
Kanade raised an eyebrow. That was about as convincing as a villain claiming 'This isn't even my final form' right before getting obliterated.
She was obviously nervous. Why, though? If she had gone through the trouble of calling him out here, then she definitely had something to say.
"Let me take a wild guess…" Kanade pretended to think, stroking his chin in exaggerated fashion. "Could it be about the Test of Courage competition tonight?"
"H-How could it possibly be that?!" Eriri's denial came too fast—instant, even. If there were an Olympic event for suspicious behavior, she'd have just set a new world record.
Kanade let out a small sigh. "Okay, then what is it? You didn't just call me here to sit in awkward silence, did you?"
Eriri pouted slightly but still hesitated to answer. She fidgeted, gripping her drawing board so tightly that her knuckles turned white. If this were a video game, she'd be one tap away from mashing the 'skip dialogue' button.
Her pride was getting in the way again.
Kanade knew her well enough to recognize this pattern. Eriri was stubborn, and when she wanted something, she'd circle around the subject endlessly before finally getting to the point. It was cute, sure, but it was also kind of exhausting.
Back when he had a crush on her, he was willing to put up with this kind of thing because of his feelings. But now? Now he saw her more like a really willful little sister—one he had to deal with patiently, even when she was being a total handful.
"…It's really not a big deal," Eriri finally muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's just… I'm a little concerned about my partner for the Test of Courage."
Kanade blinked. "Oh? You mean you're nervous about getting paired with someone you don't know?"
"…Mm."
Now it made sense. With Eriri's usual luck, she'd probably end up getting assigned some random guy who wouldn't know a thing about her hobbies—or worse, someone who did know and wouldn't shut up about it.
And since Kanade was the student council president, he had the power to, let's say… adjust the participant list.
Eriri had come to him for a favor, but she was too shy to ask directly.
He got it. He totally got it.
"Well then," Kanade said smoothly, "how about I pair you with Kato? She's in a similar situation, so the two of you can look out for each other."
"...?"
The little golden retriever froze.
For a moment, she just sat there, her brain clearly trying—and failing—to process what she had just heard. The sheer dumbfoundedness on her face was priceless.
"W-Wait, Kato?!" she blurted out, eyes widening in disbelief. "Why would I want to be partnered with her?!"
"Eh? Didn't you say you wanted to be with someone you're familiar with?" Kanade tilted his head innocently. "You and Kato know each other, right?"
"T-That's not the point!" Eriri turned red, shaking her head wildly. "That's definitely not the point!"
Kanade smirked. "Then what is the point?"
Eriri opened her mouth, but no words came out. She looked like she had just walked into a boss fight without saving beforehand.
After several seconds of floundering, she finally gave up, groaning as she slumped forward onto her drawing board.
Kanade chuckled. "So? Do you want me to change your partner, or—"
"You already know, so stop making me say it out loud!" she snapped, her voice muffled against the wood.
Ahhh, there it was. The classic tsundere explosion. Right on schedule.
Kanade leaned back against the bench, looking up at the sky with an amused grin.