Denying everything and claiming he saw nothing was definitely not going to work. Yukinoshita wasn't an idiot—there was no way she'd believe him. Kanade's plan, then, was to "soften the blow." By admitting to something trivial, he hoped to diffuse her anger and embarrassment just a little. However…
Her gaze only grew sharper, tinged with an overwhelming mix of fury and shame. It reminded Kanade of a typically aloof cat caught by its owner secretly cuddling and kissing their photograph in a fit of uncharacteristic affection.
At least, that's how Kanade rationalized it. It was easy to empathize with her shame, especially since he had recently experienced something similar when his own hidden quirks were exposed.
But no, she clearly didn't believe him. Not that he believed himself either.
Still, despite the intensity of Yukinoshita's glare, she refrained from saying anything cutting. She merely stared at him with a murderous expression. In response, Kanade hunched down on the sofa, his head slightly lowered, uneasy and silent.
Time passed, though Kanade had no sense of how long it had been. At last, Yukino took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"Forget it..."
"This is partly my fault. I should've made you cover your eyes or something."
"..."
Kanade held his tongue. Honestly, if she had done that, he might have been even more curious, imagining she was hiding some kind of unspeakable secret.
"Maybe I shouldn't have let you in to begin with. It would've been better to make you wait outside…" Yukino mused, apparently lapsing into self-reflection right in front of him. "But that would seem rude… I suppose blinding you would've been the best solution after all."
Kanade: "..."
Whoa, hang on. That's starting to sound like a crime, Miss Snow Maiden.
After venting her frustrations, Yukinoshita gradually regained her composure, returning to her usual aloof and unapproachable demeanor.
"Why are you still sitting here? Planning to do something shameless again?"
"Uh…" Kanade blinked, then replied meekly, "I was waiting for your verdict, wasn't I?"
At this moment, Kanade felt like they'd traveled back in time—back to when he used to deliberately provoke her just to get her attention. Except this time, his actions were unintentional. That said, if he could go back and do it all over, he probably still would.
Why? Because it was fun to look at someone so beautiful.
Perhaps his sincerity softened her mood. While her tone was still curt, it was less volatile. Pointing to the table by the kitchen entrance, she said in a voice dripping with disdain, "Take that bag on the table. Consider it a thank-you for helping me yesterday."
Following her gesture, Kanade noticed a neatly packaged bag on the table. With his decent eyesight, he could just make out what was inside—cookies, it seemed. He wondered if they were handmade by Yukino.
Given her personality, it was probably her handiwork, wasn't it?
Nice! Kanade thought to himself. Not only had he enjoyed a visual feast today, but he was also walking away with cookies that carried a girl's heartfelt gratitude. Sure, there was a layer of disdain mixed in, but when he thought about it, he still came out ahead. His emotions were… complicated.
"Take it and leave. Sharing the same air with you is unbearable," Yukino said, wrinkling her small nose as if to emphasize her point.
Kanade instinctively sniffed his sleeves, wondering if the grilled meat he'd had for lunch was still lingering. Earlier, he had gone home to grab his notes, change his clothes, and even wash his hair. There was no way any scent could still be there… right?
Yukinoshita, watching his behavior, looked exasperated. She realized that Kanade had changed a lot. In the past, he would've understood her with just a look—no need for any hints or explanations. Back then, this mutual understanding had been satisfying, even comforting in a way. But now, seeing his current clueless state, she found herself irritated.
With a cold huff, she threw out, "Normally, even a monkey could read the room, but with you, I guess that's too much to expect."
Having delivered her jab, she moved to the other end of the sofa, maintaining a significant social distance from him.
"..."
Kanade blinked, baffled by her sudden change in demeanor. Watching her grab the TV remote and a pillow, it was clear she was retreating into her personal space. He started to feel like a third wheel.
Maybe she'd had something else she wanted to say to him initially, but after what had just happened, she'd lost the mood. Her behavior now seemed to scream "get out."
Understanding the signal, Kanade nodded slightly to himself.
"Well, I'll be on my way then…"
Standing up, Kanade made his way to the table. Picking up the bag of cookies, he paused to examine it. As he stared at it, a sudden realization hit him—he hadn't thanked Yukino yet.
Caught up in his worry about the awkwardness earlier, he'd completely forgotten to properly acknowledge her gesture. Not only had he neglected to thank her for the cookies, but he hadn't even complimented her new outfit. A simple "It looks good on you" hadn't left his lips.
No wonder she seemed upset. She probably felt like her efforts were being ignored.
Kanade nodded again, convinced he'd figured out the reason for her foul mood. Reflecting further, he realized he hadn't even properly addressed her foot injury. Instead, he'd behaved like a fool as soon as he entered her home. Honestly, it was no surprise she was unhappy—any girl would be. In fact, it was impressive that Yukino had managed to remain this calm.
Determined to make amends, Kanade turned back and peeked into the living room. There sat Yukinoshita, hugging a pillow and seemingly watching TV.
Clearing his throat, Kanade launched into a rapid-fire series of comments:
"I almost forgot to say… Your outfit looks great—cute, even. It really suits you. And, uh, thank you for the cookies. If you made them yourself, I'm sure they'll taste amazing. Oh, and about your foot—I know you're capable of taking care of yourself, but I noticed it hasn't fully healed. Please try to take it easy and avoid unnecessary walking. If you ever need anything, like food or errands, just let me know."
Kanade paused to think. Satisfied that he hadn't missed anything, he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. This kind of last-minute barrage of words felt a little desperate, like patching a hole in a sinking ship. Worse, it might even come across as insincere overcompensation.
Fortunately, Yukino didn't turn back to glare at him with her usual icy disdain. Kanade decided to assume his words had reached her, and after finishing his remarks, he prepared to leave.
"Well, I'll be off now… See you at school." He added a somewhat formal farewell before heading out.
Once Kanade closed the door behind him, the apartment fell into a prolonged silence, interrupted only by the faint, rhythmic sounds coming from the television.
Yukino sat there, staring blankly for a long time, before letting out a quiet sigh. She pressed her lips together, pushed away the panda pillow in her arms—an old gift from Kanade—and murmured softly to herself:
"Why… why can't you figure it out, you idiot? Can't you just try a little harder to notice?"
Just one glance back from you, and I'll think of you morning and night.
She had thoughts, feelings even, but unless she expressed them properly, no one would ever know.
After leaving Yukino's home, Kanade headed straight back to his own place without lingering outside.
Now that his relationship with Mahiru had returned to its usual closeness, he rarely ate out anymore. Most of his meals came courtesy of the "Angel." Although Mahiru had been a bit distant recently due to previous events, she still brought him dinner as usual.
According to her, "Food from outside just isn't as good. It's always better to cook it yourself for cleanliness and health."
Kanade wanted to argue, but in the end, he let her have her way.
After dinner, he played a few rounds of games online with Ishigami and then went to bed early, knowing he had another tutoring session with Eriri and Kato the next day.
That day wasn't much different from the previous one, so there was no need to elaborate. Soon enough, it was Monday—the start of the school week.
The school schedule had been thoughtfully arranged, with a few days off after the forest school trip to help students unwind and process their experiences from activities like the courage test. However, they had underestimated the romantic energy of teenagers.
While classes were calm and orderly, break times were filled with excited chatter. The gap of two days only seemed to have heightened everyone's urge to gossip face-to-face.
In the student council room:
"All those normies should just explode!" Ishigami Yu roared in frustration.
It wasn't hard to imagine what kind of time he'd had during the forest trip—especially the courage test.
"I thought two days would be enough for everyone to get over it, but no! The moment I step into school, all I hear is talk about it again!" Ishigami clutched his head in despair. "Aren't students supposed to focus on studying? What's so great about romance, huh? Who cares if so-and-so became a couple with so-and-so? I don't want to hear it!"
As if venting alone wasn't enough, Ishigami turned to Kanade for backup.
"President, don't you think so? Isn't a student's main job to study?"
"..." Kanade wasn't sure how to respond.
After all, he kind of enjoyed it. In fact, by Ishigami's definition, he might be one of those "normies who should explode." No way could he criticize himself like that.
"Ahem… If you're so envious, why don't you find someone to date too?" Kanade suggested, multitasking as he sorted through student council paperwork. Despite Kaguya's help in filtering the workload, there were still some tasks that required his direct attention. For instance, their school was coordinating a student exchange program with a prestigious French academy, and he needed to personally handle the arrangements.
"No thanks. I'd rather spend my time gaming." Ishigami suddenly turned serious.
"Think about it—dating takes up all your time. You've got to communicate constantly, and on weekends, you'll end up going on dates, right? Whole days gone, maybe even the next day too. No time for gaming at all!
"Not to mention the arguments. Every couple has conflicts, and resolving them takes effort. You might pour your heart into it and still get nothing in return. Worse, what if your partner starts avoiding you or acting distant? Then you'd constantly worry if they're cheating on you. It's just endless stress!"
"To summarize: I, Ishigami Yu, would rather die than get involved in romance! Isn't gaming a thousand times better?" Ishigami declared, concluding his rant.
"..." Kanade's expression turned a little complicated.
Despite his words, Kanade felt that someone like Ishigami—who carefully considered every aspect of a relationship—might actually take love very seriously. People like him wouldn't settle for less; they'd only act when they found "the one." And once they succeeded, they'd likely commit wholeheartedly, with no intention of breaking up unless absolutely unavoidable.
Before Kanade could decide whether to respond, the student council room door opened. Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara walked in.
Two days apart hadn't changed them much—Kaguya still radiated her usual elegant, dignified aura, while Chika was her same bubbly self, exuding chaotic energy as she burst out:
"Love talk? Did someone say love talk?! This is a case for me, Detective Fujiwara!"
When no one paid her any attention, she puffed up indignantly.
"How dare you two idiots ignore the great Detective Fujiwara! I curse your love lives to be filled with endless obstacles!"
Even Kanade couldn't be bothered to respond to her, opting instead to greet Kaguya directly: "Good morning, Kaguya."
"!?" Kaguya's face instantly lit up.
He… called me by my name again! It wasn't a dream—there really was progress during the courage test!
"Good morning, President," Kaguya replied, her tone calm but her inner joy unmistakable.
Their interaction seemed natural, but to the other two present, it was anything but.
"I smell a story here," Chika said, sniffing dramatically as she narrowed her eyes.
"Indeed, Fujiwara-senpai, I sense it too," Ishigami unexpectedly chimed in, siding with her.
Kanade felt puzzled, wondering what absurdity these two would come up with this time.
"President, how could you secretly get closer to Kaguya without telling me? I'm her number one fan! It should've been me!" Chika huffed, clinging to Kaguya dramatically and glaring at Kanade with a look of playful defiance.
Her expression seemed to say, Look, I can do this, but you can't!
"Ugh…" Kaguya's reaction was surprisingly subdued, as if resigned to the antics, and she began gently placating Chika.
Meanwhile, Ishigami started acting strangely as well, jealousy dripping from his words:
"Exactly! The President has never even called my name! Not once! This won't do—President, you've got to call me by my name at least once! I'm ready!"
Kanade: "..."
Seriously? Where did this whiny, jealous side of you come from, Ishigami? Stop acting like a lovesick schoolgirl!