"Eh~ What's the big deal? I'm sure Senpai won't mind anyway, right?" Fujiwara Moeha blinked her wide, innocent eyes as she turned to Natsukawa Kanade.
"…"
While what she said might be true, sorry to say—this is absolutely not the kind of situation where he would agree!
"That's not the reason at all!" Fujiwara Chika, visibly flustered, actually issued a direct command, a rare occurrence. "And you, President, you're absolutely not allowed to agree to this, got it?!"
"Wow, big sis is so controlling~" Moeha exclaimed, covering her mouth in mock shock. "Then maybe I'll just invite Senpai out on my own next time. That way, you won't be able to interfere…"
"That's definitely not okay either!" Chika shot back immediately, glaring daggers at Kanade, as if warning him not to even think about agreeing.
"…"
"Ugh, can't do this, can't do that—big sis, you're so annoying… It's just normal social interaction, isn't it? If you keep nitpicking about every little thing, boys will start to hate you, you know?" Moeha shook her head, wearing an expression that screamed, Big sis really doesn't understand anything. Then, she turned her gaze back to Kanade.
"Say, Senpai, if it were me, I wouldn't ignore your feelings like that~."
"…"
Kanade quietly took another sip of his tea, choosing not to respond. Meanwhile, Chika seemed somewhat bewildered, as though she couldn't figure out why her younger sister was suddenly spouting such nonsensical remarks.
"What are you even talking about? How am I being overbearing…"
"Huh? But big sis, didn't you say you're dating Senpai? Or did I mishear?" Moeha tilted her head innocently.
"Huh?! Dating?! Since when…" Chika was stunned. Her eyes instinctively darted toward Kanade, and when their gazes met, she suddenly felt shy for no apparent reason and quickly looked away. "I-I don't remember anything like that…"
"But big sis, didn't you yourself say you were on a date with Senpai…?" Moeha put on a puzzled expression, only to suddenly clap her hands as if she'd had an epiphany. "Oh! I get it now! So big sis is the type who can 'go on dates' even without being in a relationship? How mature of you! That's such an adult thing to do!"
"…"
Chika's eyes widened as realization struck her. She had indeed used the excuse of "being on a date with the President" earlier. Things had gone so smoothly that she'd completely forgotten about it.
"Ah… T-this is… ugh…" She stammered, utterly at a loss for words.
Seeing her helpless and vulnerable demeanor, Kanade sighed inwardly before stepping in to cover for her. "We're not dating yet. I'm pursuing Chika, but she hasn't agreed. However, today she finally agreed to go on a 'date' with me."
From his observations, Moeha likely suspected Chika had been lying, though she probably didn't know the full story. Since Chika wanted to keep it under wraps, Kanade had no choice but to try and help.
"Since I've been unsuccessful in winning her over, it's a bit embarrassing for me. Chika, being considerate of my feelings, didn't want to say it outright, isn't that right?" Kanade turned to Chika with a gentle smile, but she showed no signs of playing along. Instead, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, head slightly lowered.
Seriously?! I've handed you such a perfect setup—at least give me something to work with!
Left with no choice, he subtly tapped her a few times under the table, finally snapping her out of her daze.
"Huh? Oh! Y-yes, that's it…" she muttered, only to fall silent again, her head gradually lowering once more.
Seeing that she was basically useless at this point, Kanade decided to take the reins himself. "It's getting late. It's not safe for you two girls to be out alone. You should head back now."
While the city's security was generally reliable, nighttime always brought out a few drunken troublemakers. The possibility of two young girls being harassed on their way home wasn't negligible.
"Eh~ Can't Senpai escort us?" Moeha pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't mind, but since I'm 'pursuing someone' right now, it wouldn't be appropriate. Besides, we might have other plans after this," Kanade shrugged, feigning helplessness. "To make up for it, I'll treat you this time. Just pack up and head straight home."
"Wow, Senpai is so generous! I'll gladly take you up on that." Moeha smiled cheekily, and even Chika, ever protective, nodded slightly in acknowledgment before the two began tidying up their things to leave.
The pair departed after politely saying their goodbyes. Kanade stayed behind for a bit longer before noticing Chika still hadn't moved. With a sigh, he lightly nudged her shoulder. "What are you spacing out for? Don't tell me you're seriously thinking about where to go next? Get up—it's time to head back."
Of course, his earlier mention of "other plans" was just an excuse to split up and avoid further chaos. But now it seemed like Chika had actually taken it seriously. Could she really be treating this as a "date"?
After a few more nudges, Chika finally came back to her senses but didn't stand. Instead, she turned to him with a slightly apologetic expression.
"President…"
"What? What's wrong now?" Kanade asked, confused.
"It must've been hard for you to lie like that, right?" Chika bit her lip, looking at him with concern. "I'm sorry. It's my fault—I should've just told the truth earlier…"
"Huh?" Kanade blinked, momentarily taken aback. "It's just a little white lie. It's really not a big deal…"
"Come on, don't look so apologetic. You're making me feel guilty instead."
Honestly, he hadn't done much. If anything, he'd already surrendered early on, sharing their intentions with Moeha's companion and asking her not to spill the beans. What would happen next wasn't something he could predict anyway.
"Even so…" Chika's voice faltered, her expression changing as if she'd realized something. "Still, making you lie for me feels wrong. Who knows? This might even spark some weird rumors…"
At that thought, her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. She couldn't help imagining rumors spreading, possibly even reaching the high school division, about "the high school student council president chasing after the student council secretary." Even though she knew it'd be just gossip, the idea made her feel oddly restless.
A-and if this leads to the President having trouble finding a girlfriend, that'd be terrible…
Kanade, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm, as if none of it bothered him.
This kind of situation was all too common. As the saying goes, when you have too many lice, you stop feeling itchy; when you have too much debt, it no longer weighs you down. In fact, if there ever came a day when there weren't any rumors about Kanade's so-called "love life" circulating at school, that would be unusual. After all, these high-energy, hormone-fueled high school students were either busy falling in love themselves or obsessing over someone else's romance. Their attention to such matters was truly relentless.
"Don't worry about it. These kinds of things tend to fade away on their own after a while." Kanade waved his hand dismissively. "That said… to be honest, I think it would've been fine if you had just told the truth from the start. Actually, it might've been better that way. If anything, being seen as an 'overprotective big sister' isn't a bad thing. It'd make you seem like you care deeply for Moeha, which would probably elevate your standing in her eyes."
"After all, you really are a good and qualified big sister."
"…"
Chika bit her pink lips lightly, turning her face slightly away as a faint blush spread from her ears to her cheeks, eventually covering her entire face. "W-why are you saying things like that all of a sudden…"
Her heart skipped a beat. That idiot President—what an unfair move!
But when she turned back toward him, she found Kanade looking completely calm, even appearing a little spaced out, and she suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance.
"President, you're such an idiot!" Chika puffed up her cheeks, making her round face resemble that of a hamster. "Hmph! If you'd taken the chance to confess just now, I might've actually said yes! But now it's too late!"
Kanade shot her an exasperated look, not even bothering to retort. As if! She made it sound so easy, but did she have any idea how hard it was to pursue a girl? Did she understand the struggles he'd been through? She was underestimating the entire process of genuine courtship—idiot!
Chika, irritated by his dismissive gaze, retaliated by jabbing him repeatedly in the side with her finger.
After some playful bickering, the two finally settled the bill and left the restaurant.
As soon as they stepped outside, a sudden gust of wind blew past, eliciting a surprised yelp from Chika.
"Ah!"
"What's wrong?" Kanade turned to her, puzzled. Did she forget something?
"M-my eyes! I think some sand got in them." Chika rubbed at her eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
Kanade couldn't help but sigh. "It's drizzling—where would sand even come from in this weather?"
Chika bit her lower lip, her face scrunching up in a small, aggrieved pout. "I'm not lying, okay? There's definitely something! Maybe it's not sand, but something got blown into my eye!"
"…Even if that's true, what do you expect me to do about it?" Kanade asked helplessly.
If it were dust on her clothes or hair, he could've helped brush it off. But something in her eye? That was her problem to solve—how could anyone else possibly help with that?
Some things in life simply had to be handled personally. And even for situations requiring personal effort, pinpointing the problem wasn't always straightforward—like trying to dislodge a bit of food stuck in your teeth. Even the most sensitive tongue would lose all sense of direction, unable to locate the piece that seemed to have vanished into another dimension.
"President." Chika suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt, leaning closer with a pitiful expression. "Hurry up and blow into my eye! If you don't, I might just die!"
"…"
Kanade's eyebrow twitched, and he couldn't hold back his retort. "How could you possibly die from a bit of sand in your eye?! Don't underestimate human survival instincts!"
"I don't care, I don't care! Just do it already—it's killing me!" Chika's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her pitiful demeanor radiating helplessness. "Waaaah, something weird got into a sensitive place—it feels so uncomfortable… I'm going to die!"
"…" Kanade let out a heavy sigh.
People often said college students were the most fragile demographic. But clearly, high school girls weren't far behind.
"Alright, stand still."
"Mm-hmm!" Chika nodded obediently, straightening her posture.
"Lift your head too."
"Like this?"
"…You don't have to stand on tiptoes." Kanade's voice was tinged with exasperation. While she was indeed shorter than him, she wasn't so short that he couldn't see her properly without her tiptoeing. "Now, which eye is it? Your left one? Open it and let me take a look."
"N-no, I can't." Chika shook her head. "It hurts too much. I can't open it."
Watching her teary, misty-eyed expression, Kanade sighed again. With no other choice, he decided to handle it himself.
He gently placed his left hand on top of her head to steady her, while his right hand moved closer to carefully part her eyelids. Leaning in, he brought his face within mere inches of hers, so close that their breaths mingled.
At this distance, Kanade could distinctly catch a delicate floral fragrance emanating from Chika. It was a fresh, clean scent—not overpowering, but not faint either. If he had to compare, it felt somewhere between the scents of seniors Kasumigaoka and Yukino. Though similar in nature, each girl's scent carried subtle differences that set them apart.
But why was that, exactly? Was it because they all used similar shampoos, or was it something unique to each girl's natural body chemistry? Despite his efforts to stay clean, the fragrance of his own body wash always dissipated after a single night—how did theirs linger so effortlessly?
Besides the scent, Kanade could see his own reflection clearly in Chika's misty eyes. Her slightly reddened gaze, the dewy mist veiling her vision, her trembling eyelashes, and her soft, moist lips that resembled flower petals—all of it radiated an unusual charm that tugged faintly at his heart.
"…"
Damn it. Just a pink-haired airhead… you won't break my focus, got it?