Kanade Natsukawa couldn't believe his ears. Did that sound… really come from Miko Iino?
Though the sound had been faint, his sense of direction was sharp, and it unmistakably came from her side of the table. Just to be sure, he lightly pressed his pen against the leg he was holding.
"Mmnh…"
Miko let out another stifled noise, raising her hands to cover her mouth. Her flushed face tilted upward slightly, and her wide, pleading eyes met his.
"..."
It's confirmed. I wasn't imagining things. The leg I grabbed belongs to Miko.
But why? How? None of it made sense.
Kanade's thoughts raced, but there was no time to dwell on it. The quiet environment had amplified the unexpected noises, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Even Chika Fujiwara, who had been half-asleep, blinked awake, rubbing her eyes before addressing Miko.
"Miko-chan, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing…" Miko stammered, shaking her head. Her flustered demeanor, however, betrayed her unease.
If Miko was nervous, Kanade was outright panicking.
He had intended to counter what he thought was a prank by Chika under the table. Instead, he had accidentally targeted Miko! Explaining this would sound implausible at best. At worst, he risked being accused of harassment.
Please, don't say anything. Don't reveal the truth! he silently begged Miko.
Fortunately, Miko, despite her frantic state, managed to concoct a believable excuse.
"I-I accidentally hit the table leg while swinging my foot. It hurt a bit, so I yelped. Sorry for disturbing everyone…"
"Oh, that's all?" Chika yawned deeply and stretched. "If it hurts a lot, you can go to the nurse's office, you know."
After this, Chika flopped back onto the table and resumed her lazy sprawl. She was clearly still half-asleep.
Kaguya Shinomiya glanced at Miko briefly but soon turned her attention back to her work. Since someone else had already shown concern for Miko, there was no need for her to play the "caring senpai" role—unless, of course, it involved Kanade.
Relieved that the situation had blown over, both Kanade and Miko exhaled deeply. However, Kanade soon noticed Miko's intense gaze fixed on him.
Her eyes were filled with a mix of emotions—mostly embarrassment and frustration, with a faint hint of pleading. It was as if she were silently shouting, Stop messing with me here!
Only then did Kanade realize he was still holding onto her leg. Quickly, he released it and gave her a contrite look, hoping to convey his apology without words.
Miko, however, didn't even glance his way after regaining her freedom. Instead, she scooted her chair back slightly and kept her head down, a clear sign of her annoyance.
"..."
Yeah, she's definitely mad, Kanade thought with a sigh.
Now that he had a moment to think, the pieces fell into place. Miko had likely been swinging her leg absentmindedly while listening to music and accidentally nudged him. Assuming it was Chika's mischief, Kanade had retaliated without a second thought, leading to this misunderstanding.
Explaining it now would be awkward. It might sound like he was admitting to a closeness with Chika that would raise questions. But leaving it unaddressed was even worse—it could make him seem like a creepy upperclassman who harasses his juniors.
I'll explain later, Kanade resolved, bracing himself for the fallout.
The study session eventually wrapped up. As the group dispersed, Kanade hurriedly said goodbye to Kaguya and chased after Miko, who had left in a hurry.
Despite her petite frame, Miko walked surprisingly fast, as if she were trying to escape. Kanade had to jog to catch up.
"Miko, wait! Let me explain…"
His plea came out sounding suspiciously like the opening line of a guilty boyfriend's defense. Kanade cringed internally but pressed on. I need to clear this up quickly.
"..."
Miko stopped but didn't turn to face him. Instead, she clutched her book bag tightly against her chest, adopting a defensive posture.
While her wariness was evident, Kanade took solace in the fact that she hadn't walked away entirely.
"Listen, I just—" Kanade began, only for Miko to cut him off.
"You called me by my name again…"
"Huh? What?" Kanade blinked, caught off guard.
"You just said my name again," Miko repeated softly.
"Oh…" Kanade hesitated, then quickly added, "Sorry. I only said it because you mentioned wanting me to call you by your name earlier. Should I switch back to 'Iino'?"
"No… It's fine," Miko murmured, shaking her head. Her tone didn't suggest she was forcing herself.
"Uh…"
Kanade was puzzled. He had assumed her impression of him had plummeted after what happened. Returning to a more formal address would have been a reasonable request, yet she seemed content with the more personal name.
Why bring it up if you don't mind?
Though baffled, Kanade pushed the thought aside. There were more pressing matters to address. Taking a deep breath, he began explaining the incident from start to finish. He detailed how he mistook her for Chika and tried to retaliate, emphasizing Chika's mischievous tendencies to lend credibility to his story.
He even threw in a word of caution, hoping Miko would take this opportunity to recognize Chika's prankster nature and avoid falling victim to it in the future.
"Eh? So Fujiwara-senpai is actually like that?" Miko Iino murmured, her voice tinged with surprise. Lowering her head slightly, she mumbled, "I mean… I guess I did notice some things during this time, but hearing it said outright still feels hard to believe…"
"Well, it's normal. That's what they call 'admiration being the farthest distance,'" Kanade said with a slight nod. Seeing her attention shift to something other than the earlier awkwardness, he was more than happy to follow the new topic. "If I remember right, you said you admired her because you once saw her playing piano on stage when you were a kid?"
"Yes, that's right… I can't believe you still remember that," Miko said softly, nodding. She hadn't expected him to recall something so trivial—it wasn't exactly an important detail.
"Well, that's just how it is," Kanade replied with a faint smile. After pausing for a moment, he added, "But no matter what Fujiwara Chika's true nature is like, the fact that her music moved you back then means there's still something admirable about her. You should just treat her the same way as always."
After all, they were coworkers. Even if Miko's "idol illusion" was shattered, Kanade didn't want their relationship to suffer because of it.
However, after he finished speaking, Miko fell silent. She looked up at him with a peculiar expression before speaking slowly.
"So… does Senpai want me to treat you the same way, too?"
"..."
Kanade's carefully constructed composure cracked as his face stiffened into an awkward expression.
"It was a misunderstanding…"
"But you still did it, didn't you?" Miko said, lifting her head to meet his eyes with a serious expression.
"...Yes." Kanade hung his head slightly, his tone resigned.
"Then it's not unreasonable for me to ask for compensation, right?"
"...No, it's not," he admitted, deflated.
"But honestly, I don't know what kind of compensation I should ask for," Miko said, tilting her head thoughtfully. Her curious gaze made it seem like she was waiting for suggestions.
"Uh…" Kanade hesitated, struggling to come up with something. His mind suddenly flashed back to the weekend they'd spent some time together at a yakiniku restaurant.
Maybe… that could work.
"How about I treat you to yakiniku again?" Kanade offered. "You can pick the place—just nothing too extravagant."
He thought his proposal was fair and hoped it would satisfy her. Instead, Miko's face turned a bit red as she puffed up her cheeks in apparent irritation.
"Do I look like such a glutton to you?!"
Her hands gripped her book tightly, as if resisting the urge to whack him over the head with it.
"Uh… okay, maybe something else—"
"No, let's stick with that. I think it's a good idea."
"..."
Kanade was speechless. So, what do you want, then?!
If he weren't already in the wrong, he might have protested further. For now, though, he could only sigh in resignation.
With the "compensation" decided, Miko finally seemed pleased, even waving cheerfully as she said goodbye.
"Well, that's it for today. See you tomorrow, Senpai."
"Yeah… see you tomorrow," Kanade replied with a forced smile. In truth, he felt utterly drained.
The day had been exhausting, and now he was down some pocket money, too. While it wasn't a huge amount, the fact that he'd lost it over a misunderstanding was frustrating. Still, as the saying goes, "If money can solve the problem, then it's worth it." At least his reputation had been salvaged—or so he hoped.
Even so, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he had forgotten something. After racking his brain to no avail, he decided to let it go and headed back to the school building to retrieve some belongings he had left behind.
By the time he exited the building again, the sky had already grown dark.
At some point, a light rain had started falling, the delicate drizzle creating a fine mist over the city.
Standing by the train doors, Kanade gazed out at the rain, lost in thought. The gentle patter of raindrops against the window matched the subtle melancholy he felt—perhaps due to the day's events or thoughts of Miko's unexpectedly hearty appetite.
As the train arrived at the next station, the doors opened, and a long-haired girl stepped into view.
Their eyes met.
"Hmph!"
The girl huffed and stepped onto the train, her black butterfly hair accessory fluttering with each movement. She ended up standing next to Kanade due to the crowd but found him staring out the window, ignoring her presence.
Unable to endure the silence, she finally spoke up.
"Idiot President, why aren't you saying anything?"
"Because I thought it'd make you mad."
"Not saying anything makes me even angrier!"
Kanade sighed. "If I talk, you're mad. If I stay quiet, you're mad. What am I, a punching bag?"
"You called me an idiot!" Chika puffed out her cheeks, clenching her fists as if ready to pummel him. But as she raised her head to retort further, her eyes caught a fleeting figure outside the train.
Her expression shifted immediately.
"Wait, was that…"
Without hesitation, she grabbed Kanade's wrist.
"Idiot President, get off the train with me! Now!"
"Huh?" Kanade blinked, confused, but Chika was already dragging him toward the doors.
"Wait—" he began, but his body moved instinctively, following her off the train.
"Okay, so… dragging me off like this isn't just a ploy to delay me from going home, right?" Kanade asked, rubbing his temple.
"Of course not! I'm not that childish!" Chika retorted indignantly before pulling him behind a station pillar. Peeking out cautiously, she pointed in a specific direction.
"It's Moeha! I think I saw Moeha just now, and she wasn't alone…"
"And?" Kanade asked, exasperated.
What's the big deal? If Chika could go out with friends, why couldn't her sister do the same?
"And nothing! This is serious!" Chika insisted, her expression unusually grave. "I have a very strong premonition—this is a major event!"
"..."
You're really leaning into this detective cosplay, aren't you, Chika?
Kanade sighed deeply. I just want to go home.