There wasn't much to say about the ordering process. It was the usual routine: make a selection, get the ticket, and hand it to the cafeteria staff. Nothing out of the ordinary—until he ran into an unexpected presence on the way back.
"Good morning... What a coincidence meeting you here," a familiar, cold voice drifted into his ears.
Turning around, Natsukawa Kanade found himself face-to-face with none other than Yukinoshita Yukino, the ever-elegant and icy second lady.
"..."
Today, as always, she carried herself with that signature poised coolness, a stark contrast to the more vulnerable image she had inadvertently revealed just the day before. It was hard to reconcile this refined and collected girl with the flustered one he had glimpsed in the bathhouse yesterday. Was it the difference in setting? Or just her natural personality kicking back in?
Even so, the memory lingered.
"Why aren't you responding?" Yukinoshita frowned, her tone laced with subtle irritation.
For someone like her, proactively initiating a conversation—especially in such an awkward, roundabout way—was already a feat. To be met with silence was simply unacceptable.
Especially after yesterday.
A strange, inexplicable feeling gnawed at her—like she'd been carelessly toyed with and then discarded. It wasn't rational, but the feeling was there nonetheless.
"Ah, my bad, my bad," Kanade quickly covered up with a sheepish laugh. "Guess I'm still half-asleep. Slow reaction time and all."
There was no way he could just blurt out the truth—especially in front of Yukinoshita, who was currently in peak 'Miss Ice Queen' mode. If he so much as hinted at remembering certain details from yesterday, his status would drop faster than a paramecium's on the evolutionary scale.
"Good morning, Yukinoshita. Here for breakfast in the cafeteria too?"
She said nothing. Instead, she simply looked at him with those sharp, calculating eyes, as if sizing him up like some strange creature.
That silent stare—it was enough to make Kanade shift uncomfortably. Seriously, if she was going to start a conversation, she should at least follow through properly! What happened to basic courtesy?
"If there's nothing else—"
"Can't I come to you if there's nothing else?" Yukinoshita cut in immediately, her voice smooth yet carrying a certain edge.
"No... uh, well... I mean, of course you can..." Kanade stammered, not expecting the sudden counter.
Compared to his obvious discomfort, Yukinoshita seemed oddly at ease now, as if turning the tables on him had somehow restored a balance in her world. She was fully aware that her behavior was a little unreasonable, but just thinking about how this guy had caught her in such an embarrassing moment yesterday—and was now acting like nothing had happened—made her blood simmer with irritation.
Meanwhile, Kanade had no idea what was going through her mind. He figured she must have been annoyed at his delayed reaction earlier and chalked it up as another case of 'Yukinoshita being Yukinoshita.'
As the silence stretched between them, it became more awkward by the second. Finally, Yukinoshita exhaled softly and spoke up again.
"Do you have time? I think we should have a proper talk."
Even though she had mostly calmed down, there was still a lingering frustration gnawing at her. It wasn't just about what happened yesterday—though, yes, there was a certain level of self-consciousness about it. But more importantly, she wanted to understand why he had been summoned by Hiratsuka-sensei. Why had her affairs been dragged into it? And why did this guy, of all people, need to be involved?
Kanade hesitated for a split second.
Which, of course, did not go unnoticed by the keen-eyed Yukinoshita.
"Hmm? What was that? I didn't quite hear you," she pressed, voice taking on an ominous sweetness.
"Uh… I mean, of course, I have time," Kanade corrected himself immediately, straightening up like a soldier before a commanding officer.
As much as he liked to think of himself as a reasonable person, he wasn't foolish enough to refuse a direct request from a girl—especially not one whom he had once… well, let's not get into that.
At the very least, as the student council president, he had a duty to uphold a certain level of responsibility.
Yes. That was it. Purely duty. Absolutely nothing else.
"Where is your seat?"
"Over there..." Natsukawa Kanade responded instinctively, pointing toward the table. But as soon as the words left his mouth, a sudden realization hit him.
Wait... don't tell me she actually plans to sit down and have a conversation instead of just talking here?
The thought sent a wave of unease through him. He knew that if Yukinoshita Yukino had decided something, there was no stopping her.
Sure enough, the cool and elegant second young lady immediately started walking in the direction he had pointed, pausing only to glance back at him. "What are you doing standing there like an idiot?"
"..."
At this point, there was no escape. He could already imagine the confused stares awaiting him when he returned to the table. What was he supposed to say? That he had brought yet another famous beauty to the group?
With a resigned sigh, he followed her.
=====================
Since he had only given a general direction earlier, it naturally fell upon him to take the lead as they approached the table.
When they arrived, he noticed that only Eriri was there, sitting obediently while staring off into the distance with a dazed expression. It was as if she had transformed into one of those stone monuments waiting for a long-lost warrior to return.
Curious, Kanade raised an eyebrow. "What are you looking at?"
The question jolted Eriri so badly that she practically leapt from her seat in shock.
"H-Hey! Where did you even come from?! Weren't you supposed to be over there?!"
Kanade blinked, confused by her reaction. "What? I went to get my meal ticket from over there, but I picked up the food from this side."
The cafeteria was quite large, designed to accommodate students from multiple grades. Their chosen table was in a corner, and a wall separated the ticket counter from the food pick-up station. It made sense that Eriri hadn't seen him return.
The real question was: how did she not know how the cafeteria worked?
"Wait, don't tell me... you weren't paying attention during orientation, were you?"
Eriri averted her gaze, clearly caught. "Ugh... It's not like I didn't want to listen. There was just... too much information, okay?!"
Kanade sighed, shaking his head. "If you're always this clueless, you're going to end up in trouble one day."
"Guh... But I have you, don't I, Kanade...?" Eriri muttered, her voice soft and uncertain.
A faint blush dusted her cheeks, as if she had just said something scandalous. But when she glanced up and saw that Kanade showed no reaction whatsoever, her emotions did a complete 180. A mix of disappointment and relief flickered across her face as she huffed and looked away.
A teenage girl's heart truly was a labyrinth.
Just as Kanade was about to say something, a smooth, refined voice cut in from behind him.
"Is she someone you know?"
Only then did he remember that Yukinoshita was still standing right there.
"Ah, right." He turned back toward Eriri and gestured toward Yukinoshita. "This is Yukinoshita Yukino. She's... well, she was the leader of the Service Club I used to be in."
Then, he motioned toward Eriri. "And this is Sawamura Spencer Eriri. She was a member of my old club and is also the ace of the art club."
There. That should be a simple, neutral introduction. Nothing weird about it.
But what Kanade failed to anticipate was the sheer intensity of the silent war brewing between the two girls standing before him.
Especially Eriri.
Her entire thought process condensed into a single phrase—
It's the love rival!!