After parting ways with Kaguya Shinomiya, Kanade Natsukawa initially planned to contact Hachiman Hikigaya and the others for lunch. However, just as he returned to his classroom and began packing up his things, a classmate informed him someone was looking for him.
"Who's looking for me?" Kanade asked, curious.
"It's a blonde girl with a shiny little fang. She's pretty cute."
"…?"
Blonde hair and a noticeable fang—it couldn't be anyone other than Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
Still, Kanade couldn't help but wonder why she was looking for him. They had just seen each other that morning. Could she, too, have been swept up by the day's atmosphere and started worrying about her partner for tonight's courage test event?
"Alright, thanks," he replied, then headed toward the designated meeting spot: the small lakeside they'd visited earlier that morning.
Sure enough, there she was—the little blonde artist. Eriri was sitting on a nearby bench, sketchpad in hand, glancing up occasionally as she worked, her expression that of a focused art student.
Kanade approached quietly. He initially planned to greet her but decided against disturbing her once he saw how engrossed she was. Instead, he circled behind her and watched silently as she sketched.
When the drawing was nearly finished, he spoke up softly, "What made you suddenly want to draw… this kind of picture?"
Considering Eriri's usual preferences, she was more inclined toward drawing people, particularly two-dimensional characters. Seeing her create a landscape without any characters—and without any looming deadlines—was highly unusual.
Had she turned over a new leaf? Or was this the first step of a doujinshi artist transitioning into the mainstream art world?
"Wah!" Eriri jumped so hard she almost dropped her sketchpad.
When she turned to see Kanade, she gave him a flustered glare. "You idiot! Why are you sneaking up on people like that?!"
Her reaction was so adorably exaggerated that Kanade couldn't help but laugh.
"You were so focused you didn't even hear my footsteps," he teased.
He then walked around the bench and sat beside her, grinning mischievously. "Don't tell me our talented doujinshi artist is planning to go legit?"
"Sh-shut up! What if someone hears you?!" Eriri panicked, scanning the surroundings to make sure they were alone. Only when she confirmed no one was nearby did she let out a relieved sigh and glare at Kanade.
"You idiot! Why would you bring that up here of all places?"
"Relax, I already checked. There's no one around." Kanade reassured her.
Though he enjoyed teasing Eriri, he had no intention of exposing her secret identity.
"Besides, it's lunchtime. Everyone's probably at the cafeteria. Who has time to wander around outside?" he added, shrugging. He'd passed by the cafeteria on his way here and had seen it packed with students.
"So, why the sudden change in focus, Eriri-sensei?"
"I-it's nothing, really… I just… felt like drawing, that's all," Eriri replied, trying to sound nonchalant.
However, she quickly realized how flimsy her excuse was. No one would buy such an obvious lie, so she added hastily, "I mean, as the star of the art club, it's only natural for me to contribute a few pieces every now and then…"
"Who calls themselves the star of their own club?" Kanade muttered, shaking his head.
Still, her reasoning wasn't entirely implausible. Large clubs like the art club often had to submit works as part of their school activity reports, especially after big events. As their top talent, Eriri would likely be tasked with creating something for them.
Yet, her body language suggested otherwise. She didn't look proud or eager about her work. Instead, she seemed more like someone caught red-handed doing something clandestine—eerily reminiscent of the time Kanade had stumbled upon her drawing doujinshi.
Not that it mattered. Everyone had their secrets, and Kanade wasn't the type to pry unnecessarily. Friendships, he believed, thrived when people respected each other's boundaries.
"Anyway, why did you want to see me?" Kanade asked, cutting to the chase.
"I-it's nothing, really…" Eriri mumbled, clutching her sketchpad nervously. Her actions were uncharacteristically fidgety and awkward.
Though she had resolved to bring it up, actually voicing her request in front of Kanade was proving far more difficult than she anticipated.
"Let me guess…" Kanade pretended to think deeply. "Is it about tonight's courage test?"
"N-no way!" Eriri denied hastily. She hemmed and hawed for a while but failed to come up with a convincing alternative.
"Then what is it? Don't tell me you just wanted to chat," Kanade sighed.
Eriri's pride was undoubtedly part of her charm, but dealing with it could be exhausting. Situations like this were small inconveniences, but more serious miscommunications could cause tensions to fester, potentially leading to a fallout if left unchecked.
Kanade's patience with Eriri stemmed from understanding her quirks. In the past, he'd been motivated by romantic feelings. Now, however, he saw her as a willful younger sister. Even when her antics were bothersome, he treated her with care and indulgence.
Still, her flustered expressions were so endearing that he often couldn't resist teasing her.
"…Fine," Eriri finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not a big deal, really. I just… was a little concerned about the partner thing for the game tonight…"
"Oh, I get it now. You want to pair up with someone familiar, right?" Kanade immediately understood.
Given Eriri's academic record, she had no chance of earning the right to choose her partner. She'd likely be assigned someone based on her student ID, which meant teaming up with a stranger.
Kanade, however, as student council president, had the ability to tweak the pairings.
Her hesitance and awkward demeanor suddenly made sense—she didn't want to come across as asking for special treatment.
"I'll arrange for you to pair with Kato," Kanade offered. "She's probably in the same boat as you, so you can look out for each other."
"…What?" Eriri froze, dumbfounded.