"Why are you here? What about the station you're supposed to be in charge of? Just leaving it like that?" Natsukawa Kanade asked with a puzzled expression.
"It's all the president's fault! He gave me so many suggestions that I became too self-conscious to even say my lines properly! It totally ruined the fun, so I let someone else take over my role," Fujiwara Chika huffed, her cheeks puffing out in frustration.
"…Still, that doesn't explain why you're tagging along with us. Don't tell me you have absolutely nothing else to do?" Kanade sighed in exasperation.
This airheaded girl was impossible to read. It would feel harsh to outright drive her away, but she was so unrestrained that it was hard to deal with her whims.
"That's right! I don't have anything to do, so I'm wandering around to see if there's anywhere more fun to check out!"
"Then why don't you go somewhere else? Why are you following us?"
"Dummy president, I'm not following you! I'm following Kaguya-chan!"
"That's basically the same thing… Wait, are you planning to stir up trouble?" Kanade suddenly realized, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.
"Good grief, what trouble could I cause? Besides, haven't you already finished your challenge? It's time to move on and let someone else take their turn!" Chika protested.
"What are you even talking about? Move on to what?" Kanade looked baffled. He genuinely couldn't make sense of her words.
"Anyway, president, stop being so annoying. I'm just here to look around with you guys. No ulterior motives or anything…" Chika waved dismissively.
"Oh, really? But actually, your real intention is—"
"To make sure the stupid president doesn't bully my subordinates and abuse his authority for personal gain!" Chika declared, striking a heroic pose with her hands on her hips.
Kanade rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone who would abuse their power for personal benefit?"
"It's just a 'Badge of Courage.' Whether I get it or not doesn't matter. It's the process of the challenge that I care about, okay?"
"Hmph, I don't believe you! Presidents are all about saying nice things, but deep down, you're dying to get your hands on it, right? Hehehe, I've seen right through you!" Chika wagged her finger smugly, as if unveiling some great secret.
Kanade: "??????"
This girl was infuriating.
Kanade decided to simply ignore her. Continuing to argue would only make him angrier.
"Kaguya-chan, Kaguya-chan! Come down here! I have something fun to show you!" Chika called out, cheerfully bouncing past Kanade to whisper something to Kaguya Shinomiya.
"It's something the president mustn't see~~~" she added in a singsong tone.
"…"
If it's something I'm not supposed to see, don't bring it up right in front of me! Now I'm curious!
Kanade couldn't help but scoff. "It's probably another one of her prank toys. I'm not falling for it."
After scanning the area and finding no suitable place to rest, Kanade decided to put Chika to work.
"Stop standing around doing nothing. Come here and give Kaguya a hand. She hurt her foot and can't walk properly."
"Huh? Kaguya-chan got hurt?!" Chika gasped and immediately rushed over to help.
It was obvious how much she cared for Kaguya. Her panic and concern didn't seem fake at all.
However, Kaguya looked slightly annoyed.
"Don't get too close—it's too hot with you here," Kaguya said, breaking her long silence with an immediate rejection.
"Ugh, Kaguya-chan must be in so much pain, and it's all my fault for not being by your side to protect you…" Chika whimpered, hugging Kaguya tightly with tears in her eyes.
Perhaps due to the overwhelming force of Chika's "front-loaded armor," Kaguya seemed utterly helpless.
"I told you it's too hot! Stop clinging to me!" Kaguya protested, struggling to push Chika away. But her resistance was futile against Chika's overwhelming physical presence.
A muffled "puh-wah" sound could almost be heard, and Kaguya finally gave up, completely surrendering to Chika's embrace.
"…"
Kanade, observing this scene from the side, had a very complicated expression.
While close interactions between girls could be considered wholesome, for Kaguya herself, this clearly wasn't a pleasant experience.
He silently prayed that Kaguya wouldn't develop any lasting psychological trauma from this.
Afterward, Kanade turned his attention back to the staff member who had guided them to this point.
"Do we just need to show this card? Nothing else required?" Kanade asked, handing over the card.
"That's correct, president. As long as you've collected all the stamps during the Test of Courage, the sequence of challenges doesn't matter," the staff member replied without even looking up. They casually took the card, glanced at it briefly, and stamped the final box with practiced ease.
"…Alright, thank you." Kanade nodded.
The process was so smooth it felt almost suspicious. He wondered if they could've gotten away with forging the stamps using the student council's seal. Would the staff even notice, or would they simply let it slide?
Not that it mattered. Such trivialities weren't worth overthinking. More pressing thoughts occupied his mind. Although they had overcome many obstacles to reach this point, something still felt incomplete—like he'd missed some critical detail.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what it was. Unlike a video game, reality didn't offer a quest log to check.
Shrugging off his unease, Kanade decided not to dwell on it further. He thanked the staff member again, pocketed the two "Badges of Courage" they'd earned, and kept the stamped card as a keepsake before walking back to join Kaguya and Chika.
After some time, Chika seemed to have calmed down and was no longer acting erratically. However, she still clung to Kaguya, muttering complaints and grievances. Meanwhile, Kaguya softly reassured her in a gentle tone.
Kanade found this dynamic entirely unsurprising.
The two best friends had always interacted this way. Sometimes, he even suspected that Kaguya's indulgence toward Chika was what nurtured her carefree, airheaded personality.
At first, Kanade had worried that the "childlike Kaguya" might have misunderstandings with Chika. But it seemed that Kaguya had returned to her normal self. The familiar smile on her face hinted at her usual composure, dispelling his concerns.
"I'm back," Natsukawa Kanade announced, breaking the silence.
"President, did you get the prize?" Kaguya Shinomiya immediately looked up at him with a hint of anticipation.
"Yeah, I've got it," Kanade nodded, handing over the badge and the stamped card. "Do you want this card?"
"Can I really have it?" Kaguya's face lit up with joy. "Aren't you going to keep it yourself?"
Kanade shook his head lightly. "No need. Just having the experience is enough for me."
After all, this whole journey felt like a heavy burden he'd carried to the very end. Forgetting tonight's events any time soon would be impossible.
"Besides, I have this as well."
He waved the "Badge of Courage" in his hand, showing that he had his own keepsake.
"It matches mine perfectly…" Kaguya's smile grew even brighter.
This wasn't just a simple keepsake—it was a heartfelt token of their bond.
Despite the challenges, the president never considered leaving her behind, proving his unwavering devotion. Truly, this was an act of love!
Not to mention, they even received matching bracelets from Chika Fujiwara—a blessing from a close friend! Couldn't this be considered a match made in heaven?
As Kaguya's thoughts drifted to the idea of spending some alone time with Kanade, Chika suddenly burst into the conversation.
"I have one of those too! And I even have a bunch of different designs!"
Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Chika pulled out several badges of varying designs to show off.
"Look, look! There's even this one!"
Not content to admire them alone, she dragged both Kaguya and Kanade into her little showcase.
"But this one's my favorite because it's so funny!" Chika pointed to a badge, prompting Kaguya and Kanade to follow her gaze.
The design featured a unique and striking pattern: a demon mask that Kanade vaguely remembered was called Hannya.
Kanade didn't think much of it. Chika had always had rather peculiar tastes.
However, Kaguya froze the moment she saw it—the design matched the badge she had received.
"…"
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a blessing???
Kaguya's mind spun in confusion.
"Hehehe, I did my homework this time!" Chika began explaining enthusiastically. "This demon, called Hannya, symbolizes jealousy and malice. Its twisted grin makes it look so devious—it's hilarious! I really love this one!"
She went on to launch into an impromptu lecture about the badge's background, much to Kanade's exasperation.
"Alright, alright, we get it. You did your research," Kanade said dismissively. Then, turning to the unusually silent Kaguya, he added, "Kaguya, I've got some things to take care of, so I need to leave for a while. If there's anything important for the student council, just go ahead and decide on your own."
Before leaving, Kanade also made sure to give Chika a stern warning. "Don't cause any trouble. Take care of Kaguya, and make sure her injury doesn't get worse."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it! Geez, the president is such a nag. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Kaguya-chan!" Chika waved him off, even pushing him out as if to hurry him along.
"Alright then, I'm off," Kanade nodded.
After a quick goodbye to Kaguya, he turned and left.
The Test of Courage had taken far longer than expected, and the event was already halfway over. With time running short, he couldn't afford to delay any longer. Despite his fatigue, he needed to hurry to meet up with Eriri and the others as promised.
Hearing Kanade's parting words, Kaguya finally snapped out of her daze. She wanted to ask where he was going, but Chika grabbed her before she could move.
"Kaguya-chan, let's go too. Don't bother with that silly president. Who knows where he's off to mess around?"
"...!!!"
That's exactly why I need to stop him! Kaguya mentally screamed in frustration.
But it was too late. Kanade's figure had already disappeared from view, and no matter how loud she shouted now, he probably wouldn't hear her.
"…"
You absolute menace! Let me go! Let me go find the president! Let me go—waaah! ┭┮﹏┭┮