When Kanade Natsukawa finally found Eriri, she was sitting alone on a stone post, her chin resting on her hands as if lost in thought.
"Sorry, Eriri, I kept you waiting," Kanade said apologetically as he approached her.
He had calculated the time based on past experiences, but things didn't go as planned. Thanks to Chika Fujiwara's interference and Kaguya's injured foot, the game had taken much longer than expected.
Now he was in this awkward situation—the Test of Courage was already halfway over, and he had only just finished fulfilling his promise to Kaguya.
At least he'd found Eriri now. He could accompany her through the remainder of the event, but that left him worried about Mahiru. Time might run out before he could meet up with her as planned.
Hearing Kanade's voice, Eriri snapped out of her daze. A smile appeared on her face before she could help herself.
She had wanted to say, "It's okay, I haven't been waiting long." But as the words reached her lips, they transformed into a complaint instead:
"You're so slow, Kanade!"
"Sorry, sorry. I really couldn't get away…" Kanade apologized again with a slight bow.
"N-no, it's fine! I understand. You're the student council president, so of course you're super busy at times like this… Besides! I didn't wait long at all! Haha…" Eriri waved her hands hurriedly, trying to explain.
Just a moment ago, her true nature had slipped out again. She'd made up her mind to work on correcting her tsundere tendencies, but thankfully Kanade didn't seem bothered by it. What if he'd gotten upset and left? That would've been terrible.
I can't let that happen, she thought anxiously.
In the past, she would never have been this understanding. She wouldn't have waited for him this long either. If he were late, she would've sulked and retreated to her room instead of hanging around.
But things had changed. Ever since she'd realized she was helplessly in love with this guy, her behavior had shifted completely. She'd even worked up the courage to ask him to this kind of event—a social activity that a typical shut-in like her would usually avoid like the plague.
The power of love was truly amazing. She couldn't believe what it had inspired her to do.
"Uh…" Kanade hesitated, unsure how to respond.
In truth, he wasn't busy with work at all. It had been a personal matter. Her assumption made him feel oddly ashamed.
For a brief moment, he considered explaining himself, but how could he admit to Eriri, "Actually, I was just with another girl"? That would sound completely inappropriate and might even come across as downright scummy.
Better to leave it as it was.
"Let's not worry about that for now. We should hurry and join the Test of Courage!" Kanade said, changing the subject. "It's really well-done this time, and even if you're scared, I think you'll still enjoy it."
"I'm not scared, okay! Last time, I just got startled because of that Kasumigaoka woman!" Eriri puffed up in indignation, looking like an angry Terriermon.
She refused to let herself be labeled a coward. Kasumigaoka was the one who'd been truly terrified. When they exited the haunted house last time, Kasumigaoka's face had been pale, while Eriri's only "offense" was screaming a little too loudly midway through!
Who was the real scaredy-cat here? It was obvious!
"Wait a second… How do you know so much about the game?" Eriri suddenly paused, suspicion dawning on her face.
"…" Kanade froze. Oh no.
His offhand comment had raised Eriri's curiosity. Normally, she was so... straightforward that she wouldn't think much about such details.
"Actually…" Kanade began hesitantly, trying to find a way out.
"Oh, I get it now!" Eriri exclaimed, tilting her head back with an expression of sudden realization.
"I'm so dumb! Of course, you're the student council president! For big events like this, the student council must be heavily involved, right?"
"…"
"And come to think of it, you guys probably organized this whole Test of Courage, didn't you?" Eriri nodded thoughtfully.
"I know stuff like this—things like cultural festivals and other big events are always handled by the student council. Honestly, the student council at our school has so much power…" she remarked with admiration.
Despite how knowledgeable she seemed, Eriri usually wasn't interested in such topics. Her awareness now was entirely thanks to Kanade. As someone who worked in the student council—let alone as the president—he naturally became the reason she started paying attention.
She'd even gone out of her way to learn about these things just so she'd have something to talk about with him. But in doing so, she'd also stumbled upon rumors about him and another girl...
And they weren't just baseless rumors. He had been in "pursuit mode" at the time, completely focused on someone else. His lack of response to her messages during that period had been painfully dismissive.
She had been terrified back then—scared that his pursuit would succeed and she'd lose any chance with him forever.
But now, it wasn't too late. If she worked hard enough, even someone as awkward and dense as her could win him over again!
After enthusiastically explaining her reasoning, Eriri tilted her head with a proud, expectant look on her face, clearly fishing for praise.
Of course, she'd never admit it. Even if Kanade patted her head and said, "Wow, Eriri, you know so much!" she'd push his hand away with a flushed face and retort, "Wh-what are you doing?! Who said you could touch my head?!"
That was just the kind of adorably stubborn tsundere she was.
But right now, Kanade had something else on his mind.
At this point, there was no way he could confess that he'd been with another girl earlier.
Initially, he'd thought Eriri might realize he'd already participated in the event and demand to know who he'd been with. Kanade had been prepared to answer honestly. But to his surprise, she'd rationalized the situation on her own.
And, as it happened, she wasn't wrong. The event had been planned by the student council. However, the actual game content had been outsourced to Chika Fujiwara and her game club. Eriri didn't know that, so her assumption was perfectly reasonable.
Kanade sighed inwardly. Crisis averted...