On the way back to the girls' dormitory with Shiina Mahiru, Kanade encountered several pairs of students exiting the event venue. Most were walking in groups of two, with very few trios or larger groups.
The test of courage event had clearly come to an end.
A message from Kaguya Shinomiya confirmed as much:
"The list of all participating students has been tallied. Everyone is accounted for, no one is missing. Staff members have been sent to retrieve the props and decorations from the venue, which should take about 20 minutes. If you have time, President, feel free to stop by the office to inspect their progress."
Kanade pondered for a moment. Finding no issues with the arrangement, he sent a reply:
"No need for me to check. Since you've already handled everything, let's proceed with your plan. I trust your abilities."
After confirming that Kaguya received his response, Kanade felt a sense of relief—followed immediately by a wave of guilt.
While his most reliable vice president worked tirelessly, he, the carefree president, was spending his time "dating" various girls.
Even the composed and proud Kaguya Shinomiya would be justified in throwing a fit over such behavior. Anyone else in her position might have already exploded in frustration.
The more Kanade thought about it, the more guilty he felt. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel grateful for having Kaguya as his vice president.
She truly was a remarkable genius. From administrative tasks to learning new skills, she excelled at everything. Only a few days ago, she had been a novice with technology, yet now she was proficient in typing and sending messages.
Understanding her capabilities, Kanade had never underestimated her. Even during their first encounter, when he had initially challenged her with a preconceived notion of her as an opponent, he had given it his all. He had even resorted to some sly tactics—like issuing his challenge only a few days before exams, after thoroughly preparing in advance.
Despite these efforts, his victory had been marginal, just enough to claim the top spot on the test leaderboard.
Since then, he had continued to practice and repeatedly challenged her in various fields. Even when he faced failure, he never gave up. His persistence wasn't just about earning her attention; it was also a way to showcase his strengths and charm, hoping for the perfect moment to confess.
Ironically, the pressure had eventually caused him to give up entirely before he could even confess. For a time, he even considered resigning from his position as student council president to distance himself from the group.
It wasn't until a chance meeting with Megumi Kato that he had an epiphany—relationships between boys and girls didn't always have to evolve into romantic ones. They could simply be good friends.
From then on, Kanade started acting more naturally. He stopped going out of his way to avoid his former crushes and treated them as just "quirky girls" in his life.
At most, he might internally add a small prefix to their names: the girl who once rejected my confession.
But he didn't find this embarrassing. In hindsight, he realized that his feelings back then might not have been genuine. Perhaps it was simply a desire to seek emotional support in an unfamiliar world, leading him to rely on and gravitate toward these girls.
If he had succeeded in any of those confessions, both parties might have ultimately suffered. As they grew closer, they would have discovered how different they truly were, leading to a breakdown of affection and potentially turning into resentment.
That would have been the greatest harm to both sides.
Now, Kanade was grateful for being rejected—it allowed him to mature and see things clearly. It also enabled him to cherish the people in his life with sincerity.
"Kaguya, I'm so grateful to have you."
Moved by his thoughts, Kanade impulsively sent the message.
Afterward, he hesitated, wondering if he should delete it, but then thought:
Whatever. She'll understand what I mean.
Kanade had full trust in Kaguya, who had contributed to more than half of his success as student council president.
"Thank you for your hard work. Rest early tonight."
He sent another message before pocketing his phone and heading to his dorm, humming softly.
In high spirits, he looked forward to checking on his roommates. Those three had been merciless in selling him out earlier; tonight, he was determined to dig up some dirt on them.
Tonight, someone was destined to lose sleep…
And Kaguya Shinomiya was one of them.
When she received Kanade's message—"Kaguya, I'm so grateful to have you"—she froze. Everything else became irrelevant.
From that moment, all thoughts of logistics vanished. Even the calls of her maid, Ai Hayasaka, went unanswered. Nothing else mattered as a single thought consumed her mind:
"Ai! The president… he finally confessed to me!"
"…What?" Hayasaka blinked, completely dumbfounded.
But a moment's reflection told her this was unlikely. That insufferable playboy of a student council president couldn't possibly have done something so foolish. Someone as calculating as him wouldn't need more than a subtle move to win over her naïve young mistress.
Just like he had done before…
Realizing something, Hayasaka quickly asked, "Miss Kaguya, did Kanade-sama confess to you… verbally?"
Kaguya eagerly handed over her phone, pointing to the message.
"Look here! If this isn't a confession, what is it?!"
Hayasaka leaned in, reading the message with a critical eye. After a moment, she sighed deeply and gently reminded her mistress, "Miss Kaguya… is it possible he was just expressing gratitude for your hard work?"
She spoke carefully, knowing better than to use a harsher tone.
But Kaguya, lost in her romantic delusions, refused to believe it.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible! This is clearly a confession!"
Hayasaka: "…"
She's hopeless. My mistress is utterly hopeless.