Tsubasa Tanuma's story was almost too peculiar, filled with coincidences that seemed like they'd been orchestrated by fate itself. But regardless of whether it was coincidence or something else, the real task was figuring out what the girls involved actually thought of him.
"So, the girl who invited you—was it the same one who asked if you had a girlfriend before?" Kanade asked, steering the discussion.
Tanuma's romantic journey wasn't exactly tumultuous, but it did resemble a mystery novel: figuring out whether one or multiple "culprits" were involved made it fascinating. Naturally, the self-proclaimed "strategists" in the group dove into the puzzle with gusto.
"No, it was a different girl," Tanuma replied, shaking his head. Then he added, "But the one who asked before was standing right next to her."
"…"
The group exchanged looks, collectively baffled.
While Shirogane's role was more observational as a participant in the event, Hachiman and Kanade were the ones attempting to untangle this mess. Even their extensive knowledge of romantic tropes wasn't enough to crack the code right away.
If Girl A had inquired about Tanuma's romantic status but Girl B had invited him, it raised the possibility that the two were covering for each other. However, that led to a more complicated question: could it be that both girls liked Tanuma?
It wasn't impossible, but the group instinctively dismissed the idea. In an all-girls friend group, once one member declared feelings for a boy, it was almost an unspoken rule that the others wouldn't make a move. Breaking such a rule could lead to ostracization or even bullying.
Thus, the "both like him" theory was eliminated. They needed more information.
"And then? Did you go to the test of courage with one of them, or both?" Kanade pressed further.
After all, his own night had nearly involved multiple partnerships if not for circumstances narrowing it down to Kaguya.
"Not exactly…" Tanuma hesitated, his expression turning sheepish.
"Actually… I kind of 'snuck in.'"
"Snuck in?"
"Yeah," Tanuma admitted, nodding. "Well, maybe 'snuck in' isn't the right term. I did join them openly, but it wasn't my idea. One of the girls suggested that, since the president's announcement didn't explicitly forbid group participation, I could join them both. One invited me, and the other invited her. That made us a three-person group."
"…"
The room fell silent as the group tried to process this unorthodox arrangement.
Hachiman turned to Kanade with a bewildered expression that seemed to ask, This was allowed?!
Kanade shrugged helplessly, his own expression saying, How was I supposed to predict something like this?!
But they quickly moved past the technicalities.
"And then?" someone asked.
"After that, things were pretty straightforward," Tanuma began.
"At first, I really was just the 'trailblazer,' walking in front while they followed behind me. But as we walked, we gradually started walking side-by-side. Then, every so often, when they got scared, they'd jump into my arms or grab onto my arm and not let go…"
"…"
So that's why you were so confident earlier, huh?
"But that doesn't tell us who likes you. Was there anything else that stood out?"
"There was one thing," Tanuma said thoughtfully. "At one point, we saw a 'ghost' ahead. My instinct was to turn around and pull them away, but I tripped and ended up… uh… tackling both of them to the ground."
"…"
You lucky bastard!
"And? What happened after that?" The group leaned in, fully invested now, as if they were reading the climax of a manga.
"Well… they didn't really react," Tanuma said, scratching his head. "I thought I was going to get scolded or something, but neither of them said a word. Honestly, I didn't know what to say either."
He sighed. "I was hoping this would be a chance to figure out who liked me, but it didn't help at all. If anything, I just caused more trouble."
Having finished his story, Tanuma looked to Kanade for advice. In his eyes, Kanade was practically a romance guru.
Kanade didn't disappoint.
"In my experience," Kanade began confidently, "no reaction is actually the biggest reaction."
"Wait, what?" Tanuma and Hachiman both looked puzzled.
"Think about it," Kanade explained, his tone assured. "If they didn't care about you, they'd definitely call you out. At the very least, you'd hear a loud 'HENTAI!' or something along those lines."
He gestured broadly as he spoke, clearly drawing from personal experience.
"But if they like you, they'll stay silent for two reasons. One, they're too shy to bring it up. Two, they're secretly hoping the moment leads to something more."
Kanade paused for dramatic effect before continuing.
"Girls can be very reserved. Even if they really want something, they might pretend not to care for all sorts of reasons. They only accept it after some gentle nudging. Your job is to figure out what they truly want versus what they're pretending not to want."
He leaned forward. "In this case, their silence clearly means they were pretending not to care. They were probably too flustered to say anything, which suggests…"
Kanade raised two fingers.
"One: Both girls like you, but they're keeping it a secret to avoid conflict within their group. Two: Only one girl likes you, but the other knows about it and is covering for her. If that's the case, the one who likes you has probably already confided in the group."
"So what should I do?" Tanuma asked eagerly.
"Simple," Kanade declared. "Pay close attention to their behavior in the coming days. If one of them starts acting out of character—getting distracted or flustered, for example—then she's the one. That's the 'culprit' who has feelings for you."
He leaned back, smiling smugly. "I bet my honor as student council president that this deduction is spot-on."