"Um… Kato-san, could you let me pat your head again?" Kanade asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He was serious—this wasn't a joke.
"Hello, police? Yes, there's a creep here…"
"Wait, no! Don't actually take out your phone!" Kanade exclaimed in alarm as Kato reached for her pocket. While he doubted she'd truly turn him in, he couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Even if you're joking… a comment like that already qualifies as harassment, Kanade-kun," Kato replied, her expression tinged with mild exasperation, as if she couldn't understand how her friend had become this way.
This left Kanade struggling to explain himself. He couldn't very well admit that he'd succumbed to his inner desires, could he? After all, wasn't he simply following her earlier suggestion about asking for permission beforehand? How had he still ended up being "rejected"?
Fortunately, Kato was a forgiving person. Without dwelling on it, she gracefully let the matter slide and changed the subject.
"Well then, may I return to my studies?"
"Of course! Please go ahead!" Kanade nodded enthusiastically, eager to shift focus.
After all, this was supposed to be a study session, not some bizarre romantic comedy. Perhaps he should take inspiration from Eriri, who had been diligently working the entire time.
Speaking of Eriri… Kanade found it odd that the usually distracted blonde had been so focused today. Could it be that she'd finally grown more serious about studying?
Though curious, Kanade decided against interrupting her. Breaking her concentration now would make it harder for her to refocus later.
With both girls absorbed in their studies, Kanade realized he was momentarily free. He stood up quietly and wandered into Eriri's room, planning to grab a manga to pass the time.
Naturally, he wasn't looking for anything explicit. Even Eriri owned a few mainstream titles—though she'd likely purchased them for "research purposes" to draw inspiration from others' works.
He recalled how Eriri had once expressed a desire to "go legit." While being a doujinshi artist was fulfilling in its own way, it wasn't exactly a title she could boast about openly. Ultimately, she wanted to be recognized as someone who could create both captivating fan art and original works—someone deserving of accolades like "Eri Kashiwagi-sensei, the versatile artist."
However, breaking into the mainstream manga industry was no small feat. While her artistic skills were undoubtedly exceptional—especially her ability to infuse sensuality into her work—creating a compelling story was a far greater challenge. For Eriri, writing plots was her Achilles' heel, which was why her dream remained unrealized.
Kanade had considered helping her, but storytelling wasn't exactly his forte either. The most he could offer were ideas from the perspective of a male reader.
If anything, his extensive (and mostly failed) romantic history provided a wealth of potential material. He'd even thought of a title: "After Failing to Confess to Multiple Girls, They All Came Looking for Me."
The premise would make for a classic rom-com. While the plot might be clichéd, clichés existed for a reason—they appealed to audiences. As a debut project, it could serve as a valuable learning experience for Eriri.
That said, Kanade hesitated to put his own embarrassing past on display. Offering it as inspiration would be mortifying, especially given his questionable motives back then.
He couldn't exactly start with, "So, I have this friend…" That would be too obvious.
…
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly as the trio focused on their studies.
Since Kato lived farther away, she left earlier. Kanade stayed a bit longer to help Eriri with her lessons before preparing to leave.
As he headed out, he bumped into Eriri's mother, Sayuri Sawamura.
Warm and inviting as always, Sayuri insisted that Kanade stay for dinner—and even suggested he spend the night if needed. Her enthusiastic hospitality left him flustered, though he politely declined.
After all, he had his own home to return to.
With some free time left in the evening, Kanade decided to revisit his abandoned plan from the previous day: heading to the bookstore to pick up some magazines and manga. His earlier encounter with Kasumigaoka-senpai had disrupted his plans, so this was a good opportunity to catch up.
A quick search on his phone revealed a nearby bookstore. It was close enough to walk, so he set off immediately.
Kanade had intended for this to be a quick errand—grab his items, pay, and leave. But as he approached the counter to check out, he froze.
The cashier was someone he knew—none other than Yukino Yukinoshita.
As always, Yukino looked strikingly beautiful. Even the simplicity of her work uniform couldn't mask her elegance, instead lending her an air of diligence and humility.
More surprising, however, was her expression. As a cashier, she seemed to be following the standard rule of smiling at customers. Though not quite smiling, her demeanor was noticeably softer—far more approachable than usual.
Oddly enough, Yukino wasn't standing but seated. She only rose from her chair to assist customers. Then it clicked—her foot injury. Just a few days ago, Kanade himself had helped treat it.
"…I didn't expect to see you working here," Kanade said, attempting to start a conversation.
Ignoring him, Yukino replied in her professional tone, "Please place your items on the counter, sir. I can't process your purchase otherwise."
"Ah… right." Kanade hesitated, glancing at the books he was holding. A few of them were… less than appropriate for Yukino to see. Could he even put these on the counter?
"…"
Seeing his hesitation, Yukino frowned slightly but maintained her calm. "Please step forward to complete your purchase, sir."
"…"
Kanade still couldn't bring himself to move.
There was no way Kanade could step forward to complete the transaction. The thought of a classmate—especially Yukinoshita Yukino—witnessing him buy such questionable material was mortifying. Their already-complicated relationship only made it worse. He could already envision her sharp tongue cutting him down, leaving him speechless.
The tension between them lingered awkwardly. Yukino's questioning gaze grew sharper as the seconds ticked by, and Kanade debated whether to use the excuse of "browsing for more" to discreetly return the books to their shelves.
Before he could act, however, a new voice broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Hey, I'm looking for the photo magazines. Where are they? I can't seem to find them," a brash blonde delinquent interjected.
The rude tone of this unwelcome customer drew Kanade's attention. On the one hand, the interruption provided a convenient escape from his predicament. On the other, he couldn't deny feeling annoyed by the stranger's behavior.
"…What a jerk," Kanade thought, though he refrained from outwardly expressing his disdain.
Meanwhile, Yukino's expression grew colder—a subtle but noticeable shift that Kanade immediately picked up on. Whether it was due to the delinquent's rude attitude or something else, her displeasure was palpable.
"By the door, to the right, all the way down," Yukino answered curtly, keeping her cool.
Unsurprisingly, the delinquent wasn't satisfied. His tone grew even more aggressive. "What kind of attitude is that? Get off your chair and show me yourself! And what's with that look? You think you're better than me?"
Yukino's icy demeanor deepened, her restraint evident as she kept her composure.
Kanade, however, was struggling to do the same.
"Who does this clown think he is, daring to talk to Yukino like that?" Kanade clenched his fists, anger bubbling inside. He wanted to deck the guy then and there, but he knew that causing a scene would only make things harder for Yukino.
Instead, he opted for a more measured approach.
"Let me show you the way," Kanade interjected, stepping in calmly. "I know where it is."
"Huh? And who the hell are you supposed to be?" the blonde snapped, his tone laced with hostility.
Kanade didn't bother responding verbally. He merely cracked his knuckles, the sharp sound enough to send a clear message.
"Y-you know hitting people is illegal, right?" The delinquent's bravado faltered as he sized up Kanade, whose well-built physique was leagues ahead of his own scrawny frame. The message was clear: Don't mess with me.
"Oh, I wasn't planning to hit you," Kanade replied nonchalantly. "It's just cold out, so I'm warming up a little."
"R-right…" The delinquent's voice wavered as he stepped back, clearly intimidated. After glancing nervously between Kanade and Yukino, he muttered, "Actually… I just remembered I don't really need that magazine. I'll, uh, be going now…"
He turned tail and left the store in a hurry, spouting weak excuses as he went.
Kanade smirked slightly, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.
"Does this kind of thing happen often?" he asked Yukino, breaking the silence.
"Not really," Yukino replied, her voice soft but steady. She paused briefly before adding, "But… thank you for stepping in earlier."
Kanade blinked, surprised. It wasn't often that Yukino expressed gratitude—at least not in words.
"Ah, it was nothing," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean, it wasn't exactly the most honorable way to handle things…"
Still, her rare display of appreciation left him feeling oddly satisfied. If nothing else, it was worth it to see Yukino acknowledge his effort.
"Oh, right—how's your foot doing?" Kanade asked, recalling her recent injury. "Is it feeling any better? You shouldn't push yourself too hard, especially if it hasn't fully healed."
Yukino shook her head slightly. "We can talk about that later. My shift will be over soon."
"Uh, yeah… sure."
Kanade nodded absentmindedly, but his mind was elsewhere.
He'd been so focused on defusing the earlier situation that he'd forgotten to return the books he was holding.
Now he was stuck.
"…This is going to be so awkward," he thought, beads of sweat forming on his brow.
Notes-Read all chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X