Shoutout to Madara!!!
I declare that the 4rth Great Ninja war officially begins!!!!!!!!!!
(10 chapters incoming)
******************
When he finally found Eriri, the little golden retriever was sitting alone on a stone block, resting her cheeks on her hands, lost in thought. The glow of the festival lights flickered against her face, highlighting her delicate features, but the slight pout on her lips gave away her dissatisfaction.
Kanade approached her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Eriri. I must have kept you waiting."
He had estimated the time based on past experiences, but he hadn't accounted for how much the game had changed due to Fujiwara Chika's unpredictable antics—or Kaguya's unexpected injury. Everything had taken longer than expected, and now, by the time he had fulfilled his promise to Kaguya, the Test of Courage event was already halfway over.
Luckily, he had found Eriri before it was too late, but that meant Mahiru would be left waiting. There might not be enough time to accompany her as well. That thought gnawed at him slightly, but he quickly refocused on the girl in front of him.
Hearing his voice, Eriri snapped out of her daze. Her first instinct was to brush it off—to say it wasn't a big deal, that she hadn't been waiting that long. But instead, when the words reached her lips, they took on a teasing tone. "Really, you're too slow!"
"Sorry, sorry," Kanade said with a small chuckle, bowing his head slightly in mock repentance. "I really couldn't get away."
"No, it's okay. I get it," Eriri huffed, though her tone softened almost immediately. "After all, Kanade is the student council president. You must be really busy with official duties at an event like this…"
Then, as if realizing how understanding she sounded, she quickly waved her hands, adding in a flustered tone, "A-And besides! I didn't wait that long or anything! Haha…!"
As soon as she said it, she inwardly cringed. Damn it, she had let her true feelings slip again! She had been trying to work on her tsundere tendencies, trying to be more straightforward, but old habits died hard. What if he took her words at face value? What if he got annoyed and left?
A slight panic bubbled in her chest, but Kanade didn't seem to mind.
In the past, Eriri would have never waited this long for someone. If someone was even a little late, she'd roll her eyes, get impatient, and storm back to her room without hesitation. But now… things were different.
She had realized her feelings for this guy, and suddenly, everything had changed. Even someone like her, who usually preferred the comfort of home over social events, had mustered up the courage to ask him to join her for an activity like this—something only "normal people" would participate in.
It was almost scary how much she had changed. But at the same time, she liked this feeling.
Kanade hesitated for a moment. "Uh… actually…"
The truth was, he hadn't been busy with student council work at all. He had been spending time with Kaguya. Just thinking about saying that out loud made him feel like the worst kind of scumbag.
Wouldn't it sound terrible if he told Eriri, "Actually, I was with another girl"?
Yeah, no way he was saying that.
So, he decided to just… let her assumption stand.
"Let's not dwell on that," Kanade said smoothly, changing the subject. "We should get going. The Test of Courage is actually pretty fun this time. Even if you're not a fan of spooky stuff, it's worth the experience."
Eriri immediately puffed up like an offended Pomeranian. "I-I'm not scared, okay?! The only reason I freaked out last time was because of that damn Kasumigaoka!"
She crossed her arms, huffing indignantly. It still pissed her off that people thought she was the cowardly one. Back at the haunted house, it was that smug, gothic-styled girl who had turned pale with fear! She had just… reacted a little more loudly, that's all!
Then, suddenly, something clicked in her mind.
"Wait a second." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "How do you even know what the event is like?"
Kanade felt a cold sweat forming. Uh-oh.
"W-Well, you see…"
"Oh! I get it now!" Eriri suddenly smacked her fist against her palm in realization, her eyes lighting up.
Kanade gulped. Did she figure it out?!
"I'm so dumb! I totally forgot that you're the student council president! Of course you'd be involved in this kind of event!"
"..."
"Now that I think about it, the student council probably had a huge role in organizing this whole thing, right?"
She nodded to herself, as if everything made perfect sense now. Kanade let out an internal sigh of relief.
"Yeah, exactly!" he said quickly, rolling with it.
"I knew it!" Eriri grinned. "The student council is always handling these big events, like the cultural festival too. You guys really have a lot of power…"
She trailed off for a moment, her expression turning a little more thoughtful. It was funny—she normally didn't care about stuff like this. Whether in the past or now, student council affairs weren't exactly high on her priority list. But recently, she had found herself learning more about it, just to have something to talk about with him.
And, of course, while digging around, she had also come across some rumors about Kanade and a certain girl.
At the time, she had nearly lost her mind. The thought of him actually succeeding in his pursuit of someone else had terrified her more than she wanted to admit. Because if that happened… she might really lose her chance with him.
Clenching her fists slightly, Eriri took a deep breath, shaking off her thoughts.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late. As long as she put in enough effort, even someone as stubborn as her could make him fall for her again!
After blurting out her reasoning in one breath, Eriri lifted her chin slightly, her expression practically screaming, Go on, praise me already!—as if she was expecting some kind of grand applause for her deduction.
Of course, knowing Eriri, she would never actually admit it. Even if Natsukawa Kanade leaned over, ruffled her hair, and praised her with an approving, "As expected of Eriri, you really know your stuff," she would immediately slap his hand away with a flushed face and sputter, "W-Who said you could touch my head?! You idiot!"
It was just how she was—an adorably awkward tsundere. Even when she was throwing a fit, there was something undeniably cute about her. The way she pouted and crossed her arms, acting all high and mighty, only made her more endearing.
But right now, Kanade had a far more pressing concern. At this point, there was no way he could bring himself to admit that he had actually been with another girl before coming here…
For a moment, he had thought Eriri had figured it out—that she had noticed he had already participated in the test of courage and would inevitably start asking questions about who he had gone with. And, of course, Kanade wasn't the type to lie to her.
But, surprisingly, Eriri had provided the explanation for him. Completely unprompted.
The best part? She was technically right. This whole event was indeed organized by the student council. However, the game itself—the content, the scares, the setup—had been outsourced to the gaming club, led by Fujiwara Chika. But Eriri didn't seem to know that, so in her mind, her reasoning was flawless.
And honestly… Kanade wasn't about to correct her. If she wanted to believe he had been busy with student council work, well, then who was he to deny it?