Just as Natsukawa Kanade stepped out of the room, a crisp bell rang throughout the house, signaling the end of the game. The once-tense atmosphere instantly deflated, like a balloon losing air. He exhaled, feeling his adrenaline subside.
Not even a second later, the person playing the old woman materialized before them, stretching out a hand expectantly. "We need to recycle the props."
Her voice, now devoid of the eerie hoarseness from earlier, was clear and pleasant. It struck a faintly familiar chord in Kanade's mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. There were more pressing matters at hand—such as the fact that he was still holding a certain girl in his arms.
Wait. Why was he still carrying Kaguya?! The game was over. There was no longer any need to run, so why hadn't he let go?
Realizing this, Kanade quickly and tactfully set Shinomiya Kaguya down. However, just as he was about to straighten up, he felt something holding him in place. A sharp tug on his collar.
"Kaguya, your hand..." he said softly.
The girl in question remained unresponsive, her gaze unfocused, as if she were lost in deep thought. It wasn't until Kanade repeated himself that she suddenly snapped back to reality.
"Ah? Oh..."
Kanade narrowed his eyes slightly. Something felt...off.
Her behavior was strange. If she was merely zoning out, that was one thing, but why was she pressing her left hand so firmly against her right cheek? The injury she had sustained earlier was on her foot, not her face.
What exactly was she trying to hide?
Though confused, Kanade knew better than to pry. Instead, he turned his attention back to the staff member waiting for their props.
"Here you go." Kanade handed over all the items he'd collected throughout the game.
"That should be everything... Oh, wait! The 'token of love' prop—I gave it to the girl in the room earlier. You'll have to retrieve it from her," he added as an afterthought.
"Understood. You don't have to worry about that." The girl's voice was colder than before. Gone was the gentle, eerie old woman act—now, she sounded completely detached, almost distant.
Kanade blinked. Had he done something to offend her?
"Congratulations on clearing the level. Here's your extra reward for completion. Please accept it." The words were spoken in a mechanical tone, like someone reciting a pre-recorded announcement.
Kanade took the prize and examined it. It was a pair of well-crafted doll pendants—rabbit heads, to be precise. They were modeled after the character Usagi, a mascot from a popular set of reaction stickers.
He had seen these before. In fact, Ishigami had once spammed his inbox with an entire package of Usagi-themed emoticons. Kanade's reaction back then had been immediate disgust.
"Ishigami, even if no girls like you, that doesn't mean you should sink so low that even guys feel uncomfortable..."
Of course, Ishigami had later launched into a passionate defense of Usagi's charm, but Kanade's perception of the character remained unchanged: "Not a real rabbit, probably cursed."
And now, he was holding a piece of its merchandise.
Wait. Hold on. Was the staff member trying to tell him something?
Was this some kind of subtle message? A hidden implication?
What if—what if she was actually a fujoshi?! What if she shipped him with another male member of the student council and was disappointed to see him paired with Kaguya instead?!
The more Kanade thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, there were people at school who engaged in such activities. Some had even gone so far as to create, ahem, books featuring him and other male students in various "romantic" scenarios. He had made the mistake of flipping through one once and had needed to avoid Ishigami and Shirogane for a full week afterward just to recover mentally.
Could this staff member be the mastermind behind those accursed doujinshi?!
It was already dark, and she was heavily made up, so it wasn't impossible that he had simply failed to recognize her. What if this was her way of marking him again, laying the groundwork for future material?!
Feeling a sudden wave of paranoia, Kanade took two steps back and regarded the girl warily, as though she were a ticking time bomb.
"Thank you. We'll be leaving now." Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Kaguya—who was still strangely out of it—and made a swift retreat.
It wasn't that he was afraid of her or anything.
No, of course not. That would be ridiculous.
But for the sake of his sanity, he really couldn't afford to let his mind wander back to the horror he had once glimpsed on those cursed pages.
Kanade couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him as the fujoshi classmate simply raised an eyebrow before turning away without further incident. However, just as she left, he noticed that she had spared a lingering glance at Kaguya.
What was that about? A silent analysis of Kaguya's "purity"? A mental assessment of whether she fit into some fantasy scenario? The thought sent an involuntary chill down his spine. He shook his head, deciding it was best not to dwell on it.
Instead, he turned his attention to the girl standing beside him—the very definition of elegance and composure, though he could sense a hint of coldness in her demeanor.
"I forgot to ask earlier—Kaguya, how's your foot feeling?"
Kaguya, ever the epitome of grace, responded with a calm, almost indifferent tone. "It's fine, President. In fact, it seems to have improved slightly thanks to our 'training' just now."
A bead of sweat metaphorically slid down Kanade's forehead. That expressionless tone… yep, she was definitely upset. Even though her words were polite, the subtle distance in her voice was impossible to miss.
Did she really mind that much? He had no choice but to lower his voice, offering a careful apology. "Uh… Sorry about earlier…"
Kaguya blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Why is the President apologizing?"
Kanade froze. That wasn't the reaction he had expected. "Eh? Well… I mean… I picked you up without asking first, and—"
"That's nothing to apologize for, is it?" she interrupted, her tone betraying a hint of genuine curiosity. "Rather, I'd say the President made the correct decision. If you hadn't acted quickly, we might not have cleared the level in time."
She spoke so matter-of-factly, as if this was the most natural conclusion in the world.
"Besides," she added, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "I wouldn't want to slow you down by limping along the whole way."
"...Huh."
Kanade was completely thrown off. He had been certain that she was mad at him for the whole 'princess carry' situation. But now, instead of getting angry, she was actually justifying his actions?
Wait a minute…
Could it be that she had been upset at first, but because she cared so much, she subconsciously came up with a logical explanation to justify his behavior?
Oh. Ohhh. That made way too much sense.
After all, Kaguya was naturally prideful—getting her to admit to any kind of emotional vulnerability was near impossible. Normally, she kept everyone at arm's length, rarely engaging in casual conversation, let alone allowing any kind of physical contact. And yet, because the situation had called for it, she had let it happen.
So now, despite her initial reaction, she was convincing herself that it had to be the right call.
She was obviously a little shaken by the whole thing, but rather than dwelling on it, she had chosen to rationalize everything.
And here he was, the actual offender, getting comforted by her.
Kanade swallowed a lump in his throat.
"...Isn't Kaguya too kind?"
Seriously. He was this close to tearing up.