Natsukawa Kanade blinked in disbelief.
No way. That sound just now… it couldn't have come from Iino Miko, right?
But his ears didn't lie. The faint, breathy voice had definitely come from her direction. Still half-suspecting a mistake, he cautiously applied just a bit more pressure with the pen he'd been using to prank who he thought was Fujiwara Chika.
"Uwoo…"
Another soft gasp escaped.
Then, he saw her — Iino Miko — reach out and quickly cover her mouth, her head rising ever so slightly. Her cheeks were dyed a deep red, and her wide, teary eyes looked straight at him with a gaze full of confusion, pleading… and shock.
"…"
Wha—!?
No. No way. He hadn't been poking Fujiwara Chika this whole time?
He was... holding Iino Miko's leg?!
Yabai!
His brain stalled for a moment. This was a level of trouble that hit harder than a surprise math quiz. But before he could even process what was happening, the damage was already spreading.
The environment was dead silent — the kind of silence where even a pencil scratch sounded thunderous. So, her sudden gasp, followed by her muffled voice, was very noticeable.
"What's wrong, Miko-chan?" Fujiwara Chika asked groggily, lifting her head with a sleepy blink and rubbing her eyes like a confused cat.
"N-Nothing!" Iino Miko replied hastily, shaking her head like a wind-up toy, though her expression was clearly flustered.
But if she was panicking... Kanade was ten times worse.
Inside, he was already screaming.
He had thought he was retaliating against Fujiwara's usual nonsense. It had seemed obvious — some sneaky under-the-table prank, a foot brushing against his. Naturally, he fought back without thinking. But somehow… somehow... he'd ended up messing with Iino Miko instead.
In what world would anyone believe him now if he said it was self-defense?! He was just going to look like some creepy senpai who harassed his kouhai in the middle of study group!
As panic surged in his chest, he could only pray — please, please don't say anything, don't expose me, don't ruin me…
Miraculously, Miko didn't.
Even with her flushed face and trembling shoulders, she took a breath and forced out an excuse. "I-I accidentally bumped my leg into the table while, um, shaking it. It hurt a little… I-I'm sorry for disturbing everyone."
"Ohh, is that so?" Fujiwara yawned again, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Well, if it hurts that much, you should head to the nurse's office, Miko-chan~"
And just like that, she laid her head back down and stretched lazily, slipping halfway back into dreamland.
As for Shinomiya Kaguya, she briefly gave Miko a glance, then looked away, seemingly uninterested now that someone else had already shown concern. Unless it involved the student council president, she had no reason to compete in the "caring upperclassman" category.
Crisis averted.
Both Kanade and Iino Miko let out silent sighs of relief.
But then… that happened.
Kanade felt her gaze.
Not just a glance — it was a gaze, strong and sharp, full of complex emotions: embarrassment, frustration, confusion… and a flicker of please don't ever do that again.
Oh no.
I'm still holding her leg!
With lightning speed, Kanade released her ankle like it had burned him and gave her a wide-eyed, apologetic expression that screamed I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!
He wasn't sure if she understood, but she didn't look at him again. She simply shuffled back in her seat, creating more space between them, head bowed low over her worksheet, her aura practically glowing with silent fury.
"..."
Yep. She was mad. And she had every right to be.
Kanade felt like banging his head against the desk.
Looking back, it was obvious what had happened. Miko had probably been absentmindedly shaking her leg while solving problems, her foot brushing against his by chance — and he had just assumed it was Fujiwara up to no good again. Without thinking, he had retaliated.
And now here they were.
But how was he supposed to explain this?! Saying, "Oh, I thought you were Fujiwara Chika so I attacked you" wasn't exactly a comforting excuse. It just made him sound like he and Fujiwara messed around so much in private that something like that was normal for them. And that would just add more fuel to the misunderstanding fire.
Still… even if it was awkward, he had to explain. Being misunderstood as a perverted senpai who molests his kouhai was way worse.
He clenched his fist under the table.
Mission: Clarify the misunderstanding. Objective: Clear his name before he's labeled a villain.
Holding tightly onto the resolve of "I absolutely have to explain myself!", Natsukawa Kanade endured the remainder of the study session like a monk suppressing inner turmoil. Every tick of the clock felt like a taunt, each shuffle of paper around him a distant echo to his own heartbeat. The moment it finally ended, he sprang to his feet like a coiled spring.
After exchanging a brief and composed farewell with Shinomiya Kaguya—who gave her usual reserved nod—Kanade quickly turned tail and sprinted in the direction Iino Miko had gone.
She may have been small in stature, but this kouhai could walk like the wind. Tch, was she trying to escape from him? Well, probably. But he wasn't about to let things stay awkward forever.
"Miko! Matte—wait up! Please, let me explain!"
It felt like something straight out of a badly-scripted romance anime. He just wanted to clear the misunderstanding, to prove his innocence... yet as the words left his mouth, even he winced. They sounded exactly like those yamete kudasai scumbag lines guys said in melodramatic TV dramas right before getting slapped.
Still, he had no choice. He had to explain himself—no matter how cringe it sounded.
"..."
Predictably, she didn't respond immediately. When he finally caught up and stood in front of her, she had stopped walking, but her arms were wrapped around her book bag as if she were holding a shield. Her posture screamed defensive. Eyes cast downward, lips pursed—yep, she was angry.
Still, it was good that she wasn't running away.
"Just hear me out, okay?" Kanade's voice carried a mix of desperation and earnestness.
"...Name."
"Eh?"
"You... You called me by my name again."
"Ah—gomen! I just thought, since you said before I could call you by name, I... Should I go back to calling you 'Iino' instead?"
"...No, it's okay. You can keep calling me Miko."
The words came quietly, but not reluctantly. That slight shake of the head wasn't forced. If anything, it confused Kanade even more.
"Uhh... okay then," he muttered, puzzled. He had honestly expected her to revert to cold, formal distance after the mishap earlier. But she wasn't being distant—or polite. It was as if... she genuinely didn't mind?
Then why bring it up at all?
No time to get tangled in that web of emotions. The priority was the misunderstanding. He took a deep breath, then calmly explained everything—how he had mistaken her foot for Fujiwara Chika's prank, how the misunderstanding unfolded, and how sorry he was. He even added a few examples of Fujiwara-senpai's typical mischief, just to add credibility.
If it helped this kouhai see through Fujiwara's chaotic nature a bit earlier, all the better, right?
"Ehh? Fujiwara-senpai is actually like that…?" Miko blinked, her expression shifting to one of mild betrayal. "Hmm... I have noticed some weird things about her recently, but still… hearing it confirmed by someone else is kind of…"
"It's normal. Suki is the furthest distance from reality," Kanade nodded sagely. "Didn't you say once that the reason you admired her was because you saw her perform piano when you were a kid?"
"Un..." Miko gave a tiny nod. "I didn't think you'd remember that, senpai…"
"Of course I do. I might look like a laid-back guy, but I remember what's important," he replied with a small, modest smile. "But still, even if Fujiwara Chika isn't exactly the perfect image you had in mind, that performance still touched your heart back then. That's real. It means she still has something worth admiring, right? You don't need to worship her—just get along like normal."
It was his way of saying daijoubu—it's okay. Idol illusions aside, she could still maintain a healthy senpai-kouhai bond.
But just as he thought the tension was easing, Miko gave him a curious glance... then asked something that flipped the atmosphere on its head.
"So... should I treat you like that too?"
"…Eh?" Kanade's brain froze.
What did she mean by that?! Was she comparing him to Fujiwara now? Did she mean he'd also fallen from some pedestal?
"I mean, it was a misunderstanding, sure..." she continued, eyes narrowing slightly. "But the fact remains—you did it, didn't you?"
"...Yeah," Kanade answered meekly, bowing his head in shame.
"Then it's only fair that I get compensation, right?"
"…Fair."
She crossed her arms, giving him a smug little tilt of her chin. "Although... I haven't decided how you'll compensate me."
So, Natsukawa Kanade gave a small nod, then offered the suggestion, "How about I treat you to yakiniku again? You can pick the place—just don't go overboard, okay?"
He figured that would smooth things over. Surely no one could stay mad with the promise of grilled meat. But to his surprise, Iino Miko's cheeks puffed up slightly, and she gave him a look that could only be described as… indignant.
"Do I look like such a glutton?!"
She clutched her books tight to her chest, like a defensive stance in some shoujo battle manga, as if resisting the overwhelming urge to bonk him over the head with them.
"Uh… then maybe something else?" Kanade scratched his cheek, trying to recover.
"No… Let's go with that. I think it's fine."
Natsukawa Kanade: "..."
Eh? Then what was all that dramatic resistance for?! She could've just agreed from the start!
If he wasn't the one in the wrong, he might've thrown his hands up and stormed off in frustration. But alas, guilt made fools of them all. After some back-and-forth negotiations—well, more like emotional blackmail masked with cute expressions—the so-called "compensation" was decided.
And just like that, Iino Miko flashed a smile, seemingly satisfied, even offering a cheerful wave as she turned to leave.
"Then, that's it for today. See you tomorrow, Senpai."
"…Yeah. See you tomorrow," Kanade replied with a half-hearted smile, secretly sighing on the inside.
What a rollercoaster of a day.
Somehow, he'd gotten dragged through misunderstandings, awkward confessions, and now... a barbecue bill. Sure, it wasn't a huge expense, but losing money in the name of damage control always stung a little. Well, at least my reputation is intact… I think?
Still, something felt… off. Like he'd forgotten something. Kanade paused, furrowed his brows, then shrugged. Eh, whatever. Can't be that important. He turned back toward the school building to retrieve the stuff he'd left behind during the study session.
By the time he stepped out again, the sky had already shifted into twilight. A soft drizzle had begun to fall, weaving threads of mist across the street.
Standing quietly at the train station, Natsukawa Kanade gazed through the slightly fogged-up window of the train, watching the fine rain dance under the flickering streetlights. The melancholic mood of a protagonist in the final minutes of an anime episode clung to him like a damp coat.
It wasn't the rain that bothered him.
It was the memory of Iino Miko's very healthy appetite. A second trip to a yakiniku place? That was his wallet weeping.
As he internally lamented his financial fate, the train doors opened at the next station with a mechanical hiss.
A girl stepped in.
Long, flowing hair down to her waist, adorned with a familiar black butterfly clip that fluttered gently as she walked. Their eyes met.
"Hmph! ╭(╯^╰)╮" she snorted and turned her head with exaggerated drama.
Ah… here we go again. Kanade groaned inwardly.
It was Fujiwara Chika.
Due to the rush hour crowd, she ended up standing right beside him. And despite pretending to ignore her, Kanade could sense her fidgeting—like she was itching to speak.
Sure enough, it only took a few seconds.
"Oi, baka Kaichou. Aren't you going to say anything?"
"I figured if I did, you'd just get angry."
"I get even angrier when you don't say anything!"
Kanade sighed dramatically. "So if I talk, I'm wrong. If I don't talk, I'm still wrong. Am I your emotional punching bag now?"
"You're the one who called me an idiot!"
Her cheeks puffed up in a familiar pout, fists clenched. She looked ready to swing—but before she could, her eyes suddenly darted to the window.
A figure outside caught her attention.
"Wait… that was…!"
Without warning, she grabbed Kanade by the wrist.
"Baka Kaichou, get off with me!"
"Eh? Wait, nani?!"
Before he could process anything, she was already dragging him off the train like a whirlwind, his legs moving on autopilot to keep up.
They rushed out, landing awkwardly on the platform as the train pulled away behind them. The rain had picked up slightly.
"Saa… you didn't pull me out here just to delay my trip home, right?" Kanade rubbed his temples, the dull ache of incoming nonsense forming.
"I'm not that petty!" Chika snapped back, then ducked behind the station sign, peeking out with overly theatrical caution. "I saw Moeha just now! She wasn't alone either…"
"…So?"
Kanade looked unimpressed. Is that really worth a train detour?
"She was with someone suspicious!" Chika whispered intensely, her eyes gleaming. "I have a bad feeling about this. This could be something big!"
Kanade: "..."
Here we go again. Fujiwara Detective, on the case.
Honestly, all he wanted now was a hot drink, dry clothes, and ten minutes without drama.
Was that too much to ask?