"You... are right." Natsukawa Kanade nodded stiffly.
He couldn't shake off the nagging feeling of guilt for unintentionally deceiving a fool.
"But none of that really matters. Let's hurry and get to the Test of Courage before it's too late..."
Placing a hand over his chest, Kanade tried to console himself—he hadn't technically lied to Eriri, he had just... phrased it differently.
"Alright, let's go then." The little golden retriever nodded, then, to his mild surprise, took the initiative to scoot closer. Walking side by side, she stayed unusually close, her shoulder nearly brushing against his.
Without thinking, Kanade took her hand naturally.
"?...!!!"
Wha—?! What just happened?!
Eriri's brain short-circuited on the spot.
Why—why did he suddenly grab her hand?!
No, no, no! It's not like she hated it or anything! But she hadn't prepared for this! What if her hands were sweaty?! Were her palms too cold?! Or worse—what if they got clammy midway, and he thought she was gross?!
Eriri's thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Yet, she refused to pull away. Who knew if she'd ever get the courage to reach out for his hand again? More importantly—what if he mistook it for her rejecting him?! That was absolutely not the case!
… In the end, she decided to just go with it.
Her face burned, her gaze darting down to where their fingers intertwined. Then, as if drawn by an invisible force, her eyes slowly traveled upward until she found herself staring at his profile.
Her heart skipped a beat.
He's... really good-looking (^▽^)
=============
Kanade, oblivious to Eriri's internal meltdown, simply followed what he thought were the "rules of the game." According to Vice President Shinomiya, all participants in the Test of Courage had to hold hands the entire time.
It was a rule. No exceptions.
And since Shinomya had personally informed him, there was no way it was wrong, right?
Besides, he had already participated in this game multiple times tonight, and from personal experience, he knew there was a loophole: as long as a staff member didn't see you separate, it didn't count as breaking the rules.
Just like how he and Kaguya had split up earlier—one person luring monsters, the other searching for items.
They had abused that trick more than once, yet no one had called them out on it. Even when the person in charge showed up later, they hadn't mentioned anything. Which meant…
—"Stealth mode" was a legal strategy within the game's mechanics.
Kanade had to give credit where it was due. Fujiwara Chika might seem like an airhead who lived for chaos, but whether it was the election campaign or this Test of Courage event, she had delivered beyond expectations.
At first, he had been wary of the game's psychological mind tricks, but the overall design was solid—unique, engaging, and leagues more entertaining than the standard haunted house setup from previous years.
He could already predict this event would be a huge success. As student council president, it was another achievement under his belt.
But, if he were being completely honest… what mattered most to him was that, since he had to participate three times in one night, at least the game wasn't boring.
If it had been a snooze-fest, he would have suffered immensely.
After all, he wasn't playing alone—he had to consider his partner's experience. No matter how dull the game was, he would have done his best to make sure they enjoyed themselves.
But reality had turned out to be completely different from his expectations. The Test of Courage was fun, genuinely thrilling even, and he had found himself getting fully immersed.
…The only drawback was that his first round had been on extreme difficulty mode—completing most of the challenges while carrying Kaguya on his back.
He could only be thankful he had started a fitness routine long ago. If his endurance hadn't been built up, he'd probably be dead by now.
Forget fulfilling his promise to Eriri—he'd be lying in a ditch somewhere, unable to move.
The entrance to the special venue loomed ahead, bathed in the eerie glow of dim lanterns swaying in the evening breeze. Natsukawa Kanade glanced at Eriri, who was scanning her surroundings with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. He offered a gentle explanation, "This is the entrance reserved for those who chose the 'right of independent choice.' If teams are assigned according to the list, they'll enter from the main entrance over in the square."
"Oh, I see..." Eriri nodded absentmindedly, though her gaze seemed unfocused, her usual energy slightly dulled.
Kanade blinked, tilting his head. Was it just him, or did Eriri look... strangely disappointed? A little lost, even?
"What's wrong?" he asked, studying her face carefully.
"Nothing..." Eriri shook her head a little too quickly, then—before he could press further—grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the entrance with unexpected urgency. "Anyway, let's just hurry inside!"
Kanade, startled by her sudden determination, let himself be dragged forward but couldn't shake off his curiosity. What was going on in that head of hers?
Little did he know, Eriri's mind was currently spiraling into the depths of a completely different genre of storytelling.
Since they hadn't seen anyone along the way, her overactive imagination—nurtured by years of being a manga artist—had started running wild. No one else around, a dimly lit path, the two of them alone… Her heart pounded as an absurd but persistent thought took root: Wait… he's not actually taking me to the Test of Courage, is he? Could this be… a setup for a romantic confession?!
Of course, if that were the case, she would refuse!
—Not because she didn't like the idea, obviously! But because skipping so many steps and jumping straight to something like that was way too fast! At least… at least he should start by confessing first!
But no! What was she thinking?! Kanade wasn't that kind of guy! He wouldn't pull something like this, right? …Right?!
Despite her inner turmoil, she continued to drag him forward, determined to suppress the ridiculous thoughts bubbling up in her mind.
"No need to rush, we'll definitely make it in time—whoa!" Kanade, still exhausted from his previous ordeal, tried to slow her down, but Eriri's grip was surprisingly strong. Before he could properly regain his balance—
Thud!
"Wah—?!"
Time seemed to slow down as Eriri felt a sudden weight pulling her backward. In the next instant, she found herself staring wide-eyed at Kanade's face, mere inches away from hers.
Her breath hitched.
She had no time to react, no chance to scream—before she knew it, the two of them had collapsed onto the ground in an ungainly heap.
"Owww…" Eriri groaned, wincing as she rubbed her backside. The impact sent a dull ache through her tailbone. "Ugh… what was that for, you clumsy oaf?"
But her irritation evaporated the moment she caught sight of Kanade, who was bracing himself above her, his arms trembling and sweat dripping from his forehead.
"Kanade...!"
Her irritation turned to concern in an instant. This wasn't normal. If he had the energy, he'd usually be the first to say something smug like, 'What, were you so eager to fall into my arms?' But right now, his face was pale, and he looked… unsteady.
"Are you okay?! Did you get hurt?"
Eriri bit her lip, her mind racing. That's right… After everything he'd been through earlier, he must've reached his limit. And yet, he had still come here to keep his promise to her. That idiot!
Guilt surged in her chest. He had been struggling this whole time, and she hadn't even noticed!
Determined, she ignored her own discomfort, reached out, and grabbed his arm. "Come on, lean on me! We need to get you up!"
It was a noble effort.
It was also a terrible idea.
Without Kanade's cooperation, her attempt at lifting him turned into an even bigger disaster.
"W-Wait, Eriri—!"
Thud!
The next thing Kanade knew, a sharp impact struck his stomach like a battering ram.
BOOM.
He nearly vomited out the barbecue rice he had eaten earlier.
"Ughhh…!"
Eriri, on the other hand, had effectively headbutted him in the gut—only to find herself sprawled over him once again.
For a moment, there was silence. Then—
"Ahhh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eriri yelped, scrambling off of him, her face red as a tomato.
She had barely felt the impact herself, but Kanade had clearly taken the brunt of it. Panicked, she hovered over him, watching him wheeze dramatically on the ground. "Are you okay?! Kanade?! Speak to me!"
Kanade, still clutching his stomach, barely managed to choke out, "D…Did you just… rocket headbutt me…?!"
"I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"
Kanade groaned, half-laughing despite himself. "I think… I saw my life flash before my eyes…"
Eriri's face burned hotter. "Stop exaggerating! It wasn't that bad!"
But the guilt was already eating away at her, and before she knew it, she was frantically fussing over him, checking to make sure he was still in one piece.
" I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean it!"
Eriri was on the verge of tears, her hands flailing in a panic. She only wanted to help, so why did everything keep getting worse the more she tried?!
Just when she was about to spiral into full-blown self-blame, Natsukawa Kanade, as if reading her mind, let out a small sigh and reassured her, "It's fine. I don't blame you… I was just too exhausted to even stand up properly."
"...?"
"Seriously, don't worry about it. Just let me rest here for a bit." Kanade spoke calmly, trying to ease her nerves.
Except, internally, he was anything but calm.
He had clearly overestimated himself. He thought as long as he could still walk, he was fine. But the reality? He didn't even have enough strength to keep up with Eriri—Eriri, of all people!
If he had to put it into numbers, he was probably only operating at half of Eriri's combat power right now. And that was after getting some rest. The actual figure was probably lower.
...Unacceptable. He needed more training.
Meanwhile, the little golden retriever beside him had no idea about Kanade's internal crisis. She was still drowning in her own self-reproach.
Why am I so weak?!
She clenched her fists in frustration. If only she had more strength, she wouldn't have made things worse! She wouldn't have dragged Kanade down! She wouldn't have—
No! There was no point in just feeling bad about it! She had to do something to make up for her mistake!
But… Kanade had already said he just needed to rest. He didn't need her to do anything.
...Except that was exactly the problem.
She couldn't just sit here and do nothing! If she couldn't physically help him up, then at least… at least she could do this!
Determination burned in her chest. With a deep breath, Eriri stood up, dusted off her skirt, and then—with three parts determination, three parts guilt, and ninety-six parts sheer, mortifying embarrassment—she sat down beside Kanade's head.
Kanade, still lying on the grass, raised a brow. "Eriri…?"
"...!"
Ignoring his confused gaze, the little golden retriever braced herself—and then resolutely placed his head onto her lap.
I… I DID IT!
Her heart pounded as if she had just cleared the final boss of a video game.
A k-knee pillow! She actually did it!
See?! It wasn't even that hard! What was there to be nervous about?! She was totally calm! Completely composed!
Now, even if that smug, arrogant woman, Kasumigaoka, came up to her and said something like—
"Oh my, I've already done so many intimate things with Kanade~ You're so behind, Eriri~"
—she wouldn't waver at all!
Because she had done something even more intimate!
This was a knee pillow! A legendary, anime-certified display of affection! There was no way Kasumigaoka had done this, right?!
Eriri, basking in her self-satisfaction, suddenly let out a victorious chuckle.
"Guhehe…"
"...?"
Kanade stared up at her, utterly baffled.