After calming down a little, Natsukawa Kanade started his return journey. The walk back was uneventful—no unexpected encounters, no prying eyes, just the crisp night air accompanying his thoughts.
By the time he reached the dormitory, the lights were already dimmed, and his three roommates were sound asleep. Perfect. He slipped inside quietly, avoiding any awkward interrogations. Not that he had a solid excuse prepared anyway.
And just like that, morning arrived without any further incidents.
Kanade's internal clock was annoyingly reliable, waking him up before anyone else. With practiced ease, he went through his morning routine, freshening up before returning to shake his roommates awake.
"Rise and shine, gentlemen! If you don't get up now, you'll miss the morning self-study session."
His voice carried enough authority to double as an alarm clock, but instead of gratitude, he was met with groggy protests.
"Ugh... why are you like this? It's not even seven yet! Who wakes up this early on purpose? Are you in a hurry to become a corporate slave?!" groaned Hikigaya Hachiman, pulling his blanket over his head.
Kanade rolled his eyes. "You have a pretty warped idea of what being a 'corporate slave' means, Hachiman."
Then, without hesitation, he reached for the edge of Hikigaya's blanket.
"Wait—! What if I sleep naked?!"
"Who cares? We're all guys here."
"RESPECT MY PRIVACY, YOU HEATHEN!"
Despite his vehement resistance, Hikigaya eventually succumbed to Kanade's iron will and dragged himself out of bed. The commotion successfully woke the other two as well, who groggily got ready alongside them.
As they made their way to the cafeteria, the atmosphere among them felt noticeably lighter. Even Hikigaya, the eternal loner, had stopped resisting the social pull.
Upon arrival, they found the food counter already open, though the selection was disappointingly limited.
"What do you guys want? How about a grilled meat set?" Kanade suggested.
The idea of having a meal together like this felt oddly nostalgic—like unlocking a new, rare achievement in the game of life.
"Grilled meat in the morning? Too greasy."
"I'll pay."
"Count me in."
Kanade smirked. "I thought you said it was too greasy?"
Hikigaya, ever the pragmatic, replied without a hint of shame, "Science says a day's energy starts with breakfast. A full stomach means peak performance."
"Peak performance for what, exactly?"
"Stop asking useless questions. Also, you already said you'd pay, so no take-backs." He smirked, clearly enjoying himself.
Kanade sighed in exaggerated defeat. "Fine, fine. My wallet is your wallet, apparently."
The other two watched their banter unfold with curiosity.
"You guys get along pretty well, huh?" one of them commented.
"Yeah, it's like you've been friends for years."
"No, it's just your imagination!" Hikigaya immediately denied it, shaking his head vigorously. "This guy just latched onto me out of nowhere. I didn't ask for this!"
He shot Kanade a glare. "He could be basking in the glow of popularity, but instead, he chooses to bother me in my dark little corner of the world. It makes no sense!"
Kanade clutched his chest dramatically. "Ah, so that's how you see me, Hachiman? Maybe I should stop bothering you..."
"N-no, wait, I didn't mean it like that—"
Hikigaya looked genuinely flustered, as if realizing he might have actually hurt Kanade's feelings. But just as he was about to apologize—
Kanade grinned.
"See? Isn't this fun?" He wagged his finger at Hikigaya. "This isn't the era of tsunderes anymore, you know. Especially for guys! Why are you looking at me like that?"
The looks from the guys seemed a little strange. Even if he had been teasing Hikigaya, they wouldn't normally look at him with such a subtle and complicated expression, right? It was almost as if they had just witnessed the tragic moment when a girl, full of hope, got her heart crushed into pieces by an unintentional remark.
Suspicious, Natsukawa Kanade turned around—only to be met with the sight of a blonde girl with twintails, standing stiffly with a tray in her hands.
"Pl... Play..."
It was none other than Eriri, the tsundere of all tsunderes, frozen in place like someone had just pressed the pause button on her life. Her green eyes shimmered, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and betrayal.
"..."
"I... had... been... right... Ahhh...!" She couldn't even string together a proper sentence before bolting away, her plate rattling as she clumsily made her escape, an aura of a crying defeated heroine lingering in her wake.
"…."
"…Wait, no—" Kanade instinctively stepped forward, wanting to explain, but Eriri was already gone. He could only stand there, sighing in exasperation. "Why didn't any of you warn me?"
"Well, actually, we had no idea what was happening," Tanuma Tsubasa admitted, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "We just saw that girl looking like she wanted to say hi, and then she suddenly froze up."
The other two nodded in agreement, clearly just as lost as he was.
"…."
Of course, Kanade knew exactly what had happened. That girl was Eriri Spencer Sawamura—the oh-so-elegant ojou-sama in public, but a full-fledged shut-in otaku in private. More importantly, she was incredibly prideful and had a fragile ego, especially when it came to people she considered friends.
And he had just casually declared that "tsunderes are outdated." Right in front of her.
Kanade internally facepalmed. He was just messing with Hikigaya! He never meant to say anything like that to Eriri!
"I don't know what just went down," Hikigaya suddenly walked up beside him, patting him on the shoulder with an amused smirk. "But I have a feeling you're about to pay for your sins."
Kanade shot him a glare. "She took that way too personally."
"That's life, my friend. You have to give up something to gain something. This is the price of 'real life,' huh…" Hikigaya mused in his usual self-deprecating tone, as if he was delivering the final words of a fallen warrior.
Kanade rolled his eyes. He hadn't messed with Hikigaya enough today. He needed to crank up the bullying next time to properly express his appreciation for his 'friend's' moral support.
But for now, damage control was his priority. He had to find Eriri before she convinced herself that he despised her or something equally dramatic.
"Alright, I gotta go fix this," Kanade muttered, waving them off as he turned in the direction Eriri had run. But after searching for a bit, he couldn't find her anywhere. Damn, she was faster than he thought.
Left with no other choice, he pulled out his phone and called the one person who might know Eriri's whereabouts—Kato Megumi.
The call connected after just a few rings.
"It's urgent," Kanade said immediately. "Tell me, Kato—"
"She's by the small lake in the west," Megumi cut him off calmly. "You should still have time if you hurry."
"…." Kanade blinked in surprise. "Wait… how do you already know—?"
"I saw her running past the cafeteria just now with red eyes. I called out to her, but she didn't respond. I figured something must've happened."
"…It's a long story. I'll explain later. Thanks, Kato."
He had initially assumed Eriri might have gone to find Megumi, but it turned out the ever-reliable Kato was already one step ahead. With no time to waste, Kanade hung up and dashed toward the small lake, bracing himself for the storm that was sure to come.