Chapter 097: I'm Not a Pervert, Okay!

"Good afternoon, President."

"Good afternoon, President."

"Good afternoon," Kanade Natsukawa nodded, greeting Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara in return.

"Come on, President, hurry and sit down. I can't wait!" Chika said eagerly, practically bouncing in anticipation.

But today, her enthusiasm was destined for disappointment.

"Sorry to dampen your mood, but I need to make something clear." Kanade opened his bento box and showed it to the two girls. "This bento wasn't made by me. It's from a friend."

"Though I can promise her cooking skills far surpass mine, so I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

"She?" Both girls echoed in unison.

"Uh… is there a problem?" Kanade asked nervously. Surely it wasn't strange for him to have a friend or two who occasionally brought him lunch?

"President, you really…" Chika trailed off, glancing briefly at Kaguya before turning back to him with a teasing smile. "…don't understand anything at all~"

"…"

Understand what, exactly? Kanade thought, baffled. Chika had suddenly transformed into a riddle master. While he admitted he didn't fully grasp the intricacies of girls' emotions, being called out so blatantly was a first.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention this morning," Kanade added, hoping to clear up any misunderstanding. "It's just a coincidence today. If you want to taste my cooking, we'll need to wait for next time. I'll make sure to cook something that leaves you satisfied."

"The friend who made this bento… is she a girl?" Kaguya asked suddenly, her tone measured but probing.

"Yes," Kanade confirmed, puzzled. Why was this relevant?

"Ohhh, so the President is popular enough to have a girl send him a 'love lunch,' huh?" Chika teased, nudging his arm repeatedly. "Don't tell me she likes you?"

"Likes…" Kanade murmured, a brief flash of a certain rainy night crossing his mind. "No, it's not like that. It's more of a… feeling of responsibility, I think."

Kanade explained, "She's a kind person who just couldn't stand my hopeless lifestyle when we first met. That's how we became friends. To be honest, if it hadn't rained that day, we probably wouldn't have crossed paths at all."

He chuckled lightly. "We've known each other for about a year now. Back then, I wasn't very good at taking care of myself. Thanks to her help, I've slowly adopted healthier habits."

Though much of his self-improvement stemmed from his own desire to change, that drive had been fueled by wanting to become someone worthy of an angel like Mahiru. Now, however, he no longer held such lofty goals—his friends accepted him as he was.

"To me, she's like a great friend, almost like an older sister. Someone who listens, supports me, and even tolerates me being lazy sometimes. I guess you could say she's an angelic big sister."

Kanade's description was filled with a warmth that caught Kaguya's attention. She frowned slightly.

"And do you… have feelings for her?" Kaguya asked before stopping herself. "Never mind."

She was conflicted. On one hand, she wanted to know if Kanade harbored romantic feelings for this girl. On the other, she feared planting the very idea in his mind. It was the classic dilemma of a tragic love triangle—the meddling third party inadvertently pushing the male lead toward someone else.

No way am I letting that happen! Kaguya resolved.

To her, love was a battlefield, and victory justified any means. Rivals? No problem—so long as she emerged as the victor, the rest could eat dust!

"President, may I try some of this bento?" Kaguya asked. She wanted to assess the "competition" and see just how skilled this girl was.

Chika, ever eager, chimed in. "Me too!"

"Of course," Kanade said with a nod. Letting them taste the food wasn't a big deal—it wasn't like he was handing the whole bento over. Besides, he'd always wanted to introduce his friends to one another.

As he handed over the box, Kanade idly recalled that Mahiru and Kato were already acquainted. How had that happened? He faintly remembered that Mahiru and Kato had gone out together last weekend. When had they become such close friends?

"President?"

"Sorry, I zoned out." Kanade quickly snapped back to reality and handed them the bento.

But Chika, dissatisfied with just being handed food, opened her mouth wide and leaned forward expectantly. "President, feed me. Put it in my mouth!"

"…"

"…"

Suddenly, Kanade felt the room's temperature drop several degrees. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Can't you feed yourself? Don't be so lazy!" Kanade retorted.

"This is your punishment for bringing a bento made by another girl," Chika declared smugly.

"I already said I'll make you one next time!" Kanade sighed, though he couldn't deny he felt a bit flattered by her enthusiasm. Resigned, he picked up a piece of hamburger steak and placed it in Chika's open mouth.

With an exaggerated "Ahh!" she bit down so fiercely Kanade half-worried she'd snap the chopsticks in half.

"Mmm! This is… unexpectedly delicious!" Chika exclaimed.

"I told you, her cooking is better than mine." Kanade shrugged. After all, Mahiru was technically his mentor in the kitchen. He still hadn't surpassed her skills.

"Don't get cocky—it's not even your cooking," Chika teased, hands on her hips. Then she added, "Don't forget to feed Kaguya-chan too, President. Stop being such a pig!"

"Why am I getting called names?" Kanade muttered, though he complied, picking up a piece of squid sausage and offering it to Kaguya.

If he'd already fed one, what harm was there in feeding another? Still, he was curious how Kaguya, usually composed, would react to such a close gesture.

"!"

To his surprise, Kaguya didn't hesitate.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, leaned in gracefully, and delicately took the bite. Unlike Chika's ravenous display, Kaguya's movements were reserved and elegant.

After a few chews, she swallowed and licked her lips lightly. "It's quite good. Thank you for the treat, President."

"Uh… sure," Kanade said, exhaling in relief.

Yet, as he reflected, he realized he'd been intently staring at Kaguya the entire time. It struck him that his behavior must've seemed… off. Wait… does this make me look like a pervert?

"You're such a creep, President! Staring at Kaguya-chan like that," Chika teased, poking his increasingly red face.

"D-don't say weird stuff! I was just waiting for her opinion!" Kanade protested, turning to Kaguya for support, only to find her blushing as well.

"W-was that it…" Kaguya mumbled, looking away bashfully.

"…"

I'm doomed. She definitely misunderstood.