126. The Little Thoughts of a Golden-Haired Girl

It wasn't vanity; Eiri Spencer Sawamura had a reasonable sense of self-awareness. As one of the academy's more well-known beauties, she was aware of others who shared a similar reputation.

For example, that perpetually annoying "black-socked fat woman" (as she liked to call her) was one such rival. Constantly flaunting her assets to grab attention and making flirtatious, provocative remarks to string others along—what a shameless woman!

Still, Eiri found herself more concerned with the hidden threats—those potential rivals lurking in the shadows.

After all, while the "fat woman" might have long coveted Kanade Natsukawa and seemed like a major threat, she was ultimately nothing more than a bumbling loser.

Eiri felt confident her progress with Kanade was much further along. Just recently, he'd even carried her to bed! Sure, that could be interpreted as helping her fall asleep, but if you rounded it up, it was basically like sleeping together!

And as for that "fat woman"? She'd completely disappeared from view. Perhaps Kanade had already rejected her harshly, leaving her to sulk in some dark corner.

Serves her right! That's what you get for being a shameless woman!

But now? Eiri had thought her only competition was the cute, gold-haired girl she'd spotted before. Suddenly, a new rival emerged—this time a gorgeous, black-haired girl with a refined elegance.

Kanade attracts way too many girls!

Her irritation bubbled up for a moment, but Eiri quickly rationalized it.

Well, of course, someone as amazing as Kanade would be popular. If I were the only one who liked him, wouldn't that mean my taste was questionable?

It's okay, Eiri! Rivals are nothing new. You've handled them before, and you can do it again!

Gathering her resolve, Eiri decided to greet the newcomer calmly.

"H-Hello..." she managed, forcing herself to sound composed.

"Hello," Yukino Yukinoshita replied politely.

"..."

Her voice is so beautiful... How am I supposed to compete with that?!

Eiri's newfound confidence crumbled as she spiraled into self-doubt once more.

Seeing her mood inexplicably shift downward, Kanade leaned in with concern. "What's wrong?"

Eiri couldn't bring herself to explain and instead weakly tugged at his sleeve, shaking her head in a pitiable display of denial.

That's definitely not a "nothing's wrong" look, Kanade thought.

But Eiri was always like this—hiding her feelings rather than voicing them. Kanade assumed she was simply embarrassed to admit she was hungry. It wouldn't be the first time.

After all, Eiri's "otaku constitution" left her fragile and easily drained. Between her emotional outburst earlier and skipping breakfast, she'd clearly run herself out of energy.

On the other hand, Yukino, observing their interaction from the sidelines, felt her patience wearing thin.

She wasn't stupid. From the way they interacted, it was obvious this wasn't a chance encounter—they had come here together. Yukino initially planned to greet them and leave, thinking she could speak with Kanade privately later.

But then she saw this scene.

Are they seriously flirting in front of me?

While Yukino knew she wasn't in any position to comment on their relationship, she still felt indignant. Was it too much to ask for them to hold off their lovey-dovey act until she was gone?

"Are you two done talking?" she interjected icily.

Kanade, startled, suddenly remembered Yukino's presence. "Uh, let's sit down..."

After Kanade took his seat, Eiri slid in right beside him, practically glued to his side. Yukino silently observed their movements, then wordlessly sat across from them, exuding an air of quiet elegance.

Eiri accepted the sandwich Kanade handed her and began eating in small, delicate bites. Meanwhile, Kanade glanced between the two girls, sensing an odd tension in the air. For some reason, he found it impossible to start eating.

"..."

"..."

"By the way..." Kanade tried to break the silence, but Eiri suddenly spoke first.

"Kanade..."

Hidden from Yukino's view, Eiri tugged lightly at Kanade's sleeve and whispered, "I'm a little thirsty..."

"But didn't you say you didn't want milk?" Kanade teased.

"..."

Eiri had no retort. She had refused milk earlier, but that wasn't the point! However, unwilling to leave Kanade and Yukino alone, she reluctantly decided to endure. Yet after just a few more bites, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Ugh... I'm choking..."

Caught between her inner turmoil and physical discomfort, the golden-haired girl was on the verge of tears.

"Here, drink this!" Kanade quickly slid his soup over to her.

Eiri grabbed the soup and took several gulps, finally regaining her composure. Her immediate discomfort subsided, but a new thought popped into her mind: Wait... Isn't this an indirect kiss?!

At least it wasn't a literal kiss, since Kanade hadn't touched the soup yet. Still, if he had, Eiri would've been blushing furiously, turning into a "steamy little maiden" and exposing all her feelings.

"You okay now?" Kanade asked, his face full of concern. He noticed her flushed cheeks and assumed it was a lingering reaction to choking.

"I'm fine..." Eiri replied softly, shaking her head. Then, raising her eyes slightly, she glanced at Yukino.

Across the table, Yukino remained calm and composed, eating her breakfast with poise. While she seemed to notice the earlier commotion, she didn't show any interest now that Eiri was fine.

Does that mean she didn't notice our indirect kiss? Eiri wondered.

It was hard to tell. Yukino either hadn't realized or didn't care.

If it had been the "black-socked fat woman," there would've been snide remarks about Eiri's tactics:

"Wow, using a choking excuse to share an indirect kiss? Someone's finally learning the ways of the world, huh, you golden-haired loser?"

Even if she didn't say something outright, she'd at least have given a knowing smirk.

But Yukino? Nothing. Was she oblivious, or did she genuinely not see Eiri as a threat?

Maybe I misunderstood? Maybe she and Kanade aren't that close after all?

Though her instincts told her it wasn't that simple, Eiri was too inexperienced to untangle the truth. Her romantic "battles" so far had mostly been one-sided clashes with her "fat woman" rival, and even then, Kanade's support was the only reason she hadn't been completely crushed.

What now? Borrow tactics from my experience drawing lewd doujins? This isn't some weird alternate world scenario!