Yukino crossed her arms, her gaze sharp as she eyed Nanashi.
"So, the real reason you recruited them… was to make it easier for you to 'hunt' beautiful girls?"
For some reason, her tone carried a noticeable chill.
A chill that was both figurative and literal.
"Ah—so cold!"
Yui and Megumi, standing nearby, shivered instinctively.
Nanashi, however, remained unfazed.
He nodded solemnly. "Of course."
Just as Yukino was about to snap back at him, he smirked and shifted the conversation.
"But another reason is to find some friends for my lovely club member, Yukino. You don't have any friends, do you?"
"???"
Yukino's eyes twitched.
There was something in his tone—something that pushed the exact wrong button.
Without missing a beat, she snapped back.
"I remember everyone's name in the school."
Nanashi raised an eyebrow. "And how many of them are actually your friends?"
Silence.
Yukino hesitated for just a fraction of a second—just long enough.
Nanashi chuckled knowingly. "That's what I thought."
Indignant, Yukino huffed, "That depends on how you define the word 'friend.' If—"
Before she could launch into an intellectual breakdown of friendship, Nanashi held up a hand.
"Stop."
He sighed dramatically and shook his head.
"Anyone who feels the need to define 'friendship' like that clearly doesn't have any friends."
Yukino glared at him, her pride visibly wounded.
Nanashi, utterly unconcerned, turned away and gestured to Yui and Megumi.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed two sheets of paper onto the table.
"Here. Write your club applications. Once you do, you're officially members."
Yui beamed. "Alright!"
Megumi gave a small nod. "Mm."
Yukino, however, remained fuming.
Her piercing glare could have burned a hole through Nanashi.
He simply responded with a bright, innocent smile.
"This guy…!"
As Yui diligently filled out her application, Megumi quietly observed the exchange, her eyes lingering on both of them.
Her expression was unreadable, but something about the moment seemed to linger in her mind.
Once the applications were complete, Nanashi took them straight to Shizuka Hiratsuka.
The teacher stared at the papers in her hands, an eyebrow raised in skepticism.
"I honestly don't know how you keep managing to trick people into joining this weird club of yours."
Nanashi grinned. "Must be my personal charm."
Shizuka rolled her eyes.
Without another word, she grabbed her stamp and thud—approved both applications.
Then, waving a dismissive hand, she shooed him away.
"Alright, alright, get out of here."
Nanashi took the papers and chuckled. "Thank you, Shizuka-sensei. If you ever run into any trouble, just call me. I'll take care of it."
Shizuka scoffed. "You? I'm a teacher. What kind of trouble would I need help with?"
Nanashi shrugged, flashing a teasing grin.
"Well… there are some things sensei can't do. Like getting married?"
Before Shizuka could react, Nanashi turned on his heel and bolted out the door—closing it behind him as he went.
From the hallway, he casually pulled out a pen and started playing with it.
A long pause followed.
Then—
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
Shizuka's frustrated yell echoed through the office.
…
"There's still one person missing."
As Nanashi strolled down the corridor, he pondered who to approach next.
Just then, a golden blur zipped past him.
"Hm?"
His eyes followed the flash of color.
Blonde hair? Twin tails? A beautiful girl?
A knowing smile crept onto his face.
"Eri-ri!"
He raised a hand in greeting.
The girl with golden twin tails came to a halt and turned around.
Sure enough, it was Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
His childhood friend.
A classmate from both elementary and junior high school.
And even now, they were still in the same high school—though in different classes.
During their first year, they often ran into each other, but with the new semester keeping him occupied, Nanashi hadn't seen much of her lately.
"Nanashi!"
Eriri called back, waiting for him to catch up.
As Nanashi approached, he quickly noticed something off about her.
Even with the light layer of powder at the corners of her eyes, he immediately spotted the dark circles beneath them.
A single glance was all it took.
As a close friend, he already knew the reason.
With a teasing grin, he said, "Don't tell me you pulled another all-nighter to finish a manuscript?"
At his words, Eriri's expression stiffened.
Her small fangs peeked out as she scowled at him.
"I-I didn't!"
Despite her defiant words, guilt flickered in her eyes.
Because the truth was—she had, in fact, delayed her manuscript.
And to make matters worse, she felt a separate sense of guilt over calling herself a "painter."
Outwardly, she was the pride of the school's art department, the ace among young artists.
But in reality—she was Kashiwagi Eri, a well-known doujin artist.
Not just any doujin artist.
The kind that drew very… questionable illustrations.
And Nanashi knew this little secret of hers all too well.
She couldn't let this awkwardness grow any further!
So, she swiftly changed the subject.
Her sharp blue eyes narrowed as she stared at him with mock resentment.
"Why haven't you contacted me lately? Don't tell me… you've been out there flirting with some suspicious person?"
The way she said it—pouting slightly—made her seem like a wife sulking over a neglectful husband.
Nanashi chuckled. "No, I've just been busy with the new semester. I was planning to check in on you when I had time. After all, I'm still looking forward to seeing the latest masterpiece from Kashiwagi Eri-sensei~"
As he spoke, he casually reached out and ruffled her head.
Eriri's eyes darted around nervously.
She instinctively wanted to dodge, but after glancing around and confirming there was no one else in the corridor, she stayed put.
Not that she wanted to let him do it!
Of course not!
Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, and she tilted her chin up, trying to act indifferent.
"Hmph! Well, you'd better look forward to it!"
Despite her feigned tsundere, warmth spread through her chest.
Inside, she couldn't help but feel a little happy.
'Nanashi still cares about me… He noticed my condition right away… And he even remembered our promise.'
As those thoughts filled her mind, memories of their shared past resurfaced.
Thinking back on everything they'd been through together, Eriri realized—
Nanashi was probably her only friend she could talk to about everything.
Ding-ling-ling-ling.
The preparation bell rang, signaling that class was about to begin.
Nanashi withdrew his hand.
A fleeting moment of disappointment crossed Eriri's face at the loss of warmth.
Before she could dwell on it, Nanashi spoke.
"Eri, let's walk home together after school. I have something to tell you."
With that, he waved and headed back to his classroom.
Eriri blinked.
Then, a bright smile bloomed on her lips.
"Mm!"
She nodded, anticipation bubbling inside her.
"These Two…!"
Nearby, next to the trash can, a boy wearing glasses stood in the shadows.
His expression was grim.
His fingers clenched into fists.
His jaw tightened as he glared at the two figures in the corridor.
His voice was barely above a whisper, but the resentment was clear.