Hinamori Momo stood in the doorway of the office, her expression slightly stiff as she looked at the two people inside.
Rukia might've made things less awkward if she hadn't looked so guilty — but her evasiveness only twisted the knife in Hinamori's chest.
Rukia desperately wanted to explain, but she knew that in this kind of situation, the more you tried to clarify, the more suspicious it looked. Saying anything now would be like confessing Hinamori's feelings to the President's face — and possibly inviting his irritation or discomfort.
Thinking back… the way the President patted my head before really was kind of ambiguous…
Had she really not noticed it at the time? Or had she noticed — and just not minded?
Did the President not realize what it meant?
She felt like crying.
Hinamori quickly smoothed over her emotions and smiled. "President. Rukia."
Rukia hesitated, then decided it was probably better to leave them some space. She quickly said to Nobu, "President, if there's nothing else, I'll be going."
With that, she all but fled the office.
The moment she stepped out, she leaned heavily against the wall, her chest heaving.
How did things get like this…?
Seeing Rukia excuse herself and leave the room to her, Hinamori felt a little better. Maybe I really misunderstood what I saw.
The President… is just kind to everyone…
Nobu sat back down at his desk and said offhandedly, "The Kuchiki family came by just now — one of the Four Great Noble Houses. They said they wanted to see Rukia."
Hinamori blinked, clearly caught off guard by the news.
"They were looking for Rukia? Why?"
"No idea. They left before she got here."
"Oh…"
Nobu shifted the topic. "What about your friend — is he willing to enroll at the Academy?"
Hinamori thought for a moment, then nodded lightly. "Yes, but not until next year. Tōshirō blames himself… he thinks his grandmother's health got worse because of him."
"Good thing it was caught in time. There's still a chance to turn it around."
"This is all thanks to you, President."
Nobu chuckled. "You've already thanked me."
Hinamori pressed her lips together, looking at Nobu where he sat, a storm of thoughts swirling inside her — but none she could quite bring herself to voice.
Everything she wanted to say felt either too abrupt or too forward.
She hadn't slept at all the night before. But she'd worked through it.
What Kanisawa-senpai does is her business. What matters is how the President sees things.
Someone like Nobu — how could there not be people drawn to him?
She was just one of many. Kanisawa-senpai was one of many. And in the future, there'd be countless more.
What she needed to do wasn't to be upset over other people's feelings — that would get her nowhere. She couldn't control that. What she could change was the way the President saw her.
She gathered her courage and suddenly asked, "President… there's something I've always wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you choose Rukia to be your assistant?"
Unbeknownst to them, Rukia hadn't actually left yet. She lingered just outside, afraid that they might start arguing. She knew Hinamori had no reason — or right — to question the President about something like that.
But when she heard Hinamori's question, she froze.
That… is something I've wondered too.
Did she ask that because of what happened just now?
Nobu let out a soft laugh and asked in return, "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
Hinamori answered, "I just feel… Rukia isn't particularly exceptional in any way. Of course, she has her strengths — but did you see all of those from the beginning? She told me about her Student Council entrance evaluation. I honestly don't think I did any worse than her. In fact, I—"
She wanted to say she was better suited for the role of assistant — she was more outgoing, more enthusiastic about her work.
She wanted to ask if Nobu had feelings for Rukia. If he liked her.
As for Kanisawa-senpai — Hinamori had spent enough time around Nobu to tell. He didn't feel anything special toward her.
If a person truly liked someone, it was hard to hide it. Nobu's attitude toward Kanisawa was no different from how he treated everyone else. So Kanisawa wasn't a threat. She was just relying on the President's kindness and that prior agreement to make an unreasonable request.
Compared to that, his behavior toward Rukia was clearly… different.
Nobu glanced at the system interface — Hinamori's affection level was fluctuating wildly, rising and falling.
He leaned back in his chair. Truthfully, he disliked being interrogated like this. Tilting his head slightly, he spoke slowly.
"I did see Rukia's strengths from the start. But I also saw her weaknesses. That's why I felt she needed this role — to grow. If I'd just made her a regular member, she wouldn't have had any reason to overcome those shortcomings. Hinamori, you're probably more capable than Rukia right now. Everyone likes you. But Rukia needed this chance more than you did. And since you two are such good friends, I thought you'd understand that better than anyone."
Hinamori blurted out, "But I… I…"
She clenched her fists, but in the end, didn't say another word.
She was embarrassed. And scared.
Scared that if she said what she really wanted to, she wouldn't be able to handle the consequences.
Then Nobu smiled again, more gently this time. "Hinamori, don't forget — I still owe you a favor. Have you thought about what you want to ask?"
"..."
She couldn't speak.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
She'd been thinking about that promise ever since they'd made it — about what kind of request would be best. Something daring? Something modest? Something flirtatious? Something appropriate?
She'd considered asking Nobu to tutor her in Kaidō during his free time. That would give her more chances to be alone with him, a believable and reasonable request that could bring them closer.
He was planning to join the 4th Division, after all — and she could easily frame her interest as career-oriented.
But then Kanisawa-senpai… how had she managed to ask for something that bold?
Then… can I do the same?
But if she did… would that make her just as shameless?
What would the President think of her then?
She bit her lip, her wide eyes shining as she stared at Nobu. They were only separated by a desk — a few steps' distance.
And yet she had no idea how far apart they really were.
Was it only a few steps… or was that just how it looked on the surface? Was it just waiting for her to take the first step?
"President…" Her voice trembled slightly.
"…Can you… like you did with Rukia just now… can you pat my head?"
Outside the door, Rukia finally walked away.