Chapter: 13. The Layers of a Bad Woman’s Scheme
“Kanade-kun, could it be that I… am actually quite popular?”
After Nagi and Kanade watched Seiryu’s back as he left.
She seized the moment to cover her slightly flushed cheeks with both hands and intentionally asked her childhood friend next to her.
“Eh?” Kanade displayed an expression of “What nonsense is this kid saying?”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been confessed to~” Nagi’s eyes sparkled, and her lips curled into an irresistible smile as she asked, “Could it be that I’m actually somewhat cute?”
“Huh?”
If Nagi isn’t considered cute, then the threshold for cuteness in this world must be incredibly high, Kanade thought, unable to hold back his inner sarcasm.
“Wow, it’s amazing to be confessed to by a senior I just met at first sight… I feel like the main character in a romance manga~” Nagi deliberately used this ambiguous language to stir Kanade’s unease.
Sure enough.
“Ah, um…” Upon hearing this, Kanade’s expression involuntarily darkened.
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Nagi decided to change her tone during the lowest point of his mood—
“So, what do you think, Kanade-kun?”
Nagi skillfully activated the muscles and blood in her face, quickly forming an expression of shyness that was both expectant and anxious.
While facing the opposite direction of Kanade, she intentionally tilted her head slightly so that he could perceive it, stealing a glance at his expression from a perfect upward angle.
“In Kanade-kun’s eyes… am I also quite charming?”
In a fleeting moment.
With her superb acting skills, Nagi transformed into a lovesick childhood friend, completing a roundabout confession filled with suggestive actions and expressions directed at Kanade.
Even though another boy had confessed to her on the spot, in the blink of an eye, she was instead concerned about Kanade’s thoughts on her.
Clearly, that boy was taller, handsomer, and more charming, but his bold confession, which took courage, seemed to pale in comparison to a single compliment from Kanade in her heart.
Nagi took advantage of this hard-won opportunity, stirring Kanade’s anxiety and sense of superiority through this series of reactions.
When she felt her childhood friend, whom she had liked for many years, was being taken away by someone else, the anxiety flooding her heart felt as if she was falling into an abyss, but the next moment was filled with a tremendous sense of superiority that made her feelings bounce back from the lowest point to the peak.
Such intense emotional contrast led to a tremendous eruption of Kanade’s feelings for Nagi.
The joy of having regained something lost collided with the anxiety of fearing loss again.
This made Kanade involuntarily spill out his feelings—
“—I also like you, Nagi…”
But at the last moment.
In a critical instant.
A dark flame flickered deep within Kanade’s heart.
The image deeply imprinted in his heart flashed through his mind.
“… like… incredible… I think so.”
After an unnatural pause, Kanade transformed his confession into a compliment.
— Now is not the time to confess to Nagi.
Kanade recalled the warnings given upon entering Ark Academy.
If he awakened his supernatural abilities, even if he didn’t want to participate in battles, he would need to remain in the logistics department to assist other supernatural beings in combating fantasy creatures.
Although he was still an ordinary person now, if one day he did awaken, it meant he could no longer return to an ordinary life.
What would happen to his relationship with Nagi then?
Kanade wanted to keep Nagi as far away from this dangerous extraordinary world as possible.
Like in the past, when she fell into solitude and kept a low profile due to a curse, experienced a car accident and ended up in the hospital, or even lost her memory, he couldn’t bear to let this gentle and kind girl suffer again from the torment of the extraordinary world.
Therefore.
Before he graduated high school and confirmed he could return to a normal life.
— He couldn’t enter a romantic relationship with Nagi.
—————–
“It’s a bit tricky~” Nagi, following behind Kanade as they entered Shikikan, couldn’t help but sigh in her heart.
She had seized this rare opportunity, attempting to make Kanade unable to resist confessing to her.
— But unexpectedly, he actually hesitated at the critical moment…
— Clearly, if he just confessed, she would definitely not refuse…
Unlike middle school.
Now they were both high school students.
They had officially started the lifetime regret plan.
Even if they became lovers now.
They could fully utilize this brief time to nurture their feelings.
There was no need to worry that delaying too long would cause Kanade’s feelings for her to cool.
However, Nagi truly did not expect Kanade to choose to keep his distance from her at this time.
— Although I could actively confess myself…
— But it’s better for the guy to confess, resulting in a more effective lifetime regret, right?
And if I didn’t resolve Kanade’s current misunderstandings first, and then I confessed and he rejected me—
No, it seems that could also create a lifetime regret effect?
Because if she rejected her beautiful childhood friend’s confession, causing her to be attacked by monsters in her solitude—
— But really, becoming lovers with Kanade is…
Well, all of this is to provide him with the best lifetime regret effect, and it definitely isn’t because I’m satisfying a tiny bit of personal desire.
— Anyway, let’s treat “I actively confess, get rejected, and die during an attack” as Plan C.
Nagi glanced at Kanade’s back, quickly finalizing her idea in her heart.
At the same time, she decided to fully execute Plan B.
Because Kanade is a gentle, kind, and responsible good man.
Even though he might actively maintain a distance from her now, he would definitely not have the heart to reject her, so as long as she could entice him into making a momentary impulse mistake, his responsible nature would surely—
“Hehehe…” Nagi revealed a villainous smirk from an angle that Kanade couldn’t see and secretly wiped away the nonexistent drool at the corner of her mouth.
As the student dormitory Shikikan, not only did it have a luxurious appearance, but even the interior decor was very stylish.
As Kanade pushed open the large door in front, what came into view was a spacious marble floor, chandeliers, and a fireplace with a European style.
At the entrance, there was even an elegantly styled reception desk.
Shikikan is a four-story building with duplex architecture.
The first and fourth floors are public areas.
The first floor has a hall, a lounge area, and a living area.
The fourth floor features a small library that can be used as a study room, and in addition, there is a spacious meeting room with excellent soundproofing.
Students’ rooms are arranged on the second and third floors, with boys’ rooms on the second floor and girls’ rooms on the third.
“Such an impressive dormitory~ I didn’t expect to actually live in such a spacious dormitory with Kanade-kun~”
Nagi beamed proudly, “If only we could share a room~”
“W-What are you saying? Although this is a co-ed dormitory, how could boys and girls possibly share a room…” While Kanade appeared to be ridiculing Nagi, his tone unconsciously held a hint of regret.
After all, as a pubescent boy, he had imagined cohabitation to some extent.
“What’s this?” Nagi, while surveying the hall, noticed a note placed on the reception desk.
According to the signature on the note, it seemed to have been left by the dormitory leader, “Nanjou Akane.”
It mentioned that she had temporarily left the dormitory for a matter, but regarding Nagi’s luggage, it had already been moved to her room on the third floor early this morning with the academy’s help.
As for Kanade’s luggage, he needed to return to his current dormitory to deal with it himself.
“Great~ Otherwise, with so much luggage, I wouldn’t know how to move it over.” While Nagi observed Kanade’s expression, she let out a sigh of relief.
This successfully piqued Kanade’s curiosity.
“Do you have a lot of luggage, Nagi?”
“Um… I think there are about four or five boxes?” Nagi placed her finger on her mouth, revealing a thoughtful expression.
“Quite a lot!? What did you bring over?”
“Most of it was packed by my sister, Sayaka~” Nagi pushed the blame to her sister and added an enticing remark, “I wonder if I can get it all sorted before dark…”
“Do you need help packing, Nagi?”
“Kanade-kun, are you willing to help me pack?! Thank you~”
— Hehehe, now the props I specially prepared for you can come into play~
