"Then what should I do?" Eriri sighed dramatically, putting on her best helpless expression. "You know my English has always been terrible…"
She already had a plan in mind, but if she suggested it outright, there was a good chance she'd be rejected. That's why she had to start by playing the sympathy card.
"If I have to go to school every day for tutoring, I won't have any time left to finish my manuscript." She turned to Kanade, her blue eyes shimmering pitifully in the dim evening light. "Kanade, you wouldn't just abandon me, would you?"
"..."
Kanade exhaled, rubbing his temple as if he had a headache coming. "Even if I wanted to help, I can't exactly take the exam for you."
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't care about her, but he knew he had to be firm. If he indulged her too much, she'd just keep slacking off.
"Can't you put the manuscript on hold for a bit? Take a break from publishing for now?" he suggested, trying to find a reasonable compromise.
However, Eriri immediately shook her head, looking scandalized. "No way! This project is for the upcoming Comic Exhibition. Honestly, I've already been using up almost all my free time just to keep up with the schedule, and even then, I'm barely making it."
She had even brought her drawing materials along for this school retreat, hoping to steal whatever moments she could to work. But the event schedule had been jam-packed, and since she shared a dorm room, she hadn't dared to take out her tablet for fear of someone discovering her secret identity as the legendary "Teacher Kashiwagi Eri." That meant a lot of precious time had been wasted.
Kanade frowned slightly, deep in thought.
The logical choice would be to prioritize one thing over the other, but Eriri clearly wasn't willing to let go of either. She couldn't abandon her goal of participating in the exhibition, but she also couldn't afford to fail and get stuck in remedial tutoring, which would eat up even more of her time. The only solution? She wanted everything to work out—without any sacrifices.
"..."
After a long pause, Kanade sighed in resignation. "I guess there's only one way then…"
Of course, he didn't mind tutoring her, but he wished she would take the initiative to be more responsible instead of relying on him every single time a test was around the corner. Cramming at the last minute wasn't exactly an ideal solution.
"The forest school ends right before the weekend, so I'll give you an intensive crash course during those two days. Be mentally prepared." Kanade's tone turned serious, his dark eyes unwavering as they locked onto hers.
"Oh…" Eriri shrank back slightly, a bad feeling creeping up her spine.
She had been delighted at first—Kanade had agreed without her even needing to ask! But the look on his face told her this wouldn't be a relaxed, casual tutoring session…
She could only hope he'd show mercy.
"When's the Comic Exhibition?" Kanade asked.
"The weekend after next, in Akihabara."
Kanade nodded. No wonder she was so determined—she was probably aiming to boost Kashiwagi Eri's reputation even further at the event.
"Are you sure you'll make the deadline?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"…Should be fine?" Eriri answered, though she didn't sound very confident.
If Kanade helped with tutoring, then she'd pass the midterms for sure. But if she lost two full days of work to studying, she wasn't sure she'd be able to catch up with the manuscript. Something unexpected might happen, and then she'd be doomed.
Kanade watched her struggle with the mental calculations, then sighed again, this time even more deeply. "…Fine. I'll help with the manuscript too."
Eriri's eyes widened in shock before sparkling with delight.
It wasn't that Kanade was being overly generous—he had simply experienced this too many times before. If he didn't help, Eriri would inevitably end up pulling all-nighters, exhausting herself, and probably getting sick right before the event. That was just how she was. And once he knew something like that might happen, there was no way he could just ignore it.
"You can leave the coloring to me. That's about all I can do." He paused, then warned in a firm voice, "But don't even think about getting lazy. If you end up procrastinating again and push everything to the last minute, I'm not staying up all night with you."
"Yes, yes, yes, I get it!" Eriri nodded rapidly, her heart practically bursting with joy.
She had expected Kanade to agree to tutoring, but she never imagined he'd go so far as to help with the manuscript too. He was surprisingly considerate!
"Thank you, Natsukawa…" Eriri murmured, a genuine smile tugging at her lips as she gazed at him.
Kanade, however, was unimpressed. "If you really want to thank me, don't make this a habit." He shot her a flat look, clearly exasperated.
Honestly, he was too soft. He just couldn't bring himself to stand by and watch his friends struggle.
"What, you won't even let me thank you properly?" Eriri huffed, puffing out her cheeks in mock indignation.
Kanade sighed again. "…Just don't push yourself too hard."
Eriri blinked, slightly startled by the unexpected concern in his tone. Then, her lips curled into a soft smile.
Despite all his grumbling, Natsukawa really was a kind person.
And, well… maybe she didn't mind being scolded by him every now and then, either.
But she didn't hate this kind of interaction—it had a fresh and somewhat nostalgic feeling to it.
With her worries temporarily resolved, the two slipped into an easy conversation, exchanging small talk about their daily lives. For a moment, it felt as though everything had returned to how it used to be. However, before long, Natsukawa Kanade glanced at the time and decided it was time to take his leave.
"I should get going. The student council still has some matters to take care of," he said, standing up.
Eriri puffed her cheeks slightly but didn't argue. "Fine, fine. But don't overwork yourself, President."
Kanade rolled his eyes at the exaggerated emphasis on "President" but let it slide. With that, he turned and began making his way toward his next appointment—meeting Shiina Mahiru. However, just as he was about to head in that direction, a hurried figure approached him.
"President!"
Kanade stopped, recognizing the breathless student council member. "What's wrong?"
"A student has gone missing at the venue!" the student reported urgently.
Kanade's expression darkened. "Missing? How do you know they didn't just sneak off somewhere?"
This kind of thing had happened in previous years, but most of the time, it turned out to be a simple case of someone wandering off without properly signing out. Kanade wasn't about to jump to conclusions without understanding the situation.
"No, this is different," the member insisted. "Their assigned partner came to us directly, worried because they couldn't find them. We checked the registration logs—there's no record of them leaving. The dormitory confirmed that no one matching their description returned, and the people searching inside the venue haven't been able to locate them either."
Kanade exhaled sharply, his gaze sharpening. "That does sound serious…"
Even if they found the missing student by morning, spending a whole night alone in the deep forest could leave them shaken. And in the worst-case scenario—if they encountered something dangerous like that wildcat from before—this situation could turn into a real disaster.
"Take me to their partner. I need to hear everything from them directly," Kanade ordered.
"Yes, President! This way!"
Kanade nodded and followed, picking up his pace. Given the urgency, the two broke into a run, quickly making their way toward the designated meeting spot.
When they arrived, Kanade's eyes widened slightly in surprise. The person waiting for him wasn't just anyone—it was a familiar face.
"Kato?" he called out.
Megumi Kato stood there, her usual serene expression replaced with something rare—worry. Her calm demeanor still remained, but there was an undeniable weight in her eyes.
She met Kanade's gaze and spoke, her voice carrying an unfamiliar tension.
"Natsukawa… the one who disappeared is Yukinoshita."
For a moment, silence fell between them.
Kanade's expression tightened.
"..."