One night wasn't nearly enough for a group of energetic high school students to shake off the lingering excitement from the test of courage. Even the next morning, conversations buzzed with retellings of last night's events, as students eagerly sought opportunities to share their experiences with their friends.
"Listen, listen! You won't believe what happened to me yesterday—"
"Eh? Really?! You guys are actually together now?"
"Shh! Keep it down! It's embarrassing…"
"..."
Some lucky ones managed to seize the moment and confess, while others weren't as fortunate. A majority simply played the role of spectators, watching their peers take bold steps forward in their romantic pursuits—or, in some cases, spectacularly crash and burn.
Still, there was one topic that stood out above the rest.
"Hey, did you hear? Last night at the test of courage, I saw the president and Shinomiya together…"
"Eh? No way! Are you serious? Were they, like… sneaking around?"
"Yeah! And get this—they were holding hands the whole time! They looked just like a couple of lovestruck idiots…"
"But wait, I swear I saw the president with a blonde girl last night. Could I have been mistaken?"
"Hold up, hold up! You saw the president too? Because I'm telling you, I saw him carrying a girl with long black hair on his back! At first, I thought it was Shinomiya, but then I remembered—Shinomiya always ties her hair up. So maybe it was just some random lost girl?"
"Eh? But I definitely saw him with Shinomiya…"
"Maybe you were mistaken? I mean, Shinomiya does have black hair, right? Maybe she just let it down last night for some reason?"
"Wait a second… Is that really possible?"
"..."
Gossip was human nature. What started as hushed whispers in a small group soon turned into a full-blown discussion. The information was simply too juicy to be contained, and before they knew it, more and more students began eavesdropping, their curiosity piqued.
Under normal circumstances, the conversation would have halted as soon as outsiders approached. But since the subject of the discussion was none other than the student council president—an eternal enigma and the school's most talked-about figure—no one felt like stopping. Instead, a silent agreement was reached: the gossip must go on.
"So, if we put everything together… That means the president went on dates with at least three girls last night?! That can't be right… right?"
"That sounds impossible. I mean, how would he even have time for that? Also, maybe one of them was just some lost girl he happened to help."
"Yeah, but you can't prove she wasn't connected to the president in some way, can you?"
"Well… when you put it like that…"
"So, at minimum, we're talking two girls, right? That's still insane…"
"No, no, even if we say minimum, it's still three! Because listen—I actually ran into Shina with the president last night, too!"
"Wait, Shina?! But wasn't she the blonde girl we were just talking about?"
"Nope! I remember now—the girl I saw wasn't Shina at all! Her hair color was a shade brighter, and she was way more petite! But the biggest thing? Shina usually has shoulder-length hair, but the girl I saw had pigtails!"
"This… Is there any chance you saw it wrong? I mean, hairstyles can be changed."
"Oh, come on! Give me some credit! Hairstyle aside, there were other differences! I'm nearsighted, not blind! I know what I saw!"
"Alright, alright, let's calm down and go over the facts. Here's what we've got—the president was seen with at least four different girls last night. At least three, minimum. Can we all agree on that?"
"Damn… What kind of superhuman pulls that off?! Managing three girls in one night? The president is a legend!"
"As expected from the 'strongest ex-boyfriend'—the guy every girl can't seem to forget. The president is built different."
"..."
The lives of school celebrities were always a hot topic, and when it came to the enigmatic Natsukawa Kanade, the rumors surrounding him were endless. Everyone had long speculated about his romantic entanglements, and now, after last night's events, the mystery only deepened.
If, before, people thought his dating scandals were mere exaggerations, now they had to seriously reconsider.
And this was just the information gathered from a handful of students. Who knew what other details would emerge once more people came forward?
The temptation to dig deeper was strong, but after careful consideration, they decided against it. Not because they were afraid of repercussions, of course—not at all!
It wasn't like they feared the legendary student council president, Natsukawa Kanade, would come after them. After all, incidents like this had happened before. Someone had carelessly mentioned the rumors about Kanade right in front of him, and his only response had been a calm, almost indifferent, "The clear are clear themselves."
That attitude, rather than dispelling rumors, only fueled the fire. His refusal to address the speculation had the opposite effect, making his classmates even more curious. If not for the respect he commanded, some of them might have gone so far as to form an investigative squad to shadow his every move on and off campus. The idea of Natsukawa Kanade's daily life being documented like a reality show was ridiculous, but given the enthusiasm in the air, it was almost plausible.
"Speaking of which, why is the president so late today? He still hasn't shown up."
"Maybe the teachers got wind of something and dragged him off for questioning?"
"Idiot! We just started talking about this. How could the teachers already know?"
"Then what else could it be…? Maybe he couldn't sleep last night because of everything that happened and ended up oversleeping?"
"You think the president is like you? If anything, the ones losing sleep should be the girls, right? I mean… I have a feeling a storm is coming. When the truth comes out, there are definitely going to be some broken hearts. And at that time…"
"We get to watch the drama unfold?"
"...Watch your big head! We take advantage of the situation! Opportunities like this don't come often."
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you have a girlfriend yet?"
"…You don't either, genius."
"...ヽ(ヽ `д′)"
As the two were about to come to blows, their friends quickly intervened, laughing and shaking their heads. "Alright, alright, calm down. No need to start throwing punches over this."
Meanwhile, in a quieter corner of the classroom, a certain angelic figure sat in her seat, chin resting on her hands, deep in thought. Unlike her excitable classmates, her mind wasn't occupied with conspiracies or gossip. No, she had just one simple question—
Why hasn't Kanade arrived yet?
It's rare for me to save him a seat…
Unaware of the shifting tides around her, she remained lost in her thoughts. Meanwhile, across the room, the betting pools on her chances were growing smaller by the minute.