Walking to school with girls like this might be the first time since he could remember.
Seeing the long, clean slope ahead, surrounded by thin morning mist, Yuu couldn't hold back his touching feelings.
He unconsciously stopped there. A longing gaze swept around, as if he saw the shadow of a girl who always waited for him by the utility pole. However, that shadow immediately evaporated under the morning sun piercing through the clouds.
After all, if he truly had someone like that, why would he be accompanying his two underclassmen to school on the first day?
Yuu shook his head, took a step forward, and followed the two young and sweet backs in front of him.
The lush green of spring. The shady trees along the road cast long shadows. Perhaps in ten days, this light green would be veiled by a curtain of cherry blossom rain, then pollen would spread everywhere. Everywhere, he would hear sneezes and pained groans from hay fever sufferers.
Fortunately, he wasn't afraid of such things; otherwise, this season would be too difficult, and he wouldn't be able to enjoy the cherry blossoms properly.
"Kanade-chan, so that perverted Senpai doesn't misunderstand, I think I need to tell you the correct concept about the differences between men and women..."
Lifting his eyes ahead, the two underclassmen were whispering.
Although Iroha tried to speak in a very low voice, at such a close distance, Yuu's hearing could naturally catch everything clearly.
Since the content concerned him, he didn't avoid it at all and openly listened to their conversation.
Kanade tilted her head slightly: "The differences between men and women? I know, and I think Yuu-senpai doesn't misunderstand either. You're worrying too much, Iroha..."
"No, no, no. Casually straightening a guy's tie and saying things like 'You are my XXXX' is an extraordinary seduction technique!"
Iroha waved her hands in panic, looking like a loving mother seeing her daughter nearly going astray, trying to pull her back from the edge of the cliff. She said earnestly: "Kanade-chan, I know you didn't mean it, but most virgins would immediately be fooled and unilaterally create all sorts of disgusting misunderstandings after being treated like that by a girl! Especially a beautiful girl like Kanade-chan. Even that Senpai, right now, his heart must be pounding and thinking all sorts of bad things in his mind..."
"What bad things?" Kanade blinked in confusion.
"Iroha, that's enough, I can hear you!"
Before she could turn and ask him, Yuu firmly raised his voice, forcefully interrupting the girls' chat.
"If you slander me one more time, you'll clean the entire student council room today by yourself. Kanade and I will just sit aside eating desserts and watch you work!"
"Ugh, how dare he say such a devilish idea so casually..."
Iroha hunched her shoulders like a frightened rabbit, using Kanade as a shield, and looked at him following behind with a vigilant face: "Kanade-chan, you see, right? That's Senpai's evil face!"
Knowing that Iroha was just joking with the two of them, Kanade said nothing. The corners of her lips curved softly. She reached out and patted her head, then continued walking up the slope gracefully and naturally.
Iroha stared at her, then met Yuu's eyes. Her gaze looked complicated for a moment, but she soon snorted and pouted angrily.
"I'm not slandering Senpai. You know what you did yourself!"
Though her mouth said that, when Yuu caught up, Iroha only then stepped forward, walking beside him with her hands behind her back.
Yuu sighed: "I clearly didn't do anything; at most, I just said this is what you call virtuous..."
"That's the problem! You're a dull Senpai who doesn't understand a girl's heart!"
*PLAK!*
Iroha slapped his waist weakly. Her fingers spread open, and her arms and beautiful short linen hair dangled downward.
On the road surface, the girl's shadow seemed about to touch his shoulder at any moment, but close yet far, always failing to bridge that small remaining distance.
"...Really, everyone likes girls like Kanade-chan."
This faint voice might not have been heard beyond the shadow covered by her hair.
However, Yuu replied indifferently: "Of course. If you spend enough time with her, you'll know yourself why she's loved."
Pure and honest, gentle and innocent, while also having the most beautiful appearance in school. Who wouldn't like such a beautiful girl?
"I'm not questioning that, just that..."
Just what, Iroha didn't say. Her breath, mixed with complicated emotions, was blown into her palms, as if nothing had happened.
Though it wasn't winter, the temperature wasn't cold enough to chill her fingers, but she kept warming her hands with her breath.
As if knowing everything, Yuu looked at Kanade not far ahead and said softly to the girl beside him: "Aren't there many guys who confess to you? They just want to get close to you, not for Kanade's sake."
"That's true." Iroha murmured, her eyes looking at the ground, as if counting how many red bricks she had stepped on. "Even so..."
Yuu continued asking: "And which is more important: being liked by everyone, or being liked by the person you value?"
"Of course both are important!"
Iroha finally lifted her eyes. Her teary brown eyes, hidden behind her bangs, lifted slightly, as if peeking at Yuu's expression.
"Being liked by everyone lets you survive better in groups and satisfies your pride. It could be said to be winning in quantity... Being liked by the person you value is like your feelings being reciprocated. That's more important in quality..."
"Good analysis." Yuu smiled, gently placing his hand on her soft hair, just like Kanade had done earlier.
Trembling slightly, Iroha didn't run away. Instead, she lifted her chin into Yuu's palm, as if not wanting to be treated like a child.
Her white and cute face was tinged with a thin pink blush, and her eyes stared at Yuu's expression seriously.
Even though this was a system-set test, even though the Iroha in front of him might not be the real Iroha.
Yuu still spoke his thoughts from the bottom of his heart:
"From Senpai's perspective, you and Kanade are both important underclassmen to me. There's no difference in who I like more."
Frowning, Iroha swatted his hand away in disgust, snorted, and turned her face away: "Cheater! I knew Senpai would play it safe like that!"
"Then what do you want?" Yuu rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Do you want to wait and hear me say, 'Sorry Senpai, even though your words are very sweet and touching, the way you said them is a bit disgusting, so I can't date you now. Please try again after you improve your skills?'"
Iroha suddenly widened her eyes, staring at him in disbelief: "Senpai, how do you know what I just thought? Can you read minds?!"
"No. I've been rejected with words like that by you before..."
"Indeed. Whose fault is it that Senpai never makes progress."
Iroha sighed. Her soft and reddened fingers pulled Yuu's sleeve, dragging him forward: "Alright, hurry and catch up to Kanade-chan. Our formation is too weird!"
Yuu shrugged, letting her pull him to walk quickly closer to Kanade's back.
"Oh yeah, Senpai."
The girl's soft and cheerful voice sounded in his ear, almost inaudible.
Yuu didn't turn, just replied in the same low volume: "What is it?"
Iroha asked: "Do you like Kanade-chan?"
Though the question was sudden, Yuu answered without hesitation: "I like her. Ninety-nine percent of people at Sōbu High like her."
"Then you..." Iroha thought for a moment, then shook her head helplessly, "No, forget it. I really like Kanade-chan too, so I can't be jealous of her."
"There's nothing to be jealous of. Iroha has many strengths, and there are things Kanade-chan can't learn from you."
"Ugh, Senpai's sweet talk appears again..." After showing a disgusted expression, Iroha narrowed her eyes into crescent moons, smiled calmly, and said as if nothing happened, "By the way, I like Senpai too, you know~"
"I know, it's obvious." Yuu said as if it were natural, but an unconscious smile appeared on his face.
"What the heck, you really can read minds!" Iroha slapped his waist again, but this time the expression under her hair was as bright as warm spring.
As for what kind of "like" it was, no insensitive person there would try to ruin the small understanding between the two of them.