The traffic light at the intersection cycled through its colors.
This crossing was the mandatory path from Izuru's apartment to the school. If someone wanted to intercept him, they only needed to arrive early and "wait for the rabbit to hit the tree." Naturally, they would run into Izuru as he rushed to class, creating a "coincidental" encounter or even a shared commute. Exactly like right now.
"President, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Kaguya, standing at the corner as if simply waiting for the light to change, extended her fair arm and gave a graceful wave toward Izuru as he approached in a hurry. She greeted him with practiced warmth.
Hearing that voice, Izuru's body instantly turned to stone. With a mix of awkwardness, frustration, and a bizarre sense of dread, he asked:
"Yo, Yashoku. What are you doing here? Don't you usually take a luxury car to school?"
"It's Kaguya, not Yashoku. My driver's car broke down today, so I decided to walk. It's quite a surprise to meet the President like this by chance."
Kaguya instinctively corrected the name first before explaining her presence. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her tone shifted to one of mild indignation:
"By the way, President, you haven't explained yesterday's incident in the shed with that girl. You claimed it was a misunderstanding. I believe in your noble and upright character—I trust you aren't that kind of person. But at the very least, you must explain what kind of 'misunderstanding' leads to you and that shameless girl being in such a position in an empty shed!?"
"It's fortunate that I was the one who caught you—someone who firmly believes in the President's high moral standards. If anyone else had seen it, they wouldn't have given you a chance to explain; they would have spread rumors across the school and destroyed your reputation!"
{Exactly what kind of "noble character" do you think I have that makes you so sure I wouldn't pounce on Yotsuba—who has a "hot" body and perfect visuals—in a deserted shed?!}
Izuru couldn't even manage an internal protest, but a second later, he began cursing the heavens: {Dammit, God! Back when I begged for a chance to walk with a pretty girl, You ignored me. Now You grant my wish, and I'm happy, but WHY DO THEY HAVE TO COME TWO AT A TIME, HUH?! Are You trying to turn me into a polygamist?! Or do You want me to end up like Izuru Itou from School Days?! You bastard!}
It was true: Izuru was currently caught in the middle of the road to school with the beautiful Yukino, and Kaguya had "coincidentally" appeared due to a sudden mishap. Given the stubborn and competitive nature of these two "Ice Queens," there was zero chance of a warm atmosphere where they chatted and ignored the man between them.
"Isn't this Shinomiya-san? I didn't expect you to be walking to school."
Yukino, standing at Izuru's side, spoke in a flat tone. While the sentence sounded like a normal greeting, there was a sharp undercurrent of sarcasm reflecting how she viewed Kaguya.
Hearing Yukino, Kaguya seemed to only just notice the girl's presence. However, she shot back with a tone equally level yet laced with a stinging jab.
"Yukinoshita-san? I didn't expect to see you here either. But why are you standing so close to the President? Care to explain the reason?"
The distance between Izuru and Yukino wasn't actually that tight—there was about half a person's width between them. But considering Yukino's guarded personality, this distance was considered extremely close, enough to make people jump to conclusions about their relationship!
Originally, they had been more than a full person apart, but because they had been talking hurriedly for fear of the rain, neither had paid much attention to the gap. Subconsciously, to hear each other clearly over the wind, the space between them had narrowed to this point.
However, once the point of misunderstanding was highlighted, Yukino didn't feel embarrassed, nor did she rush to move away to clarify things. On the contrary, as if intentionally trying to provoke Kaguya, she shifted her slender frame even closer to Izuru, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You might not know, but Kamukura-kun lives near my home. This morning, when I stepped out for school, I coincidentally ran into him. Then, Kamukura-kun mentioned he had never walked to school with a beautiful girl before and begged me to grant his wish. Seeing him so lonely and feeling pity, I showed my kindness and agreed. Yes, it's just as you see now."
{Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!!!}
Inside Izuru's mind, a thousand wild horses were stampeding. While those were technically the facts, why did it sound so wrong coming out of Yukino's mouth?! And worse, she said it right to Kaguya's face!
Instantly, upon hearing Yukino's confident, queen-like boast, an unpleasant black aura began to swirl behind Kaguya. It made her look terrifying, radiating the vibe of a ruler who demanded submission. With a tone of insane provocation, she sneered back:
"Is that so? Why do I get the feeling that the President was the one who felt pity seeing you walking all alone in your loneliness? Perhaps, to protect your sensitive and fragile pride, the President intentionally lowered himself to accompany you?"
The hidden meaning was clear: {Hah, just how narcissistic are you that you can't see someone's kindness and have to act like a know-it-all? Is there water in your eyes or is your brain blind, you ridiculous girl?}
Furthermore, as if determined to make Yukino even angrier, Kaguya stepped quickly to Izuru's other side, standing even closer to him than Yukino was.
After hearing Kaguya's sharp mockery, Yukino was visibly incensed. Her face didn't just freeze like ice; her very tone carried a spark of rage as she responded:
"How it actually happened... you can ask Kamukura-kun yourself!"
Suddenly, Izuru, who had been acting as nothing more than a background extra, felt the corner of his mouth twitch. He was just an otaku who had never even held a girl's hand; how was he supposed to navigate a situation bordering on a Shuraba!
Fortunately, whether because God finally took pity on him, or perhaps thanks to the protection of Makoto Itou's spirit in heaven...
At that exact moment, the rain began to fall!