During the second half of breakfast, Seika quietly ate her food while her mind kept involuntarily picturing scenes of what might be happening under the table.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything about Utaha's behavior—she could only keep trying to convince herself.
They were just really close. That was all… yeah, that had to be it. Still, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Hitori.
Now that she had officially debuted as Kesshoku Band's guitarist, she had to sit far away from her boyfriend to avoid sparking rumors.
They didn't interact at all, and to top it off, that guy even stole the ham from her sandwich.
All in all, today's breakfast was surprisingly informative. Through her quiet observations, Seika had come to better understand both Utaha and Eriri.
At the same time, Eriri had also started filling in her own mental profile of Seika.
Combined with the intel she'd subtly gotten from Chisato last night, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Unlike what she'd feared, Seika didn't seem to show any clear signs of harboring feelings for Chisato.
Based on her current behavior, she didn't seem to have any intentions of making a move either.
That was lucky—one more rival would've been a huge pain.
Still, it served as a good reminder. From now on, she needed to be extra careful about Chisato—not letting him stand out too much.
If even someone as rational and mature as Seika couldn't help but develop feelings for him, who knew how many other girls might start flocking to his side?
As for Chisato, Eriri didn't yet have a good strategy.
He was in the middle of his career taking off, so it didn't make sense to ask him to stay home and keep a low profile.
But when it came to Seika, Eriri had already come up with a plan.
"About last night—sorry, Miss Ijichi."
After breakfast, as everyone walked out of the hotel on their way to the ski resort, Eriri took the initiative to walk over to Seika's side.
"Last night? What do you mean?"
Seika had exchanged a few words with Eriri at the breakfast table, so the two could now be considered acquainted. Her tone was casual.
Just as Eriri had hoped.
"When Utaha and I got stuck in the tunnel and lost contact with everyone—sorry for making you all worry."
"Oh, that. Don't worry about it. As long as you two are okay, that's all that matters."
"Yeah, exactly. When we get to the ski resort, Utaha and I will probably go straight to the gondola. We'll split up from there. You guys have fun."
"Wait, you're not coming with us?"
"Well… this trip was supposed to be your band's reward getaway.
Utaha and I kind of just barged in. If we stay with you, you'll probably feel uncomfortable and won't be able to speak freely. So we figured it'd be better to act separately."
What she said made sense. Two unfamiliar groups forced together would inevitably feel awkward.
Even if they managed to act like everything was fine, the outcome likely wouldn't be very satisfying.
But if someone with an outgoing, sociable personality could act as a buffer, the situation might be different.
Just like what Eriri had said to Utaha before they set off.
Regarding Chisato, what she said about not needing to travel together wasn't really because she didn't want to.
The words she said back then, the subtle changes in her expression—those were all actually meant to guide the other party toward saying the answer she wanted.
Saying "no," while deep down still wanting it.
But since, on the surface, the final decision didn't come from her, but from the other party instead—
That also gives the other person, without even realizing it, a sense of having made the final call.
In this way, it becomes a situation where both sides are satisfied—everyone's happy.
And at this moment, Eriri was doing the exact same thing while facing Seika.
Letting Seika see that she was getting along smoothly and happily with the other members of Kesshoku Band, deliberately creating a relaxed atmosphere, making it seem like they'd naturally be acting together moving forward.
Then, at this point, saying the exact opposite, with the goal of getting Seika to say the words she herself wanted to hear.
Eriri was also considerate enough not to say such things in front of everyone else—this was a private conversation between the two of them, spoken quietly.
So there was no pressure on Seika from the group atmosphere to give an unwilling response.
This also made Eriri herself seem more upright—not giving off that fake, manipulative vibe.
Everything was a response meticulously calculated by Eriri.
And naturally, Seika's reply was—
"There's really no need for that, right? You're Suzumiya's… friends, aren't you? Since you all came together, of course you should act together. What's the point of splitting up?"
"But if we're all together, I feel like some people might be uncomfortable."
"Don't worry about that. They're not the type to overthink things. As long as everyone's having fun, nobody will care about that kind of stuff."
"Mm…"
"Not to be harsh, but when you guys got off the plane, you acted separately, and that ended up making Suzumiya really worried.
If we'd just stuck together from the beginning, there wouldn't have been that issue at all. Alright, stop overthinking. I'll go talk to Suzumiya.
It's settled, then—over the next few days, you two stick with us."
Seika made the decision. She walked briskly to Chisato's side and began speaking to him.
Eriri followed at a relaxed pace, watching them with her head slightly lowered, her mouth and nose buried in a fluffy scarf.
In truth, if possible, she would've preferred to handle things the way Utaha had suggested—straightforward and direct.
For example, just privately calling Seika over and telling her to stop thinking too much, to stay away from her man.
But many things can't be solved so crudely.
If she really did act that bluntly, the person hurt wouldn't be just Seika.
After being confronted like that, even her work might be affected.
Then afterward, like dominoes falling, one collapse would drag others down with it.
If Seika wasn't in a good state, her sister Nijika would definitely notice.
And if Nijika found out the truth, she might grow resentful toward Eriri—and in turn, that would create a rift between her and Chisato as well.
As the leader of Kesshoku Band, if Nijika was affected, the band might even be impacted at the worst case…
One thing after another, falling apart layer by layer—exaggerating a bit, even the company that Chisato had built with his own hands might suffer its greatest crisis ever.
Eriri didn't want to see everyone end up hurt.
Besides, Seika was a good person.
From the fact that she understood Eriri's feelings but didn't act on them or try to push for anything more—that alone was enough for Eriri to define her as such.
To someone who's a good person, and someone who's also helpful to Chisato, she deserved to be treated with such a gentle and roundabout approach.
It's just that thinking all this through constantly… It's a bit tiring.
Still, this could be considered a necessary sacrifice.
But it's also kind of irritating…
That woman…
Why the hell does she get to be so carefree and smug?!
Just because she's got big boobs, a great ass, and a sexy voice?!
Up ahead, Utaha had been walking calmly by Chisato's side, listening to his conversation with Seika.
Out of nowhere, she shivered all over.
Just now, in that split second, it felt like an invisible chill blew right through her clothes and directly hit her back, making her whole body tremble.
Utaha scrunched her neck in confusion.
She began to wonder whether the coat she bought yesterday in the city wasn't as warm as advertised.
She also wondered if maybe staying up too late with Chisato and Eriri the night before, getting all sweaty and cooling off too quickly, had made her catch a cold.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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