"Kasumigaoka... Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
The blonde twin-tailed girl stormed into Class 3-C of Toyonozaki Academy right after the bell rang, her cheeks puffed out in frustration only to find the desk she was looking for empty.
The boy sitting next to Kasumigaoka stiffened the moment she glanced at him. He quickly averted his gaze and tried to hide his face behind a textbook.
Eriri let out a sugary-sweet smile. "Hirata-senpai~"
Her hair was a flawless cascade of golden silk, her blue eyes gleamed like crystal, and her fair skin was as smooth as porcelain. Any man meeting her for the first time would be immediately captivated.
She was, by nearly every definition, a perfect beauty.
And not just any beauty this was Sawamura Spencer Eriri, a second-year student and one of the most popular girls in all of Toyonozaki Academy.
The unfortunate Hirata, still hiding behind his textbook, mumbled in a defeated tone, "...Kasumigaoka-san told me that if I told you where she was, there'd be hell to pay when she got back."
Eriri's expression didn't falter in the slightest.
Because she knew all too well Kasumigaoka was the kind of person who, once a certain line was crossed or interest triggered, would instantly rip off her mask to reveal a terrifyingly intense, obsessive, and dramatic personality.
She was basically a walking time bomb.
But outwardly? Kasumigaoka could uphold her refined lady-like composure with impressive poise.
"Ah, is that so..." Eriri tapped her chin gently with a finger, still smiling. "Well, in that case, I might have to reconsider giving you that info about Ryoko-chan~"
Hirata's eyes widened in alarm. "But Eriri-san! You promised last week to tell me about Ry-about Nakano-san!"
Eriri, who until recently had viewed Kasumigaoka as her lifelong rival, had naturally gathered some useful intelligence on her.
Third-year Hirata-senpai and their classmate, Nakano Ryoko, clearly liked each other but never made a move. As one of Ryoko's closest friends, Eriri had not only been forced to watch their ambiguous flirting every day but also somehow became their unofficial go-between.
She had had enough.
Eriri maintained her pleasant tone. "Yes, I did say that. But you know, Ryoko-chan is really cute, and there are plenty of boys from other classes asking me about her too. Should I start giving them the scoop instead?"
Hirata instantly dropped to his knees like a collapsing puppet. "Kasumigaoka-san is on the rooftop...!"
Eriri beamed triumphantly and turned to leave. From behind, a pained cry followed her.
"Please don't tell Kasumigaoka I was the one who snitched!"
How naïve.
Who else could it possibly be?
Eriri found Kasumigaoka Utaha on the school rooftop.
She was lounging on a chair near the railing, lazily scrolling through her phone. With her mature figure, she exuded a magnetic allure that blurred the line between youthful girl and grown woman.
Eriri could feel her blood boil just looking at her.
Because she was furious.
"Kasumigaoka! Are you texting that two-faced, cheating snake of a woman again?!"
Kasumigaoka looked up, already exasperated. "Oh, you found me... great."
Ugh, that useless Hirata.
He couldn't even hold out for five minutes after class. A guy like that thinks he's ready for a relationship? Please.
Just stay single forever!
Eriri made sure to lock the rooftop door behind her, then let her usual well-mannered façade drop and flashed a victorious grin.
"You've been avoiding me for days now. Finally got you cornered, Kasumigaoka-senpai~"
Tossing her twin tails smugly, she demanded, "So? Tell me straight what's really going on between you and that woman?"
Kasumigaoka sighed, putting her phone away. "I already told you. She's just my private tutor. That's all."
"You expect me to believe that, Kasumigaoka?!" Eriri shot back. "I saw her walk you home the other day!"
"It was late, so she offered to walk me back. That's literally it." Kasumigaoka crossed her arms. "Besides, is there a law in your glorious 'Sawamura Nation' that says students can't walk teachers home now?"
Eriri choked. "W-Well... but you two were standing so close!"
"If you noticed we were standing that close, then did you also notice the stray cat between us?" Kasumigaoka asked calmly. "We were just checking on a cat we found near the apartment building."
Eriri blinked, thrown off by the unexpected answer. Then she took a deep breath.
"Stop lying to me, Kasumigaoka..." Her voice quivered ever so slightly, thick with emotion.
"You're awful to deal with mean, abrasive, a neat freak, and constantly sarcastic. If you really hated Yukinoshita, there's no way you'd even tolerate being near her."
This time, it was Kasumigaoka's turn to be caught off guard.
Something delicate and fragile stirred inside her an emotion she hadn't noticed, or perhaps deliberately ignored like a bubble popped by Eriri's painfully honest words.
She opened her mouth to reply but found she had nothing to say.
They had been rivals for years bitter, biting rivals but just as she understood Eriri well, Eriri understood her just as deeply.
In some matters, it was actually easier to lie to herself than to lie to Eriri.
Seeing Kasumigaoka speechless only made Eriri angrier.
Girls' friendships were strange resilient and fragile all at once. You could become best friends because you hated the same person, or fall out because you liked the same one.
Kasumigaoka fidgeted, trying to offer something in Yukinoshita's defense. "Actually, Yukinoshita… she might not be the person we thought she was"
"Are you stupid, Kasumigaoka?! She insulted you to your face in front of Tomoya, remember?! She called you a fat cow!"
Wait, did that happen?
...It probably did.
But honestly, if Eriri hadn't brought it up, Kasumigaoka might not have even remembered.
The Yukinoshita she knew now felt so different from the one from before it was as if she'd subconsciously split her into two completely separate people.
"...Maybe it was a misunderstanding?" she said awkwardly.
Eriri stared at her in disbelief, her expression growing more pained by the second.
"And when she called me a brainless idiot, said I was a yellow-haired bimbo who kept getting cheated on and totally deserved it was that a misunderstanding too?!"
Kasumigaoka: "...…"
Eriri's eyes were brimming with tears.
"You promised me we'd hate her together. But now Tomoya's warming up to her, and you..."
She rubbed her eyes furiously, voice catching.
"In the end, I'm the only one being left behind, aren't I?"
Kasumigaoka fidgeted guiltily. "Well... she's really not that bad anymore"
"I don't care!" Eriri snapped, flipping her twin tails defiantly. "You and Tomoya are both idiots! Yukinoshita's just a manipulative witch! If you fall for her act, that's your problem!"
Her eyes were red from crying, but her expression was full of stubborn pride.
"I could spend a month with her and still hate her guts! I won't back down I won't compromise!"
Kasumigaoka: "...…"
Honestly, she wanted to ask:
Are you trying to play the hero here, or are you just the seventh dumb brother in a "Save Grandpa" melodrama?