Crossover: After deciding to give up, i became popular

A bookstore,

In the café seating area,

Kanade Natsukawa sat with a freshly purchased copy of the latest popular light novel, flipping through its pages. Yet, he couldn't muster the focus to read it, let alone absorb a single sentence.

Initially, he had come to the bookstore after school hoping to clear his mind, but instead, his mood had worsened.

All he could think about was the image of "Angel" Shiina Mahiru crying the night before.

He could vaguely guess the reason for her tears—perhaps she truly cared about him as a friend and hated seeing him speak of himself so harshly, or maybe she felt guilty for her hurtful words in the past.

Perhaps it was both.

But to Kanade now, how Mahiru viewed him no longer mattered. All he wanted was to maintain a natural, equal friendship with her.

That's why he had said, "Didn't you think I was a loser back then too?"

It was meant to ease the tension and dissolve their awkwardness, but instead, it had made things worse.

He regretted it, of course, but more than that, he was wracking his brain for a way to mend their friendship.

Mahiru had apologized repeatedly the night before, making it seem like he was the one in control. But Kanade knew that in situations like this, it was up to him to take the initiative.

He needed to reach out to her, to comfort her, to let her know that her past words hadn't truly hurt him. Otherwise, how could he hope to recognize or alleviate her self-doubt?

So why hadn't he realized any of this last night?

Hindsight was a curse—one he didn't want.

"…"

Lost in self-recrimination, Kanade failed to notice two shadowy figures observing him from a short distance away.

It was none other than Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka, who had been tailing him for quite some time.

"Hayasaka, are you sure this plan will work?" Kaguya asked nervously.

Though she had been convinced by Hayasaka's confident demeanor the previous night, now that she thought about it, the plan was riddled with potential pitfalls.

The idea was simple: Hayasaka would strike up casual conversation with Kanade, find out if he had a girlfriend, and—if possible—discover who he liked.

If Kanade named Kaguya, she would "coincidentally" appear, overhearing his confession, and use that opportunity to force him to admit it outright.

It sounded great in theory.

But the problem was… Hayasaka didn't really know Kanade that well. Why would he open up to her?

If they had someone like Chika Fujiwara—who was closer to both of them—it might work. But the idea of relying on Chika was laughable.

It wasn't that Kaguya didn't trust her friend; it was that Chika was a wildcard. Who knew how things would turn out?

The last thing Kaguya wanted was for the situation to backfire, leaving her confessing to him!

"Hayasaka, are you sure you can get him to say it? This doesn't feel reliable at all," Kaguya asked again, growing more anxious the more she dwelled on it.

"Relax, my lady. I guarantee it with my professional expertise."

"But your profession is being a maid. What does that have to do with romance?" Kaguya asked, confused.

"Ahem… Just watch me in action, my lady. I'll get the job done," Hayasaka said, brushing off the question.

From Kaguya's perspective, this might seem difficult, but for someone like Hayasaka, it was a walk in the park.

It was just a matter of conversational nudges—nothing beyond the capabilities of a skilled maid. The real challenge was getting close to Kanade.

Too friendly, and he'd get suspicious. Too distant, and she wouldn't even have the chance to start a conversation. The balance had to be just right.

"I'm going in, my lady."

"Mm. Good luck, Hayasaka." Kaguya nodded, clenching her fists to cheer her maid on.

...

"Should I just head home…"

After flipping through a few more pages, Kanade grew increasingly uninterested. Closing the book, he stood up to leave.

"President?"

A voice he didn't recognize called out, prompting him to turn his head.

A girl in Shuchiin Academy's uniform with flowing golden hair stood nearby, smiling brightly at him.

Tilting her head slightly, she gazed at him with amusement.

The uniform and blonde hair… Could it be Mahiru?

No, it wasn't. Just an unfamiliar face—a complete stranger.

If not for her pointed use of the title "President," he wouldn't have even spared her a second glance.

"And you are…?"

"It really is you, President! How lucky am I!" The girl's smile deepened, her eyes shining with joy. "I'm Hasaka, from Class 2-4."

"Hasaka… Do you need something?" Kanade asked.

He had no recollection of meeting her before. Her name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Another admirer, perhaps? A "background character" like those who stuffed love letters into his shoe locker every day?

Annoying, maybe, but manageable.

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I just saw you sitting here alone and thought I'd say hello…"

Her bashful demeanor gave the impression of someone with a lot on her mind.

Her coquettish gaze, paired with her shy smile, certainly gave her the appearance of a charming, youthful beauty.

But Kanade wasn't interested.

"Mm." Kanade nodded, a polite but distant response. "It's getting late. I'll head home now. You shouldn't stay out alone too long either."

His reply was courteous, his reminder a nod to his responsibilities as student council president—but that was all he offered.

The blonde girl: "…"

Though she maintained her smile outwardly, she was screaming internally.

A beautiful girl like me goes out of her way to talk to you, and this is how you respond? How rude!

She wanted to call it quits and retreat in defeat.

But she couldn't. Kaguya was watching. There was no way she'd let herself become a laughingstock in front of her lady.

This blonde girl, of course, was none other than Ai Hayasaka.

Her carefully crafted "coincidental encounter," combined with her sweet, disarming smile, was supposed to be flawless. Yet Kanade had brushed her off so easily!

How difficult is this guy?!

Hayasaka fumed internally. She knew Kanade was aloof toward other girls because of his feelings for someone else, but she hadn't expected him to shut down even a casual conversation like this.

No choice now—she'd have to play her ace.

If she wanted to keep the conversation alive, she'd need to appeal directly for his help.

"I know this might seem sudden, but… President, could you please help me?"

"…"

Notes-Read advances chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X, i have finished uploading the whole series in patreon, a total of 274 chapters you can find it in the collections, thanks for supporting me and special thanks to all the patrons for joining