Heartbeats and Illusions

"Ehh~? What's the big deal? I'm sure Senpai won't mind, right?" Fujiwara Moeha batted her eyes at Natsukawa Kanade, her tone as sweet as syrup and just as sticky.

"..."

Although technically correct, that didn't mean he was going to agree! What kind of trap was this!?

"That's not the point!" Fujiwara Chika suddenly interjected, visibly flustered. Her tone carried a rare sharpness as she glared at him, "President, you absolutely can't agree to that, got it?!"

"Wow, so bossy~" Moeha giggled, covering her mouth with mock surprise. "In that case, I'll just ask Senpai out when you're not around, so you can't stop me..."

"That's even more forbidden!" Chika shot back instantly, now full-on scowling. Her glare turned deadly as she looked back at Kanade like, don't even THINK about it.

"…Oi," Kanade muttered under his breath, lips twitching.

"Ugh, this isn't okay, that isn't okay... Onee-chan is such a pain!" Moeha pouted and crossed her arms. "Isn't this just normal socializing? If you're gonna act like such a control freak over something so small, boys are gonna run away from you, y'know?"

She shook her head dramatically, giving Chika the kind of disappointed look you'd expect from a teacher scolding a failing student. Then, with a sparkle in her eyes, she turned her gaze back to Kanade.

"Ne, Senpai, if it were me, I'd never ignore your feelings~"

"..." With zero intention of responding, Kanade quietly lifted his teacup and took a slow, soul-cleansing sip. His silence was both protest and survival tactic.

Meanwhile, Chika wore a deeply confused expression, clearly caught off-guard by her sister's sudden barrage of nonsense.

"Huh? What are you even talking about? Since when am I controlling...?"

"Hm? But Onee-chan, didn't you say you were dating Senpai? Or did I imagine that part?" Moeha tilted her head in a mock-confused pose.

"Eh? Dating? When did I—?!" Chika looked stunned, as if someone had just pulled the rug out from under her feet. Her head turned slowly toward Kanade in disbelief. When their eyes met, she quickly panicked and turned away, her cheeks tinged with pink. "I-I didn't say anything like that... I think..."

"But you did, Onee-chan. You totally said it earlier—something like 'I'm on a date with the President'," Moeha said with theatrical innocence. Then, as if she'd just had a revelation, her face lit up. "Ohhh, I get it now! So Onee-chan is the type who goes on dates without actually dating someone? As expected of an adult! So mature~"

"...Nani..." Chika's eyes widened as realization dawned. She had used that excuse earlier—offhandedly said it to avoid questions, and then promptly forgotten about it because things had been going so smoothly.

"Ah... Uh... This is..." She fumbled over her words, voice trailing off like a kid caught red-handed.

Watching her struggle, Kanade sighed internally. Yare yare... This was getting ridiculous. Since Chika clearly had no idea how to dig herself out, it was up to him to throw her a rope.

"We're not dating yet," he said calmly, setting down his cup. "I've been pursuing Chika, but she hasn't given me an answer. Today was the first time she agreed to come out with me."

From Moeha's expression, Kanade figured she'd already suspected something was off. But she probably didn't know the full story. Chika clearly wanted to keep it that way, so he had no choice but to take the lead and steer this drama off a cliff.

"I didn't want to pressure her too much," he continued smoothly. "That's why Chika was considerate enough to play along without correcting the misunderstanding."

He turned to her with a soft smile, eyes practically sparkling in performative sincerity. But Chika... was still spacing out. Completely unresponsive. Head down, lost in thought. Oi, seriously?!

He reached under the table and gave her leg a few light taps with his foot. Come on, back me up here! I'm carrying the whole performance like a one-man show!

"Eh? Oh! R-right, that's... that's how it is," Chika finally muttered, raising her head just long enough to nod before lowering it again like a turtle retreating into its shell.

So useless...

Sighing in defeat, Kanade decided to just wrap things up. "It's getting late," he said, standing. "It's not safe for two girls to stay out too long. You should both head home."

Tokyo's streets were generally safe, sure—but even so, late nights could bring out sketchy drunks and weirdos. No way he'd let them wander around too long.

"Ehh~? Can't Senpai walk us back?" Moeha pouted.

"Under normal circumstances, sure. But when I'm with the girl I'm pursuing, that would be super awkward," he replied with a casual shrug. "Besides, we might have... other plans tonight."

He said it offhandedly, but the underlying message was clear: go home.

"To make up for it, I'll treat. So feel free to order whatever you want."

"Oh~ so generous! I accept!" Moeha grinned.

Chika also nodded, giving him a small, almost grateful smile before helping her sister gather their things.

The two girls stood, bowed politely, and gave their farewells before heading out, their chatter trailing behind them as they exited the café.

Kanade lingered for a few moments longer, taking a deep breath as the air finally cleared.

But Chika didn't move.

He glanced over, only to find her staring at her empty glass like it held the meaning of life.

"Oi, what are you spacing out for?" he said, nudging her shoulder gently. "Don't tell me you're seriously thinking about what I said earlier. Come on, time to go."

Of course, that line about "other plans" had just been a bluff. He only said it to break up the tension and separate the two sisters. Otherwise, Moeha would've kept teasing Chika until sunrise.

But seeing how dazed she still looked... Wait. Don't tell me she actually thought this was a real date?

After a few more nudges, Chika finally blinked out of her trance. But instead of standing up, she turned to him with a hesitant, almost guilty look.

"President…"

"Hm? What's wrong all of a sudden?" Kanade asked, brows slightly furrowed.

Was it regret? Embarrassment? Or maybe... something else entirely?

Natsukawa Kanade remained seated for a while longer, swirling the lukewarm tea in his cup as the silence stretched. He noticed that Fujiwara Chika still hadn't moved, her gaze seemingly lost in space. With a light sigh, he gave her shoulder a gentle nudge.

"Oi, what are you zoning out for? Don't tell me you're seriously thinking about what comes next? C'mon, let's head back already."

Of course, what he'd said earlier about "having other plans" was just a white lie to get Moeha off their backs. It was nothing more than an excuse to disperse the awkward tension and prevent the sisters from spiraling into another bizarre back-and-forth. But to think Chika actually took it seriously? Could she… really be treating this as a date?

He nudged her again, and this time, Chika blinked and slowly turned toward him. Her expression was a bit more complicated—apologetic, almost guilty.

"Kanade…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What's with that look all of a sudden?"

"It must've been hard for you… saying those kinds of things," she murmured, voice tinged with regret. "I'm really sorry. This is all my fault. I should've just told the truth from the start."

Kanade blinked, caught off guard. "Eh? That's what you're worried about? Don't make that face like I just took a fatal blow or something. It's just a tiny fib. No big deal."

But Chika didn't look convinced. Instead, her brows furrowed with concern, and she gently bit her lower lip.

"Even if you say that, Kanade… Still, I dragged you into it. And besides, what if weird rumors start spreading because of this?"

At that, a flush slowly bloomed across her cheeks, creeping up to the tips of her ears. The thought of word getting out—the high school student council president dating his class's secretary—was enough to send her mind into a spiral of imaginary scenarios. What if her little sister started teasing her for real? What if people actually believed it?

And worst of all…

What if people thought he was taken and he missed a real chance with someone because of me?

She glanced at Kanade, who looked almost too calm for someone in the center of a possible school-wide misunderstanding.

"Tch... You're way too used to this," she muttered.

Kanade chuckled softly and shrugged. "Well, yeah. Stuff like this is normal at this point. You know how schools are—rumors fly faster than ninja on a mission. Honestly, if I went a whole week without someone pairing me up with someone random, that's when I'd start to worry."

High school students were walking hormone factories, after all. Whether dating, crushing, or gossiping about who was, love was basically its own extracurricular activity. There was no escaping it.

"Besides," Kanade continued with a small grin, "if you'd just told the truth from the beginning, it would've been totally fine. Seriously, there's nothing wrong with being a doting older sister. I mean, that's actually kind of admirable."

He tilted his head slightly, his smile softening. "You're a great onee-san, Chika. Moeha's lucky to have you."

"...!"

Chika's heart skipped a beat. Her face turned scarlet like someone had pressed the panic button on her blush meter. She quickly turned her head away, ears burning red as if she'd just heard a love confession.

"W-why are you suddenly saying things like that…" she mumbled. "You're totally cheating, idiot President…"

But when she peeked back at him, Kanade was just… calmly sipping his tea, like he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. No blushing. No teasing smirk. Just his usual composed self.

Her embarrassment quickly twisted into frustration.

"Baka Kanade!" she puffed her cheeks, her expression puffing up like an angry hamster. "If you'd actually confessed just now, I might've said yes, you know! But now it's too late!"

Kanade rolled his eyes and gave her the most deadpan look he could muster.

"…Yeah right."

She was talking like that'd actually be enough to win her over, as if his months of effort could be erased by a single line. Seriously? This girl had no idea how much he'd endured to get even this far.

As if sensing his judgmental thoughts, Chika frowned and immediately began poking his waist in protest.

"Poke! Poke poke poke!"

"Oi—cut it out!" Kanade jerked slightly. "You're not five!"

"Then stop looking at me like I'm delusional!"

Their playful squabble continued until they both finally stood, paid the bill, and stepped out of the restaurant into the moist evening air.

Just then, a chilly breeze swept past them.

"Uwaa!" Chika suddenly winced, clutching her face. "I-It got in my eyes…!"

Kanade turned to her, brows furrowing in concern. "What happened?"

"I think… I got sand in my eyes." Chika rubbed at them, looking like a pitiful wet kitten.

Natsukawa Kanade stared at her, clearly unimpressed. "It's still drizzling, Chika. Where the heck is sand even coming from in this weather?"

Fujiwara Chika puffed out her cheeks, lips trembling slightly. "I'm not lying, okay?! Maybe it's not sand—but something definitely flew into my eyes!"

She looked like a kicked puppy—teary, pitiful, and obviously in distress.

Kanade sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Even if you say that, I don't exactly have a magical solution, you know? Stuff in your eyes isn't something other people can just reach in and pull out."

He was already used to brushing dust off someone's head or flicking lint from a shoulder, but eyes? That was sacred territory. You mess that up, and suddenly you're the villain in a hospital drama. Better left alone, or let the person handle it themselves.

Then again, some things in life just… couldn't be handled solo. Like when a stubborn seed gets stuck between your molars and your tongue suddenly forgets where north is. Even the most dexterous person becomes a confused squirrel.

Before he could wander too far into dental metaphors, Chika tugged gently at the hem of his jacket.

"Kanade..." she whimpered, leaning close and looking up at him like a desperate RPG side character begging for a health potion. "Help me blow on it. Quick! Or else… I'm gonna die…"

Kanade's eye twitched.

"…You're gonna die from a grain of dust in your eye? What kind of shounen logic is that?! Don't underestimate the human will to live!"

"I don't care, I don't care!" she whined, stomping lightly in place like a child denied a treat. "It's itchy and stings and it's invading my personal space—wuwu… it's attacking my eyeball…"

Kanade let out a long, long sigh.

He'd always thought university students were the most dramatic species, but apparently high school girls were evolving at an even faster rate.

"Alright, stand still."

"Mm-hmm!" Chika straightened up instantly, obedient as a trained puppy.

"And tilt your head back. I need a clear look."

"Like this?" she asked as she rose onto her tiptoes for some reason.

"…No, you don't need to levitate, baka," Kanade muttered. "It's your left eye, right? Try opening it a bit."

"I-I can't…" she shook her head, her voice small. "It hurts too much."

Kanade clicked his tongue, then moved in closer.

"Well, guess I'll just have to do it myself."

He lifted his left hand and gently placed it on top of her head to steady her, his fingers threading slightly into her soft pink hair. With his right hand, he reached forward, slowly pulling her eyelid open.

Their faces inched close—dangerously close.

So close, in fact, that he could feel the subtle warmth of her breath, light and sweet like sakura on the breeze. There was a soft floral scent wafting off her that tickled his senses—somewhere between Kasumigaoka-senpai's delicate fragrance and Yukino's cool, elegant one.

How the heck do girls manage this? Was it just shampoo? Or some mystical girl-specific aura? He scrubbed with shower gel just this morning and smelled like absolutely nothing by lunchtime.

But now wasn't the time for philosophical detours. He focused on her eye.

He could see his own reflection in it—distorted slightly by the misty glaze of tears. Her slightly reddened eye shimmered with moisture, framed by fluttering lashes. Her lips—soft, pink, glistening—parted just slightly, quivering ever so faintly. It was… an oddly intimate scene.

Too intimate.

"…Tch." Kanade mentally recoiled, fighting off the ambush on his rationality. "Damn it, you pink octopus head… stop messing with my Dao heart!"

Why did everything with her turn into a boss-level emotional encounter?!