Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

Eriri had been feeling that Kasumigaoka was acting a little strange lately.

She had started checking her phone more frequently.

Every ten minutes or so, she'd glance at the screen, and whenever it buzzed lightly and lit up, she'd snatch it up almost instantly.

Most of the time, it was just spam or promotional messages, but occasionally, Kasumigaoka would smile unconsciously after reading a message.

It was as if she were waiting for someone to text her.

"Strike a sexier pose, Kasumigaoka. You're supposed to be good at this kind of thing."

"You're the one who's an expert, you filthy-minded H-rated mangaka... One sec, I need to reply to this."

Her phone had buzzed again. She thought for a moment, then pulled out a sheet of paper and sketched something on it, snapped a photo with her phone, and sent it.

Yukinoshita had declined the offer of free tutoring that day, but out of guilt, Kasumigaoka had offered to help her anytime outside of weekends, if she had questions.

Yukinoshita accepted.

It was clear that she truly wanted to improve her grades quickly.

"Helping your student with homework again?" Eriri teased, sketching a rough draft at lightning speed. "You're more dedicated than a real private tutor. Don't tell me... you've got a crush on her?"

Kasumigaoka shot her a look. "Nonsense. My student is a girl."

"I've drawn yuri before, you know. And besides, I'm half British, so don't worry, I'm totally open-minded."

"You're one to talk. For someone with mixed heritage, your English grades are abysmal..."

This kind of snarky back-and-forth brought Eriri a faint sense of nostalgia.

Back when she and Kasumigaoka were tangled up because of Tomoya, they used to go at each other like this all the time.

After that scumbag got dumped by that two-faced witch, he swore off romance and otaku life altogether to focus on entrance exams. Both Kasumigaoka and Eriri had tried to steer clear of the whole thing.

They had all been rejected losers once, wallowing in heartbreak. But lately, Kasumigaoka seemed to be snapping out of it. Rumor had it she was even working on a new novel.

Eriri, who couldn't muster the will to draw even H-manga these days, grew more and more frustrated. Her fans on Twitter were practically begging for updates.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Why am I the only one still stuck in place?

Doesn't that make me the biggest loser of all?

Speaking of yuri, Eriri suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, Kasumigaoka, did you hear? That Yukinoshita girl actually said she likes girls at Soubu High!"

So the rumor had already reached Eriri's ears. Yukinoshita really didn't waste time, huh?

Kasumigaoka sighed inwardly but kept a cheerful smile on her face. "Oh? That's surprising news."

"Right? Totally unbelievable. When I heard, I was shook. So why did she even go after Tomoya back then?"

The twin-tailed blonde grinned wickedly. "Maybe she actually liked one of us instead~"

Kasumigaoka's heart skipped a beat.

…

"Yahallo, Yukinoshita-san~!"

It was the morning rush before class, and Yukinoshita had just taken her seat when Yuigahama Yui bounced into the room with her usual bright smile and light footsteps.

She was the ultra-cute type, the kind of girl who was immensely popular both in class and throughout the school.

Her shoulder-length hair was dyed a soft pinkish shade, lighter than the typical brown. With a black ribbon tying it up into an adorable bun, her hair and the ribbon bounced slightly as she moved.

Her shirt was missing two buttons at the top, which gave her a slightly flirty appearance. Still, despite looking like a ditzy girl, she was actually warm and easygoing. Not only did the boys love her, but she also fit right in with the girls.

A classic normie.

Just as Yukinoshita started to feel that prickly sense of social class warfare, the embodiment of it all leaned casually on her desk. Her charm was practically blinding, and her smile sparkled more than anything else.

"Good morning, Yukinoshita-san~!"

Yukinoshita: "..."

She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

Wait a second. Miura's change in attitude made sense after their goodwill points encounter, but Yukinoshita was pretty sure she had barely spoken to Yuigahama before.

And weren't those two supposed to have beef over a guy?

What the hell is going on?

"Are you memorizing English vocab, Yukinoshita-san?"

Holding an English dictionary in hand, Yukinoshita froze. "..."

Why are you asking things you clearly already know?

"Your hair is so soft, Yukinoshita-san. Is it naturally like this?"

Are you seriously asking that? I only just dyed it back to black from that messy blonde two and a half weeks ago. Of course it took a ton of money and effort to get it looking like this.

For the past sixteen years, there were two types of people Yukinoshita feared the most: those who were calculating geniuses, always playing mental chess, and those who were just complete and utter airheads.

Right now, she felt like she was facing her greatest enemy.

Finally, Yuigahama leaned in with a sweet smile, causing Yukinoshita to instinctively tilt her head back a little.

The gentle scent radiating from this adorable girl enveloped her like a cloud of flowers.

"Can I add you on LINE, Yukinoshita-san?"

Yukinoshita was just about to wrack her brain for a response when that damn system chimed in again.

[The system has identified the optimal action to improve your public image: accept Yuigahama Yui's request to exchange contact information.]

And just like that, the awkward tension melted away. Yukinoshita no longer felt stiff or uncomfortable. In fact, she felt like she could sprint up eight flights of stairs.

Ah, so she's one of those high-popularity types who actually dislikes me.

Well then, say so from the start. Dealing with people who dislike her was her specialty.

With a perfectly calm expression, she accepted the request.

Meanwhile, Miura had been watching from the sidelines the entire time. Her face, at first relaxed and content, began to turn green greener and greener until it was a mix of blackish-green with hints of purple.

After the successful contact exchange, a dark, ominous aura seemed to swirl around her.

"What's up with Yumiko?" Onodera Kei asked, puzzled. "Didn't she always want Yui and Yukinoshita to be friends again?"

Uesaka Junko flipped a page in her textbook. "You idiot. Yumiko just wanted them to be friends again, not become girlfriends..."

Kei blinked. "Huh?"

Junko sighed. "Yukinoshita still hasn't even added Yumiko on LINE..."

Miura: ... 

Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!

I'm seriously about to cry!