The next day, a new week began, and it was time for school again.
The streets were filled with boys and girls in various school uniforms. Some walked in groups toward their schools, chatting and laughing as they shared the happy—or sad—things that had happened over the weekend.
Among the crowd, one group stood out, drawing the eyes of nearly everyone who passed. That group, of course, was Yuki and his companions.
As usual, Kotori and Origami were with him, along with Marin Kitagawa, whom they had run into on the way. But today, there was one extra person walking alongside them. That person was none other than the blonde, lovable loser—Eriri.
"The daughter of a diplomat, walking to school without a private car or chauffeur? That's pretty unusual!" Marin shot a sidelong glance at Eriri, her tone light and teasing.
"So what if I'm a diplomat's daughter? Can't I walk to school?" Eriri fired back, clearly annoyed by Marin's pointed remark. Then, after sneaking a quick glance at Yuki, she quickly added, "Besides, the car broke down today. Walking to school is perfectly reasonable!"
Marin couldn't find a single hole in that excuse—even though she knew full well Eriri had been waiting for them at the last intersection.
The two girls exchanged a look, and sparks practically flew between them. Their intentions were obviously the same.
Walking on Yuki's right, Kotori watched the little standoff and couldn't help but shrug, glancing at Yuki as if to say, Look at all these romantic troubles you've stirred up.
Yuki understood her look perfectly. He pulled out a lollipop, unwrapped it, and shoved it right into Kotori's mouth.
"Mmph—mmph—mmph~" Caught off guard, Kotori let out a muffled sound, shot him a glare, and then calmed down.
Origami, seeing this, immediately opened her mouth and said flatly, "Yuki, please stuff my mouth too."
The passersby nearby suddenly looked at them like they were witnessing something extremely questionable. Yuki felt a little embarrassed. Marin, noticing the commotion, shifted her focus away from Eriri.
"Huh? Kotori-chan really likes this brand of candy, doesn't she?" She tried striking up a conversation with Kotori.
As the saying goes—if you want to win the man, you start with the people around him. And since Kotori was Yuki's sister, she seemed like a good place to start.
Not that Marin had come up with this on her own; she had read it in some manga or light novel over the weekend.
"Mm-hmm! Kotori really, really loves this brand!" Outwardly, Kotori was in sweet-little-sister mode. Her warm reply to Marin had an inexplicable charm to it. "Ah! If Marin-nee wants some, Kotori's big brother has a whole bunch! Kotori would love to share, but Onii-chan's the one who keeps all the lollipops..."
Kotori's voice was sweet and innocent, trailing off with a hint of regret. Hearing how adorable Kotori sounded, Marin's heart melted.
She thought to herself, If I ever marry into Yuki's family, getting to see such a cute little sister every day would be pure bliss!
"Ahaha, don't worry about it. Big brother's just looking out for Kotori-chan's health by holding onto them! That's not a bad thing!" Marin laughed it off casually. "Eating too many sweets isn't good for you, you know. So Kotori-chan, make sure you're careful, okay?" She spoke with genuine concern, like a family member offering advice.
"Mm! Kotori knows. Thank you, Marin-nee. Marin-nee is so kind—you're just like Kotori's real big sister!" Kotori nodded obediently, flashing Marin a pure, innocent smile.
Hearing those last words, Marin felt an indescribable joy well up inside her. She felt like she was floating—as if gravity had lost its hold. Yes! Kotori-chan said I'm like a big sister! Doesn't that mean she's practically accepting me?!
The girl's heart swelled with triumph, and she couldn't help but shoot a glance at Eriri. Eriri, who had been carefully listening in, grew anxious when she heard Kotori validate Marin like that. She racked her brain, trying to think of a way to get in on the conversation.
"Kotori-chan, that's a good candy brand. But I've tried some other international brands that taste great too. I could bring some for you to try next time!" Eriri decided to approach through Kotori's hobby, hoping to build a connection that way.
"Other brands? Hmm... I guess that's okay. Trying other brands once in a while could be nice." Kotori thought it over with a blank expression, then nodded. "Thank you, Sawamura-nee." She gave Eriri a polite thanks.
Compared to her reaction to Marin earlier, Kotori's response this time was far more subdued, catching Eriri off guard. That's it? Nothing else? Wasn't she supposed to say I'm like a big sister too?!
Eriri panicked internally. No—maybe I just haven't done enough. Maybe I need to bring really good candy—then she'll say it! Eriri quickly figured out what the problem was. Once she understood, a smug smile appeared on her face. When she glanced over at Marin, she no longer felt threatened—only confident.
The five of them chatted as they walked and soon arrived at school. The moment Yuki stepped into the classroom, he was met with a chorus of warm greetings from the girls. He responded with a polite, uniform smile—clearly already used to this kind of attention.
After returning to her seat, Eriri immediately opened a shopping app and started ordering candy to give to Kotori. To be safe, she bought a wide variety—not just lollipops, but gummies, milk candies, and even chocolate. She was going all in. Success was the only option. She was determined to win Kotori over.
Watching Eriri place such a huge candy order, her deskmate was stunned. "Eriri, since when did you like candy so much? And buying this much at once? Aren't you afraid of getting diabetes?" Her deskmate gave her a strange look.
Eriri snapped out of it and quickly shook her head. "What are you talking about? It's not for me—I'm buying them as gifts," she explained. "Besides, who doesn't like candy? I like it too—just not too often."
Her deskmate nodded, realizing she had misunderstood. She then joined in, offering suggestions as Eriri continued picking out sweets.
"Man, I'm so jealous. As expected of a diplomat's daughter—these are all super expensive brands." Her deskmate glanced at the total in the shopping cart and winced at the cost.
"Expensive? It's not even a month's allowance." Eriri didn't seem to mind at all. Spending this kind of money didn't bother her in the slightest.
"Eriri, saying stuff like that is a good way to get yourself beaten up." Her deskmate rolled her eyes, too exasperated to say anything else.