Chapter 35: A Cookie, A Confession, and A Clubroom Catfight

Upon my return to the club room, Nina’s mood appeared to have settled.

A steaming cup of black tea rested before her, and she was contentedly nibbling on a cookie whose provenance remained a mystery to me.

Judging solely by its exquisite appearance, it was clearly a high-end treat.

The gaps in the circular arrangement of cookies on the plate indicated she had already consumed quite a few.

A curious thought struck me: where had the President hidden the tin box containing these delights earlier?

Not seeing Lin Shurou, I set aside my minor perplexity and cast an inquiring glance towards Lan Xinyue.

“Oh, she’s already left.”

Just as she set down her own cup, she grasped my unspoken question.

Rising to answer, she simultaneously poured black tea into the cups designated for Su Yuanyi and me.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks…”

“You’re welcome.”

So, she had made a decisive retreat.

This realization offered further confirmation of the situation, rendering the exact details of her departure less crucial.

I surmised that the brief eye contact we’d shared on the stairs had made Lin Shurou realize her true intentions were exposed.

Lost in these thoughts, I sat down opposite Nina, but before I could even lift my cup—

“However, I’ve already agreed to her joining the club, so she should be coming over voluntarily after school starting tomorrow.”

At this, I could only stare at Lan Xinyue, utterly bewildered.

What exactly was she playing at today?

Surely, she wasn’t about to repeat the same mistake as last time, was she?

Her words implied that she must have made a similar assumption to mine and arrived at the same conclusion.

Then why would she still agree to Lin Shurou joining the club?

“For some matters, it’s better to guide than to block, you see.”

Lan Xinyue merely offered this enigmatic smile, wagging her right index finger, which immediately prompted me to cast all my grievances aside.

Indeed, it seemed I had been needlessly anxious earlier, having forgotten this most straightforward solution.

With the taut string of my tension finally slackening, a sudden, profound weariness washed over me.

This cup of black tea, it seemed, had arrived at precisely the right moment.

While the weather was beginning to grow warm, in such circumstances, the gentle heat of the tea only brought a comforting solace to my entire being.

“Haaah…”

I exhaled softly, set down my cup, and saw Nina suddenly rise, leaning forward to offer me a cookie.

“Thank you.”

I paused, slightly startled, then raised my hand to take it, only for her to extend it further, practically pressing it against my lips.

‘Huh? Was she trying to feed me?’

Faced with Nina’s gentle, blinking smile and the resolute glint in her eyes, I first cast a stiff glance at Lan Xinyue, who was clearly enjoying the spectacle, and then at Su Yuanyi, who, for some reason, also seemed highly amused.

Ultimately, I could only brace myself and open my mouth, carefully biting into the cookie while trying to avoid touching Nina’s fingers.

Fortunately, Nina released her grip at just the right moment, sparing me from the even greater awkwardness of that predicament.

I watched, dumbfounded, as she sat back down, resuming her cookie-eating as if nothing had happened.

Without further thought, I lifted the biscuit to my mouth, chewing and swallowing it with a complex, somewhat tasteless feeling.

After another sip of black tea, I couldn’t help but push my cup aside, lazily slumping onto the table.

‘Hmm, could I perhaps discuss with the President about adding some chairs with backrests?’

‘I do wipe the desktop clean every day, but doing this now hardly presents a good image.’

Suddenly, Nina rose, rounded the table, and came to stand beside me.

“What’s wrong?”

I turned my head to ask, only to see a hint of concern on her face as she looked down at me.

“Qiuqiu, are you very tired? Or is your head hurting again?”

“…Ah, no, not really. I’m just used to being lazy. See, I often do this in the classroom too, don’t I?”

“Hmm, I suppose so.”

Nina raised a finger to her lips, tilting her head slightly in thought.

“So, you’re actually quite energetic right now?”

I couldn’t fathom the purpose of her question, but she likely wanted me to do something.

“Yes, there’s really nothing wrong.”

With that, I straightened my posture, rallying my spirits.

“Then, could you stand up for a moment?”

Nina asked, her smile radiant with delight.

“Oh.”

I assented, rising, and immediately felt her hand grasp my left.

“Nana?”

I had barely uttered her name, a hint of confusion in my voice, when she already began to retreat, pulling me forward.

“Come, this way.”

After being led forward a few steps, before I could ask what she intended, my right hand was also taken.

Immediately after, the fingers of both my hands, bewildered by the situation, were passively drawn into a soft, warm embrace, intertwining with hers in a light, nimble motion that made my heart involuntarily quicken.

‘Huh? Wait… ‘hands clasped, fingers intertwined, face to face’?’

‘Was it what I thought!?’

“Qiu!~Qiu!~”

“Wait! Nana! Really, wait a moment!”

The moment my thought faded, Nina was already shouting and exerting force.

As I reflexively resisted, the scene instantly devolved into a ‘catfight’—a situation I had never envisioned myself in, one that should only ever occur between me and my eccentric older sister.

“How could I wait?! I was clearly acting like that! I can’t believe you’d still peek!”

“It’s a misunderstanding! I had no intention of sneaking over! It’s all the President’s fault!”

“Even if it was Yueyue’s fault! You could have totally refused! So deep down, you still intended to peek, didn’t you!”

“Uh…”

It was truly difficult to defend myself.

And… this was bad, truly quite bad.

Why did my soft, adorable friend seem to possess slightly more strength than I did, no matter how I looked at it!?

I didn’t know whether to feel frustrated or impressed first.

Moreover, she seemed to be holding nothing back; if I relaxed even slightly, with no support behind me, I was bound to fall, potentially dragging her down and injuring her as well.

For a moment, I was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

“Nothing left to say, huh!”

“I admit there was a tiny bit! But can we please sit down and talk this over properly first?”

“No way! First of all, I’m really angry this time!… Hmm! I have to say! This is so stress-relieving!~”

“Ah!~ I know! I understand perfectly! But don’t go making such a furious, gritting-teeth face!”

Even though she still looked adorable, didn’t that make me seem like an unforgivable villain!?

“I can’t help it! I rarely put in this much effort! As a friend! You should be happy for me!”

“You’re putting in too much effort, and in the wrong place!”

It seemed she wouldn’t be giving up anytime soon.

Left with no choice, I began to shuffle my feet slowly, trying to maintain our balance while maneuvering my empty backside towards a wall for support.

This way, I only needed to hold out until her anger subsided enough for her to give up.

“Huh!? Yuanyi! Why are you suddenly stirring up trouble!”

However, not only was my intention discovered, but Su Yuanyi, for some unknown reason, also rose and came over, her eyes sparkling, placing both hands on my back.

With a slight push, she propelled me forward, further complicating the situation and forcing all three of us into an odd, frozen standoff.

After a brief moment of thought, I decisively turned my gaze to Lan Xinyue.

Indeed, she was the true instigator!

She was even deliberately holding her cup, gazing out the window with an air of serene tranquility—it was infuriating!

“Yay!~ That’s it! Yiyi! Don’t let him get away!”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

“Can we please just sit down and talk this over properly!? Aren’t you both my friends? If you keep this up, I’ll get angry too, you know! Really, I will!”

Compelled, I shouted this, and Nina actually did relax her grip slightly.

Instantly sensing this, I shifted my weight backward, preventing Su Yuanyi, who hadn’t yet reacted, from inadvertently pushing me forward.

The standoff gradually eased as Nina was the first to loosen her grip slightly, I followed by withdrawing an equal amount of force, and Su Yuanyi, upon realizing the situation, slowly released her hold and returned to her spot.

“Qiuqiu, I really think you’re being too much, you know. Couldn’t you have just apologized frankly from the start? Why were you drinking tea and eating snacks with such a completely unbothered attitude…?”

It was only when Nina released my hand, wiping away a few tears as she spoke, that I truly realized where I had gone wrong.

“I’m sorry, Nana. I… shouldn’t have peeked.”

I had initially intended to offer a defense, but Nina had made it perfectly clear: all she wanted to hear was a simple apology for my disregard of her feelings.

“See? I really didn’t want you to see me like that, and what’s more, it ended up turning out like this…”

As Nina spoke, she drew closer, lowered her head, and extended her right hand to gently pinch the corner of my shirt.

“Thank you, Qiuqiu. I’ve troubled you again.”

“Why are you being so formal? Isn’t this just what friends do?”

That’s simply how it is between friends, after all.

Not to mention how much you looked after me when I was in trouble; this, in comparison, is truly just a small matter.

“Mhm! That’s a great attitude! So, we’ve made up now, haven’t we~”

Nina released my shirt, stepped back, and finished with another bright smile, then impishly placed her right index finger to her lips.

“And you have to promise there won’t be a next time!~ My good friend!~”

“Mhm, I promise there won’t be a next time.”

Frankly, I had heard similar words before.

‘My good friend.’

Yet, I had never imagined that such a declaration, coming from a female friend with whom I hadn’t interacted for long, would evoke such profound, undeniable warmth—a feeling that suggested if I relaxed even slightly, I might inadvertently reveal a rather pathetic side of myself.

“Wow~ What’s with today’s tea leaves? They’ve suddenly made me feel all sour and out of sorts~”

At this sudden and utterly tactless jest, my friend and I exchanged somewhat bewildered glances, then shared a knowing smile.

Following that, we simultaneously turned our utterly uncharitable smiles upon the instigator.

“Oh my~ I almost forgot about you, Yueyue~”

“Mhm, it’s fine when you don’t speak, but the moment you open your mouth, it’s as if the typhoon that just swiftly withdrew has found a new landfall, you see.”

“Eh?… Wait… You two… Don’t come over with those smiles! You look terrifying!”

“Alright then, Officer Nana, the battle is yours!”

“Copy!~”

“Waaah!!~”

[Don’t be too rough, or you’ll draw a crowd.]

“Hmph~”

As I read the message, my gaze happened to catch sight of someone’s whimsical pigtails, which triggered a memory.

I promptly circled behind Su Yuanyi, raised both hands, and gently pressed them against her temples.

“Eh?… W-why?”

“So, who was it that got swayed and came to cause trouble just now?”

“…Could…”

“You could not.”

[I meant, could you be a little gentler?]

“I already said, can’t you just watch something normal!”

“Ugh, ow~ Lighter… a little lighter, please~”

‘You wish! Any lighter and it would just be a free massage, wouldn’t it?’

‘Sigh… Can’t the daily life of this club be a little calmer?’

‘At this rate, when will I ever get to read more books?’

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