When the small pink yokai flew in front of her, Kotoko's face remained expressionless as she said, "Little Pink, tell me carefully what happened."
"Boo~" The fluffy pink yokai gestured wildly as it explained.
Listening to the story, Kotoko's eerie purple eyes gradually deepened.
"Boo~~~Boo~~~" After taking quite some time, the little yokai finally finished recounting what it saw.
"I understand." Kotoko's expression remained calm as she raised her hand.
The little yokai understood and quickly burrowed into Kotoko's sleeve, half-closing its eyes as it settled into a comfortable rest.
Kotoko lowered her hand, letting it fall naturally to her side. She looked ahead, her eyes deep, muttering softly to herself.
"Black hair, red eyes... It's not Siesta... it's another woman I don't know..."
"About the same height as Yukinoshita... and with... huge… breasts... tsk~"
"To think she found her way directly to Sobu High, that's some skill..."
"Yukinoshita... Yukinoshita... you really are useless... You let someone steal your property on your own territory."
"Has Hoshimi left the school with that woman this morning? It's been quite a while since then... tsk~"
Suppressing her feelings of resentment, Kotoko tightened her grip on the reddish-brown cane, lowering her head in thought.
"What should I do now?" Kotoko silently questioned herself.
Should she expose Hoshimi's lie?
No, that wasn't her place. With competitors steadily increasing, it was best to avoid any actions that could backfire on her.
Exposing the lie wouldn't be difficult. The difficult part was figuring out Hoshimi's thoughts and attitude.
If she embarrassed Hoshimi, forcing him into a difficult situation, would he "resent" her for it?
This "resentment" wasn't in the usual sense, but merely referred to a change in attitude.
Sometimes, being overly forceful isn't necessarily a good thing...
Like sand in your palm, the tighter you squeeze, the more slips away...
Kotoko narrowed her eyes, her eerie purple pupils shimmering with a faint light.
Siesta... Yukinoshita... and that busty girl... and other girls she hadn't seen or known about...
If she wanted to win in the end, she couldn't just act on impulse; she had to start planning early.
She had thought she could relax for a while, waiting for Siesta to show up before making her move, but her plans couldn't keep up with the changes.
Siesta... Siesta... That woman's intentions toward Hoshimi aren't simple...
Tap--tap--tap--!
With her thoughts swirling, Kotoko tapped her reddish-brown cane as she calmly walked along the sidewalk.
Before she returned, her plan was to meet Hoshimi and give him the cultivation method and tools she had just obtained.
But after hearing Little Pink's report on Hoshimi's situation, she changed her mind. The cultivation method couldn't be given to him yet; she had to wait for the right time.
Of course, this change of mind was influenced by her personal emotions. After all, no matter how grand the title of "Goddess of Wisdom" or "Yokai Priestess" sounded, she was still a 15-year-old girl who could have her moments of pettiness.
Next, she was going to Sobu High, aiming to meet Yukinoshita-senpai.
Don't misunderstand; she wasn't going to stir up trouble or cause discord. She just wanted to see if the smart Yukinoshita-senpai had noticed the green colour above her head.
Tap---tap---tap---!
Accompanied by the crisp sound of footsteps, a faint smile gradually appeared on Kotoko's seemingly innocent face.
Around her, in the "reality" that ordinary people couldn't see, a group of cute little yokai of various shapes closely followed her.
...
At Sobu High, in the Service Club room.
Clatter---!
The front door opened, and Kotoko, wearing a faint smile, calmly walked into the room.
She stopped in front of the long table, looked around the Service Club room, and raised her hand, smiling as she greeted everyone.
"Yo~ Everyone's here. Yukinoshita-senpai, Yuigahama-senpai, Hikigaya-senpai, good afternoon. By the way, where's Hoshimi? Where did he go?"
Feigning ignorance, Kotoko smiled brightly as she observed Yukino's reaction.
"Hoshimi has asked for leave," Yukino looked cold, and her tone was equally cold.
"Oh? He asked for leave?" Kotoko's eyes widened slightly as if she were a bit surprised. "Why did Hoshimi ask for leave? Is he sick?"
"..." Yukino slightly raised her slender neck, pointing her chin toward the front door of the club room. "Close the door."
"Sorry, sorry. I forgot." Kotoko's smile remained unchanged as she went to close the door, then casually found a spot on the sofa and sat down. She continued to ask, "Yukinoshita-senpai, can you tell me now?"
As she spoke, Kotoko quietly glanced at Yuigahama and Hikigaya, who were in a tense atmosphere.
Did something interesting happen while she was away these past few days? Did these two get into a fight? That was quite unexpected...
"Hoshimi's aunt had something to discuss with him, so he asked for leave to meet her," Yukino told her the truth she knew.
"Asked for leave to meet his aunt..." Kotoko muttered, her expression growing more peculiar.
"Is there a problem?" Yukino stared at Kotoko, expressionless.
"No problem." Kotoko shrugged nonchalantly.
"..." Yukino said no more and silently looked at the library book in her hand.
Kotoko leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling of the clubroom in a trance. After an unknown amount of time, Kotoko's low muttering broke the dead silence of the service club.
"Yukinoshita-senpai… You're such a loser…"
Pah—!
Yukino closed the book and looked expressionlessly at Kotoko, who seemed to have said this unintentionally. "Iwanaga-san, what do you mean?"
"Huh? Did I say something just now?" Kotoko tilted her head slightly, looking confused as if she had suddenly woken up.
"You just said I was a 'loser'." Yukino calmly repeated what Kotoko had just whispered.
"Eh? Yukinoshita-senpai, don't accuse me. When did I ever say that?"
"Really? That's better." Yukino was too lazy to argue with Kotoko, so she opened the book and continued reading again.
Although the matter was over, the atmosphere in the club became more depressing. The hidden rivalry between Yukino and Kotoko, the subtle and awkward relationship between Hikigaya and Yuigahama, and the dead silence of the whole environment, all these factors combined to make the atmosphere in the club room not only depressing but also gradually sliding towards danger…
Clearly, only one person was missing, but for some reason, the entire service club seemed to be on the verge of falling apart...
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[30 Bonus Chapters: https://www.patreon.com/cherryblooming]