A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

Page 51

It's really good.

"Is it tasty?"

Yui stared nervously at his face, forgetting to even pull her hand back.

"Although there is an element of magical cheating involved, I will accept it as a token of my gratitude."

That's great... I'm glad you like it!

Watching Chiyu eat the cookie, Yui seemed to have accomplished something earth-shattering, and her whole body visibly relaxed, a bright smile blooming on her face without any impurities.

The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became subtly warm.

The sunlight shone on the two of them, creating a filter-like effect reminiscent of a Japanese youth drama.

Just then, Yui seemed to have thought of a good idea and suddenly leaned over with her eyes shining.

"By the way! Kazama-kun! I want to join your club!"

"what?"

Chiba, who was still chewing on a cookie, almost choked.

"Clubs? What clubs do I have?"

"That's the one! I saw it when I was looking for you! There was a sign hanging at the door, and although the name wasn't written on it yet, your name was on the application form, right?"

Yui looked excited.

"Since you founded the club, it must be for researching magic and monsters, right? I want to join! I want to help too! And look, I'm already a qualified support staff member. I can make cookies (albeit under guidance), and I can walk dogs (although they got lost once). I can even keep watch for you in the future!"

She became more and more enthusiastic as she spoke, as if she could already see herself in a magic robe saving the world.

However, reality is often harsh.

"turn down."

Chiyu swallowed the cookie in her mouth and answered crisply.

"Huh?! Why?!"

Yui deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Because my club is called the Paranormal Club. Its purpose is 'to find a secluded place on campus to legally sleep.'"

Qianyu leaned against the control panel, arms crossed, with a self-righteous air of decadence.

“Recruiting people is too much trouble. Once you have members, you have to organize activities, write reports, and deal with people like you who ask a million questions. This completely goes against my original intention of creating the club. I want to live a life where I can just sign in every day and get by, not some kind of shonen anime about saving the world.”

"Ugh—that's so heartless!"

Yui wasn't angry; instead, she pouted and adopted a persistent, clingy attitude.

"Well... I won't join the club, but can I just drop by occasionally? Even if I'm not a member, it's okay for classmates to visit each other, right? I'll just use the air conditioning and bring you some snacks! I definitely won't disturb your sleep!"

Qianyu glanced at the girl who was like a leech, shook her head, and did not agree.

Please don't bother me, thank you.

Although she was rejected, Yui wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, she grinned mischievously, as if she were thinking of a clever idea.

Chapter 43 Artoria Pendragon

Then Yui picked up another cookie, wanting to feed him another one.

"Come on! Have another piece! This one is heart-shaped!"

"No need, I'm not a hamster."

Just as the two were pushing each other

The classroom door, which had never suffered so much in its life, was pushed open again.

Upon returning, Yukino Yukinoshita stood at the doorway and, upon witnessing the intimate scene inside, was visibly stunned for a moment.

"Ah! Xiaoxue?!"

Yui, like a primary school student caught in a relationship by her parents, hurriedly withdrew her hand, almost dropping the cookie in her hand.

"Why are you back? No... um... we're not doing anything weird! This is a food tasting! Yes! A food tasting!"

Seeing that Qianyu's gaze also followed them,

Yukino's expression immediately changed.

"Sorry to interrupt your intimate tasting session."

"I just came back to get something I left behind. You can ignore me and continue."

Then, Yukino didn't look at Yui or Chiba, but went straight to the shelf on the other side of the control panel.

There hung a red string pendant that looked quite old.

It looks like something from a long time ago.

So long that even the red string has faded and turned white.

Kazama Chiba narrowed her eyes slightly.

He recognized the thing.

Because it was something he casually made during an elementary school craft class to cheer up Yukino, who was being ostracized by her classmates and relegated to a corner.

Unexpectedly, after so many years, even today when the two are like strangers, she still carries it with her.

"Ah! This is from Xiaoxue's bag..."

Yui then realized

Yukino reached out and took the keychain, holding it in her hand. Turning around, her gaze finally fell on the two of them, and the cookies on the table.

"But it seems you two had a very pleasant chat just now."

"No...that's not it! Xiaoxue, listen to me! This is..."

Yui wanted to explain, but she instinctively sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. The feeling of being caught cheating made her somewhat incoherent.

But Yukino interrupted her.

"Is it for him?"

Yui hesitated for a moment, but under that oppressive gaze, she finally nodded honestly.

"Ah."

"I see."

Yukino nodded, not angry.

"Don't explain to me, Yuihama-kun. It's your freedom to give cookies to whomever you want, and it's your private matter. It has nothing to do with me."

"I won't bother you any longer."

After saying that, she left.

Yui stood there, belatedly looking at Chiyu, the boy who hadn't said a word from beginning to end.

As someone who is extremely sensitive to interpersonal relationships and the atmosphere, she couldn't possibly have failed to sense the undercurrents that had been surging in those few short minutes.

"It might be a bit offensive to ask, but, Kazama-kun, do you and Yuki know each other?"

Kazama Chiba asked, "Why do you say that?"

A woman's intuition is frighteningly sharp at this moment.

Yui slowly recalled:

"Because when Xiaoxue was speaking just now, although she was asking me a question, her eyes were always on you."

Kazama Chiba did not answer immediately.

He picked up the cookie that Yui had tried to feed him earlier and stuffed it into his mouth without even looking at it.

He did not deny it afterward.

"Yes, we knew each other before."

"But that was a long time ago. Now, we're just strangers, like you see, who wouldn't even bother to say hello."

"But……"

Yui bit her lip, her brows furrowing into a deep frown.

"But Xiaoxue seems really unhappy. It's like she's had a falling out with a very good friend. If they're just ordinary acquaintances, why is she so angry?"

Kazama Chiba turned around and looked at the empty classroom door.

Through the glass in that door, one could almost see the lonely figure of the black-haired girl leaving.

"Because I've moved on from the past."

"And she seemed to be still standing in the same spot."

……

At the end of the corridor.

Yukino Yukinoshita stopped in her tracks and looked down at the object in her hand.

Images flashed uncontrollably through my mind.

The image of that little boy with the gentle smile who always wore it when he was a child, tying this ugly red string to her.

"This is called a spring knot, which means that no matter how cold the winter is, spring will always come."

How ironic that statement seems now!

He's a complete fraud.