After Saika, several kendo club members from his class asked him the same thing. However, facing people he wasn't particularly close to, Yuu didn't say much—only that he already knew about the issue and would check on the situation at their club after school.
Eventually, by noon, rumors spread rapidly among gossip-loving students that Tenkuji Yuu would temporarily become captain for the kendo club's national tournament.
On the school forum, the video of the challenge at the Service Club resurfaced to the top. Many remembered the terrifying sound of clashing bamboo swords and how Yuu had snapped a shinai cleanly in two. This further boosted Yuu's popularity.
Because of this, Kanade even came to see him during lunch break to apologize.
"I originally wanted to keep this secret until everything was settled, to avoid rumors… I sincerely apologize."
She bowed deeply, her soft voice gentle.
Her golden eyes were filled with regret, and her attitude of admitting fault was extremely serious.
Combined with her calm, petite, and cute appearance, even the cruelest person couldn't possibly be angry at her.
Moreover, Yuu hadn't intended to be angry in the first place.
"This isn't your fault. The one who started it was probably someone from my class in the kendo club. You have no reason to apologize."
Kanade tilted her head slightly, blinked her clear eyes, and asked innocently, "Really?"
"Of course. And it's not me who should be worried—it's the opposing team in the kendo club… I've already agreed to help you."
"...I see."
Seeing him reaffirm it with a relaxed expression, Kanade placed her small hand over her flat chest, as if silently relieved.
Yuu couldn't suppress a smile and reached out to pat the girl's head—the way he usually did with his little sister. But after touching her, he suddenly realized she wasn't his sister and casually pulled his hand back, quickly changing the subject.
"Where's Isshiki? Why isn't she by your side?"
"She went ahead to reserve a spot in the cafeteria." Without changing her expression, Kanade glanced at his hand, then looked back at his face. As if thinking nothing of it, she stared straight at him.
"Tenkuji-senpai, why did you touch my head?"
And she asked directly, without hesitation or pretense.
"Uh..."
For the first time, Yuu felt awkward, and his face flushed slightly.
Under her innocent gaze, it felt as if all his acting and pretense were stripped away. He felt completely exposed when questioned.
Since he had no ill intentions, he dismissed his subconscious guilt and answered honestly, "I have a younger sister at home. I suddenly thought of her, so I did it reflexively. Sorry if that made you uncomfortable."
"I don't feel uncomfortable."
Shaking her head, her eyes lowered as if pondering something. Then suddenly, Kanade said:
"Tenkuji Onii-chan?"
"???" Unconsciously, Yuu took a step back—proof of just how shocked he was. "You said... what?"
"Tenkuji Onii-chan." Her tone serious, Kanade repeated it. Her golden eyes gazed at him innocently, as if confused why he was so surprised.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Of course there is!"
As he said that, Yuu glanced left and right, as if burdened by guilty conscience.
After confirming no one else was eavesdropping, he sighed in relief. Otherwise, today's rumor might have turned into a scandal: Tenkuji Yuu forces first-year angel Tachibana Kanade to call him 'onii-chan.'
Though he didn't care much about others' opinions, developments like this were somewhat hard to accept.
"Why did you suddenly start calling me Onii-chan?" After calming down, Yuu asked.
Kanade answered simply: "As a thank-you."
Yuu was flooded with question marks: "A thank-you?"
This was completely unlike the girl standing before him!
Although he'd only known her for a day—too soon to draw conclusions—even he might not easily see someone's true nature.
"Hmm, Isshiki said so."
Not knowing what she was thinking, Kanade nodded. Her expression remained cold and calm, yet her eyes radiated honesty and sincerity.
"She said yesterday that men like Senpai enjoy being called 'Onii-chan' by younger girls—it's a form of gratitude for them… Since you agreed to help me, I want to express my thanks."
"..."
Understanding her reasoning, Yuu felt relieved but also slightly helpless. In short, his emotions were a complete mess.
He covered his forehead, unable to hold back a sigh.
(Isshiki Iroha, why are you teaching strange things to your pure-hearted classmate...)
(Fine, fine—but does she feel absolutely no guilt?!)
"Hmm... Is it not allowed? This is the first time I've called anyone Onii-chan..." Kanade murmured with slight worry, lowering her head a bit. Her snow-white face reddened, making her look even cuter.
Yuu almost couldn't resist patting her head again, but quickly controlled the impulse and casually waved his hand.
"It's fine, but don't randomly call others Onii-chan. It could lead to unwanted situations… Just ignore whatever Isshiki said."
"Really? I understand, Tenkuji-senpai." Kanade nodded obediently, then pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "Then, here's a substitute thank-you."
It was a cafeteria coupon, with no expiration date, redeemable for one large bowl of extra-spicy mapo tofu.
"Alright, we're even. See you after school."
Seeing her insist on repaying the favor, Yuu didn't refuse. He took the coupon and turned to leave with his lunchbox.
He had promised Masuzu they'd eat together at the small garden behind the school.
He was already about five minutes late, so Masuzu would surely suspect he was dealing with another beautiful girl and accidentally ran late.
Though that was indeed the truth, Yuu couldn't possibly confess. A jealous girl wouldn't listen to reasons—he'd need to think of a way to calm her down...
"..."
Standing in place, Kanade watched Yuu's back disappear around the staircase corner. Suddenly, she remembered something and flinched slightly.
"I forgot to ask him—can he actually make mapo tofu? Ah, never mind. I'll ask after school."
Thinking of mapo tofu, the girl's expression showed a noticeable change.
She let out a soft sigh tinged with regret, then turned and walked toward the cafeteria in the opposite direction.
"But what Iroha said should be correct… When I called him Onii-chan, he seemed quite pleased."
(So to him, it was a gift. He's just too embarrassed to admit it.)
Kanade thought deeply, storing this discovery alongside the mapo tofu issue in her mind.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the small garden behind the school building, inside a gray stone gazebo.
"Sorry I'm late."
Carrying his lunchbox, Yuu sat across from the silver-haired girl.
Masuzu posed like Commander Ikari Gendo, a cold glare flashing in her sapphire eyes, her voice icy.
"If apologies could solve problems, why would we need a military?"
"Why not police?" Yuu couldn't help but comment.
Masuzu ignored him. "You're four minutes and thirty-two seconds late from the promised time. According to our agreement, you must be rubbed four hundred and thirty-two times."
"Why not per second? Besides, I didn't promise an exact time."
"Then I'll lose a hundred times more." Ignoring his follow-up question, Masuzu scoffed. She stretched her arms, as if there was nothing she could do.
"You don't even understand that. Seems Yuu can't live without me."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure... Ugh."
Yuu sighed.
Masuzu operated normally.