After deciding to give up, I became popular

Superpowers, ordinary people, attention... He crammed all the fragments into his mind, and finally deduced a somewhat credible possibility: Given Katou's personality, she definitely wouldn't care too much about this. The only thing she probably cares about is one thing—she wants to be valued.

Or rather, even if she isn't favored, she hopes to at least be treated equally.

He naturally hadn't forgotten, this was, after all, a world within an anime, and Katou had a very special setting—inconspicuous.

Moreover, it was to the extent of an 'Aura Concealment EX' level. He had witnessed this before. As long as she wasn't within his observation range, where she would appear next was anyone's guess.

The former Katou seemed to have always lived alone, which is why she so easily agreed to join a club she wasn't interested in at all, simply because that might have been the first time she had received a formal invitation from someone.

And for Katou, perhaps these people could be considered her few friends, so she naturally cherished them immensely.

But precisely because she was regarded as a friend, upon discovering that others—namely Eriri—were being so valued by him—also Katou's friend—she couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy, which she inadvertently expressed when interacting with him alone.

Because she's also a girl, no matter how mature and steady she usually appears, she also wants to be valued and cared for by her friends like an ordinary girl...

Natsukawa Kanade understood. He finally understood why Katou would take the initiative to contact him, why she could become friends with him so easily, and why she had so easily drawn closer to him.

Because those were her wishes. She wanted friends, the kind who wouldn't ignore her but would value her, and for that, she was even willing to actively cater to others, to actively 'please' others.

The so-called comfortable interaction wasn't because their personalities matched, but entirely because of Katou's active catering. It was just that her skills were so superb that he had never noticed it.

In other words, Katou—she's probably what you'd call a people-pleasing personality.

It's just that her usual calm demeanor makes it very unnoticeable...

"Natsukawa-kun?"

"..."

"Natsukawa-kun."

"Ah! I'm here!" The high-intensity brainstorming had completely absorbed his thoughts, making him completely forget that he was still chatting with the other person.

"Although it doesn't matter to me, it's still better not to ignore girls like that when chatting with them, you know," Katou Megumi said softly.

"It's not that it doesn't matter!" Natsukawa Kanade immediately retorted.

Just like what he had thought earlier, now that he knew why Katou showed a different side of herself each time, he naturally couldn't accept her concessions with peace of mind anymore.

Because that wasn't a healthy friendship at all, it was clearly using the word 'friend' to restrain the other person, putting a collar on them that was difficult to break free from.

"Because I ignored you just now, I must apologize for that—I'm sorry!" Natsukawa Kanade bowed deeply.

Then, without waiting for the girl to react, he continued to pour out his thoughts like a machine gun:

"But one thing is one thing, I completely disagree with your way of thinking, Katou!"

"What do you mean it's okay because it's you? Katou is clearly also a girl, why should she endure so many concessions? Just like you said to me before, since I can act more selfishly, why can't you yourself do that?"

"Haven't we already become friends? Since we're friends, it's perfectly understandable to have conflicts and complaints with each other! Katou, you can feel free to tell me all your thoughts, even if they're all complaints, it doesn't matter, in fact, it's just right!"

"Because that's what friends are for, supporting each other, giving attention, and lending a hand when the other needs it..."

"So what if there are disagreements? That's perfectly normal, because each of us is a unique individual, we all have our own thoughts and considerations, so even if we don't reach a consensus, it doesn't matter, but the fact that we're friends will never be destroyed by mere differences in opinion!"

"..."

145. It's completely possible!

"Natsukawa-kun..."

Katou looked very shaken, probably inspired by his words.

"Yeah, I'm here," Natsukawa Kanade replied earnestly.

He was ready to accept everything.

Even if Katou wasn't that mature, steady, and easy-going girl next door, it didn't matter, even if she was the kind of two-faced girl who liked to use superficial gestures to hide her inner annoyance, it didn't matter.

Because she's Katou Megumi.

She was the girl who lent a hand when he was lost in the past, and taught him to value himself...

So now it's his turn!

Let him teach her that friends don't need so much accommodation and catering, there's only the touch and exchange between two mutually recognized souls.

"Natsukawa-kun... you really have a talent for public speaking, you know."

"...Ah?" Natsukawa Kanade was dumbfounded.

He was ready for the two of them to have an in-depth soul-searching exchange, but the other person's first sentence was just that?

"No... Katou... don't you have anything else to say?"

"Hmm... is it almost time for the opening ceremony to start?" The saint girl raised her phone and shook it at him as a reminder.

"That's not important... no, it's also quite important... no... you..." Natsukawa Kanade didn't know what to say anymore, he was in a very depressed mood right now.

It was like receiving a date invitation from the girl you have a crush on, happily preparing a whole day's plan, and even being so excited that you can't sleep all night, only to be told early the next morning that you're not free today so the date is canceled—that level of depression.

Because he was clearly mentally prepared to become a "trash can," and even thought of several ways to comfort the other person, but the other person looked completely unaffected, as if the words he had just said hadn't entered her mind at all...

What kind of cockblock challenge is this!

"Anyway, things shouldn't be like this! Shouldn't you say something... at least ask me why I said so much?"

"Natsukawa-kun is really selfish... well, then—why did Natsukawa-kun say those things to me just now?"

She clearly did as he asked, and even showed a very cooperative look of confusion on her face, but it made Natsukawa Kanade even more frustrated.

"Don't just do the 'at least' part!" Natsukawa Kanade felt like he was about to become a tsukkomi character.

The thoughts that usually only occasionally flashed through his mind were now popping up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.

It was probably because the current Katou gave him too much trouble, she was completely different from the gentle her before... wait? Perhaps, this is Katou's true face, maybe?

Natsukawa Kanade felt like he had discovered a new continent.

Although Katou didn't explicitly show anything, just those few words completely lowered his interest to the extreme. Even if she was called a "mood killer," it wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.

And thinking carefully, it seemed like she occasionally showed such characteristics when she was in the club, but at that time he didn't pay enough attention to her, so he always subconsciously ignored the other person...

"I feel like you're thinking about something rude, Natsukawa-kun," Katou frowned slightly.

"No, how could I be," Natsukawa Kanade shook his head with a smile. "But you're right, it's really getting late, it's time to go to the venue."

"Want to go together?"

"Hmm... I'll pass, if I go with Natsukawa-kun, I feel like I'll become too noticeable," Katou shook her head gently, rejecting his invitation.

"It's not that exaggerated, is it..." Natsukawa Kanade shrugged, not particularly concerned. "I think it would be nice if Katou became a little more conspicuous, maybe you'll make more friends because of it?"

"Hmm... if it's the kind of friend who forcibly invites you to join a club and asks you to finish 3 gal games in one night, I think it's better not to have any more," Katou looked slightly troubled.

"Cough cough... not everyone is that kind of fanatic..." Natsukawa Kanade comforted.

The other person's words also reminded him of the memories of being in the club together in the past. At that time, he was the same, being forced to promote all kinds of works with Katou, such as light novels, comics, gal games, etc.

It could be said that at that time, his daily schedule, in addition to the learning tasks given by the school, was a lot of ACG elements. Although he himself was indeed quite interested in it, he would definitely feel tired if he had to brush it every day like completing a task.

It can only be said that he was lucky to be a pure love brain at that time, so he could persevere for the person he liked, otherwise he simply couldn't bear that kind of life.

"That's it, I'll go to the venue first, see you tonight," Natsukawa Kanade waved goodbye to the other person.

"Yeah... good luck with tonight's event, Natsukawa-kun."

"Yeah, I will," Natsukawa Kanade nodded.

Although he didn't quite understand why the other person wanted him to do his best, he definitely accepted this blessing.

He was silent all the way.

When Natsukawa Kanade arrived at the venue, there was about a quarter of an hour before the opening ceremony. He opened his phone to contact Kaguya, but found that the other person had already sent him several messages, basically asking him where he was at the time, but there were also a few reminders not to forget tonight's event.

To this, Natsukawa Kanade could only say—his vice president is still too worried, even if he is forgetful, he wouldn't forget tonight's event.

Not to mention that the surrounding atmosphere is constantly reminding him, the fact that he has an appointment with Eriri and Mahiru has been lingering in his mind, so he will never miss this event.

Just as Natsukawa Kanade was thinking about how to reply to Kaguya's message, he didn't expect the person in question to suddenly appear beside him.

"President?" Accompanied by a clear voice, Shinomiya Kaguya stood in front of him with a business-like smile on her face.

"I thought the president had been kidnapped, no matter how many messages I sent, you didn't reply, I was almost worried enough to ask someone to look for you..."

"No one would want to kidnap me, no matter what, they wouldn't get any benefits," Natsukawa Kanade said with a sweat.

Should I say that she is worthy of being Shinomiya Kaguya? Even her jokes are so... unique!

"I'm sorry, I kept you waiting." Sensing that Kaguya's mood seemed not very good, Natsukawa Kanade decisively apologized, "I met a friend on the way here, so I chatted with her for a while, I didn't expect to almost forget the time."

Hitting should stand upright! Natsukawa Kanade deeply understood this principle, so he never stubbornly denied his mistakes.

After all, no matter how you look at it, his behavior of throwing all the work of holding the field to Kaguya this time is like that pink octopus head escaping business for personal desires, which is a very hateful measure, even if these are accidental events of force majeure, he really did it, no wonder Kaguya is a little unhappy.

"If it's just like this, why didn't the president reply to the message? Could it be because the person you were chatting with..."

"I guess it's probably because I didn't receive a notification," Natsukawa Kanade explained.

"Ah?" The idiot young lady was stunned, not quite understanding what he was talking about.

"Because I still had class in the morning? So I turned on my phone's do not disturb mode, but I forgot to turn it off after class, so the messages you sent before didn't have a notification sound."

"Eh eh eh? Isn't it because you deliberately didn't reply to the message?" The idiot young lady looked shocked.

"Ah? How is that possible, I have no reason to deliberately not reply to your message?" Natsukawa Kanade was full of question marks, what kind of person did Kaguya imagine him to be?

"Strange, shouldn't your side show that I have unread messages... could it be because my phone was in my pocket and I accidentally touched it?"

Natsukawa Kanade was still thinking about whether he accidentally pressed some key that caused it, but the idiot young lady on the other side was already dumbfounded.

What does it mean that unread messages will be displayed?! Why has no one ever told her this?! Doesn't this mean that her electronic idiot thing is going to be exposed in the president's eyes?!!

I don't want that to happen!!!

"It's possible..."

"What?"

"I mean..." The idiot young lady looked serious, "Because the president accidentally clicked on it when his phone was in his pocket, so I misunderstood that the president had read the message but deliberately didn't reply..."

"It's completely possible!"

"..."

146. Kaguya-chan wins!

"Perhaps..." Natsukawa Kanade nodded, not caring much.

His mind was still on the subsequent activities, and he didn't pay much attention to these trivial things, but he only replied to the other person because the idiot young lady happened to ask.

As for Shinomiya Kaguya, she was a little unhappy.

Although it seems she managed to gloss over the whole being-electronically-challenged thing, the matter she actually cares about clearly hasn't been resolved at all—

Just who could it be? Right before the courage test is about to start, instead of looking for their partner, they're hanging around with the president…

That's clearly scheming! And the worst part is, the president actually abandoned her to go meet them!

That's right, she doesn't believe in Natsukawa Kanade's so-called 'chance encounter' at all, but that's not to say she doesn't trust his words, but rather that she simply believes the so-called 'chance encounter' was clearly deliberately manufactured by that girl, with the aim of creating a space for a private conversation with the president!

Maybe she'll even use her lewd body to seduce the president, stealing the time that originally belonged to her, Shinomiya Kaguya!