Effectiveness

"Onoda-kun, you're cheating."

Upon entering the train with Ririka, that's the first thing I heard being uttered by one of Akane's best friends.

Which of the two? It's Eri. The tomboyish one among them. And also the one with the flattest chest among them.

Alright. Scratch that last part. I shouldn't easily whip back like that.

In any case, for a moment there, I thought she already found out about our complex relationship and was calling me out.

My smile froze and I almost started bringing up my prepared script from the deep recesses of my head to make it sound sensible to those who could hear it.

However, as it turns out, the meaning of those words was something else entirely...

I immediately caught her playful smile along with a smirk as if she was digging into my reaction.

Yep. That's not how someone would act if they ever stood against our situation.

Thankfully, she didn't leave me hanging there.