Doing so would only intensify Yui's hostility toward her, leading the latter to spare no effort in obstructing any future attempts she made to get close to Reina...
Could she gain any substantial benefits from that?
And then, if she were obstructed, how would her plan proceed?
If the plan couldn't proceed, and she waited until this anime slowly crawled toward its end when audience passion had already dried up, would she have to chase after those few viewers who had lost interest in the plot and couldn't even remember who Rin was, shouting hoarsely, "Please, you must vote for me in the popularity poll at the end!"?
What a joke!
Instead of being confrontational, escalating the conflict, and placing herself in a more dangerous bullseye position...
It would be better to temporarily turn swords into plowshares.
By utilizing the other party's exposed emotions from declaring sovereignty, she could give a response that completely defied everyone's expectations.
In doing so, she could not only instantly disrupt the other party's rhythm, making her full-force punch hit nothing but air, but also leave a deep enough impression on the audience.
The long-frozen lines of calm on Rin's face suddenly seemed like an ice surface brushed by a warm spring breeze, quietly melting at one corner.
The smile was very shallow, just the corners of her lips curving slightly into a soft arc, but appearing on that face that always lacked expression, it was like a small, unknown flower suddenly blooming on an icy plain, carrying a strange sense of innocence.
Then, she looked seriously at Yui with those azure eyes, her voice even carrying a hint of sincerity:
"I see."
She nodded, as if she finally understood a difficult problem that had been bothering her.
"I understand."
Then, under Yui's slightly narrowed gaze filled with scrutiny and doubt, Rin continued to speak:
"Don't worry, Shimizu-san."
"I completely support the romance between you and Reina."
The moment those words fell, it felt as if even the speed of the air flowing in the hallway had slowed down.
Only the rustling of leaves rubbing against each other as the wind blew through the courtyard trees outside remained, along with the distant noise from other corners of the school building, blurred into a hum by the distance.
Heh, as expected, another one with improper thoughts about Reina.
When the first half of Rin's answer drifted into her ears, Yui didn't bother to carefully distinguish its meaning, merely immersing herself in her own 'as expected' judgment.
It wasn't until she was about to use that judgment to speak even more deterrent words that her brain suddenly finished processing the key information in the second half of the sentence and sent back feedback.
...Wait.
What did she... just say?
For the first time, a clear look of bewilderment appeared on Yui's perfectly maintained composed expression.
The bewilderment was so vivid that it even caused her deep purple eyes, which were always calm and self-possessed, to widen slightly.
["I COMPLETELY SUPPORT"]
[We were just about to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?]
[Rin, just what rank of player are you?!]
[The Eldest Miss Shimizu is stunned! Hahahaha, her expression management has completely collapsed!]
[It's a lock! It's a lock! I can't think of how Yui could lose for now! Originally, her relationship with Reina was ranked second among the four, and now she even has public support from the person at the next desk!]
[Yua fans, don't open the champagne at halftime, okay? You'll be quiet once she crashes and burns.]
[How can she crash? I'm asking you, how can she?! The opponent literally surrendered!]
Rin maintained that faint smile of blessing on her lips, standing quietly in place like a bystander who had expressed sincere wishes and then said no more.
She welcomed Yui's suspicious and uncertain scrutiny, as the latter's eyes repeatedly scanned her face, trying to find any trace of hypocrisy or mockery.
She also felt the clamorous wave of the bullet chat at the edge of her vision, which had shifted from anticipating a fierce conflict to collective confusion, and then, after several seconds of silence, suddenly erupted into a new round of even more chaotic discussion.
"You..." Yui was so hit by Rin's completely unexpected statement that her thinking suffered a brief lag, and all her carefully prepared follow-up response plans were scrapped.
Her brain was spinning at high speed, yet it was completely unable to provide any effective analysis or service support for this bizarre development in such a short time.
Even her expression, which she usually controlled so well that it was like a perfect mask, twitched uncontrollably at this moment, finally freezing into an extremely complex look mixed with shock, instinctive pleasure, and even more disbelief.
"I..."
She opened her mouth, trying to say something to regain control of the situation or at least clear up this bizarre state of affairs, only to find that she couldn't even organize a complete sentence. Only a single short word came out, and her tone was somewhat unstable due to the violent fluctuations in her emotions.
Realizing that she had actually stuttered, a rare occurrence, Yui felt a surge of heat—a mix of shame and annoyance—rush from her neck to the tips of her ears, dyeing those fair, small ears a faint pink.
"Whew... whew..."
She took two somewhat hurried deep breaths, and the slightly cool air in the hallway barely helped her extract a bit of rationality from that overwhelming whirlpool of emotion.
I can't go on like this; this appearance is too unseemly and too embarrassing.
"...You'd better mean what you said..."
Yui didn't say anything more.
Seemingly annoyed by her own loss of composure, she first glared at Rin with a fierce, blustering look, and then dropped a line that was almost like acting spoiled:
"Forget it!"
The tone was less of a command and more of a distressed and hasty attempt at self-recovery for her dignity.
Before her voice had even faded, she had already quickly turned around, stepping out and walking away rapidly in the direction she had come from.
Her back was still straight and elegant, but the frequency of her steps was much faster than when she arrived.
It looked like an escape.
[So cute!]
[Soft and sweet Yua-chan. Sigh, if you ask me, if Yui stays in this state, Reina might not necessarily be the '0'.]
[Reina being the '0' is the fundamental tone of this anime; the laws of the ancestors cannot be changed.]
[What should I do? I'm starting to ship Rin and Yua.]
[The heretical CP is here. Are the wings getting tangled? Get out of here!]
[Win! A big win! I can't think of how Yui could lose for now!]
Just as the bullet chat was in a celebratory mood, excited that Yui's faction had gained an ally without shedding blood, and feeling that the situation was excellent and the scales of the battle for Reina had begun to tilt—
According to the usual narrative logic of this anime, the camera should have followed Yui at this moment to record her reaction as she left or switch to her next action, but it showed an unusual hesitation.
It did not immediately follow Yui away.
Instead, it stubbornly remained at this hallway corner where a conversation had just taken place.
The perspective froze steadily.
The afternoon light was still clear. Rin stood in place, watching Yui's figure disappear around the hallway corner, the sound of footsteps getting further and further away until they were completely swallowed by the mundane noises of the campus.
Time seemed to be stretched, or perhaps the camera intentionally left a void.
Two or three seconds of stillness.
Just as some viewers began to feel confused, typing question marks in the bullet chat and wondering if they were lagging, the camera's perspective finally began to move extremely slowly.
It didn't go to track the departing Yui.
Instead, it focused on Rin's face, which usually had no expression.
Now was the time.
As early as when Yui turned to leave, Rin was wondering whether to take this opportunity to carry out the first step of her plan.
But having discovered through the bullet chat that the camera hadn't followed Yui, she chose to stay her hand.
And at this moment, she seized a perfect close-up.
The light cast soft shadows on her exquisite features, and those azure eyes narrowed slightly.
No words, no movements—just a look like this, watching Yui gradually move away until even her shadow completely vanished.
Only then did she turn her face away as if nothing had happened, uncrossed her arms from her chest, and walked toward the other end of the hallway.
[...???]
[There's a plot twist???]
[Oh no!!!]
[It's over!!! We were too careless! Your Majesty! We were too careless!]
["I COMPLETELY SUPPORT" (Meaningful narrowing of eyes)]
[This is truly... Rin skillfully uses a chain of schemes, while Haki-Yua mistakenly steps onto the platform of the losing dog.]
[Children, this kind of person who surrenders on the surface but is plotting something in secret is the one who steals the most ruthlessly in the later stages.]
The plan seemed to be going even more smoothly than expected.
In this way, not only was the first step completed, but the problem of the severely lacking screen time was also resolved.
She had barely managed to establish a connection with Yui; though it wasn't stable, it could be considered a reasonable excuse for contact.
Rin slightly lowered her eyelashes, watching the tips of her clean sneakers rise and fall again and again.
The sound of footsteps drifted further and further away in the empty hallway.