“Sometimes, it feels like I don’t really have any options either.”
CHAIN-LINK EVENT
WARNING: this Event is part of an Event Chain! You've lost all control over your own actions and must now sit back while
someone else takes the wheel. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, and hope that you did things right before taking the plunge!
As he's taking a nap, Sensei is suddenly awoken by someone calling his name. Upon opening his eyes, he finds Rin sitting at the foot of his bed, barely holding back tears. He asks what happened to her and Rin tells him nothing's happened yet, leading him to realize that she plans to confess to Chika tonight. She confirms this but has little hope it will succeed, which he's surprised to hear. She explains that, on top of the massive differences between them, she's pretty sure Chika's into someone else, already having a good guess of who. She accepts this, trying to reassure herself by saying getting rejected might help her grow.
She asks for his thoughts, which Sensei dismisses as unimportant, saying this isn't about him. Rin drops the topic, agreeing that she shouldn't drag him into more of her problems. He questions her about this, asking if that's why she's avoided telling him she's been hurting herself again. She's confused by this accusation, but once he explains that "a friend" saw her marks she realizes Molly told him and explains the marks are old. She invites him to check but he refuses, choosing to trust her.
She crawls onto his bed, sitting next to him and asking for his advice since she's "on her deathbed"; Even on the off-chance Chika accepts, Rin thinks she'd probably screw things up by passing out in excitement. The two begin to banter, making her appreciate their friendly relationship and using it to segue into asking for him to let her sleep in his room tonight, explaining that she's going to need his comfort tonight. Plus, she thinks it'd be awkward sleeping in the same room as everyone after being rejected.
She asks if he thinks she's being too rash, with Sensei feeling she phsyically can't wait longer. She agrees, recounting how hard it was to keep her composure just during a recent conversation, especially once Chika incorrectly guessed who she had a crush on. Suddenly getting serious, she presses him on the relationship between him and Chika.
From here, the event diverges depending on if Sensei saw Schadenfreude:
If Sensei's seen Schadenfreude, he broods over how it was only a matter of time until he had to confront this issue. Rin quickly jumps to conclusions from his silence, begging him for details and justifying it by saying they're friends and that they have to share everything. Hearing this, he confirms her suspicions but refuses to elaborate. Rin begins crying, finding a place against his shoulders, saying through tears that she still trusts him. As she bawls, Sensei thinks over how even if he is sorry, him hurting Rin was inevitable.
If Sensei hasn't seen Schadenfreude, he bluntly denies her there being anything between him and Chika. Rin's surprised since Chika's reactions suggested otherwise, but thanks him for keeping his promise. After briefly embarrassing herself, she rests her head on his shoulder while the two sit in silence. Meanwhile, Sensei thinks to himself, having faith that even if Chika rejects her, Rin will come out stronger and better. Seeing her smile, he's happy he didn't betray her trust.
Eventually, Rin falls asleep, taking a quick nap before Sensei wakes her up. The two walk down the shoreline together, with Sensei ruminating how by the end of the night, one of them will be hurt.