this was a great chapter thank you for chapter, I love how Hiyama pictures herself in such a kawaii form. I think that even though it looks like Kimura didn't interpret it in the way Hiyama phrased it or meant it it was a great self esteem booster for Kimura and may have been with the exception of the Yuri stroke, the best compliment she has given her up there with her defending her. Because while Hiyama a bit dense at the end there intended her comment as because I love Kimura I will always accept her and be there for her and nothing else matters in that regard she will always fit in with me. While I have a feeling that Kimura took more as her great rival and the very figure she constantly compares herself against and see herself as inferior to her standard if you will publicly announced that she views Kimura as her equal and someone that can match her, keep up with her and meet the standard she sets. To Kimura that's like a world championship boxer going to some run down gym in the middle of nowhere and congratulating one of the random boxers there and telling them that their the champions equal.
I think if Hiyama however is ever going to truly make any lasting progress with Kimura she going to have to help her girl learn to truly love, accept, and believe in herself first then after that Kimura can properly move on to truly loving others beyond crushes.
That being said since I find the other unintended rivalry funny I wonder what sort of savage unintentional pro gamer moves Mizushima will pull out to keep himself in the running if only because it gives Hiyama another variable to have to work against in order to win over Kimura.