You're Such a Turn-Off!

She gazed at Fushimi Makoto's face and, for some reason, found him incredibly approachable. As soon as she started talking, she ended up telling him everything she knew.

"Yukinoshita really isn't easy to get along with. It's only natural she'd say something like that." Fushimi Makoto pretended not to notice her reaction.

Nakano Itsuki came back to herself and asked quietly, "Hey, Fushimi-kun, about Ichika's secret..."

"I haven't gotten her permission yet."

"Oh."

Nakano Itsuki bit her lip.

What she'd really wanted to ask was: How would he make sure to tell her Ichika's secret as soon as he could?

In other words: I want to exchange contact information.

The strange sense of approachability Fushimi Makoto had about him today was exactly why she was so determined to get his contact information.

But her feminine reserve made it hard for her to bring herself to ask outright.

She couldn't help sighing inwardly, silently complaining to herself.

Now's your chance.

Fushimi Makoto watched the girl's expression shift, then raised a hand and patted his forehead, as if talking to himself. "I can't believe I forgot about this."

"Huh?" Nakano Itsuki froze.

Then she saw Fushimi Makoto smile sheepishly. "I said I'd tell you as soon as I could last time, but it just occurred to me that I don't even have your contact information."

Nakano Itsuki's heart leaped with joy, and her inward self-reproach vanished.

She couldn't help smiling. "You only just realized that?"

Fushimi Makoto rubbed his temples. "A lot's been going on these past couple of days. I said I'd tell you, but I even forgot the most important part. It's kind of embarrassing when you think about it."

"It's okay. Everyone gets forgetful sometimes."

Nakano Itsuki smiled softly, and she looked lovely.

She smiled because Fushimi Makoto's belated realization was amusing, but also because he'd brought it up himself, giving her the perfect opening to ask.

No wonder he'd become friends with Ichika so quickly. He was such a nice person—and he was also top of the year!

A struggling student's admiration for a top student.jpg

Though she was the youngest of the five sisters, she always cared about what was going on with her older sisters, and so she played the role of their mother to keep their relationships strong.

She was diligent and meticulous, if a little rigid.

In her eyes, Ichika's secret had to be very special and important. Otherwise, Fushimi Makoto wouldn't have been so serious about it or needed Ichika's permission before telling her.

That only made her more curious and concerned. She worried that Ichika's special secret might lead to some unexpected trouble.

That little exchange had easily brought the two of them closer.

Nakano Itsuki successfully got Fushimi Makoto's contact information, and she felt a little happy.

Though she wasn't sure why she was happy.

Neither Yukino nor Nakano Ichika came to see Fushimi Makoto at lunchtime, so he'd planned to eat by himself in the cafeteria. But as soon as he stepped out of the classroom, he saw a tall, curvy girl approaching.

Every step she took drew the attention of the students around her.

There was no helping it. She was Kasumigaoka Utaha, a second-year student.

She was an upperclassman, and a famous beauty at that. When she suddenly showed up in the first-year area at lunchtime, clearly looking for someone, it was impossible not to attract attention.

Fushimi Makoto stopped where he was.

The first-year boy stood at attention.

His classmates stopped too, watching the black-stockinged upperclassman approach. They couldn't help remembering how Yukino and Nakano Ichika had come to see him earlier.

The boys glanced at Fushimi Makoto, then at Utaha, envy and jealousy welling up inside them.

At that moment, only one thought remained in their minds: There's another one?

Chapter 12: You're Such a Turn-Off!

Utaha's feelings were a little complicated.

Yesterday, she'd run into Matsukaze Mayu and Fushimi Makoto on the street. At the gentle teacher's suggestion, she'd exchanged contact information with a boy for the first time.

She'd realized at the time that Matsukaze Mayu was helping Fushimi Makoto.

She hadn't refused for two reasons. First, Matsukaze Mayu had made such a good impression that it was hard to say no to her.

Second, the story Fushimi Makoto had written had piqued her interest.

That was all the effect yesterday's encounter had on her, or so she thought.

But that morning, she'd found herself thinking back to their chance meeting, and for some reason, she'd started to have a good impression of Fushimi Makoto.

Before that, all she knew about him came from casual conversations between classmates.

The more she thought about it that morning, the more she felt she might as well go find him herself.

Once the idea had occurred to her, she'd found herself heading to the first-year classrooms as soon as her morning classes ended.

Now, watching the first-years around her sizing her up, she suddenly felt like sighing.

Maybe she'd been in too much of a hurry.

He made a good impression, but I should've waited until after school to come see him.

Utaha's gaze settled on Fushimi Makoto. With the feeling that she was already here anyway, she simply asked, "Fushimi-kun, are you free right now?"

"I was about to go eat in the cafeteria," Fushimi Makoto answered honestly.

Utaha hesitated. That feeling that he made a good impression, that he was easy to approach, rose up in her again.

Ignoring the stares around her, she asked softly, "Good timing. I haven't eaten either. Want to go together?"

"Sure."

Once the two of them had walked off, the classmates left behind finally came back to their senses.

"Seriously, what makes him so special?" one boy grumbled enviously.

But no one around him agreed. Instead, someone whispered, "Do you think it's too late for me to ask Fushimi-kun to take me on as his disciple?"

"Right? Why didn't I think of that? We can become his disciples!"

"Don't you dare cut in line. I'm the kind of guy who'd kneel down to listen to his lecture."

Hearing that, the boy who'd been grumbling quickly joined in. "Wait, I haven't gotten on board yet. Count me in!"

"I didn't expect you to come looking for me so soon, senpai—especially at lunchtime."

After getting their food in the cafeteria, Fushimi Makoto sat down and started the conversation.

Utaha's expression turned slightly awkward as she muttered, "I didn't expect it either."

"Hmm?" Fushimi Makoto promptly put on a puzzled expression.

"It's nothing."

Utaha quickly composed herself and looked into Fushimi Makoto's face. "Are you close with Teacher Matsukaze?"

"Yes."

"No wonder she made such a sudden suggestion yesterday."

Utaha nodded. She'd guessed right.

Fushimi Makoto smiled and asked, "If you'd figured it out, why didn't you say anything at the time?"

Utaha was just about to answer when Fushimi Makoto spoke again. "Oh, I get it."

"What do you get?"

Fushimi Makoto put on a thoughtful expression. "Teacher Matsukaze thinks highly of you, so yesterday she wasn't just helping me. She was helping both of us."

Utaha froze for a moment.

That was true. He wasn't the only one who'd benefited. She had, too.

If he really was as capable as Teacher Matsukaze had said, making another friend could only be a good thing for her.

Utaha knew she wasn't good at maintaining relationships. But if an opportunity came along on its own, she wasn't foolish enough to turn it down.

Besides, under the influence of the "aura," she had a very good impression of Fushimi Makoto, so she was quite happy to accept this new connection.

Wait, wasn't he also acquainted with Yukinoshita and the five Nakano sisters?

Utaha remembered the rumors she'd heard over the past couple of days.

She'd heard that Yukinoshita was exceptionally talented and currently ranked second in their year.

The five sisters weren't very good at studying, but according to her classmates' gossip, they were pretty rich.

Everyone knew that connections were a fascinating thing. Once you got to know someone worthwhile, you might gradually get to know their friends in the days that followed.

And all of that counted as a gain.

Utaha was silent for a while. Feeling that she'd worked it all out, she said, "Looks like I should find some time to thank Teacher Matsukaze."

"You should."

Fushimi Makoto wasn't sure what she'd been imagining, but from her expression, she seemed to be in a good mood.

And her relaxed manner added even more charm to her already sultry appearance.

Are black stockings on an upperclassman hot?

Very. Ten out of ten—maybe nine.

"Could we talk about the story Teacher Matsukaze mentioned yesterday?" Utaha decided to get to the point.

"Sure." Fushimi Makoto handed her his notebook.

After reading it, Utaha reacted much like Yukino had. "The ending gives you chills, but it's also incredibly striking."

"Thanks. I just came up with it on a whim and wrote it down. Do you think it would work as a novel if I adapted it?"

"A novel?"

At that word, something shifted in Utaha's eyes.

Fushimi Makoto pretended not to notice. "Yeah. I've been considering whether to adapt it into a novel or a screenplay."

Utaha went quiet for a second, then asked in disbelief, "You can write screenplays too?"

"I've studied it for a long time. Teacher Matsukaze knows about that as well."

"..."

Were all new students this impressive nowadays?

Utaha's ample chest rose and fell. Once again, she thought of how Matsukaze Mayu had introduced her to Fushimi Makoto.

Looks like I'll have to buy her a gift before I go thank her.

Over the time that followed, Fushimi Makoto drew on all the knowledge he'd accumulated during the Time Loop to make their conversation incredibly pleasant.

Because of that, the warmth in Utaha's eyes gradually deepened, shifting from simple friendliness to something more passionate.

To describe her feelings in a popular internet phrase: Fushimi Makoto was incredibly good at making people feel valued.

Not only could he talk with her about anything, he could make the conversation enjoyable, too.

She'd never clicked with a boy this well in her life.

No, not even with a girl!

It gave Utaha the illusion that she'd known him for years. He understood what she liked, had an astonishing store of knowledge, and could answer her questions at any time.

She took the opportunity to talk with Fushimi Makoto about all sorts of things related to novels. Every time, he didn't just answer her questions; he also taught her more about the craft.

He even knew industry gossip.

After lunch, Utaha gave Fushimi Makoto a satisfied smile. "Thanks for answering all my questions today. I learned a lot."

Fushimi Makoto shook his head. "A conversation goes both ways. We help each other improve by talking, so we both got something out of it. You don't need to thank me."