Omniverse Time Loop, I Do Whatever I Want

Utaha's beautiful eyes brimmed with emotion, and the corners of her lips curled upward: "Fair point."

She was completely unaware that she had been thoroughly manipulated.

Because what she was thinking was: it was indeed a good thing for her to become friends with him.

Through this conversation, she became even more convinced that she had to pay a visit to thank Matsukaze Mayu for introducing Fushimi Makoto to her.

She also thought of one more thing.

If Fushimi Makoto's talents went far beyond what he had displayed today, then...

The debt of gratitude she owed to teacher Matsukaze would be impossible to repay.

After school, Fushimi Makoto, who hadn't joined any clubs, left the classroom as usual.

He hadn't gathered enough members yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to apply for a club.

When he arrived at the playground, he spotted Yukino and Nakano Ichika standing at the school gate at a glance.

Nakano Ichika had been looking inside, so the moment their gazes met, she waved with a radiant smile.

Yukino, meanwhile, stood to the side with her arms crossed, her expression calm.

It looked like Nakano Ichika had been the one to call Yukino over.

Fushimi Makoto understood the situation. Before he could even speak as he walked over, Yukino got straight to the point: "Ichika wants to treat us to a meal today, and I have already agreed."

"I have no objections," Fushimi Makoto said.

Nakano Ichika's smile widened: "You two probably aren't hungry yet, right? Should we find a dessert shop to sit at first?"

Fushimi Makoto, however, said: "I have a better place in mind."

Both girls' attention was drawn to him: "Where?"

Fushimi Makoto: "You'll know in a moment."

Twenty minutes later.

The three of them walked into a cat cafe.

Yukino was captivated by the cats of various colors the moment she stepped through the door.

She couldn't even take her eyes off them!

Although Nakano Ichika also thought the cats were cute, she asked with some confusion: "Why did you bring us here, Fushimi?"

"If we're talking about killing time, this environment is the most suitable," Fushimi Makoto said, intentionally drawling his words.

Nakano Ichika assumed he liked cats, so she didn't ask any further.

But Yukino was different.

Hearing Fushimi Makoto's slow, deliberate tone, she suppressed the urge to smile, turned her head, and stared at his face with a serious expression.

She used her eyes to pose a question: You brought me here—are you trying to woo me?

He definitely knew that she loved cats.

A shop with so many cute cats was practically heaven to her.

That was why she concluded that Fushimi Makoto was preparing to woo her.

Under her gaze, which made her question perfectly clear, Fushimi Makoto slowly opened his mouth: "You're such a buzzkill; I was clearly just bringing you here to relax."

Yukino: "?"

Nakano Ichika: They're using secret code again!

Chapter 13: Combos Must Be Smooth, Ultimates Must Be Cheated

Calling her a buzzkill was naturally a joke.

But as for the "are you trying to woo me" message Yukino conveyed with her eyes, Fushimi Makoto wasn't about to admit it.

At least, not right now.

If he tried to woo her just because she liked cats, that would be far too simplistic.

He had summarized so many key points; if he wanted to woo Yukino, he had to play his combos, and those combos had to be smooth.

As for his trump card, the ultimate move, he would have to cheat—by testing it repeatedly within the time loop.

Seeing Fushimi Makoto deny it so bluntly, Yukino couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious.

From the moment he first told her about the time loop and said without hesitation, "I have tried to woo you many times," she had understood one thing: Fushimi Makoto was a playboy.

The talents he had displayed so far were excellent, and he even seemed capable of handling her strict mother.

Even in his studies, she had fallen behind him.

But more than that, what she cared about most now was: what exactly had Fushimi Makoto experienced in the time loop, and would such situations happen again in the future?

Although her curiosity was indeed stirring within her, she was firm on one thing: being friends was fine, but she would absolutely never let him woo her!

As a proud and outstanding girl, now that she knew Fushimi Makoto would try to woo her, wouldn't she be a fool if she still fell into his "trap"?

After the three of them sat down and ordered their drinks, Yukino noticed that Fushimi Makoto had no intention of explaining himself, so she turned her full attention to the cats.

Nakano Ichika reached out to tease a Siamese cat, though her eyes remained fixed on Fushimi Makoto: "You were right, the environment here is indeed very nice, and it's a great place to kill time."

She was taking the initiative to start a conversation.

Fushimi Makoto was well aware of this and replied: "I'm glad you're satisfied."

His gaze drifted toward a woman sitting at a table further inside.

Beside her sat a little girl, holding a Rubik's cube in her hands while happily playing with a cat.

This mother and daughter were the reason Fushimi Makoto had come to the cat cafe today.

During the time loop, he had discovered by chance that this pair frequented this establishment.

The woman's husband was the very person Mrs. Yukinoshita wanted to collaborate with, yet the business negotiations between the two families had not yet been settled.

Most importantly, the woman was no ordinary housewife; she held significant sway in their business affairs.

Fushimi Makoto recalled the intelligence he had gathered during the time loop, and a plan formed in his mind.

"Fushimi-kun, I heard from someone today that you went out to eat with that famous Kasumigaoka-senpai?" Nakano Ichika's voice rang out.

Fushimi Makoto withdrew his gaze and looked at the girl's bright, beautiful face: "Yeah, she had some business with me."

Nakano Ichika did not press for details; she rubbed the cat's belly with a seemingly nonchalant air and said softly: "Kasumigaoka-senpai is a rare beauty, you know."

Hm?

Yukino had been contentedly admiring the adorable cats, but upon hearing this, her brow furrowed.

There was a very distinct scent of "tea" in the air.

And low-grade tea at that.

Yukino couldn't be bothered to participate in such a boring topic.

However, she was curious to see how Fushimi Makoto would respond.

Fushimi Makoto remained incredibly calm, even continuing to watch the cats.

When a beautiful girl suddenly brings up another beautiful girl in front of you, the situation is rarely that simple.

He could guess that Nakano Ichika wanted to probe his relationship with Utaha, while using the topic as an excuse to tease him a little.

But he chose to leave her hanging.

Five seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

Fushimi Makoto acted as if he hadn't heard, keeping his eyes on a Ragdoll cat not far away.

Nakano Ichika finally couldn't hold back; she reached out and waved a hand in front of Fushimi Makoto's face. When he turned to look at her, the girl asked with a touch of feigned annoyance: "Did you not hear what I just said?"

To her surprise, Fushimi Makoto replied: "I heard you."

Nakano Ichika blinked in confusion: "Then why didn't you answer me?"

Yukino also diverted a bit of her attention to them.

Fushimi Makoto countered: "You suddenly brought up Kasumigaoka-senpai—are you looking to get to know her?"

Nakano Ichika curled her lips, smiling slyly: "What if I said yes? Would you introduce us?"

"I would. I believe Matsukaze-sensei would also be happy to see everyone getting along well."

"Eh?"

Nakano Ichika's smile turned into a look of bewilderment.

Why did he suddenly mention Matsukaze-sensei?

Was there some special meaning behind that?

Nakano Ichika subconsciously began to ponder.

Watching this scene from the side, Yukino felt not a ripple of emotion.

Just as I thought, Ichika-san has some skill, but only a little.

As an observer, she saw it very clearly.

Fushimi Makoto hadn't rushed to answer the question, yet Nakano Ichika couldn't help but ask it herself.

From that moment on, the initiative had shifted.

Then, Fushimi Makoto had abruptly dropped the name Matsukaze Mayu, causing Nakano Ichika's attention to drift, effectively diluting her earlier desire to tease him or fish for information.

Yukino remembered the classmates who liked to play games; they often used a piece of gaming terminology—a combo.

What Fushimi Makoto had just done was a small combo to reclaim the initiative.

And Yukino suspected that he likely had another move up his sleeve.

The next second, she heard Fushimi Makoto's voice: "By the way, Ichika-san, what works have you performed in so far?"

"Ah? Why the sudden question?" Nakano Ichika looked a bit embarrassed.

She is currently just an extra, only occasionally landing a minor role with a few lines.

Fushimi Makoto seemed to be deep in thought: "I just realized, if you run into any trouble with your acting, perhaps we could exchange some ideas."

Nakano Ichika looked up in surprise: "You know about this too?"

"I studied it for a while," Fushimi Makoto replied.

You studied that too?

Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly.

Fushimi Makoto's combo was exactly as she had predicted; Nakano Ichika had not only completely lost the initiative, but her very train of thought was now being led by him.

Yukino actually really wanted to ask Fushimi Makoto: Just how many things have you studied, and how many girls have you successfully pursued?

But the words reached her lips, and she swallowed them back down.

Because Fushimi Makoto had once said a sentence to her: "Is it that hard to admit that you care?"

It was that very sentence that had made it impossible for her to even focus on reading that day.

If she asked him now, wouldn't that just let him have his way again?

Yukino didn't really want to let him have his way.

In the time that followed, Fushimi Makoto and Nakano Ichika chatted about acting-related topics.

Yukino listened for a while as well and discovered that Fushimi Makoto wasn't lying; he was truly professional.

Just look at how Nakano Ichika's eyes were sparkling.

In this girl's eyes, Fushimi Makoto had likely already turned into a treasure trove.

Yukino reined in her focus, thinking to herself, did this guy Fushimi really just bring her to a cat cafe today to kill time?

She fell into deep contemplation.