Time Loop in Anime Multiverse, I Do Whatever I Want

After a while, Nakano Ichika was still busy taking notes, and the mother and daughter pair that Fushimi Makoto had been observing from the corner of his eye finally made a move.

The little girl walked toward the counter holding a Rubik's cube. As she passed by Fushimi Makoto's table, perhaps too distracted by the cats in the shop, she accidentally dropped the cube, and it rolled right to Yukinoshita Yukino's feet.

Just as Yukino was about to reach down to pick it up, Fushimi Makoto was one step faster and retrieved the cube.

When she looked up, she saw Fushimi Makoto holding the scrambled cube, saying with a touch of nostalgia, "A 3x3 Rubik's cube, huh? I played with these a lot when I was a kid. Brings back memories."

He then looked at the little girl, who had been drawn in by his actions, and smiled. "Would you like me to solve this for you?"

"Yes!" The little girl nodded repeatedly. "I've been studying it for a long time, but I just can't figure out how to solve it."

Yukino and Nakano Ichika both looked over at this moment.

Fushimi Makoto solved the cube in a few quick turns, leaving the little girl beaming with excitement. "That's amazing!"

"As long as you find the right method and practice enough, you'll be able to do it easily too." Fushimi Makoto handed the cube back.

It was at this exact moment that the woman over there stood up and walked over.

As a mother, seeing her daughter chatting so happily with a stranger, she naturally couldn't help but be concerned.

This was exactly what Fushimi Makoto had wanted.

"You all seem to be having a lot of fun," the woman said with a gentle smile.

"Mom, this big brother is so cool! He solved my Rubik's cube in a flash!" The little girl was still buzzing with excitement.

"Is that so?" The woman patted her daughter's head, her eyes full of affection.

Fushimi Makoto seized the opportunity. "Hello, I'm Fushimi Makoto, a first-year student at Toyosaki School. I picked up your daughter's cube just now and couldn't resist showing off a little."

The woman laughed. "It seems my daughter really enjoyed your show-off."

Fushimi Makoto smoothly turned toward Yukino and Nakano Ichika. "These are my classmates."

Both girls introduced themselves very politely.

"Hello, I am Yukinoshita Yukino."

"Hello, I am Nakano Ichika."

Upon hearing the two girls' names, the woman was visibly surprised for a fleeting moment before quickly composing herself.

She smiled and asked, "Would you mind if I sat with you? My daughter seems to really like playing with you all."

The little girl nodded vigorously. "I want to play with this big brother."

Fushimi Makoto responded with a smile. "No problem at all."

Seeing Fushimi Makoto's smile, the woman felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Coupled with the fact that the surname Yukinoshita had caught her attention, she pulled her daughter over and sat down.

Chapter 14 Yukino: Only a Fool Would Date Him

After the woman sat down with her daughter, she began to chat cordially with the three of them.

Yukino and Nakano Ichika both sat with their backs straight, looking earnest and polite.

Only Fushimi Makoto remained as relaxed as ever.

Because he had already experienced this scene in the time loop.

When the woman mentioned that her greatest hobbies were playing with cats and painting, Nakano Ichika chimed in, "Fushimi-kun is very good at painting. Perhaps you two could exchange some ideas."

The woman looked toward Fushimi Makoto, who calmly replied, "I have indeed studied it."

Yukino couldn't help but stare at him.

You're "studying" again, are you?

No, seriously, how are you an expert in everything?

After a brief chat, the woman took her daughter and excused herself, not wanting to intrude further.

Before she left, however, she took the opportunity to exchange contact information with them.

As soon as they left, Yukino and Nakano Ichika fell silent in a strange, synchronized manner.

Furthermore, their eyes were fixed squarely on Fushimi Makoto.

Fushimi Makoto acted as if he hadn't noticed, preoccupied with picking up a calico cat.

"You did that on purpose," Yukino said first.

It wasn't a question, but a statement of certainty.

Nakano Ichika tilted her head and said, quite adorably, "So it really was on purpose? I thought it might have been my imagination."

Yukino stared intently at Fushimi Makoto; she wanted to know the answer.

And then...

Fushimi Makoto stroked the calico cat so comfortably that it kept letting out soft, cute meows.

Yukino's gaze involuntarily shifted toward the cat.

Wait, no.

Look at the cat later!

Yukino quickly regained her composure.

Before she could speak this time, Fushimi Makoto said, "I was indeed doing it on purpose."

The two girls sitting across from him perked up, waiting for him to continue.

Fushimi Makoto first explained to Nakano Ichika, "Yukinoshita's parents have been negotiating a very important business deal recently, but for a few reasons, the partnership has been slow to finalize."

Nakano Ichika looked completely confused. "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

She was thinking to herself: Has his relationship with Yukinoshita already reached the point of meeting her parents?

Yukino, however, wore a thoughtful expression. "Could that Ms. Fujiwara from earlier..."

"Exactly. Her family is the target your mother wants to partner with," Fushimi Makoto provided the answer.

Yukino was stunned for a moment.

Nakano Ichika also gradually began to understand. "Is Fushimi-kun helping Yukinoshita?"

She then added, "That doesn't seem right, though. Just sitting together and chatting doesn't necessarily mean the other party is willing to partner with the Yukinoshita family."

Fushimi Makoto smiled at her. "That is the key point. As long as both you and Yukinoshita are here today, that lady will put in a good word when she gets home."

He added as an afterthought, "That lady is no mere housewife; she has a lot of say in her household."

Nakano Ichika was about to ask how he knew that, but Yukino's voice came first. "Is Ichika-san's family background quite unique?"

Fushimi Makoto looked at the two beautiful girls before him and said slowly, "If you, Yukinoshita, are the second daughter, then Ichika can actually be considered the eldest daughter."

Nakano Ichika was caught between laughter and tears, waving her hand. "Don't use such strange titles. No one has ever called me that since I was a child."

"I see." Yukino had a moment of realization.

When she looked at Fushimi Makoto again, her mood had shifted.

Fushimi Makoto scratched the cat's chin and said casually, "You'll receive a call from your mother tonight, Yukinoshita. In a few days, I might have to meet her myself."

Yukino's face tightened.

Clearly, Mrs. Yukinoshita still exerted a great deal of pressure on her.

Nakano Ichika noticed this and asked tentatively, "What's wrong, Yukinoshita?"

Yukino shook her head; she didn't really want to talk about her mother with others.

Nakano Ichika tactfully didn't press further, turning to Fushimi Makoto with a smile. "So, you used me and Yukinoshita as a banner to pull strings today?"

Fushimi Makoto replied, "That's one way to put it."

Nakano Ichika blinked her eyes playfully. "Then shouldn't you thank me?"

"If I were to truly thank you, I'd have to include your four sisters as well, since you're all family."

"It's fine, I can accept your thanks on their behalf."

Nakano Ichika said with a beaming smile, then suddenly thought of something, her smile becoming even sweeter. "By the way, since we're all friends now, you can call me Ichika from now on."

"Sure." Fushimi Makoto did not refuse.

The smile in Nakano Ichika's eyes deepened. "Then can I call you Makoto-kun?"

Fushimi Makoto replied, "If you don't mind, you can call me Makoto-niisan."

"Eh? So you like having girls call you 'big brother'? That's not impossible, you know," Nakano Ichika teased.

As their conversation reached Yukino's ears, she suddenly felt something subtle.

That sense of subtlety was clear, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it for a moment.

It wasn't until Nakano Ichika asked Fushimi Makoto for advice on acting, and he answered everything without holding back, that she finally understood what that subtle feeling meant.

A disparity!

His attitude toward Ichika-san was different from his attitude toward her.

Just like how he used to call her "Yukino" at the beginning, but now he called her "Yukinoshita."

If only Yukino had seen A Chinese Odyssey, she might have understood that line from Lady White Bone: Back then you called me your little sweetie.

She knew very well that she definitely did not like Fushimi Makoto.

So, if she was bothered by this disparity, there could only be one answer: she really was, as he had said, very concerned about his affairs.

If they had just met, she would never have felt this sense of disparity.

But things were different now.

She knew about the existence of the time loop, and she looked forward to uncovering the truth... or perhaps, it was that she wanted to explore the truth of this world.

Since even supernatural phenomena existed, if she didn't get to the bottom of it, she would surely suffer from insomnia due to the ever-increasing number of mysteries.

And yet, the key to obtaining the truth was hidden with Fushimi Makoto.

But his attention at this moment was focused more on Nakano Ichika.

When Fushimi Makoto left the cat cafe, he sent a message to Matsukaze Mayu, telling her that he had plans with classmates and wouldn't be able to come back for dinner.

Matsukaze Mayu gave an understanding reply that it was fine.

After dinner, Nakano Ichika also prepared to head home.

Taking advantage of the moment Fushimi Makoto was buying water at the convenience store, she noticed Yukino had no intention of leaving yet and asked, "Yukinoshita, haven't you noticed? Makoto seems to have more of a vibe today."

"What do you mean by 'more of a vibe'?" Yukino asked, puzzled.

Nakano Ichika pressed a fair, delicate finger against her lips, pondering, "Hmm, how should I put it? Anyway, it's just that feeling of being more approachable? I don't know if that's the right way to say it."

Yukino was taken aback.

That's right!

I have that feeling too.

No wonder she had been paying more attention to him than before.

"There is indeed something," Yukino admitted.

Nakano Ichika looked toward Fushimi Makoto, who was checking out at the convenience store, and spoke as if to herself, "I wish I had met him sooner."

Yukino said indifferently, "Is that your true inner thought, or are you trying to probe my opinion of him?"

Nakano Ichika smiled brightly, "You're overthinking it; I was just sighing with emotion."

Yukino reminded herself that Fushimi Makoto was essentially a playboy.

However, given her personality, she would never deliberately speak ill of others behind their backs.

So, with the words on the tip of her tongue, she said in a flat tone, "Only a fool would date him."

Nakano Ichika was stunned, "Why?"

Yukino used a logical explanation, "Haven't you noticed yet? With the talent he has displayed so far, he is destined to be very popular with girls."

"Doesn't that just prove that I have good taste?" Nakano Ichika retorted.