That Move Is Hard to Watch

She believed he wasn't joking.

And that was exactly why she admired him.

Just then, Fushimi Makoto remembered something. "Oh, right. I haven't really looked into the music yet. Give me some time, and I'll take care of it."

He planned to get it done during the Time Loop.

After lunch, Fushimi Makoto returned to his classroom, while Yukino stood there watching his retreating figure for a while.

Several seconds passed before Yukino finally looked away.

The two of them had brought up the topics of marrying into a family and getting married again.

But Yukino was finding it harder and harder to figure out Fushimi Makoto's attitude.

Was he really trying to win me over, or was he just messing around?

If he was joking, then why was he getting closer and closer to my mother?

Yukino herself hadn't even realized that, little by little, her focus had shifted from "only caring about the Time Loop he talked about" to wondering whether he would try to win her over.

Meanwhile.

On the other side, Fushimi Makoto ran into someone on his way back.

"You had lunch with Yukinoshita again today. Are you two already that close, Fushimi?"

Yumiko, her bright golden hair catching the eye, stopped him.

Fushimi Makoto didn't answer right away. Instead, he glanced around behind her.

His reaction left Yumiko confused. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm looking for Hayama."

"Huh?"

"Hayama isn't with you? That's unusual." Fushimi Makoto sounded surprised.

Yumiko could hear the teasing in his voice. What surprised her, though, was that she didn't feel embarrassed or want to snap back at him.

It felt like a joke between close friends.

Of course, she had no idea that Matsukaze Mayu's Aura was at work.

"Hayato's with his friends. We were just talking about where to go after school," she replied without thinking.

Fushimi Makoto looked at her pretty face and asked, "So, like Hayama did before, are you here to invite me somewhere?"

Yumiko froze. She really hadn't thought of that.

She'd intercepted Fushimi Makoto on the way because there was something she wanted to ask him.

But when she opened her mouth, she found herself twirling her golden hair, a confident smile spreading across her face. "So, are you free after school?"

"I'm free today, at least... By the way, have you ever modeled, Miura?"

Fushimi Makoto abruptly changed the subject.

The reason he changed the subject was that the system had popped up.

[The host has triggered a random quest. As a caring old-timer, how could you not look after a junior who seems assertive but is actually sensitive and softhearted?]

[Do your best to become the elder she trusts and admires most, so she'll believe everything you say and be completely molded in your image.]

[Quest reward: Yumiko's Queen Aura.]

The quests were getting harder.

But "molded in my image"—wasn't that paid content?

Fushimi Makoto wondered.

"Eh? Modeling?" Yumiko looked baffled, her confident air freezing in an instant.

She shook her head. "Not at all."

Fushimi Makoto rested a finger against his chin, pretending to think. "Then it must've been my imagination. When I saw you standing here just now, I suddenly felt like I wanted to capture the moment."

Yumiko parted her red lips to speak, but Fushimi Makoto murmured as if to himself, "Normally, I only get that feeling around girls who are especially beautiful and have a strong personal style."

"You've studied photography?" Yumiko asked in surprise.

"I have, for quite a while. To be honest, I'm pretty good at taking pictures of people."

Perhaps it was because of his easygoing charm, but Yumiko couldn't bring herself to doubt him.

Remembering Fushimi Makoto's compliment, she felt a little pleased with herself.

Especially since he spent every day around Yukino, the girl everyone agreed was beautiful. Hearing him rate her so highly made her even happier.

She had plenty of admirers in class, and some people even privately called her "the Queen" because of her forceful personality.

But when it came to popularity, she still fell far behind Yukino and Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"Want to go out together after school?" Yumiko took the initiative and invited him.

By then, she'd completely forgotten why she'd come looking for Fushimi Makoto.

She just thought he was good-looking, incredibly smooth with his words, and often mentioned by Hayato Hayama. On top of that, his easygoing charm made her feel comfortable around him.

Seeing how happy she looked, Fushimi Makoto thought, I got you hooked that easily? How interesting.

He'd naturally spent time with Yumiko during the Time Loop, too.

This beautiful girl seemed hot-tempered and domineering, but she was actually very softhearted.

There was a technical term for that sort of personality, in an old hand's vocabulary: contrast.

Girls with that kind of contrast often had a charm all their own.

Whenever they showed that unique side of themselves, it just hit different.

Put another way: visiting this site comes with risks. Please proceed with caution.

Fushimi Makoto: I'll keep visiting.

It wasn't until the two of them returned to the classroom that Yumiko suddenly remembered she'd meant to ask Fushimi Makoto about clubs. In the end, she'd completely forgotten.

After school, Hayato Hayama's "popular-kid squad" had six members, including Fushimi Makoto.

Hayato Hayama was surprised that Fushimi Makoto had accepted the invitation. "I thought you didn't like group activities."

Fushimi Makoto replied casually, "I don't actually mind going out with friends. I've just been busy lately. I happen to have no club activities planned today, so I said yes."

He added, "Basically, I seem to be busy every day, but I don't know what I'm busy doing."

Hayato Hayama stared at Fushimi Makoto. Seemingly reminded of something, he waited two seconds before turning to his friends and murmuring, "I think I'm about the same."

Yumiko suggested they go shopping first, wandering around the lively stores they usually visited. Nobody objected.

But they'd barely left school when Fushimi Makoto spotted two familiar figures at the intersection.

They were Nakano Nino and Itsuki.

Chapter 30: This Move Is Really Hard to Watch

Nakano Nino had come here specifically to wait for Fushimi Makoto.

After school, she'd sent Miku and Yotsuba home first, then asked Itsuki to wait with her for Fushimi Makoto.

She didn't have any particular motive. She just couldn't help being curious, and she cared about her sisters, so she wanted to figure out what was going on between Fushimi Makoto and Ichika.

She'd asked Itsuki to come along because Itsuki got on well with Fushimi Makoto. With Itsuki there, Nakano Nino thought she'd do better.

Simply put, she saw Itsuki as a support character who could buff her, while she handled the main carry role.

"Fushimi, what are you guys up to?"

Nakano Nino was the first to speak as she walked over, holding Itsuki's hand.

"Hayama and I made plans to go out. Are you two waiting for someone?"

Fushimi Makoto guessed they were waiting for him, but he didn't know why.

"We're waiting for you."

Nakano Nino hesitated. With other people around, it would be hard for her to take the lead.

Itsuki suddenly asked, "Are you going to get dinner with your friends, Fushimi?"

Fushimi Makoto shook his head. "I'll be home before dinner."

He'd made plans with Matsukaze Mayu to eat at the beautiful teacher's home today.

Nakano Nino's eyes flickered at that. She felt like she might be able to go with him.

Only Fushimi Makoto and Hayato Hayama noticed. But the latter wasn't familiar with the girls from the Nakano Family, so he said nothing.

So Fushimi Makoto put in a party invite. "Then why don't we walk around together? We can chat as we go."

As he spoke, he looked at Yumiko and the others, silently asking for their opinion.

"Sure."

Yumiko didn't refuse.

She had a pretty good impression of Fushimi Makoto. He hadn't made the decision to bring Nakano Nino and Itsuki along on his own; he'd asked what she thought first.

He seems like a considerate guy, just like Hayato, Yumiko thought.

Seeing that, Nakano Nino agreed as well.

The popular-kid squad had gained two more members, and things seemed livelier than before.

But after the two groups had spent some time talking, Fushimi Makoto realized there was a problem: Nakano Nino and Yumiko didn't get along.

In some ways, the two girls were alike.

They both tended to be impulsive and hot-tempered, but were sensitive underneath.

The difference was that Nakano Nino was good at handling things. Though she seemed brash, even the boys her age respected her.

Yumiko, on the other hand, lacked basic social skills. She was almost harsh toward classmates outside the popular-kid squad.

So after the two girls had exchanged only a few words, the mood turned a little awkward.

Fortunately, both Fushimi Makoto and Hayato Hayama knew how to smooth things over.

Nakano Nino deliberately fell behind with Itsuki, then tugged at Fushimi Makoto's sleeve.

Fushimi Makoto understood and slowed down. He asked quietly, "What's up?"

He thought Nakano Nino was going to explain why she'd waited for him today.

Instead, Nakano Nino frowned and asked in a low voice, "Are you close with Miura?"

"We know each other. Hayama and I get along pretty well, though," Fushimi Makoto answered honestly.

Nakano Nino's frown eased. She pursed her lips. "That's good."

"You two don't get along?"

"More or less. I've heard a few things about her before. She's kind of famous at school, and I don't like her." Nakano Nino was quite direct.

Fushimi Makoto nodded. "So, what did you want to see me about today?"

Nakano Nino hesitated again.

This wasn't really the right place to talk about Ichika's love life.

But if she didn't ask now, she had a feeling the day might be wasted.

She still had to go home and cook for the "kids" later.

In the end, Itsuki was the one who spoke up. "Have you seen Ichika lately?"

Fushimi Makoto replied, "We've seen each other at school, but I haven't seen her after school."

"Neither have we. She's been acting all mysterious again lately. We don't know what she's busy with," Itsuki sighed.

Nakano Nino abruptly cut in. "Ichika seems to have developed a late-night-snacking habit."

"Late-night snacking?"

Fushimi Makoto and Itsuki looked confused.

Nakano Nino didn't hide it. "One of the cucumbers I use for cooking goes missing every day. At first, I thought Itsuki had been sneaking them, but then I found out it was Ichika."