Omniverse Time Loop, I Do Whatever I Want

"Chiba?" Yukino wore a look of suspicion; that was her home, after all.

Fushimi Makoto admitted it quite readily: "Exactly what you're thinking. We can go see your mother."

Yukino fell silent for a long moment. Recalling how he had romanced girls during the time loops, her delicate face was filled with frost: "You and my mother..."

"Where is your mind wandering?" Fushimi Makoto looked at her with a hint of amusement.

Yukino's tense expression softened slightly, though her tone remained cold: "Then why did you suddenly bring up Chiba?"

"Because you wanted to keep experiencing things, didn't you? Your mother has been facing some business difficulties lately; a partnership she cares deeply about has been dragging on without being finalized."

"...I think I know what you're going to say."

Yukino's expression turned helpless.

Sure enough, what Fushimi Makoto said next was exactly what she had guessed: "I had some free time, so I looked into that business partner of Mrs. Yukinoshita. Since I had plenty of time, I eventually helped them reach an agreement."

As he spoke, Fushimi Makoto chuckled: "Because of that, she even introduced me to Haruno."

Hearing him mention her mother and sister so bluntly gave Yukino an even worse headache: "And then?"

"What do you mean, 'and then'? Haruno isn't as cute as you are; I'd much rather spend my time with you."

"...Thanks for the compliment."

Yukino's tone was stiff.

It wasn't that she felt embarrassed by the praise, but the mere thought that she might have been romanced by Fushimi Makoto during a time loop made her feelings instantly complicated.

After dinner, Fushimi Makoto took Yukino to go see Hiratsuka Shizuka.

The two of them only watched from a distance.

Just as Fushimi Makoto had said earlier, Hiratsuka Shizuka was sitting alone on a park bench with a bitter expression. The streetlights illuminated her figure, making her look even more lonely and dejected.

"Do you want to go over and say hello?" Fushimi Makoto looked at Yukino beside him.

"No."

Yukino refused decisively.

She didn't really want to face a woman who had just failed a blind date.

She felt that if they met at a time like this, Hiratsuka Shizuka would surely be incredibly embarrassed.

At this, Fushimi Makoto guessed her thoughts and said: "If we go over to greet her, she might be embarrassed at first, but as long as we remain patient and offer some guidance, Hiratsuka-sensei will be able to pull herself together."

As he spoke, he recalled a few things and teased: "The way Hiratsuka-sensei looks when she's flustered and blushing is actually quite cute."

Yukino shot him a cold glare.

The meaning in her eyes was clear: Could you please not talk to me about such strange topics?

Fushimi Makoto said nonchalantly: "I'll take you to see another girl who is going to be feeling down tonight."

"Down?"

Yukino's curiosity was piqued once again.

She followed Fushimi Makoto across two streets, finally stopping beneath an office building.

About five meters away from them, a girl with short hair was standing there looking dejected, while a man in a suit beside her offered some soft words of comfort.

"Is that Nakano?"

Yukino recognized the girl.

But since she hadn't interacted with the quintuplets at school, she didn't know her name.

Fushimi Makoto took the cue: "Her name is Nakano Ichika."

"Oh."

Yukino responded softly, her gaze sweeping over the girl's ample chest, and she felt a sudden sense of surprise in her heart.

Is that the kind of chest a girl this age should have?

She looked again at the girl's beautiful face and slender waist.

A classic case of a slender frame bearing heavy fruit.

She suddenly understood why the quintuplets were so famous at school that even she had heard of them countless times.

"You aren't feeling discouraged by her figure, are you?" Fushimi Makoto had already seen through Yukino's inner thoughts.

Yukino's expression was indifferent: "Do you think I would care about something like that?"

"Of course not."

"Then that's that, isn't it?"

Yukino retorted, then looked back at Nakano Ichika, who was still hanging her head, and asked in a low voice: "Why is she feeling down?"

Before Fushimi Makoto could answer, Nakano Ichika happened to look over.

When she saw the faces of Fushimi Makoto and his companion, she was momentarily stunned.

Immediately, she hurriedly said a few words to the man beside her, put on a polite, beautiful smile, and walked over to them with an easy grace.

"Good evening, Yukinoshita-san, and Fushimi-kun~"

Her voice was as sweet as her appearance, making anyone who heard it feel pleasant.

Yet, the sweet smile she wore at this moment stood in stark contrast to the downcast mood she had been in just a moment ago.

"Hello, Nakano-san." Yukino wasn't surprised that the other girl knew her; after all, she was a well-known figure.

Fushimi Makoto offered a greeting as well.

Nakano Ichika smiled with practiced familiarity: "Actually, you can just call me Ichika. That way, you won't get confused when you see my sisters later."

Yukino was just about to speak, but hearing Nakano Ichika let out an "eh," she saw a look of gossip quickly flash across the girl's face: "Speaking of which, did I interrupt your date? I'm so sorry."

Watching Nakano Ichika's apologetic and gossipy expression, Yukino calmly raised her hands and crossed her arms over her chest.

This was the signal that she was preparing to go on the offensive.

The next second, she spoke in a flat tone: "I once read a line in a book: most 'speaking of which' moments in life are actually premeditated. Originally, I was only slightly curious about your relationship with that man, but as soon as you came over, you hurriedly tried to change the subject and divert my attention..."

As she continued, Nakano Ichika's expression grew increasingly stiff.

"Since you are in such a rush to cover it up, I am now genuinely curious about your relationship with that man, Ichika-san."

The moment the words fell, the corners of Yukino's lips curled up slowly in a half-smile.

To be honest, before Nakano Ichika had spoken, Yukino had a good impression of her bright and sunny image.

But the fact that the girl tried to cover up a secret by teasing her and Fushimi Makoto the moment she opened her mouth made Yukino frown.

She was very familiar with this "formula" of Nakano Ichika's.

If she didn't react, the other girl would continue smiling, hiding her ulterior secrets while using the act of watching the fun to put her in an awkward position, all to achieve the goal of diverting attention.

Yukino had seen this "formula" countless times from her own sister, which was why she didn't hesitate to expose it.

What a formidable woman!

Nakano Ichika's heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't expected that the moment she started to change the subject, the other girl would tear through her disguise without hesitation.

It was like a crisp, sharp Draw Slash—it didn't even give her a chance to stall!

She instinctively looked at Fushimi Makoto beside her.

Fushimi Makoto, however, smiled at her: "Don't mind me, just go ahead and answer Yukino's question."

Hearing him call her by her given name, Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly before relaxing.

She couldn't be bothered to fuss over such a small matter.

In her view, Fushimi Makoto must be very close to "her," so it was normal for him to habitually call her Yukino.

It was just that she felt a little unaccustomed to it herself.

Just as Nakano Ichika was wondering how to quibble, the phone in her skirt pocket suddenly rang.

She immediately grabbed onto the lifeline, quickly picking up the phone while smiling apologetically: "It's my sister calling. Sorry, I have to go back now."

With that, she hurried away.

Yukino glanced at the girl's chest, which seemed even more prominent as she ran, then turned around and focused her gaze on Fushimi Makoto.

Fushimi Makoto met her eyes and said: "Why are you looking at me? I'm not the one who called her."

Yukino's expression tightened: "You should know exactly what I want to say."

"Oh, you want me to take you out for more strolling? No problem."

Fushimi Makoto's words drew a glare from Yukino.

Moreover, a flush of red spread across her fair cheeks.

She's so cute~

Seeing her blush, Fushimi Makoto felt a sense of pleasure, though he feigned realization on the surface: "I get it, you want to know about Nakano Ichika's situation. You should have just asked me directly."

Yukino kept a straight face and said nothing.

Fushimi Makoto said casually: "That man is her manager. The reason she was in a bad mood is that she missed out on a supporting role in a morning drama. By the time she wanted to take a step back and fight for a bit-part with lines, it was already too late."

Yukino was slightly stunned: "You mean to say, she's a celebrity?"

"I should say she's a bit-part actor."

"That really is..."

Yukino shook her head; she truly hadn't expected this turn of events.

A high school student actor?

That was a rare situation indeed.

After that, Fushimi Makoto and Yukino just strolled around the streets for a while, encountering no further special situations.

At 7:30 in the evening, Fushimi Makoto dropped Yukino off at the entrance of her apartment, and she took the opportunity to thank him: "Thank you for walking me home."

Fushimi Makoto asked deliberately: "Aren't you going to invite me up for a seat?"

Yukino lifted her fair, delicate chin, calm and composed: "May I take it that you are trying to romance me, Fushimi-kun?"

"Not at all. If I wanted to romance you, I wouldn't be spending the day wandering around with you. Instead, I would be finding ways to win your favor in the shortest time possible by focusing on things that interest you."

"Should I compliment you on your sincerity?"

"If you could, please do compliment me a bit more."

As Fushimi Makoto's voice faded, Yukino did not respond.

She felt very satisfied with this experience; after all, this kind of supernatural phenomenon was something she had never encountered before.

At the same time, the thought that everything would reset tomorrow made her feel somewhat irritable.

She met Fushimi Makoto's gaze once more, still unable to detect even a hint of aggressive intent.

Clearly, he was telling the truth.

She hesitated, wanting to exchange contact information with him.

Just then, Fushimi Makoto's voice rang out: "Let's exchange contact information."

Under Yukino's stunned gaze, he held out his phone.

Yukino masked the embarrassment of having her thoughts read and exchanged numbers with him.

"Goodbye."

This time, she didn't linger and walked away immediately.

Fushimi Makoto left as well.

The phone number didn't matter to him.

It would disappear tomorrow anyway.

These repetitive days made him feel a bit bored.

And that night, Yukino was destined to suffer from insomnia.