So I Have a System? (cont.)

"Chiba?" Yukino looked skeptical. That was where her family lived.

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

Yukino was silent for a while. Remembering how he'd pursued girls during the Time Loop, her delicate face turned cold. "You and my mother..."

"What are you thinking?" Makoto asked, amused.

The tension in Yukino's expression eased a little, though her tone remained cool. "Then why did you suddenly bring up Chiba?"

"Because you wanted to keep experiencing things. Your mother's run into some business troubles lately. A deal she cares a lot about has been taking forever to finalize."

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

Yukino's expression turned resigned.

Sure enough, Makoto said exactly what she'd expected. "I had nothing better to do, so I looked into Aunt Yukinoshita's business partner. I had plenty of time, and once I even helped them close the deal."

As he spoke, Makoto grinned. "Because of that, she introduced me to Miss Haruno."

Hearing him speak so bluntly about her mother and sister only gave Yukino a worse headache. "And then?"

"What do you mean, 'and then'? Miss Haruno isn't as cute as you. I'd rather hang out with you."

"...Thanks for the compliment."

Yukino's tone was stiff.

It wasn't that the compliment embarrassed her. It was the thought that Makoto might have pursued her during the Time Loop that made her feelings complicated.

After dinner, Makoto took Yukino to see Hiratsuka Shizuka.

They watched her from a distance.

Just as Makoto had said, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat alone on a park bench, looking bitter. The streetlamp illuminated her figure, making her loneliness all the more apparent.

"Want to go say hello?" Makoto asked, glancing at Yukino.

"No."

Yukino refused without hesitation.

She didn't want to face a woman whose blind date had gone badly.

She thought Hiratsuka Shizuka would be terribly embarrassed if they met at a time like this.

Makoto guessed what she was thinking and said, "If we go over and say hello, she'll be embarrassed at first. But as long as we're patient and cheer her up, Teacher Hiratsuka can get back on her feet."

As he spoke, he remembered something and teased, "Teacher Hiratsuka looks pretty cute when she's embarrassed and blushing."

Yukino shot him a cold look.

Her expression clearly said, Could you please not talk to me about something so weird?

Makoto didn't seem bothered. "I'll take you to meet another girl who'll be feeling down tonight."

"Down?"

Yukino's curiosity stirred again.

She followed Makoto down two streets, and they eventually stopped outside an agency.

About five meters away, a short-haired girl stood looking dejected. A man in a suit was beside her, speaking softly to comfort her.

"Is that Nakano?" Yukino recognized her.

But she'd never interacted with the quintuplets at school, so she didn't know her name.

Makoto supplied it. "Her name's Nakano Ichika."

"Oh."

Yukino murmured in response. Her gaze swept over Ichika's ample chest, and she felt a pang of surprise.

Were girls that age supposed to have breasts like that?

Then she took in Ichika's beautiful face and slender waist.

A classic case of a small frame with a surprisingly generous figure.

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

"You can't be feeling insecure because of her figure, can you?" Makoto had already seen through Yukino's thoughts.

Yukino's expression remained calm. "Do you think I care about that sort of thing?"

"Of course not."

"Then why ask?"

Yukino retorted, then glanced at Ichika, who had her head lowered. "Why is she feeling down?"

Before Makoto could answer, Ichika happened to look over.

The moment she recognized Makoto and Yukino, she froze.

Then she hurriedly exchanged a few words with the man beside her, put on a polite, lovely smile, and walked over with easy confidence.

"Good evening, Yukinoshita and Fushimi~"

Her voice was as sweet as her looks, the sort that lifted your spirits just by listening.

But her sweet smile was a sharp contrast to how dejected she'd looked moments ago.

"Hello, Nakano," Yukino replied. She wasn't surprised Ichika knew who she was; she was famous too.

Makoto greeted her as well.

Ichika smiled as if they were already friends. "You can just call me Ichika. That way, you won't mix me up with my sisters when you see them."

Yukino was about to respond when Ichika suddenly let out an "Oh!" and her face lit up with a gossipy look. "By the way, am I interrupting your date? I'm so sorry."

Seeing the apologetic, nosy look on Ichika's face, Yukino calmly raised her hands and crossed her arms over her chest.

That was her signal to strike.

A moment later, she spoke in an even voice. "I read a line in a book once: most 'by the way's in daily life are planned in advance. At first, I was only a little curious about your relationship with that man. But you came over and immediately rushed to change the subject, trying to divert my attention..."

The longer she spoke, the stiffer Ichika's expression became.

"Now that you're so eager to cover it up, I'm genuinely curious about your relationship with him, Ichika."

As she finished, Yukino's lips slowly curled into a knowing smile.

To be honest, before Ichika spoke, Yukino had liked the sight of her: a bright, sunny girl.

But the moment Ichika tried to hide a secret by teasing her about Makoto, Yukino frowned.

She knew this little routine well.

If Yukino didn't react, Ichika would keep smiling and carrying on, concealing her secret while making a spectacle of Yukino's embarrassment, all to change the subject.

Yukino had seen her sister use that routine countless times, so she exposed Ichika's ploy without hesitation.

What a formidable woman!

Ichika's heart lurched.

She hadn't expected Yukino to tear her disguise away so decisively when she'd only just started changing the subject.

It was like a swift, clean draw-cut, leaving her not the slightest chance to stall!

She instinctively glanced at Makoto.

Makoto smiled at her. "Don't mind me. Just answer Yukino's question."

Hearing him call her by her first name, Yukino raised an eyebrow, then relaxed.

She couldn't be bothered to make an issue of something so minor.

As far as she was concerned, Makoto and "her" must already be very familiar, so it made sense that he'd habitually call her Yukino.

She just wasn't used to it herself.

Just as Ichika was wondering how to talk her way out of it, the phone in her skirt pocket rang.

She seized on it like a lifeline and hurriedly picked it up, smiling apologetically. "It's my sister calling. Sorry, I have to go back."

With that, she quickly left.

Yukino glanced at Ichika's chest, which bounced even more as she ran, then turned to Makoto.

Makoto met her gaze. "Why are you looking at me? I didn't call her."

Yukino's expression stiffened. "You should know what I want to ask."

"Oh, you want me to take you around some more? No problem."

Yukino glared at him.

A blush spread across her pale cheeks.

She's so cute~

Seeing her blush pleased Makoto, but he feigned sudden understanding. "I get it. You want to know about Nakano Ichika. You should've just asked me."

Yukino kept a straight face and said nothing.

Makoto replied casually, "That man's her agent. She was upset because she'd missed out on a supporting role in a morning drama. When she tried to settle for a speaking extra role instead, it was already too late."

Yukino blinked. "You mean she's an actress?"

"More like an extra."

"Well, I never..."

Yukino shook her head. She hadn't expected things to take that turn.

A high school actress?

That was unusual.

After that, Makoto and Yukino wandered around the streets for a while, but nothing else out of the ordinary happened.

At seven thirty that evening, Makoto walked Yukino to the entrance of her apartment, where she lived alone. She thanked him as they parted. "Thanks for walking me home."

Makoto asked deliberately, "Won't you invite me up?"

Yukino lifted her pale chin, perfectly composed. "Should I take that to mean you're trying to pursue me, Fushimi?"

"Not really. If I wanted to pursue you, I wouldn't have spent today wandering around with you. I'd have found something you were interested in and used it to win your favor as quickly as possible."

"Should I praise you for your honesty?"

"If you don't mind, praise me a few more times."

After Makoto finished speaking, Yukino didn't reply.

She was quite satisfied with the day's experience. After all, she'd never encountered anything supernatural before.

At the same time, the thought that everything would reset tomorrow made her feel a little annoyed.

She met Makoto's gaze again. There was still no sign of any desire to pursue her.

Clearly, he was telling the truth.

She hesitated, wanting to exchange contact information with him.

Just then, Makoto spoke. "Let's exchange contact information."

As Yukino stared at him in surprise, he held out his phone.

Hiding her embarrassment at having her thoughts read, Yukino exchanged numbers with him.

"Goodbye."

This time, she didn't linger. She went straight inside.

Makoto left too.

He didn't care much about the phone number.

It would disappear tomorrow anyway.

The repetition was starting to bore him.

And that night, Yukino was destined to lie awake.