Yukino nodded politely in reply.
The other person then asked Fushimi Makoto, "You two must be dating, right?"
Fushimi Makoto said, "Not yet."
The two tourists clearly didn't believe him. "You came to the aquarium together this early in the morning. You've gotta be dating. Man, you're incredible!"
They even gave him a thumbs-up. They were impressed by Yukino's looks, and they admired Fushimi Makoto, too.
Fushimi Makoto smiled and asked, "What's so incredible about it?"
The two men paused, then laughed. "You even know that meme? You really are something."
After they said goodbye, Yukino suddenly asked, "What were you talking about just now?"
Fushimi Makoto said, "They were complimenting your looks."
Yukino nodded. "I did guess that much. Their tone and the way they looked at me gave it away."
"You're not even going to be modest?"
"It's a fact. Why should I be modest?"
Yukino retorted, then fixed her gaze on Fushimi Makoto's face and said slowly, "Still, I have a feeling they talked about something besides how pretty I am."
Fushimi Makoto said, "They were sure we were dating. Clearly, they have good taste."
Yukino stared at him for two seconds, then asked in surprise, "They really did?"
"Why do you sound so doubtful?"
"You have quite a track record. I have to be cautious."
Fushimi Makoto asked deliberately, "So you know me very well?"
Yukino smiled elegantly. "I wouldn't say very well, but I'm confident I can handle you now."
Fushimi Makoto turned to look ahead. "I checked the map earlier. There's a seal exhibit up ahead. Want to see it?"
"Sure."
Yukino had planned to take it easy, so she didn't refuse.
But as the two of them walked on, the crowd suddenly grew much thicker. It looked like they were all heading to the seal exhibit.
Yukino frowned and was just about to move aside to avoid the crowd when she suddenly felt warmth in her palm.
She froze, then quickly looked at Fushimi Makoto beside her. He was looking at her, too.
Their eyes met. Fushimi Makoto raised her hand. "Did you see this coming? I noticed a while ago that quite a few people were coming to see the seals today."
That was a provocation!
Yukino took a deep breath and said evenly, "Let go."
Without a word, Fushimi Makoto took her hand and led her forward.
Yukino hesitated over whether to pull away, but Fushimi Makoto spoke first. "Stay close. It's too crowded here."
Yukino fell silent and stopped resisting.
At that very moment, she thought, So a boy's hand can completely enclose mine.
She quickly lowered her eyes for a glance. Fushimi Makoto's hand covered most of hers.
Her small hand was soft and smooth, with pale, tender skin. Against his, it looked even more delicate, like lustrous jade.
Yukino didn't say a word the whole time. Only the occasional flicker in her eyes revealed that she wasn't as calm inside as she seemed.
The two of them had lunch together. Thinking about Fushimi Makoto's sudden "killer move" at the aquarium, Yukino suspected he might have another plan, so she said, "Thanks for taking me out. I've pretty much relaxed now..."
Fushimi Makoto suddenly asked, "Let's go hang out at that cat café next."
At the mention of the cat café, Yukino wavered for half a second, then regained her composure. "You really did plan this in advance."
"Actually, the cat café wasn't part of my plan. During the Time Loop, I ran into Aunt Yukinoshita once, so I know where she'll be this afternoon," Fushimi Makoto said.
Yukino wanted to ask, Just how often do you meet my mother in private? Why are you bringing her up again?
Instead, she asked, "So your original plan was to take me to see my mother?"
"Yeah. I thought she'd be happy if we showed up in front of her together."
"Enough. Don't say another word. I'll go to the cat café with you."
Yukino made up her mind at once.
Even if they were in a Time Loop, she didn't want to ride Fushimi Makoto's motorcycle to see her mother.
How would that look?
Especially since they were supposed to be at school today.
Yukino thought of the way Utaha had looked at her earlier. She'd already realized then that Utaha must have gotten the wrong idea.
If Yukino showed up in front of someone she knew with Fushimi Makoto, wouldn't that confirm they'd skipped class to go on a date?
Once they arrived at the cat café and sat down, Yukino relaxed all over again.
The kittens in this café had captivated her the last time, too.
Seeing them again, she couldn't hide how happy she was.
As she stroked a cat, she caught sight of Fushimi Makoto raising his phone and taking a picture of her.
She immediately grew wary. "What are you doing?"
Fushimi Makoto looked over the photo on his phone and said, "My instincts were right. This turned out great."
"Give me your phone," Yukino said.
Instead of putting it away, Fushimi Makoto held it out in front of her. "Look at your expression."
Yukino glanced at the photo. Her first thought was, He's actually good at taking pictures.
Then she understood what Fushimi Makoto meant.
In the photo, she was running her palm over the calico cat's head, smiling with complete happiness and ease.
She couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt this relaxed from head to toe.
In the end, she didn't reach for the phone. She only said, a little awkwardly, "I have my own ways of relaxing."
"Relaxing is even better when you have a friend with you," Fushimi Makoto said, putting his phone away.
Yukino's expression didn't change. "By 'friend,' do you mean yourself?"
"No. I mean Itsuki."
Fushimi Makoto's answer caught her off guard.
Yukino froze for half a second, then asked uncertainly, "Nakano Itsuki?"
"Yeah. You don't know her well yet, so you don't realize it, but the way she takes everything she does seriously is exactly the sort of thing you admire most."
"Taking things seriously?"
Yukino repeated the words to herself, then agreed. "If she really is that kind of girl, I'd be happy to spend time with her."
She made a mental note of it, too.
But she soon remembered that everything would reset tomorrow, and she wouldn't remember what happened today.
Yukino felt inexplicably disappointed.
Fushimi Makoto simply gazed at her beautiful face without a word.
She seemed to have completely forgotten what she'd said earlier: "Don't even think about it."
Yet now Fushimi Makoto already had a photo of her on his phone.
And he'd taken it openly, right in front of her.
The two of them decided to leave the cat café at four in the afternoon. By that point, they really had spent the whole day out together.
Yukino still insisted on splitting the bill.
But as they paid, Yukino noticed a row of cat pendants on the counter. They were all cute in style, clearly meant to appeal to female customers.
She wanted one, but Fushimi Makoto was right behind her. If she bought such a cute pendant, he might seize the chance to tease her again.
She was already tired of having to worry about such a trivial thing, so she decided not to buy one.
"If you want one, just say so. Be honest. Is it really that hard to admit you want something?" Fushimi Makoto's voice sounded by her ear.
Yukino pressed her lips together, thinking, I forgot he knows me so well.
In the end, Fushimi Makoto paid for it and handed her the calico cat pendant she'd had her eye on.
"Thank you. I'll pay you back," Yukino said. She turned her face aside, oddly reluctant to meet his eyes.
Maybe she didn't want him to see through her again.
Or maybe she was thinking about what he'd just said: "Is it really that hard to admit you want something?"
She couldn't help feeling that Fushimi Makoto's words had another meaning.
This time, Fushimi Makoto didn't invite her to stay for dinner. He drove her straight back to the entrance of her apartment building.
"Thank you for today. I had a great time," Yukino said very seriously, meeting his eyes.
Fushimi Makoto asked, "Anything else?"
"Anything else?" Yukino asked, confused.
Fushimi Makoto took out his phone and brought up the photo.
That reminded Yukino of what she'd said: "Don't even think about it."
"You were planning this from the start?" Yukino asked, unable to believe it.
Fushimi Makoto chuckled. "How could I be? If I were that good, I'd be an urban legend."
"The Time Loop might be just as influential as an urban legend," Yukino retorted instinctively.
It was a little awkward, but she stubbornly met Fushimi Makoto's eyes. "The photo will disappear tomorrow anyway. You can keep it if you want."
What she really wanted to hold on to was today's memory.
Unfortunately, she couldn't.
Fushimi Makoto nodded as if agreeing. "For you, today's relaxing time means more than a photo."
Did you really have to say what I'm thinking right to my face?
Yukino felt uncomfortable.
Fushimi Makoto didn't continue that subject. "By the way, didn't you ask me once why I suddenly stopped calling you by your name?"
Yukino's interest piqued a little. "Are you finally going to tell me the truth?"
Fushimi Makoto gazed into her eyes. "Because I hadn't officially decided to pursue you back then, Yukino."
The way he said "Yukino" made the girl freeze for a moment.
It meant he was going to pursue her.
For some reason, Yukino felt an urge to look away from him.
She forced herself to keep her voice calm. "There's something I need to make clear to you."
"Go ahead," Fushimi Makoto said, inviting her to continue.
Yukino suddenly felt nervous. Without realizing it, she bit down lightly on her lower lip.
She thought of what he'd said earlier: Be honest.
"I admit that I care about you a lot as a friend, but I will never date you," she said softly.
But Fushimi Makoto merely answered with a calm "Oh." "That's it?"
Yukino stood there, stunned.
What did he mean, "That's it?"
Before you continue