So it was that important a secret?
Nakano Itsuki's eyes flickered.
She grew even more curious.
Fushimi Makoto caught a glimpse of Hayato Hayama still enthusiastically responding to his classmates.
That guy was a warm-hearted type.
And he was an aggressive master of romance.
So, at that moment, he revealed his trump card. "Itsuki, how about this? Once I've confirmed she's okay with me telling other people, I'll tell you first."
The phrase "tell you first" sounded a little ambiguous, and a little special.
Especially when said to someone of the opposite sex.
A faint blush crept onto Nakano Itsuki's cheeks.
But then she wondered how he planned to be the first to tell her.
He didn't have my contact information.
What was he going to do?
It was so hard to guess.
Chapter 5: S-Rank Mission—Keep an Eye on Tama
In the end, Nakano Itsuki was too embarrassed to bring up exchanging contact information.
She was shy, wasn't close to Fushimi Makoto, and he was a boy. She just couldn't bring herself to ask.
Fushimi Makoto had noticed the shifts in her mood. Drawing on what he'd learned while trying to win over the quintuplets during the Time Loop, he could naturally guess what she was thinking.
But he wasn't in a hurry. He'd started talking to her today because Nakano Ichika gave him an excuse.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have used the phrase "tell you first."
He'd already memorized everything he'd learned during the Time Loop.
Before long, Hiratsuka Shizuka entered the classroom. She looked no different from usual, as if she weren't the same person who'd been brooding over her disastrous matchmaking date last night.
As a kindhearted and conscientious teacher, of course she wouldn't let the disappointment of a failed date spill over into class.
After holding a brief homeroom meeting, she began the lesson.
Fushimi Makoto spent the entire morning listening attentively. He'd ranked first in the year on the entrance test, with Yukino in second place.
During the Time Loop, he'd had to keep finding things to do so boredom and frustration wouldn't consume him.
Strictly speaking, he'd studied for decades longer than everyone else, and retained all of those memories.
Born Exam Body.jpg
No matter how hard Yukino worked from here on out, she'd never be able to beat him at exams.
The morning had been utterly ordinary, and everyone assumed it would be just another regular day.
Then, at lunchtime, a slender yet beautiful figure appeared at the classroom door, immediately causing a commotion.
"Isn't that Yukinoshita? Why would she come to our class?"
"Look at her. She's definitely here to see someone."
"Oh? Maybe she's here to see a guy?"
The students, tired and hungry after a morning of classes, suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.
Most people loved gossip.
And when a beauty like Yukino came to another class to see someone, it was even more captivating.
Hayato Hayama and the others, who hadn't left the classroom yet, looked over too.
Even with so many people staring at her, Yukino remained composed.
She didn't care about other people's gazes at all.
Her eyes swept quickly across the classroom before settling precisely on Fushimi Makoto.
Fushimi Makoto saw her too and thought that his guess had been right. She'd come looking for him after all.
But as he stood up and headed for the classroom door, before he could greet Yukino, a familiar girl's voice came from down the hall. "Fushimi."
Fushimi Makoto and Yukino turned around at the same time. Nakano Ichika came over with a beaming smile. "Yukinoshita, you're here too? Perfect. How about we all go have lunch in the cafeteria?"
"I don't mind." Fushimi Makoto had expected this.
Who asked you?
Yukino wasn't thrilled. She'd come to talk to Fushimi Makoto about something important.
As far as she was concerned, something supernatural like a Time Loop absolutely couldn't be revealed to anyone else.
But Fushimi Makoto had agreed, so she gave a slight nod.
As the three of them left, the students who were still in the classroom looked disappointed.
Clearly, this was juicy gossip—but they wouldn't get the full story.
" Ichika actually came looking for him—and in such an obvious way, too."
Nakano Itsuki gazed toward the classroom door.
Now she was even more curious about Ichika's secret.
"Hayato, when did Fushimi get to know those girls?"
Over with the "popular kids," Miura Yumiko voiced her confusion.
Fushimi Makoto looked pretty good, and she'd once invited him to hang out with her and her friends, but he'd turned her down.
Fushimi Makoto and the two girls had left together, and all three were well-known at school. Yumiko was his classmate and saw him every day, but she'd never heard anyone mention anything about the three of them.
"I have no idea." Hayato Hayama looked and sounded just as puzzled, like some reaction image.
Elsewhere.
After the three of them took their trays and sat down, Fushimi Makoto spoke first. "I thought you usually preferred to bring your own lunch, Yukinoshita?"
Why wasn't he just calling me by my first name anymore?
Yukino wondered, but still answered, "I didn't make one today."
Fushimi Makoto understood immediately.
He usually ate in the cafeteria, and she'd deliberately skipped making lunch today just so she could talk to him about the Time Loop at noon.
But Yukino hadn't expected Nakano Ichika to show up at lunchtime too.
"Yukinoshita, since you have something to discuss with Fushimi too, why don't you go first?"
Nakano Ichika wore a friendly smile, but she was keeping a close eye on Yukino.
Yesterday, Yukino had seen through her intentions in an instant.
So sharp—and so scary!
Yukino remained calm. "You go first, Ichika."
"Why?"
"Because I want to talk to him alone."
"..."
One sentence ruined what had been a pleasant conversation.
That sounded an awful lot like she was trying to send Ichika away.
Nakano Ichika's smile didn't falter. "Then I'll go first."
She paused deliberately, her bright eyes fixed on Fushimi Makoto. "Fushimi, I had to hurry home yesterday because something came up. I hope I didn't interrupt your date?"
As expected, Ichika was nowhere near as skilled as Yukino.
That was much too obvious a probe.
Fushimi Makoto thought to himself.
The next second, Yukino's voice confirmed his suspicion. "Ichika, if you're asking whether he and I tried to find out what your relationship with that man was after you left yesterday, I can answer you: we did."
Nakano Ichika's smile stiffened for a moment.
Yukino continued eating elegantly. "But I was the one asking. He wasn't."
"Oh, I see." Nakano Ichika relaxed.
She wasn't close to Fushimi Makoto, so as long as those two hadn't looked into her, her secret was safe.
But Fushimi Makoto soon dropped a bombshell. "We both know."
Nakano Ichika: "?"
This time, her smile froze completely.
She instinctively looked at Yukino, who said nonchalantly, "We do know you're an actress."
Oh no!
How had her secret gotten out so quickly?
They'd only had one proper conversation. How had she already been exposed?
Nakano Ichika felt deeply unsettled, and embarrassed that she'd come specifically to test them, only to find out they already knew everything.
Then Fushimi Makoto spoke. "Don't worry. We won't spread your secret around as gossip."
"Really?" Nakano Ichika looked at him sharply.
Fushimi Makoto answered gently, "If you don't believe me, I can promise you. And you can be even more certain about her—Yukinoshita would never go around spreading your secret."
Because she didn't have any friends at school.
Fushimi Makoto added that in his mind.
Getting Yukino to spread someone else's secret around would be no easier than that S-rank mission—keeping an eye on Tama.
Yukino frowned slightly as she held her chopsticks. She thought she'd sensed some malice from Fushimi Makoto.
But she had no proof.
Chapter 6: I've Never Felt Happy
Perhaps Fushimi Makoto's promise helped, because Nakano Ichika regained her usual energy.
At least, on the surface.
"As a thank-you for keeping my secret, I'll treat you both to a meal sometime," Nakano Ichika said with a bright smile.
Yukino shot her a suspicious look. "You're still testing us?"
"No, I really do want to thank you," Nakano Ichika said with a smile.
Yukino seemed unable to stand her lies. She raised a hand to her forehead and was about to unleash the sharp tongue unique to Yukinoshita Yukino, but Fushimi Makoto spoke first. "Your turn now, Yukinoshita."
"Hm?"
Yukino made a questioning sound.
Fushimi Makoto met her gaze openly. "Didn't you have something to discuss with me too? We're done talking about Ichika. Now it's your turn."
Oh? Something's going on?
Nakano Ichika's eyes flickered as she perked up her ears, looking very much like a certain famous reaction image.
Yukino stared at Fushimi Makoto's face for two seconds, and a thought came to her: Did he deliberately interrupt me because he wants to pursue Ichika?
No.
If the Time Loop really existed, he might have already won her over.
Yukino spoke calmly. "Are you sure you want me to bring that up here?"
Before you continue