The panda plush that Yukinoshita Yukino was playing with wasn't exactly a panda.
Strictly speaking, it was Mr. Pan, a Disney star — a panda-like creature with one oval-shaped black eye patch and another shaped like a star.
A yellow scarf was wrapped around its nonexistent neck, and its smug little face gave it a cool, rebellious charm that set it apart from your typical cutesy plush.
When she sat down, the plush's short black legs dangled right over Yukino's eyebrows.
She closed her eyes and smiled in quiet satisfaction.
But her silky black hair was so smooth that the plush kept sliding off.
Still, being the perfectionist she was and having excellent balance from years of aikido and dance training, Yukino wasn't about to give up.
With Mr. Pan perched precariously on her head, she started swaying side to side on the sofa, trying to keep him steady.
A tilt to the left — oops, too much.
A lean to the right — almost perfect.
She moved with intense focus, determined to achieve this absurd mission: balancing a panda plush on her head.
Whenever the plush tilted, she'd frown and twitch her arms slightly, resisting the urge to use her hands.
No — this was a battle of willpower and poise! Only through pure body control would she earn her victory.
"…She's hopeless." Kyousuke could only stare in awe.
He knew that once Yukinoshita's competitive streak was triggered, there was no turning back.
Her current opponent? Gravity.
Or maybe her own clumsy sense of coordination.
Either way, it was… impressive, in a very stupid kind of way.
Each time she managed to steady the plush, she'd smile faintly to herself — a silent, smug little grin.
Kyousuke was certain she was imagining walking down the street with Mr. Pan on her head, or maybe running around her room like that.
For someone who prided herself on being so rational, she could be unbelievably silly.
Kyousuke just watched quietly. He had wanted to say hello earlier — but before he could, a certain shrine maiden had covered his mouth.
"Shh—" Mitsuha whispered like a mother quieting her child.
Then she pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and aimed it straight at Yukino.
"It's not that I want to film her," Mitsuha murmured with a grin, "it's for Sakura. She'll love this."
She giggled uncontrollably, the camera shaking with laughter.
Kyousuke sighed and took the phone from her.
If anyone could film this properly, it was him — after all, he did have an "artistic sense."
Sakura had really become the ultimate excuse for chaos.
Before, Mitsuha would've been too polite to do something like secretly film Yukinoshita.
Now? "It's for Sakura," and suddenly, all restraint vanished.
So the two troublemakers stood there, snickering quietly as they watched.
After a few moments, Yukino stood up, still balancing the plush perfectly on her head.
Kyousuke was about to stop recording when he saw her begin to walk — one tiny, cautious step at a time.
Every time Mr. Pan wobbled, Yukino froze mid-step like a mannequin, waited for balance, then continued.
Finally, when the plush stayed steady, she relaxed her brows and smiled proudly, little fists clenched in triumph.
He transferred the video to his own phone immediately.
He was going to "study" it — for the sake of self-improvement, of course.
When Mitsuha tucked her phone away with a satisfied grin, Kyousuke finally called out,
"Yukinoshita-san—"
The moment his familiar voice hit her ears, Yukino froze like she'd been struck by lightning. Mr. Pan slid off her head.
She turned around sharply, snatching the plush to her chest.
'Poor Mr. Pan…' Kyousuke sighed inwardly.
As the two approached, Yukino's expression turned frosty. Brilliant and logical as she was.
She immediately realized what had happened — they had definitely seen everything.
So she went on the offensive.
After a quick greeting, she lifted her chin and said coolly, "In India and parts of Africa, people often carry objects on their heads. It helps develop balance and frees the hands, increasing efficiency."
Her tone was perfectly calm and serious — like she was delivering a scientific presentation.
Kyousuke kept a straight face with superhuman effort, but Mitsuha was already trembling from suppressed laughter.
'Why won't anyone believe me?!' Yukino fumed inwardly.
It was true — well, mostly. When she'd been struggling to balance Mr. Pan, she really had thought of those Indian women carrying baskets on their heads.
She'd even tried to recall the scientific explanation behind it, but all she could remember was a vague "practice makes perfect."
Mitsuha was nearly bursting with laughter now, and Yukino, feeling cornered, decided to strike back with her secret weapon.
She lifted her icy blue eyes toward the two of them and said seriously,
"You both know what apical dominance is, don't you?"
"…The plant thing?" Mitsuha blinked. "Uh, yeah, I guess so."
Yukino nodded, her voice clinical and composed.
"In plants, the main stem grows faster than the side buds. The growth of the top inhibits the growth of the sides — this is called apical dominance."
Mitsuha glanced nervously at Kyousuke, silently asking, 'Did we break her?'
Kyousuke gave a subtle nod of reassurance.
'No… she's just being herself.'
"—To make side buds grow properly, you have to remove apical dominance. For example, when cultivating cotton, farmers use a method called 'pinching.'
After that, the main stem stops growing taller, but the overall yield increases."
Yukinoshita continued her calm, lecture-like explanation.
Miyamizu Mitsuha hesitated for a moment.
Seeing that the black-haired girl was clearly waiting for her to ask a question, the kind shrine maiden obliged.
"So… what are you getting at?"
"In that incident when I was teaching Hojou how to dance—"
"Wait, hold on, why does it sound like a criminal case when you put it like that!? It was just dancing!"
Yukinoshita shot him a cold look, visibly annoyed at being interrupted.
"People who obsess over irrelevant details are the biggest obstacles to a team's progress."
"Try saying that again after taking a good look in the mirror!" Kyousuke protested, but Yukinoshita ignored him completely.
"During that dance lesson, I discovered one of my major weaknesses—poor stamina."
Mitsuha nodded earnestly, agreeing.
"There are many factors that determine stamina, and body type is one of the most important. My physique is excellent—slim, well-proportioned, the kind other girls envy."
Yukinoshita raised her arm as if to demonstrate.
Then slightly lifted the hem of her chiffon-white skirt, revealing her long, slender legs.
Kyousuke glanced down—and yeah, she did have good legs.
Brown loafers, white ankle socks, and above them, a pair of shapely, porcelain-smooth calves.
They looked almost too delicate, like something crafted in a workshop rather than grown by nature—beautiful enough to make you worry the sunlight might hurt them.
But Kyousuke frowned slightly.
This girl was surprisingly self-aware about her flaws, yet somehow totally ignorant of certain basics.
That body? Sure, "slim and graceful" worked, maybe "elegantly built" if you wanted to be generous—but that's it.
Having come to understand his sense of aesthetics by now, Yukinoshita wisely ignored him and focused her persuasion efforts on Mitsuha.
Mitsuha looked at Yukinoshita's slender arms and legs, her pale flawless skin, and nodded approvingly.
"Your figure is perfect, yes… but that kind of build doesn't really help with stamina. Even with training, it's hard to build up endurance."
Yukinoshita sighed.
"Exactly. So the day I resolved to improve my stamina, I began researching every scientific method I could find—and that's when I thought of apical dominance."
Kyousuke's expression twisted into something between disbelief and concern.
"Wait… don't tell me you're planning to put a stuffed toy on your head to 'suppress your apical dominance' so your… side buds can grow better?"
Mitsuha blinked, caught off guard.
So that's what Yukinoshita was insecure about—her flat chest.
"But, um… doing that won't actually make them bigger, you know." The kind shrine maiden said sincerely.
"What—no! I wasn't talking about that! If you increase the weight your body has to support, it adapts and gets stronger—that's just biology."
Yukinoshita's face turned red as she muttered something about "primitive humans not understanding evolution" and "the mysteries of physiology," while the whole bookstore filled with laughter.
"I get it, I get it! That makes perfect sense!" Mitsuha nodded, completely serious.
"The biggest difference between male and female swordsmen is strength and endurance, and that's not easy to overcome…
But with your method, I might just manage! Oh, and I recorded your training earlier—maybe I can use it as reference later."
She pulled out her phone and played the video, showing Yukinoshita awkwardly moving her body, trying to balance a stuffed toy while looking too embarrassed to touch it.
"Is it okay if I study this, Yukinoshita?" she asked politely.
Watching herself on-screen, Yukinoshita's breathing quickened as her cheeks turned scarlet.
"A-ahaha… would you look at the time! Why don't we go grab something to eat? You haven't eaten yet either, right? You need to refuel after such intense training!"
Sensing an explosion coming, Kyousuke quickly changed the subject.
The black-haired girl said nothing, clutching her beloved "Mr. Pan" plush tightly to her chest, still sulking.
"Hehe, okay okay, sorry, Yukinoshita-chan," Mitsuha said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Let me pay for the plushie, alright?"
"I can pay for it myself!" Yukinoshita snapped.
"I've actually touched something just like Mr. Pan before," Mitsuha said softly.
That got Yukinoshita's attention, and she started walking toward the counter.
"Oh? A panda? But zoos don't usually let you touch them."
"No, not a panda—a bear."
"A… bear?"
Yukinoshita hesitated.
She loved pandas, which led to her love for cats, and then tigers… but bears? Bears were basically big dogs, and she wasn't great with dogs.
"It was cute though—it didn't move at all while I was touching it."
"…Was it from a circus or something?"
"Nope, it was hanging on the wall of Hojou's family home."
"…"
As they talked, Mr. Pan was wrapped up and bagged, and Mitsuha even used her reward points from buying a fountain pen earlier to get Yukinoshita a limited-edition Itoya "Mr. Pan" towel.
Feeling appeased, the black-haired girl graciously gave Mitsuha permission to use her video "for educational purposes" and even started explaining her latest theories on "horizontal body development."
Mitsuha didn't really need any of that information, but she listened earnestly and promised to pass it on to Eriri later.
Trailing behind the two girls on the escalator, Kyousuke watched Yukinoshita, who had regained her usual calm composure, and thought she was surprisingly easy to handle after all.
Itoya wasn't just a stationery store—it also sold home goods and even ran a restaurant.
A bit all over the place, really.
Then again, considering that one expensive fountain pen could probably fund the entire floor's rent, it made sense they could afford to "branch out."
On the eleventh floor was an indoor vegetable garden, growing hydroponic, pesticide-free greens.
Behind the glass walls, rows of bright green plants thrived under soft lights.
Kyousuke and Mitsuha—both people who'd actually done real farm work—weren't particularly impressed.
But Yukinoshita, on the other hand, looked fascinated, carefully studying each row and even asking the staff a few questions.
"The last time I came, I saw a lettuce that looked just like cat ears," she said as she returned, eyes shining. "But now it's gone! The staff said it was sent upstairs to be turned into a dish—come on, let's hurry before someone else eats it!"
Yukinoshita Yukino declared with a rare spark of excitement in her voice.