Itsuki, in the end, didn't have the courage to bring up the topic of exchanging contact information.
She was too shy. She wasn't very familiar with Makoto, and he was a boy, so she really couldn't bring herself to speak up.
Makoto, however, noticed the subtle changes in her emotions.
With his knowledge from the time loop and his experience attempting to win over the five sisters, he could easily guess what she was thinking.
But he wasn't in a hurry. After all, today's conversation was initiated using Ichika as an excuse.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought up something like "tell you first."
He had already memorized all the key points from the time loop.
Before long, Shizuka entered the classroom.
She looked no different from usual, as if the one who had been heartbroken over a failed matchmaking meeting last night wasn't her at all.
As a teacher who was both gentle at heart and highly responsible, she would never bring her personal disappointments into the classroom.
After a brief homeroom meeting, she officially started the class.
Makoto spent the whole morning listening attentively. His entrance exam score had ranked first in the grade, with Yukino coming in second.
During the time loop, to avoid being overwhelmed by boredom and frustration, he constantly found things to occupy himself with.
Strictly speaking, he had learned decades more knowledge than everyone else — and he had retained all those memories.
Born for exams.jpg
In this regard, no matter how hard Yukino tried, she would never be able to surpass him academically.
Originally, this morning was supposed to be uneventful. Everyone thought it would be another ordinary day.
Until lunchtime, when a slender yet beautiful figure appeared at the classroom door, immediately stirring up a commotion.
"Isn't that Yukinoshita-san? Why would she come to our class?"
"Look at her — she's definitely here to find someone."
"Oh? Could it be a boy she's looking for?"
Students tired and hungry after a morning of classes suddenly forgot all about their hunger.
Most people loved gossip.
Especially when a beauty like Yukino personally came to another class to look for someone — that was even more attention-grabbing.
Even Hayama Hayato and the others, who had yet to leave the classroom, looked over.
Despite being the focus of so many gazes, Yukino remained composed as always.
She paid no attention to others' stares.
Her gaze swept swiftly across the classroom, finally locking precisely onto Makoto.
Makoto noticed her as well, thinking that, just as he had expected, she had come.
However, as Makoto stood up and walked toward the door, before he could even greet Yukino, a familiar female voice called out from the other side of the hallway: "Fushimi-kun."
Both Makoto and Yukino turned their heads to see Ichika approaching with a bright smile.
"Yukinoshita-san is here too? Perfect. How about we all go to the cafeteria together?"
"I don't mind," Makoto replied as if he had anticipated this.
Who asked for your opinion?
Yukino felt a little annoyed. She had serious matters to discuss with Makoto.
In her mind, a supernatural topic like the time loop definitely couldn't be discussed openly in front of others.
But now that Makoto had agreed, she merely gave a slight nod.
The three of them left together, and the remaining students were a little disappointed.
Clearly, it was gossip worth following, but they could only get half the story.
"Ichika really came, and in such an obvious way too."
Itsuki stared toward the classroom door.
She was now even more curious about Ichika's secret.
"Hayato, when did Fushimi-kun get to know them?"
Elsewhere, in the "normie squad," Miura Yumiko voiced her confusion.
Given Makoto's good looks, she had once invited him to hang out with her group — but he had turned her down.
Although the three who left together were famous around the school, Yumiko, as a classmate who saw them daily, had never heard any rumors linking them before.
"I don't know either," Hayama Hayato replied, his confused expression looking just like a meme.
Meanwhile,
After Makoto and the two girls picked up their trays and sat down, he was the first to speak: "I remember, Yukinoshita, that you usually bring your own lunch?"
Why aren't you calling me by my name directly?
Yukino was puzzled but still answered, "I didn't make one today."
Makoto immediately understood.
Since he usually ate at the cafeteria, Yukino had intentionally skipped making a bento today just to have a chance to talk to him about the time loop at lunch.
But Yukino hadn't expected Ichika to show up too.
"Yukinoshita-san, since you also came to talk to Fushimi-kun, why don't you go first?" said Ichika, wearing a friendly smile, though secretly observing Yukino carefully.
After all, yesterday Yukino had instantly seen through her intentions.
Strong and scary!
Yukino remained calm: "Ichika-san, you go first."
"Why?"
"Because I want to talk to him alone."
"..."
With just one sentence, the pleasant atmosphere crumbled.
No matter how you heard it, it sounded like she was trying to shoo people away.
Still smiling, Ichika said, "Then I'll go first."
She deliberately paused, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she looked at Makoto.
"Fushimi-kun, I rushed home yesterday because of something urgent. I hope I didn't interrupt your date?"
As expected, Ichika's level was nowhere near Yukino's.
Her probing was far too obvious.
Makoto thought to himself.
And the next second, Yukino's voice proved him right:
"Ichika-san, if you're wondering whether after you left yesterday we tried to dig into your relationship with that man, I can answer you: yes."
Ichika's smile froze for a moment.
Yukino continued eating elegantly. "But it was me who asked. He didn't."
"Oh, I see." Ichika let out a breath of relief.
Since she wasn't close with Makoto, she thought that as long as neither of them had investigated her, her secret was safe.
But very soon, Makoto dropped a bomb: "We know everything."
Ichika: "?"
This time her smile completely stiffened.
She instinctively looked toward Yukino, who said casually, "We know about you being an actress."
Busted!
How had it been exposed so quickly?
They had only formally spoken once, yet she was already "opened up" like a mystery box?
At this moment, Ichika felt very uneasy, and there was a sense of shame that she had come to probe, only to find the others already knew everything.
Then Makoto said, "Don't worry, we won't use your secret as gossip."
"Really?" Ichika looked at him sharply.
Makoto replied gently, "If you don't believe me, I can promise you. And as for her, you can be even more assured — Yukinoshita would never spread your secret around."
Because she had no friends at school.
Makoto added silently in his heart.
Getting Yukino to gossip would be as hard as completing that S-Class mission — watching over Kotama.
Yukino, gripping her chopsticks, frowned slightly, as if sensing Makoto's malicious thought.
But there was no evidence.
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