After lunch, Makoto dove back into the editing room.
With his current energy and stamina, working hard for two full days wouldn't affect him much.
And if he did get tired, he had Ultra Red Bull to keep going.
Naturally, Mrs. Yukinoshita wouldn't wait around outside the whole time—she had things to do as well.
But the thought that he still had so many secrets made her curious, so she sent her daughter a message, sharing the address of the editing studio.
At the end, she added: "I'll be back around dinner time."
On the other side, Yukino saw the message and understood her mother's intention—clearly, she wanted to invite Makoto to dinner.
With Yukino present, her mother would also have a good excuse to keep him around.
After replying, Yukino sat in a daze.
She already knew Makoto had requested time off.
And so did the girls in the Nakano household.
Even though she understood why he told everyone in advance—it showed they were all important to him—she still didn't like it.
She knew well it was her possessiveness acting up.
But emotions are hard to control once they're triggered.
What frustrated Yukino even more was that despite realizing her feelings for him, the fact that he was a flirt made it all the more exasperating.
Why can't this scumbag get out of my head?
Yukino sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself.
Just then, a few female classmates approached.
Their expressions were hesitant—they clearly had something to say, but maybe because of Yukino's aloof nature, they hadn't spoken up right away?
Yukino turned to them. "Yes?"
Her tone was cool and indifferent, just as she always spoke to regular classmates.
The girls weren't intimidated—in fact, they looked happy that Yukino had taken the initiative. "Yukinoshita-san, when is your short film going to be released?"
"If all goes well, early next month."
Yukino wasn't surprised by their curiosity.
Since her club's social media account had been gaining traction, the number of curious onlookers had also grown, so she had anticipated this.
"Then we'll get to see it soon! Don't worry, Yukinoshita-san—we'll all make sure to add to the view count, and we'll leave great reviews too!" the girls said excitedly.
Next, they eagerly asked about funny behind-the-scenes moments during filming.
The name they brought up most often was Makoto. At first, Yukino thought they were just a bunch of hopeless romantics.
But as she calmly answered their questions, she gradually realized she was wrong.
These girls weren't infatuated—they were just in awe. Their admiration came from the sudden fame of the film crew.
"Even though you weren't shown in the behind-the-scenes clips your account posted, we could still hear your voice in a few of them."
"Yeah! The way you gave orders to Fushimi-kun sounded so cool, and we also heard you directing Ichika-san. We didn't know you were so professional!"
"You're amazing, Yukinoshita-san. I'm still struggling with homework, and yet you're already chasing your dreams."
As they chattered, Yukino suddenly remembered that Makoto's profile on the account did mention the word dream.
She'd assumed he included that to build good impressions—but she didn't expect just the word "dream" could inspire her classmates so much.
Soon, their table's conversation attracted the attention of others. Some extroverted classmates joined in excitedly.
Boys and girls alike—almost everyone who talked about the project looked at Yukino with admiration or reverence.
Yukino had never experienced this kind of attention before.
Before meeting Makoto, being ostracized had been her daily reality.
But she never cared much about that.
Her motto was: As long as the people close to me understand me, I don't care what others think.
But now, she had to admit—it felt kind of nice to receive this much warmth and admiration from everyone.
She wasn't made of stone. Faced with so many classmates' genuine goodwill, she couldn't stay aloof.
Yukino quietly took a deep breath. For the first time in her life, she welcomed that kindness with poise and sincerity.
The teenagers' enthusiasm lasted until class began, and they reluctantly returned to their seats.
Yukino discreetly pulled out her phone. Her emotions had shifted, and finally, she sent a message to Makoto:
[Let's have dinner together tonight. I'll come find you.]
Putting her phone away, she felt surprisingly relaxed.
It wasn't just that she was changing because of him—her entire life was changing too.
And that change… was a good one.
During class, Yukino didn't pay attention at all—a rare occurrence.
She thought of what Ichika had once said: "It's nice to be a fool sometimes."
At that moment, she finally understood what that meant.
A girl who dreamed of becoming a top-tier actress, during her days of playing extras, was supported by Makoto who formed a club, provided her with practice opportunities, and even gave her a proper script to grow with.
The more popular the club's account became, the more exposure Ichika gained.
Even though Yukino didn't understand the entertainment industry that well, she knew one thing—fame was vital.
Without exposure, even the most talented singer or actor could end up forgotten.
Yukino had personally witnessed Ichika's growth in acting.
While some of it was thanks to Makoto's encouragement pushing her to excel, even at her normal level, Ichika's acting was far beyond what other girls their age could do.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Yukino might have believed that the Nakano family's eldest daughter was simply an insanely gifted actress.
Thinking about Ichika's progress, and then her own, Yukino finally understood Ichika's feelings.
"I might have to break my own rule…"
Yukino quietly muttered, staring at her study notes. She picked up her pen, flipped to a page, and crossed out a particular sentence.
It was something she'd written to keep herself in check—but now, she felt she no longer needed it.
In her notebook, the line "Only fools would fall in love with him" was struck out with a heavy stroke.
Then, she drew another bold line across it.
Still a bit stubborn.
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