Leaving the cafeteria, Minamoto Senya walked alongside Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Just how did you manage to convince the drama club?" she asked.
"It was simple. I pulled some strings."
"Be specific."
Ah, this little elementary school honor student… Always so strict. She really should learn to think things through more herself.Still, Senya answered honestly:
"The club president is Fujino-senpai, a sixth grader. His younger brother, Fujiwara Jisuke, happens to be my classmate."
Yukino caught on immediately. "So you used your classmate as a connection to get to Fujino-senpai."
"Exactly."
"And he just… agreed that easily?"
Senya only smiled back without answering.
Yukino stared at his face, confused for a moment. Then her eyes widened. "Don't tell me—you got my sister involved as well, and that was the…"
"Bingo. Turns out Fujino-senpai has a thing for your sister. All I had to do was casually mention that I was her 'beloved little brother' and hint that Haruno-nee might also take part in the drama club's public performance. The moment he thought he might get a chance to interact with her, he became very enthusiastic."
"Beloved little brother…" Yukino's lips tightened. She decided not to even touch that part. "You conveniently left this detail out when talking to my sister."
Senya spread his hands. "No need to tell her. She already promised to help out. What specific role she plays doesn't matter. As for Fujino-senpai's little… motivation, we'll just give him a throwaway role that lets him have a few interactions with Haruno-nee. That'll satisfy him well enough.
It works out perfectly. Originally, our plan was only to help Sawamura. But now we've got a three-way win."
"Three-way?"
"That's right. Sawamura regains her confidence. Fujino-senpai gets some precious memories. And Fujiwara Jisuke, my classmate, gets tutoring and improves his grades."
"…You agreed to tutor him?"
"Of course. What, did you think he'd help me for free? He doesn't owe me anything."
Senya's smile softened as he looked at Yukino.
And just that one look made her feel that something was off. Her instincts told her she was right.
"…Um, Yukinoshita-san, this problem is really hard. I don't know how to do it… Could you teach me?"
After school, in the library's self-study corner, Fujiwara Jisuke sat nervously beside Yukino, pointing timidly at a question in his workbook.
"…"
Hhh—shhh—
Yukino inhaled deeply, dragging her gaze away from the table across the room where Minamoto Senya sat happily chatting with Sawamura Eriri.
That damn bastard. He deserved to be burned in hellfire.
How had she never realized before just how shameless he really was?
He had used the drama club. He had used her sister. And now even she herself wasn't spared.
Everyone else was roped in to contribute something of value. And him? He arranged everything, then sat back comfortably to watch from the sidelines.
And just what was he laughing about with Sawamura, making her smile so brightly?
Did he really want to help people, or was there some other motive behind all this?
For the first time, Yukino began to doubt Senya's intentions.
"Um… Yukinoshita-san?" Jisuke whispered.
"…Here." Yukino picked up the textbook, flipped it open to a page, and said flatly, "The formula is explained clearly right here. Substitute it in, and the problem solves itself."
Her way of teaching could hardly be called patient—it was blunt, almost mechanical.
Jisuke looked like he might cry. This wasn't what he imagined at all! Wasn't she supposed to lean closer, gently explain things step by step, and gradually warm up to him until maybe, just maybe, they became friends?
"B-but I still don't—"
Snap!
The tip of Yukino's mechanical pencil broke clean off against the page.
Jisuke shrank back instantly, too terrified to say another word.
While over here, a cold wind seemed to howl with Yukino's suppressed fury… on the other side, Minamoto Senya and Sawamura Eriri were surrounded by sunshine and birdsong.
"You want me to join the school festival performance? I-I can't! Someone like me…"
"Don't say that. Sawamura-san, your natural qualities make you perfect for it."
"Natural… qualities?"
"Yeah. I mean, you're really cute."
"C-c-cute…!"
Eriri's entire face flushed scarlet, as though steam were rising off her head.
Convincing Haruno had been the hardest part, and Senya had already cleared that hurdle. Compared to that, winning over Eriri was nothing.
She had never performed on stage before, and the thought of doing so left her trembling with nerves. But she wasn't panicking.
Because Senya was always patient with her. Always gentle.
He was her age, yet for some reason, he gave off the air of a wise, dependable older brother next door. That kind of calm maturity was addictive—it made her want to lean on him without thinking.
Of course, there were others she was grateful to as well.
Like Yukinoshita-san. Cold and intimidating at first, but beneath that aloof exterior, she was a kind girl.
And Haruno-nee, a remarkable, approachable senpai worth admiring.
She had made many new friends too.
Bit by bit, the shadow of the trauma Eriri once suffered had begun to fade.
But it still wasn't enough.
Senya never forgot his real goal.
Magical Girl Momo-chan might look embarrassing to outsiders, but its popularity among fans proved its strength.
To Senya, its real charm lay in its hot-blooded, heartfelt shōnen-style themes.
So he selected one of the series' most exciting arcs, rewrote it to emphasize the character arcs of the main cast, and turned it into a self-contained stage script.
The drama club's supervising teacher had approved it after minor adjustments to better fit stage performance.
And then came the rush of casting roles and rehearsals.
All the while, Eriri was constantly showered in Senya's "You can do it," "You're the best," "You're just as adorable as Yōyō-chan, the main heroine, your hair even matches hers—this role was made for you."
Dizzied by his relentless encouragement, she ended up cast as one of the heroines.
Yukino also became part of the main cast.
At first she resisted, cold and firm in her refusal.
But all Senya had to do was casually remark, "By the way, Haruno-nee's playing the villain. You'll get to fight her—and even defeat her in the end."
And just like that, Yukino quietly picked up the prop katana and accepted the script.
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the school festival had arrived.