Not far from the photography clubroom, two figures walked side by side.
It was Eriri Spencer Sawamura and Tomoya Aki.
"Are you sure you want to go see this Amamiya Haru?" Tomoya asked, glancing at his childhood friend's flowing golden twin-tails.
"What's wrong? If you're not interested in going to the photography club, why are you tagging along?" Eriri replied, a bit puzzled.
Tomoya hesitated, his expression conflicted. "Amamiya doesn't exactly have the best reputation…"
"Huh? What are you talking about? The rumors I've heard about him are all good. They say he's always helping classmates with questions and is super easy to get along with."
"That's probably just one side of the story. For example, during the first week of school, he got into a fight with so upperclassn and sent all of them to the infirmary."
"That was because they were bullying him!" Eriri retorted, clearly annoyed.
While she wasn't particularly close to Amamiya Haru, her parents had ties with his family. Based on that connection and her vague mory of him as a child, she held a positive impression of the boy.
Tomoya adjusted his glasses. "Bullying is just a rumor. There's no solid evidence for it."
"That's rich, coming from soone who's saying his reputation as a helpful classmate is just a rumor!" Eriri snapped.
Tomoya fell silent, unable to respond.
In truth, he simply didn't want Eriri interacting with Amamiya Haru too much. The guy was way too popular with girls at school.
As another boy, Tomoya couldn't help but feel uneasy about it, though he didn't want to admit it out loud.
Seeing him clam up, Eriri sighed and waved him off. "Whatever. I wasn't planning to go to the photography club with you anyway. Just stay out of my way."
She turned on her heel and walked off, her golden twin-tails bouncing with every step.
Tomoya hesitated for a mont but decided not to follow her.
anwhile, back in the photography clubroom…
Haru was racking up experience points as if he were in so sort of simulation ga.
[You are currently teaching. Teaching Experience 89.]
[You are currently teaching. Teaching Experience 97.]
[You are currently teaching. Teaching Experience 17.]
Thanks to the addition of his story-driven framing, even the mbers who usually only practiced selfie techniques were fully engaged.
Utaha, in particular, felt she had gained a lot today.
As soone who prided herself on being an excellent individual, she didn't find it surprising that an equally outstanding person like Amamiya Haru would catch her interest.
Pleased with the day's discussion, she casually proposed exchanging contact information with Yui first.
Next were the other club mbers, including Yukinoshita Yukino.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Finally, Utaha turned to Haru, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Now, all that's left is your contact info."
She's really good at this…
Yukino's face remained stoic, but inwardly, she couldn't help but note how skillfully Utaha navigated the situation.
Haru, of course, had no reason to refuse.
What intrigued Yukino even more was what happened next. Just as Utaha was about to leave, she paused by the door, as if rembering sothing.
"By the way," she asked, turning back, "does your photography club still accept new mbers?"
Haru replied without hesitation, "Of course."
Seemingly satisfied, Utaha's smile deepened. "Good to know."
This woman is not simple.
For the first ti in her life, Yukino felt she had encountered a rival among her peers.
Unlike her older sister, who always applied overwhelming pressure, Utaha's charm and keen interest in Haru made her presence particularly unsettling.
Yukino frowned slightly, pressing a hand to her temple. She glanced at Haru. "Should I congratulate you on being so popular?"
Haru raised an eyebrow, amused. "And should I act like a rom-com protagonist and swear my loyalty to you right now?"
"Don't be an idiot. Otherwise, I'll have to scold you," Yukino retorted, turning away to hide her irritation.
Off to the side, Yui struggled to suppress a giggle.
After spending more ti with Yukino, Yui had begun to understand her better.
While Yukino's deanor appeared cold and distant, there was a subtle kindness beneath it—hidden but not impossible to find.
When Yui asked for help with sothing, as long as she didn't seem too clueless, Yukino would provide patient and thorough guidance.
It's like… she has a low tolerance for stupidity?
Yui silently made this ntal note, glancing enviously at the easy close relationship between Yukino and Haru.
She wanted that too!
Before long, the clubroom's calm atmosphere was disrupted by a visitor.
This ti, it was a petite, golden-haired girl with an adorably expressive face.
"Amamiya, do you have a mont?"
Eriri stood hesitantly in the doorway, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
Another one?!
Yui and the others exchanged astonished glances.
Now all three of the school's most famous beauties had shown up in one day.
Yukino, however, remained composed. She already knew about Eriri from her conversations with Haru.
Haru followed Eriri outside. Seeing her still looking uneasy, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You went out of your way to find , so why are you the one looking nervous now?"
"I-I'm not nervous!" Eriri retorted, her cheeks flushing pink.
Haru didn't press the issue. "So, what brings you here?"
After a mont's hesitation, Eriri looked up at him. "My family's hosting a gathering next Wednesday. My mom wants to know if you can attend."
Haru paused, caught off guard.
He knew his parents had ties to the Spencer family, but according to his father, their relationship was more of a casual acquaintance than a close partnership.
After considering for a mont, he asked, "Do I have to go?"
Eriri tilted her head, curious. "You don't like those kinds of gatherings either?"
"Not really. I usually avoid them because they feel like a waste of ti."
" too," Eriri said, her expression brightening slightly.
"Hah, so we're on the sa page then."
"...You're right," she replied, a bit surprised at how easily the conversation flowed.
For soone who wasn't great at dealing with people, Eriri found this childhood acquaintance surprisingly easy to talk to.
Gathering her courage, she asked, "By the way, about what happened the other day… when those seniors tried to pick a fight with you on the field… Are you okay?"
Her voice softened toward the end, and a hint of pink crept up her cheeks.
She felt a little embarrassed asking this. It sounded too much like she was concerned for him—which, of course, she was.
Having witnessed the incident firsthand, she'd been angered by Tomoya's earlier remarks.
I saw it with my own eyes. How dare he act like I don't know what I'm talking about?
Moreover, the doubt had co from a childhood friend.
That made her even angrier.
"Thanks for asking, but I'm fine. They were the ones who ended up paying the price," Haru replied calmly.
"I-I wasn't worried about you! Don't overthink it… Anyway, I've said what I ca to say. If you don't want to go, that's fine too. I'll be going now."
Eriri turned and left in a fluster, her retreat almost hurried.
When Haru returned to the photography clubroom, he casually brought up the family gathering to Yukino.
"Want to co with ?" he asked.
Yukino, who had been jotting down notes, put down her pen and looked at him with suspicion.
"You actually want to attend?"
"Since Sawamura-San specifically invited , it wouldn't feel right to refuse outright. Even if I'm not a fan of these things, I should at least show up."
Hearing this, Yukino gave a small nod of acknowledgnt. "In that case, I'll go with you."
Then, as if rembering sothing, she asked, "By the way, did you already know Kasumigaoka-senpai before today?"
"Before today? I've only spoken to her twice since school started. The first ti was when she greeted , and the second was during that incident with the seniors."
Haru spoke openly, trusting Yukino as soone he had grown up with.
Yukino frowned slightly, still puzzled. "Senpai doesn't strike as soone who would be overly infatuated. If you've only t her twice, why was she so enthusiastic today?"
"She ntioned that she was present during the high jump competition we had back in elentary school."
"Hm?"
"That's what she told . I didn't even notice her back then," Haru explained with a shrug.
"..."
Seeing no hint of humor in his expression, Yukino fell silent.
After a long pause, her tone grew complicated. "How many people were watching that high jump competition?"
She felt like she might have stumbled upon a crucial detail.
Haru's voice grew just as uncertain as hers. "I genuinely have no idea."
Yukino didn't know how to respond.
Aside from herself, both Eriri and Utaha had now erged with unexpected connections to Haru.
Instinctively, she glanced at Yui, who was diligently working on her notes.
Could she be another one? Yukino wondered.
Though judging by her behavior lately, it's clear she didn't know Haru before… But as for Senpai and the others, their coincidences are uncanny.
For a brief mont, Yukino entertained a wild thought: perhaps she needed to verify Haru's elentary school records.
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