Yukino had realized that gumi Kato was not as ordinary as she seed, but for now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.
As she left the photography club, Yui and Hashimoto exchanged puzzled glances, wondering where Yukino was headed in such a hurry.
Then, one of the girls suddenly asked, "Huh? Where did Kato go?"
"Eh? Wasn't she just here? That's weird, where did such a big presence like Kato suddenly disappear to?"
Yui stared blankly at the now-empty seat and slowly ca to a realization.
Not long after Yukino stepped out of the clubroom, a quiet voice sounded behind her.
"Are you going to find Amamiya-kun?"
When did she catch up to ?
Yukino ca to a sudden stop.
Turning around, she saw gumi Kato standing there, looking as calm and composed as ever.
There was a certain kind of relaxed aura about her, one that was difficult to put into words.
Am I still not used to her unpredictability? Even though this kind of thing is completely illogical…
Yukino sighed and rubbed her temples. For the first ti, she found herself feeling at a loss when dealing with another girl.
But she wasn't soone who could be easily shaken. In just two seconds, she had already regained her usual cool composure.
"Why are you following ?" she asked.
"You still haven't explained that lighting issue to ," gumi replied.
"Oh, my bad. I'll explain it to you later."
"You're being cautious around , aren't you?"
gumi's sudden remark cut through the air like a knife.
For a mont, the atmosphere froze.
But Yukino's expression didn't waver in the slightest.
"You're right," she admitted bluntly.
gumi's voice was soft. "I don't have feelings for him."
Yukino raised an eyebrow.
That answer was unexpected.
And the way gumi said it—completely calm, as if she were just casually ntioning what she had for breakfast—was even more unexpected.
The two girls held each other's gaze for a few monts before Yukino finally nodded.
"I see."
They continued walking.
After a mont, Yukino asked, "So, the only reason you joined the photography club was because he left a strong impression on you when you were kids?"
"That's part of it. But mostly, I didn't have a club to join, and there weren't many familiar faces in my class. It's rare to et soone from the past after so many years, so I figured, why not?"
gumi's voice remained as steady and unshaken as ever.
So steady that even Yukino couldn't detect any changes in her tone.
But one thing was certain—this seemingly ordinary girl wasn't lying.
What she couldn't be sure of, however, was whether gumi had truly been as emotionless as she seed when she said, "I don't have feelings for him."
Could she really be that indifferent?
Yukino had her doubts.
To put it in simpler terms, she suspected that gumi was trying to win the fight with nothing but basic attacks while she herself was saving up a special move.
Still, Yukino wasn't the type to celebrate prematurely.
Neither of them pressed the topic any further.
A strange sense of temporary harmony settled between them.
Though it might only be temporary.
anwhile, on another side of the school…
"You're not busy today, senpai?"
Haru walked alongside Utaha, heading toward the clubrooms.
"If I were, I wouldn't have had ti to stop by the karate club and watch the show."
That single sentence was enough to confirm that she had completely skipped photography club today.
Haru was about to respond, but she cut in first.
"By the way, do you know how to bake a cake?"
"…That's a pretty random topic switch."
"I want to surprise my mom, but no one I know seems to have any experience with baking."
It was a reasonable explanation.
"I see. Yeah, I actually know how to bake." Haru nodded. "But if you're looking for soone to teach you, there's soone way more qualified than . She's basically a professional."
"You an Yukinoshita-san?"
Utaha tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her smile teasing.
"I told you before, Amamiya-kun—ntioning another girl in front of a girl isn't exactly polite."
"Well, she really is the expert… But if you don't want to ask her, you'll have to wait until I have so free ti."
Haru understood the implication behind her words.
Sothing felt off.
Her fondness for him seed to be growing.
Was it because he had given her an umbrella that day in the rain?
"You don't have ti tonight?" she asked.
She smiled—polite on the surface, yet steadily advancing.
"He obviously doesn't have ti tonight."
Yukino's voice cut in.
Utaha paused briefly.
Turning her head, she saw Yukino and gumi Kato walking over.
She didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest and instead asked directly, "Did you two make plans for tonight?"
Yukino responded in an even tone, "He has a sparring match with Oyama-senpai tonight. Coincidentally, I also planned to visit his place to play with his cat. So no, he doesn't have ti."
Her logic was crystal clear. There was no room for argunt.
Of course, Utaha knew she could simply ask, 'Can I co over to Amamiya's place to see the cat?'
But seeing Yukino's composed and confident deanor, she knew her rival had co prepared.
The odds of winning were too low. There was no point in pushing further.
For now, she would retreat.
Utaha reached her conclusion.
Yukino then turned to Haru and said, "You should be heading back to the club. A club president shouldn't be slacking off."
"A little slacking off once in a while won't hurt, right?" Haru replied with a grin.
Yukino suddenly switched to Chinese. "Are you trying to slack off, or are you trying to steal sothing?"
Haru blinked.
Today, Yukino was being unusually aggressive.
Utaha and gumi both looked confused, unable to understand the sudden change in language.
As Yukino walked alongside Haru, she continued speaking in Chinese, "Did you have fun spending ti with that senpai?"
Haru raised an eyebrow. "Be honest, are you jealous?"
"Not at all."
Yukino's lips curled into a graceful smile, completely unfazed. "To put it in your own words, I just have a strong desire to fight right now."
Tatakae?
Haru couldn't help but wonder—did sothing happen between her and gumi?
Otherwise, why would she suddenly switch into battle mode?
Of course, Yukino had no intention of telling him that she still rembered everything her mother had said.
As the rightful queen, it was only natural to clean up a few unruly fox spirits in her spare ti.
Utaha watched them walk away, her chest rising and falling slightly.
After a mont, she muttered, "Just now… were they…"
gumi remained completely composed. "They were having an encrypted conversation."
I KNOW THAT!
Utaha was speechless. That wasn't what she was asking.
Recalling the conversation, she frowned slightly. "It sounded like… Chinese."
gumi didn't respond this ti.
Utaha clenched her fists. So, you won't give the microphone, huh?
Fine. It's just Chinese. I can learn it!
gumi's gaze flickered slightly.
She had just witnessed a woman completely consud by jealousy.
That Night
After his sparring match, Haru returned ho as usual.
Yukino was lounging in the living room, cradling the orange cat in her arms. "You said you're starting filming for that short film on Saturday. Have you finished writing the script?"
Haru pointed to his head. "It's all in here. I'll write it down later."
Yukino didn't press the issue further, content to focus on petting the cat.
Yesterday he played with my legs and I reacted.
Honestly, I probably shouldn't have co over tonight.
She blushed slightly as she listened to the sound of the running shower.
Good thing I brought more than one set of clothes last ti. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have a fresh pair of underwear to change into.
When Haru finished his shower, he headed straight to his room.
Yukino didn't follow. She absentmindedly watched the TV, her mind elsewhere.
At 9 PM, seeing that Haru still hadn't co out, she picked up the cat and walked over to his room.
She knocked. No response.
When she pushed open the door, she found him slumped over his desk, dozing off in front of his computer.
Yukino's gaze softened instantly.
Setting the orange cat down by the door, she stepped inside, picked up a light blanket, and draped it over him.
His computer screen was still on, displaying a docunt filled with dense lines of text. Clearly, he had already finished writing.
I'm not sleepy anyway. If he's still out when I co back, I'll wake him up and make him go to bed properly.
With that thought, Yukino went to take a shower.
Since Haru wasn't in the living room, she didn't bother changing into her pajamas right away.
Instead, she slipped into a comfortable bathrobe, loosely tying the belt around her waist, her body relaxed and unguarded.
She removed her hair wrap, letting her long, sleek black hair cascade freely over her shoulders.
Stopping in front of Haru's door, she hesitated for a mont before stepping inside.
She hadn't intended to do anything.
She just walked over to where he slept, leaned in slightly, and gazed at his face.
I've been looking at this face for over ten years now.
And I'll be looking at it for many, many more years to co.
Her lips curled into a gentle smile.
But in the next mont, her smile vanished.
Because a warm arm suddenly reached out.
Completely unprepared, Yukino had no ti to react.
In the blink of an eye, she was pulled forward—straight into Haru's chest.
Her loosely tied bathrobe fell further open.
"…Hah, gotcha—wait, what the hell, why aren't you wearing anything?!"
"Let go. Right. Now."
Her cheeks burned bright red as she gritted her teeth.
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