Miss Ninagawa's comment had been far too bold and sudden.

Because Haru had helped his parents run their business from a young age and risen in status, he'd already heard plenty of outrageous rumors from the entertainment industry. So he was the calmest person present.

Yukino, however, was another matter entirely.

No matter how brilliant she was, she was still just a beautiful high school girl who hadn't stepped into the adult world yet. Any information about things outside school had always been carefully curated and filtered—by none other than Haru himself.

Utaha might brag about having one foot in society thanks to her best-selling books, but in reality, she was still stuck in the tutorial village.

Oddly enough, Megumi showed little reaction. To someone unfamiliar with her, she might've seemed like a gentle, soft-spoken girl—but inside, she had a sharp, dark streak.

"Is that really the kind of thing you just blurt out in public?" she asked flatly.

Shizuka, the only real adult in the group, finally came to her senses. To stop the mood from getting awkward, she spoke in a joking tone:

"Miss Ninagawa, right? If we want to hear more of these stories… do we need to pay for a subscription?"

Ninagawa caught on immediately and chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry, that was out of line. I shouldn't have said that in front of you high schoolers."

After they all introduced themselves properly, she was genuinely surprised to hear that Haru's cat had passed the audition.

Apparently, she'd noticed the fat cat when she came in and had just assumed the group was out cat-walking.

"Why don't you guys go sit in the cafe across the street first?" she offered. "I'll join you after I finish talking to my friend."

The group naturally agreed.

Once they were seated in the café, Shizuka curiously pulled out her phone and searched for "Ninagawa Mika." What popped up was an overwhelming flood of entries and articles that left her stunned.

"Wait… she's the Ninagawa Mika? A director? And a veteran one at that?"

She looked absolutely gobsmacked.

Haru responded casually:

"Didn't you ask Yukino about that earlier? Why are you so surprised now?"

Still staring at her phone, Shizuka answered:

"I thought she was just a small-time director or something. I mean, you guys are just…"

She paused, trying to phrase it tactfully.

"Because we're just high schoolers, you assumed any director we knew would only be doing web dramas or student films?" Haru finished for her.

Shizuka gave an awkward smile—that was clearly exactly what she'd thought.

Yukino chimed in:

"To be fair, this was just a coincidence. If Ninagawa-san hadn't taken a liking to Haru, we never would've met someone of her level."

"Ah, I see…"

Shizuka nodded reflexively and gave Haru a second glance. Internally, her impression of his abilities climbed another notch.

But Haru didn't make a big deal of it. It's not like he was planning to join the entertainment industry or anything. His ultimate goal was just to shoot a tokusatsu series.

Haru wasn't much of a coffee or drink person, so among the group, he was the only one with an empty table in front of him.

Once Shizuka overcame her initial shock, her warm and attentive side came out. Seeing Megumi still fiddling with her phone and staying silent, she took the initiative to start a conversation about Ninagawa.

Yukino also occasionally chipped in.

Only Utaha sat with her arms crossed, leaning back in her seat, lost in thought.

"What's on your mind, senpai?" Haru asked.

"Just thinking about what Miss Ninagawa said earlier," she replied.

That instantly drew everyone's attention.

Yukino frowned. "You mean… you're thinking about the director's private life?"

Utaha put on her usual calm expression:

"It's just that what Miss Ninagawa said was so shocking. At first, I thought the director seemed like a man with artistic vibes, but I never imagined he was…"

She stopped just short of saying the word that would've made things very awkward.

Yukino looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"I should've known, senpai. You're a year older than us, and apparently, your priorities have matured in all the wrong ways."

"Don't think I didn't hear that sarcasm," Utaha shot back.

"As long as you got the message, I don't need to repeat it," Yukino replied coldly.

Utaha opened her mouth—nearly blurting out "Miss Meow"—but caught herself just in time. She changed it to a dismissive snort.

"Forget it. Since Jelly passed the audition, I'm in a good mood. Not in the mood to bicker."

Yukino didn't respond. Instead, she looked at Haru.

"Do you think Ninagawa-san wants something from us?"

Haru had indeed considered that possibility.

"I'm guessing it's about that short film you made."

That definitely piqued everyone's interest—even Shizuka and Megumi looked over.

Utaha tilted her head in confusion.

"Didn't she already know about that? Last time we bumped into her on set, she didn't bring it up at all."

Yukino refuted:

"You forgot already, senpai? She came to the set incognito. She clearly didn't want to attract attention, so of course she wouldn't talk to us."

"Hmm… I suppose."

Utaha replied flatly—not quite disagreeing, but definitely not admitting Yukino had a point.

Haru stepped in to smooth things over.

"Yukino really poured her heart into that short film. I'm sure Ninagawa-san noticed the way you used visual storytelling—and given your age, she probably respects your work a lot."

"Yeah, you guys are still in high school!" Shizuka nodded in agreement.

Yukino's cheeks flushed slightly. Being praised in front of friends—especially by Haru—made her genuinely happy.

Shizuka lifted her coffee and spoke with a complicated expression.

"I guess I really am falling behind the times. When I was in high school, all I cared about was manga. I wasn't half as talented as you lot."

Haru smiled kindly.

"Don't say that, Hiratsuka-sensei. You have plenty of strengths."

She blinked in surprise, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Like what?"

"Your Iron Fist is amazing."

He said it with the utmost sincerity.

Yukino and Utaha both cracked subtle smiles.

Megumi blinked slowly, thinking to herself: Yup, Amamiya-kun's still as bold as ever.

"How is that a strength?" Shizuka's face flushed red.

"Are you messing with me on purpose?"

It was unclear whether she was red with anger—or just flustered.

But Haru had his own logic:

"Why wouldn't it be a strength? Your Iron Fist is proof that being around you gives people a strong sense of security."

As he met her embarrassed and irritated gaze, he doubled down:

"Think about it, sensei. A regular woman working overtime late at night… wouldn't she be afraid walking home alone?"

Utaha suddenly joined the conversation:

"Actually, I kind of agree. Hiratsuka-sensei does give off a very dependable vibe."

Haru's confidence grew with the support:

"Exactly. With Hiratsuka-sensei around, if anything happened—say, someone tried to attack us—she could just punch them and boom! A million different outcomes are possible!"

Shizuka, who had just shifted from embarrassment to a sliver of happiness—being appreciated and trusted by her students was, after all, nice—was now visibly confused.

"Wait… what do you mean, 'a million different outcomes'?"

Utaha and Megumi both looked at Haru, puzzled by his logic.

Yukino sighed, visibly exasperated.

"What he means is… Hiratsuka-sensei is so strong, that the moment she throws a punch, the attacker might run away, collapse on the spot… or be sent straight to the ICU."

Shizuka: "..."

Utaha looked astonished:

"Sensei's really that strong?"

She had assumed Haru was just joking.

Megumi, on the other hand, studied Haru, then glanced at Shizuka's complicated expression—and figured it was probably true.

Hmm… I wonder how Hiratsuka-sensei stacks up against Yukinoshita in terms of raw strength…

She didn't compare them to Haru, though.

Because she'd already seen what he was capable of firsthand—and based on what she'd witnessed and pieced together lately, Haru might as well be a real-life Saitama.

Even if she didn't know exactly how much destructive power he had when throwing a punch, she was sure it wasn't human anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~

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