Yukino and Utaha didn't stay in the room for long.

When they returned to the living room, they found Haru and Megumi—one was scrolling on his phone, and the other was petting the fat cat.

"You two done talking?"

Haru put down his phone and looked at the two beautiful girls now sitting across from him.

"You knew what we were discussing?" Utaha asked, slightly surprised.

Yukino replied calmly, "He was probably talking with Kato as well—just that they were discussing us instead."

Megumi quietly stroked the cat and said nothing.

Utaha took off her coat and casually hung it over the back of a chair. As she tugged at her snug sweater that accentuated her curves, she asked,

"What are your thoughts on Ms. Ninagawa's proposal?"

"The decision is yours to make. Whatever you decide, I'll support it."

Haru answered crisply.

Utaha pressed her lips together, hesitating to speak.

Yukino, meanwhile, calmly poured herself some tea and said lightly,

"See, senpai? I told you this is exactly what he'd say. Your overthinking was just unnecessary self-torture."

Utaha adopted her usual cold expression. "So you're saying Ms. Ninagawa's offer didn't move you at all?"

"I was a little tempted at first. I do want to grow, after all," Yukino replied steadily.

She took a sip of her tea, moistening her throat before continuing with a relaxed air, "But on the way back, I thought it through. Whether it's cinematography or directing, I don't feel an urgent need to pursue either right now."

Utaha frowned. "But you just said you want to grow—how could you not feel urgency?"

"That's because... whatever Ms. Ninagawa could teach us, he might be able to teach as well."Yukino said this while glancing briefly at Haru.

She knew her childhood friend far too well.

The fact that he gave them full control over the decision without offering any opinion of his own—meant that he himself was prepared to be the safety net for both her and Utaha.

You could also say it came down to confidence.

Even if things didn't go well with Ms. Ninagawa, they could always come back and ask Haru for help.

Ms. Ninagawa once said that Haru is a true genius—so much so that even she wouldn't dare offer advice recklessly.

Yukino knew exactly how much weight those words carried.

Utaha, too, now wore a thoughtful expression. She clearly picked up on the deeper meaning behind Yukino's words.

Suddenly, Megumi—still lazily petting the cat—spoke up. "Senpai, aren't you already way ahead of your peers?"

Utaha blinked in surprise, realizing Megumi was referring to her achievements as a novelist.

She shook her head calmly. "Even so, it's not enough."

Megumi whispered softly, "I thought so."

Yukino didn't react, her expression unchanged, as if she hadn't heard.

"Want my advice?" Haru suddenly chimed in.

Utaha's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to him. "Please do."

Haru's tone was unusually serious. "I admire your desire to keep improving, and I get what you mean when you say 'it's not enough.' It's probably because last year's short film—my script, directed by Yukino—got such high praise from Ms. Ninagawa. That must've triggered some urgency in you."

Utaha opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to argue—to save a bit of face.

But she caught sight of Yukino and Megumi both looking at her. In the end, she just closed her mouth and nodded, a little sulkily.

Haru continued, tone unchanged. "There's nothing shameful about wanting to improve. In fact, I think it's admirable."

Then he looked at Yukino. "You think so too, right?"

Utaha looked over instinctively. To her surprise, Yukino didn't mock her. She simply replied, "I do."

Haru smiled. "See? I bet you're surprised. You're probably thinking, 'But Yukino and I always argue, so shouldn't she be teasing me right now?'"

Utaha blushed slightly and lowered her head to sip her tea.

Being seen through like that in front of everyone was... deeply embarrassing.

Especially since it was so accurate.

Megumi chimed in at just the right moment. "Senpai's probably just distracted by what Ms. Ninagawa said. But if you think about it, Yukino has always respected people who take their work seriously."

Utaha sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Yeah... I guess I overlooked that."

Seeing that she'd come around, Haru got back on topic. "Like I said, I'll support whatever decision you make. But I still think your top priority should be finishing your current short film."

"I know, but..."

Before she could finish, Haru cut her off. "No buts. People only have so much energy. Even someone as capable as Yukino can't juggle a short film and something else major at the same time."

He paused, then added, "Do you remember how you burned out last time?"

Utaha fell silent.

That had been one of her darker moments—pushing herself so hard she couldn't even attend school.

It was a bit of a black mark in her history... though she didn't mind it that much.

Because that was also when she and Haru grew closer.

"I told her something similar earlier, but she clearly didn't take it all in," Yukino added casually.

Utaha glared at her. "Were you just waiting here to mock me?"

Yukino smirked. "Mock? I'd call it supervision."

"Supervision?"

"Yeah. I think you're deliberately ignoring my advice just so Haru has an excuse to comfort you."

"…"

Utaha froze.

That... hadn't occurred to her.

But it wasn't entirely wrong either.

Among the three of them, she always argued with Yukino, and with Megumi, she was constantly on guard.

Only Haru—he was the one she wanted to listen to her.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's not get sidetracked," Haru clapped his hands, steering them back on track.

Yukino gave a slight nod, signaling she was done with her teasing.

Utaha looked back toward Haru. "So your advice is... to put Ms. Ninagawa's offer on hold?"

"Exactly. Finish what's on your plate first. Take things one step at a time. Not everyone's as overflowing with energy as me, after all," Haru joked.

That last line instantly made him the target of all three girls.

They skipped the argument and went straight to mocking him, teasing Haru for his self-praise.

But the momentary interruption helped Utaha calm down.

Her inner conflict stemmed from feeling she wasn't good enough.

Unlike Yukino, she wasn't his childhood friend, didn't share a long-standing bond.

Though... that friendship had long since evolved into something else.

Yukino's perspective had always been: "As long as I grow alongside Haru, it's fine."

Utaha, on the other hand, had immediately compared herself to him the moment she realized the full extent of his talent—and found herself lacking.

For someone as proud as her, that was hard to accept.

She wanted to grow stronger.

That's why, when Ms. Ninagawa offered to help her, she hesitated.

A well-known director offering mentorship—it was tempting.

But she already had a full plate. Adding more might just break her again.

Fortunately, she'd found clarity now.

That night, Megumi didn't stay over.

When Haru came back from seeing her off, he found Yukino asking, "Senpai can just stay out overnight whenever she wants now?"

Utaha replied casually, "My parents saw my success as a novelist, and with the short film as a handy excuse, they've stopped asking questions."

Yukino made a soft "oh" sound. "So basically, you're free to carry out your plan of sleeping at a boy's place every night."

Utaha didn't miss the sarcasm. "You're one to talk. I wasn't here these past few days—Miss Meow, I bet your legs were sore every morning."

Haru, who had just stepped into the room, sighed inwardly. Here they go again...

That "Miss Meow" nickname immediately lit a fire in Yukino.

She snapped coldly, "Senpai, is that your only talent—dirty jokes ?"

Utaha chuckled. "It's not a joke, it's the truth. Are you going to claim your legs never went weak? Every time the three of us got together, I always went first—so how come you still lost so fast?"

Yukino's expression turned ice-cold.

Not just because of the teasing, but because Utaha was twisting the truth.

Yes, Yukino always went second—not as a tactic, but because she was shy.

And yet Utaha spun it her way.

Because truthfully, every time the three of them were together, Utaha was the first to collapse... begging shamelessly.

Yukino took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and her gaze sharpened.

Haru recognized that look immediately.

She was switching to battle mode!

"Alright, you two. Cut it out!" Haru raised his voice just in time.

When both girls turned to glare at him, he shrugged and triggered a group taunt: "Whether it's Miss Meow or Bunny-senpai, you're both just losers in the end. So where do you get the confidence to brag about your glorious defeats in front of me?"

That single line was all it took to provoke both girls.

But neither Yukino nor Utaha made a move.

It was late. They knew that if they got too fired up, Haru might just drag them both into the bedroom for some 'real combat.'

And that was definitely something he'd do! (x2)

The two girls exchanged a glance, realizing they had the same thought, and quickly looked away.

Utaha stood up with faux calm and walked to the fridge. "Only Sprite and yogurt? We're out of juice?"

"I think Sprite's fine," Haru said offhandedly. He wasn't a big fan of soda, but from what he knew, even people who disliked Coke rarely hated Sprite.

~~~~~~~~~~

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