That morning at school, Haru was immediately surrounded by his group of friends, subjected to what could only be described as a friendly "interrogation."

They'd long gotten used to seeing Haru and Yukino arrive at school together—by now, it wasn't even worth gossiping over, except to the few hardcore shippers who still daydreamed about the pairing.

But Kasumigaoka-senpai? That was another matter entirely.

She wasn't just a beauty. She was the school idol—admired by nearly every male student. Only Yukino, with her own blend of brilliance and elegance, could rival her. So when that goddess-like senior strolled into school with Haru, looking comfortable and familiar, it stirred an understandable wave of disbelief.

"Haru, this is your last chance to confess."

The second class break brought no relief—Haru found himself cornered, one of the guys even looping an arm around his neck, leaning in with a conspiratorial tone.

"Before we decide to spill what we saw this morning, you'd better start talking."

"About what?" Haru replied, utterly unfazed.

"You know what! Why the hell were you walking to school with Kasumigaoka-senpai?"

"Oh, that?" Haru replied with an innocent expression. "I've already explained—this is all part of the photography club's burning passion!"

"…You're spouting nonsense again!" one of them snapped. "What does passion have to do with this? Even if your club is 'passionate,' Kasumigaoka-senpai doesn't seem the type to go for that sort of thing."

Haru smirked knowingly. He'd dealt with high school boys plenty—time to change the narrative.

"That's just because you don't know her well enough. Something happened at the photography club recently... Something shocking. You guys should've seen it."

"Then tell us what happened! In detail!" The others leaned in excitedly.

But Haru just looked at them, puzzled. "Tell you what? I just said—you didn't see it."

"Yeah, and then?" someone asked, clearly confused.

"And since you didn't see it, I don't feel like explaining."

"…You bastard."

The group fell into playful cursing and teasing, eventually calming down. It was all in good fun, anyway. They weren't about to actually spread rumors—they didn't even have that many friends to gossip to.

Still, Hayakawa gave Haru a brotherly pat and offered a bit of advice.

"Look, I don't know what's going on between you and Kasumigaoka-senpai, but you two better not act too close."

"Why not?" Haru asked, tilting his head.

Hayakawa looked dead serious. "Everyone already knows you and Yukinoshita-san are a couple. And Kasumigaoka-senpai is... well, Kasumigaoka-senpai. If people see you getting too friendly with her, Yukinoshita-san might not be happy."

You're right, Hayakawa... except they're already "duo-queuing" with me every night.

Haru kept a straight face. "Thanks for the advice. But now I'm curious—why do you sound like a romance expert? You barely talk to girls."

Hayakawa grinned. "I've completed over a hundred galgames. The number of heroines I've successfully romanced could stretch from here to Akihabara."

Haru gave him a slow clap. "Incredible."

During the second break, they shifted to game talk, and eventually Haru mentioned that he was planning to shoot some videos of the orange cat, Mikan. That got the group fired up.

"If you're going for funny, then we're talking meme content, right? I can lend you my Ultraman Zero costume—you should film yourself in the suit playing with the cat. That's a guaranteed hit!"

"Yeah! My brother has a Kamen Rider Kuuga costume. Want me to borrow it for you?"

Everyone threw in ideas. Haru found a few genuinely amusing, jotting them down in his notebook.

When lunchtime arrived, Haru headed to Yukino's classroom—partly to ask her to lunch, partly to share the boys' creative suggestions.

As he arrived, a girl stepped out and lit up when she saw him. "Haru? Looking for Yukinoshita?"

"Yeah, is she inside?"

"She's at her desk, looks like she didn't sleep well—been napping since the last break."

"Thanks."

Haru smiled and entered, drawing curious glances from the classmates still lingering. Everyone was used to him and Yukino being close by now—but that didn't make them any less interested in the gossip potential.

There she was, resting her chin on her arms, eyes closed. Haru reached out and let his fingers slide gently through her silky black hair.

"…Having fun?"

Her voice came cold and crisp, even without lifting her head. She'd recognized him instantly.

"How'd you know it was me?" Haru asked playfully, still brushing her hair between his fingers.

"You give off a certain… idiotic scent."

Yukino sat up slowly, her face still tinged with sleepiness—and unmistakable annoyance.

She glanced at Haru's hand still behind her, and swatted his arm away with a sharp smack.

This, of course, thrilled the surrounding students.

Teasing banter!

Classic romantic tension!

Did you see that?!

The room buzzed with a low ripple of energy.

Yukino noticed and stood up briskly, not even glancing back at Haru as she walked toward the door. The disappointed audience deflated—they hadn't gotten enough of the show.

Haru followed, calling out, "Why'd you smack me just now?"

"You weren't honest. Why should I let you mess with my hair?" she replied coolly.

"I wasn't lying," Haru said with a smile. "If I weren't here to ask you to lunch, I'd have gone to the cafeteria by myself."

"Oh? So lunch was one reason. Which means there's another." Yukino arched an eyebrow, catching on quickly.

"Exactly. Hayakawa and the others gave me some creative ideas earlier, and I thought you'd be interested."

"What kind of ideas?" she asked, visibly curious now.

But Haru was once again distracted by her long, flowing hair. "Say, Yukino… have you ever thought about trying a high ponytail?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why the sudden interest in my hairstyle?"

"I just think it would suit you. Actually, every hairstyle would suit you."

"Heh, showering me with compliments so quickly? What's your angle?"

"I want to play with your ponytail," Haru said, revealing his true intentions like a fox showing its tail.

That silky touch from earlier… it had left him enchanted.

"You're such a child. Who even thinks of something that immature?" Yukino huffed.

That was an outright rejection.

Even if she didn't mind deep down, there was no way she'd agree so easily. Giving in now would only encourage his brazenness.

She knew her childhood friend's shameless nature all too well—give him an inch, and he'd climb right into her bed with a grin.

If you handed him a brush and a palette, he wouldn't paint a rainbow—he'd toss out every color except the brightest, most obnoxious yellow.

So, without hesitation, she added coldly, "If you're that desperate to play with a ponytail, go ask Senpai. I'm sure she'll say yes."

But Haru wasn't falling for that trap. "If I actually did that, you'd definitely beat me up."

Yukino's lips curved into a stunning, radiant smile. "Wrong. I'd beat both of you up."

There it was again—that fierce, war goddess smile.

Unfortunately, this time the blade was pointed at him.

If only she were aiming at someone else, Haru thought, he could've joined the crowd and cheered:"We're saved! It's General Yukino!"

But alas, today, he was the enemy.

~~~~~~~~~~

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