During the afternoon P.E. class, Makoto was once again playing volleyball with a few classmates.
Unlike last time, he had the idea to test his explosive power this time.
So when he jumped high and delivered a terrifying spike, the look in his classmates' eyes changed.
With the speed of that spike just now, it wasn't that they couldn't receive the ball—it was that they simply didn't dare to.
The volleyball hit the ground with a heavy thud and then bounced high into the air, flying off to who knows where.
"Fushimi, are you going all out now?"
Even Makoto's teammates raised the question.
"I haven't really used much strength yet," Makoto said, shaking his arm, feeling that he still had more power to spare.
"You call that not using strength?"
Clearly, none of the classmates believed him.
Fortunately, thanks to the internet these days, everyone had already seen clips of professional volleyball players' insane explosiveness, so they weren't too scared to keep playing just because of Makoto's power.
Everyone unanimously agreed—Makoto had definitely been holding back last time.
Some other students nearby also witnessed the moment.
Like Hayato.
He looked in the direction the volleyball had bounced with a stunned expression, muttering to himself, "If the club president saw that, he'd probably go all out to recruit Fushimi for the soccer team."
What Makoto showed just now wasn't just explosive strength.
Agility, speed—he saw it all clearly.
Watching Makoto laughing and chatting with his classmates, he couldn't help but recall what Makoto had said last time:
"I feel like I'm busy every day, but I don't even know what I'm busy with."
That line stuck with him because it reflected his own current situation.
On the girls' side, quite a few were paying attention too.
There were only two good-looking guys in the class. With Hayato just chatting with friends and nothing worth watching, they might as well enjoy Makoto's athletic prowess.
Yumiko stood among a few friends, arms crossed, nodding appreciatively as she watched.
The more outstanding Makoto's performance, the more attention he drew from the girls—and that made her even happier.
After all, aside from Itsuki, she believed she had the best relationship with Makoto in the whole class.
Of course, that was her own judgment.
"Yumiko, do you think Fushimi will join the volleyball club? That spike was insane," a friend next to her asked.
"Absolutely not. He has his own club—there's only so much energy one person has," Yumiko replied confidently.
There was something else she didn't say aloud: If Makoto gets too busy, how will he take pictures for me in the future?
She had already made up her mind—she was going to turn Makoto into her personal photographer.
Only then could she keep getting beautiful photos regularly.
And their relationship would have a reason to continue.
Thinking of that, she couldn't help but feel a bit lucky. Good thing she had taken the initiative to chat with Makoto a few times early on.
Otherwise, she might've missed out on such a capable friend.
To be honest, she initially paid attention to Makoto just because he was good-looking.
Later, when Hayato kept showing how much he cared about Makoto—mentioning him every other day—she couldn't help but blurt out, "Do you have a crush on Fushimi or something?"
With her friends also paying attention to him, it was only natural she got drawn in too.
And whenever she recalled Makoto saying she had a natural instinct for candid photos, she would smile unconsciously.
Yumiko glanced around and quickly spotted Itsuki chatting with classmates.
Everyone had changed into their gym clothes, and with her golden hair and long legs, Yumiko should've been the most eye-catching girl on the field.
But after Itsuki changed, her bust advantage became even more obvious.
Yumiko genuinely couldn't understand—what were the Nakano girls eating to grow up like this?
How could they have such full chests while also possessing features that made other girls envious?
Looking more closely—damn—even Itsuki's hip line was that good!
She remembered the rumor she heard during lunch: the five sisters, Makoto, and Yukino all had lunch together.
Since she was Makoto's friend, good-looking, and low-key, Yumiko decided she should try getting on Itsuki's good side.
Once she had the thought, she acted immediately.
"Miura-san?" Itsuki also noticed her.
Yumiko walked up, wearing her usual smile. "Itsuki, want to hang out after school?"
"Eh? Me?" Itsuki pointed at her own face in surprise.
"That's right. I think we could become friends," Yumiko said with her usual confidence.
Compared to Nino, she liked this one in front of her better.
"Thanks a lot for the invitation, but I've got something to do today," Itsuki replied apologetically.
"You already made plans with a friend?"
"I'm meeting up with Ichika to go find Fushimi, but I can't really say more than that."
Going to find Makoto?
Yumiko's expression turned slightly suspicious.
That sentence could be interpreted in many ways.
Maybe they were going shopping. Or maybe… they were going to his house?
Could it be the latter?
If so, wasn't their relationship a bit too close?
Yumiko hesitated, then decided to test things out after school.
Makoto had no idea about any of this.
After school, on his way home, he received a message from Yumiko.
Yumiko: [Wanna hang out? We can grab dinner too.]
Makoto: [Just you and me?]
Yumiko: [And my friends. Speaking of which, those two guys we went out with last time were really curious about you.
They kept saying something about wanting to become your disciples. What's that about?]
Disciples?
Did they see how I flirted with you that day?
Makoto thought to himself that he wasn't taking disciples.
He'd only improved because he'd been training in a time loop for so long—there was no way he could casually teach anyone else.
He replied immediately: [If there are others coming, then forget it. I thought it was just the two of us.]
Yumiko was stunned on the other end of the line.
Was that... a date invitation?
Is he really that into me?
Yumiko felt a secret joy rise in her heart, but her face turned a little red as well.
But then, Makoto sent another message: [I was just joking. I already have plans with someone else today.]
Yumiko: [I figured you were joking.]
As she typed that, her slender fingers were tapping faster than usual.
Over on his end, Makoto was amused.
A tsundere beauty really is adorable.
But he wasn't lying—he actually did have plans today.
Around noon, Ichika had secretly told him to come find her after school.
She even proactively asked for his address.
Such a sudden visit could only mean something was going to happen.
Makoto didn't ask. He was more than happy to indulge in the anticipation.
Meanwhile, at the Nakano household—
Ichika had just come out of the bath when she saw Nino and Itsuki staring at her in the living room.
She wasn't surprised to see Itsuki—she had already arranged to meet with her.
But Nino being there was definitely not part of the plan.
"You just got home and immediately took a bath. Got a date?" Nino asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
Ichika didn't answer right away. She first glanced at Itsuki for a silent confirmation.
Itsuki shook her head, signaling that she hadn't told Nino anything.
Ichika breathed a sigh of relief. Wrapped in her towel, she stepped forward with a smile and hugged Nino's arm.
"What are you doing? Let go! You're all wet—I really don't want to change clothes right now!" Nino freaked out instantly, trying to pull away in disgust.
Ichika clung tightly to her little sister and said with a smile, "Me and Itsuki are about to do something really fun. Nino, do you want to join us?"
"What is it?" Nino stopped struggling.
"A classmate at school said something funny today. She said that if all five of us dressed the same, there's no way anyone could tell us apart."
"What's so fun about that?" Nino looked puzzled.
The five of them had always been good at pretending to be each other. They even used to play identity-swapping games when they were kids.
But they weren't children anymore. She didn't see the fun in doing that now.
Ichika grinned. "What if I told you that I plan to swap identities with Itsuki and go visit Makoto's house—to test whether he can recognize me or not? Still think it's boring?"
Nino froze.
She turned to Itsuki in disbelief. "You're going along with Ichika's nonsense?"
Itsuki replied sheepishly, "Ichika promised to bring me delicious food regularly if I did."
Nino looked at them both with clear disdain. "You two are seriously the worst."
Then, she raised her chin proudly. "But I'm joining you!"
Ichika's smile didn't waver—she had expected this response from Nino all along.
There's a saying: it's better to redirect than to block.
Nino was strong-willed, had great leadership skills, and cared deeply about everyone.
If she kept hiding things from Nino, it would only cause unnecessary trouble later.
Better to let Nino know early about her closeness with Makoto.
That way, when she and Makoto eventually became a couple, Nino would be able to accept it—and maybe even give her blessing as a family member.
Yes, Ichika was already thinking far ahead.
After all those late-night practice runs she'd done in private with cucumbers, she had already become a Cucumber Sage!
Cucumber Sage Ichika was absolutely confident in handling Makoto's "weapon and killing intent."
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