Everything went just as Shirase had expected—walking down the street with Nakano Nino drew plenty of glances.
There were, of course, girls sneaking looks at him too, but compared to the radiant, carefully dressed beauty beside him, the number of gazes he attracted naturally didn't even come close.
While they were walking, Shirase received an email from the captain—good news, for once. Three new students had just submitted their applications to join the Soccer Club.
And the reason all three joined was simple: they'd watched that friendly match the other day, and it had fired them up.
"Something good happened?" Nino asked, noticing the lightness in Shirase's expression as he lowered his phone.
"Yeah. Three new members joined the Soccer Club. At least now we won't be short on substitutes anymore," Shirase replied openly.
Nino smiled softly. "That's great. The news that you'll be facing one of the national top eight teams has already spread all over the school."
"Yeah, and because our opponent's a powerhouse, the team's been training even harder lately." Shirase nodded.
"You'll win, won't you?" she asked.
"Of course we will." Shirase smiled.
That confident smile made Nino's gaze lose focus for a moment. It was that very smile that had captured her heart back then.
Too bad this guy rarely showed it. Most of the time, he was teasing her or saying the dumbest things imaginable.
They stopped by a dessert shop near the cinema to grab something to eat. Neither of them had eaten dinner before heading out, so now that hunger had started creeping in, they ordered milk tea and sweet donuts.
Just as they were paying, a voice came from behind them:
"This is the one, Ichika. It's that donut shop I told you about—the one that tastes amazing."
The voice was unfamiliar, and normally they wouldn't have paid attention—except the speaker had said "Ichika."
Nino turned around first. The moment she saw Nakano Ichika, she froze.
Ichika hadn't noticed them yet. She was with a young woman, and the two had taken a seat by the window, looking leisurely through the menu.
Shirase blinked, genuinely surprised. What were the odds?
Beside him, Nino muttered in confusion, "Didn't Ichika say she had work today? How'd she have time to come here to eat... huh?"
She broke off mid-sentence—the reason clear before she even finished speaking.
Ichika had just pulled two movie tickets from her bag and handed them to the woman across from her.
"They're here to see a movie too!" Nino realized instantly.
Shirase didn't speak right away. He was studying the young woman sitting with Ichika, wondering if she might be someone Ichika had met while filming.
If so, then he'd need to help cover for her.
After all, he knew Ichika had been secretly filming commercials and short dramas lately, working hard toward her dream of becoming a star.
Seeing Nino still uncertain, Shirase offered calmly, "Maybe her part-time shift ended early, and she decided to come watch a movie with a coworker?"
Nino shook her head, unconvinced. "No way. If work really ended early, she'd have called me—she always does. She'd ask me to get food ready for her."
Shirase stayed composed. "Well, it's not impossible. Maybe she just couldn't refuse her coworker's invitation."
Right at that moment, Ichika raised her hand to call the waiter—and her gaze swept in their direction.
Their eyes met. Ichika's surprise was obvious for an instant before she covered it with her usual bright, friendly smile.
"She saw us! Perfect, I'll just go ask her myself—"
Nino had barely taken a step when she felt warmth wrap around her hand.
Startled, she turned her head to see Shirase's fingers interlaced with hers.
"Maybe don't," he said.
"Why not?"
"This is our date, isn't it? Or are you planning to add one more person to it? Or actually—two."
At his words, Nino's long lashes trembled slightly as she glanced down at their joined hands. "Fine. Ichika does have her own secrets… We'll talk to her after the movie, then."
"That's the spirit. Come on, let's get to the theater," Shirase said with a grin.
Nino hummed softly in agreement, no longer looking toward her sister. But her eyes blinked faster, occasionally sneaking shy glances at the hand holding hers.
...
From Ichika's side, the scene told her everything she needed to know. She exhaled in relief.
A moment ago, she'd been panicking, wondering what excuse to make if Nino came over to question her.
Good thing Shirase pulled her away.
Wait a second. Knowing Shirase's personality—if he saw me, he'd normally come say hi.
So he deliberately took Nino away… to cover for me?
Ichika rested her chin on her hand, thoughtful eyes flickering.
,,,
Meanwhile, Shirase and Nino finished their light snack and headed to the ticket counter to line up.
That was when Shirase finally noticed the title of the movie they'd be watching tonight.
"June's Love Letter?" He stared at the poster for a few seconds before asking, "Is this a school romance movie?"
"Should be? I haven't seen it either. But the guy's clearly wearing a school uniform on the poster—it's probably that kind of story," Nino said, also studying the poster.
Shirase's eyes drifted to the two female leads depicted there. The one on the left was in uniform too, but the one on the right wasn't.
He suspected this might not be a simple high school love story.
Tickets and popcorn in hand, Shirase was still mulling over the movie when he felt a tug at his sleeve. Nino's voice followed: "Look over there—isn't that Hiratsuka-sensei?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka?
Shirase turned instinctively—and sure enough, that tall, long-haired figure was unmistakable.
They clearly weren't going to the same screening; their directions didn't even overlap.
But what caught Shirase's attention more was the short-haired woman walking beside Hiratsuka.
He couldn't see her face clearly, only her silhouette—but at this hour, who else could possibly be going to the movies with Hiratsuka-sensei except that eternally smiling beauty, Yukinoshita Haruno?
"The woman next to Hiratsuka-sensei—who is she? A coworker?" Nino asked absently.
Shirase popped a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "Probably Yukinoshita-san's older sister—you know, the one from my class..."
"Yukinoshita Yukino?" Nino cut in quickly.
"Yeah, you know her too?"
"She's the school's genius girl—who doesn't know her?"
Nino smiled lightly, then lowered her voice. "Though honestly, the reason I remember her isn't because she's famous, but because a few jealous girls in my class gossip about her behind her back all the time."
Shirase thought for a moment. "Her social circle is… pretty limited."
Calling it "limited," actually, was Shirase being very, very generous.
---
T/N: was gonna update earlier but got lazy, so im just doing 4 chapters for today's update, should be an update tomorrow too maybe 4 maybe not
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