Since the newly bought camera hadn't arrived, after discussing with Iroha and Kanade, Yuu continued using the Film Research Club's equipment for shooting.
Before lunch break, he'd finished writing the script for today's after-school shoot. He planned to bring it to the Service Club during lunch and discuss it with Yukino and the others—would this process repeat a few times?
Yuu wasn't sure; after all, it was his first time directing and shooting a short film with two beautiful girls. He was a complete rookie with no experience in any aspect.
But when it came to controlling comments, he was already quite skilled—a veteran driver, you could say.
The incident had only happened about a day ago. Using his wits, network, and a bit of money, he'd completely quelled the storm before it grew. The price? Just spending after-school time with friends and acting in a laugh-filled short drama, enjoying a different Cultural Festival vibe.
A bit troublesome, but luckily everyone enjoyed making the film together. In the end, they might even forget the original purpose and just aim to make the final result better, right?
A world where no one got hurt—smoothly resolved. Yuu even wanted to pat himself on the back and praise his own brilliance.
The atmosphere in Class 2-F today was far better than yesterday.
High schoolers' minds shift easily. Through forum posts and various channels, many took the initiative to talk to him this morning—more enthusiastically than before.
Not apologizing or anything—just showing friendliness this way, distancing themselves from those who doubted his cheating.
The higher his status in class, the more people cared about his thoughts and avoided offending him—even if they couldn't be friends, they mustn't be hated by Yuu.
Unless they were sure they could beat him or outsmart him.
In this small school society, their thinking wasn't too complex. Most acted on instinct and experience. Some careless ones even slapped his shoulder and said:
"Tenkuji, I knew you're not a two-timer! I watched your confession scene in the video. That wasn't acting—it came from a sincere heart, right? Hahaha, make our class's Yuigahama happy!"
Yuu could only laugh dryly, speechless. He really didn't want to entertain such overly familiar types.
(Who I date is none of your business, right?)
(Even if I was cheating—dating three, four, five, six, seven people—as long as it's not you I'm cheating on, wouldn't it be better to stay quiet? Can't you learn corporate slave maturity theory and not cause trouble for others?)
Yuu truly felt, just once, what it was like to be the center of massive attention.
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After repeatedly confirming with Yuigahama, during a certain break, Yumiko walked to his seat with an annoyed face. She looked him up and down.
"If it was just acting, why'd you say to me, 'What if I like both?' Were you looking down on me? Or was that your real thought?"
"I don't hate Yukinoshita, but I also don't feel the need to explain our trio's relationship to you."
Yuu answered with a smile. He looked at her face, anger flaring again—this emotional big-sister type should probably visit a shrine to calm down sooner or later.
"Once you have a certain view of me, anything I say becomes an excuse. The more I say, the more embarrassing Yui's position… So as long as you're on the opposing side, you can protect Yui better."
Yuu shrugged casually: "We both completed our roles perfectly—you worked hard yesterday, Miura-san."
"…"
Yumiko glared fiercely. She seemed to want to spit harsh words to crush this guy's arrogance. But she also seemed to be faking strength, unwilling to admit the sudden thought after hearing this: he's not a bad person.
Her signature hair-twirling habit appeared again.
"Hmph, makes no sense. Who understands what you're saying!"
"I'm too lazy to deal with your business. Don't cause trouble for me and Hina… Yui's our friend. Any stupid mess you make will drag us in."
"Fine. Sorry about my last words—I didn't know the situation!"
After leaving some stiff, harsh words, the blonde twin-drill queen stomped off.
Yuu watched her dominant, strong-backed figure—ignoring everyone like a queen. A somewhat inappropriate thought suddenly popped up.
(A tough-on-the-outside woman like this is usually super fragile inside. If pranked hard, she could probably cry for a really long time.)
If Yumiko were a villain, Yuu would happily push her to tears without any psychological burden.
Too bad she wasn't.
To Yui, she was probably just as important a friend as the others, right?
Yui's friends were his friends. Yuu had no interest in pranking his friend to tears.
…If the target were Yukino, undeniably, he'd actually kind of want to see it.
But thinking about it, he somehow felt sorry.
"Yuu-kun, Yumiko didn't cause you trouble, did she?"
Yuigahama approached, cutting off his chaotic thoughts.
Yuu shook his head. At the same time, he banished all those images from his mind: "She came to apologize, I think. Though she's a bit hot-tempered, she's a straightforward good person—and similar to you."
"Hehehe, Yumiko's my best friend~" Yuigahama scratched her cheek shyly. For some reason, she puffed out her chest proudly: "There's a saying, right? Birds of a feather flock together! Both Yukinon and Yumiko are good people, so we can be friends!"
As if suddenly understanding, Yuu nodded: "Got it. So I'm not a good person."
"Eh? …Ah!! Yuu-kun, I didn't mean that! I was just talking about girl friends…" Realizing, Yuigahama panicked and tried to explain. But halfway, she puffed her cheeks and glared angrily.
"Wrong—Yuu-kun deliberately twisting people's words is the real bad guy!"
Yuu remained unfazed: "I never said I was a good guy. Glad you can judge me correctly."
"…Just a little naughty with girls." Seeing him admit it so honestly, Yuigahama—slightly sympathetic—softened her tone and pouted: "Basically, Yuu-kun is definitely a super gentle good guy. But sometimes he acts like a total Dom and thinks up tons of evil ideas… Anyway, to me, he's a good guy!"
"Alright, alright. Keep talking and I'll blush." Thick-skinned Yuu smiled and patted the slightly bowed girl's head.
"Let's go to the Service Club for lunch. We'll start shooting the first scene after school today."
The ponytail girl's eyes sparkled. She clenched her small fists enthusiastically.
"Roger that, Director! Yuigahama Yui—always 100% ready!"
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Soon after, the lunch break bell rang.
Yuu, carrying his bento, spotted an unexpected figure in the Service Club.