Hiratsuka Shizuka's arrival was like Captain Dragonfly swooping onto the stage—decisive, authoritative, and immediately assuming the role of referee.
Given her position as their teacher, both Yukinoshita Yukino and Nakano Ichika instinctively composed themselves.
As for Nakano Itsuki and Yuigahama Yui—there was no need to even mention them. Both were model students. Unlike a certain Shirase Haruto, who still sat there lazily, not a hint of restraint in sight.
"Filming a short movie? And it's Shirase's idea?"
After hearing Yukino's brief summary, Hiratsuka-sensei blinked in disbelief, her surprise plain as she stared straight at Shirase.
He knew he was carrying the blame for Ichika's idea, but since he'd already claimed it, there was no backing out halfway.
He nodded without hesitation. "That's right. My idea. I'm planning a passionate soccer short film—one that celebrates youth and captures the pure, fluttering feelings between boys and girls."
Hiratsuka-sensei almost bought it.
Almost—because Yukinoshita Yukino's face at that moment clearly said, Here you go again, acting like an idiot.
Ichika, who understood Shirase's sense of humor far too well, quickly jumped in with a light laugh. "Actually, we haven't decided on a theme yet. If Hiratsuka-sensei has any good ideas, please share them with us."
"…Ideas? How would I have any? I just got here. Besides, something like that should be your own decision," Hiratsuka replied, folding her arms and leaning casually against the table, radiating mature composure.
"You're right," Ichika said easily, unbothered.
Yukino chose that moment to interject. "Then, for now, we'll say there are five members. We can discuss the topic and script later. Of course, if a certain someone still hasn't dropped his obsession with sexy sailor uniforms, he's welcome to bring his own maid outfit. I'd be delighted to see him wear it."
That jab was clearly aimed at Shirase.
"Are you deliberately picking on me?" he asked.
To everyone's surprise, Yukino admitted it without hesitation. "Correct. I am. You're the one who made that disgusting comment earlier. I imagine all the girls who secretly admire you would never guess you're actually a deviant with a sailor-uniform fetish."
"Hold on—forget the 'disgusting' part for now—but how does liking sailor uniforms make me a pervert?" Shirase protested.
"Oh no, my criticism applies exclusively to you," Yukino replied smoothly.
"How shameless! Just because this is your turf, you're openly bullying an innocent student! Hiratsuka-sensei, you saw that, right? Beneath that calm, elegant façade, she's hiding a black-hearted tyrant who loves tormenting good people!"
Hiratsuka-sensei smiled faintly and shook her head. "I didn't see a thing. Please, go on."
After what happened last time, she wasn't dumb enough to jump back into their back-and-forth. Who knew when these two sharp-tongued monsters would turn on her again?
Being outtalked by your own students—now that would be a tragedy.
"You're clearly siding with Yukinoshita, Hiratsuka-sensei," Shirase said, looking deeply betrayed.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't drag me into this. You two can argue however you like—I'm staying out of it."
Shirase nodded gravely. "Ah, so Hiratsuka-sensei has declared herself the referee. Unfortunately, she's a biased one—barely on the field, and already scheming to support Contestant Yukinoshita."
A vein twitched at Hiratsuka's temple. This brat really doesn't know when to quit. Even though she'd sworn not to react, his nonsense made her itch to retort.
Barely, she held herself back.
"Um, aren't you two going off-topic?"
Just as "Contestant Yukinoshita" was preparing her counterattack, Nakano Ichika intervened as the neutral third party.
Both Shirase and Yukino turned toward her at once. Smiling innocently, Ichika asked, "Weren't we supposed to be discussing the short film? How did this turn into an argument?"
"We weren't arguing," both of them said at the exact same time—then glanced at each other in surprise.
That did it. Hiratsuka-sensei burst out laughing.
The more she watched Shirase, the more she liked him. With someone like him around, Yukino wouldn't stay so lonely anymore.
"You two sure get along," Ichika said with a sigh, resting her chin on her hand. "Meanwhile, I still have absolutely no clue about our filming plan."
Yukino cleared her throat softly, regaining composure. "Feeling impatient, Nakano Ichika-san? If so, we may need to adjust our approach."
"Just call me Ichika," she replied with an easy smile. "I'm not impatient, but it'd help to have a general direction. That way, everything after goes more smoothly."
"My advice," Yukino said matter-of-factly, "is to start by considering the equipment. Cameras aren't cheap. You should compare prices at several stores and pick the most cost-effective rental."
"Thanks, I'll start on that later," Ichika replied cheerfully.
Then she stole a quick glance at Itsuki, who was still sitting perfectly straight and listening intently, and sighed inwardly.
Itsuki really is hopeless at this. I've been tense this whole time, and she still hasn't noticed anything…
The real reason Ichika had stepped in earlier wasn't because of the film—it was because of the unease growing in her chest.
But Itsuki remained blissfully unaware, leaving Ichika feeling helpless.
Still, her interruption had worked. Yukino had stopped sparring with Shirase and started focusing seriously on their plan.
Yuigahama soon suggested making a group chat to coordinate after school. Everyone agreed immediately—Hiratsuka-sensei even joined, purely for fun.
After wrapping up the discussion, Ichika said she'd start checking camera rentals and got ready to leave.
Before heading out, Shirase looked at Hiratsuka and said, "Even the referee joined the group chat? Don't tell me you just want to satisfy your curiosity?"
Would it kill you not to say that out loud?!
Hiratsuka's eyes glinted dangerously. Yes, she was there for the gossip. And what about it?
After Shirase and the Nakano sisters left, Yukino chatted briefly with Yuigahama, then turned to Hiratsuka. "Sensei, don't you think your curiosity's a little excessive? It's just a few students filming a short movie—why get involved?"
"Haha, as your senior, I'm just supervising and looking after you," Hiratsuka said, laughing awkwardly.
She silently praised herself for not interfering earlier. If she had, Yukino and Shirase definitely would've tag-teamed her.
To change the subject, she asked, "By the way, have you fully recovered?"
"Thank you for your concern. I've been fine since yesterday," Yukino replied evenly.
"Good. I didn't tell Haruno, or she would've come storming in."
At the mention of her sister, Yukino didn't respond—pretending she hadn't heard.
Hiratsuka caught on immediately and turned instead to Yuigahama, who was scribbling down notes. "Yuigahama, your recent test results weren't great. You'll need to do better next time."
"Eh? I'm sorry…" Yui blushed hard, fidgeting in embarrassment.
"No need to apologize. Just work harder."
"Yes!"
Her flustered response made Hiratsuka smile. Then she looked back at Yukino. "You dropped to second place behind Shirase. You seem to be taking it pretty well."
"For now," Yukino said calmly, her pale hands resting neatly on her skirt. "At first, I was anxious—so anxious I even neglected my health. But once the results were out, oddly enough, I felt relieved."
Hiratsuka smiled knowingly. "Because you found new motivation?"
"To be precise, the will to fight."
"Uh-huh. That sounds a little chuunibyou, you know."
"That's just your personal bias, Sensei." Yukino's tone remained flat. "I should've realized it sooner. Aside from studying, he trains for soccer every day. With that level of effort, surpassing me was only a matter of time. I just didn't expect his progress to be this fast. I truly underestimated him."
Her delicate brows knit slightly.
Even she found it hard to believe—his growth speed was absurd.
She guessed that this time it wasn't her own negligence.
It was that Shirase's rate of progress was simply terrifying.
She even privately suspected he'd found himself a first-rate tutor in secret.
Otherwise, his learning efficiency was beyond belief. Even Yukinoshita Yukino wouldn't dare guarantee such rapid improvement in a short span—and that was with soccer practice still splitting his time.
"If Shirase were here to hear your praise, I bet he'd be pretty happy," Hiratsuka-sensei laughed.
Yukino paused, then smiled faintly. "He wouldn't be happy at all. He'd just puff himself up and keep provoking me."
"Provoking?" Hiratsuka-sensei blinked.
Yuigahama Yui set down her pen and giggled. "Tatakae! Those two will keep tatakae-ing! It's always like that—I'm used to it."
Yukino didn't reply. She only turned slightly and gazed at the two panda charms in her skirt pocket.
...
Shirase was trailing the Nakano sisters through the streets, hunting for camera gear.
They'd already hit two shops, but Nakano Ichika still wasn't satisfied—the rental prices were too high.
Nakano Itsuki, by contrast, was all business. Next to Ichika's laid-back approach, she looked downright diligent.
The moment they stepped out of the second store, she immediately started scouting the next stop, hoping for something more reasonable.
"Should we grab a bite first?" Ichika suddenly asked, looking between them.
Both Shirase and Itsuki shook their heads at the same time.
Ichika blinked. "Shirase turning me down, fine—but Itsuki too? Have you lost interest in food?"
"Of course not," Itsuki said earnestly. "But we haven't finished today's task."
Ichika let out a helpless laugh. She was the one who'd proposed this, and somehow her sister was the serious one.
It was a little embarrassing.
After exactly one second of shame, Ichika snapped back to normal.
Shirase changed the subject. "By the way, yesterday Nino dragged me to the Service Club on purpose. She said you asked her to?"
"Mhm, that was me," Ichika admitted without hesitation. "Since Nino's going to help us sooner or later, I figured she might as well meet Yukinoshita-san early. That way we can avoid any unpleasantness later."
Shirase stared at her. "Do you actually think Nino and Yukinoshita could ever get along?"
Ichika smiled sweetly. "Who knows until we try? Just like back then—we weren't thrilled about you tutoring us, but we still ended up agreeing."
"That's completely different."
"Nope. From where I'm standing, it's exactly the same."
She winked at him. "Oh, right—Dad already knows about your grades. He'll probably talk it over with Kana-nee tonight. If you're not satisfied with your fee, feel free to name your terms."
"Are you helping me fleece your father?"
"That sounds terrible… right, Itsuki?"
"Ichika, stop dawdling! I found another rental shop!"
They headed inside. The owner was a mustachioed man with long, messy hair and an artsy vibe.
At first, seeing a trio of students, he was merely polite.
But the second Ichika mentioned renting gear for a short film, his enthusiasm shot through the roof.
Businessmen are sharp—students willing to spend on equipment are walking wallets.
In no time, Shirase was swept up by the owner's eager sales pitch. Ichika seized the chance to pull Itsuki to the far side of the store.
Itsuki looked puzzled. "Why aren't you going with him?"
Ichika just smiled. "Later, the three of us should hang out a bit. Blow off some steam."
Itsuki opened her mouth, but Ichika cut in first. "Every time you space out at home lately, it gives me a headache, you know?"
Color rushed to Itsuki's cheeks, and whatever she'd been about to say died on her lips.