Daydreaming...
It is a primal human instinct. Almost everyone possesses the ability to drift away...
Whether it's a successful mogul drowning in wealth or a cynical, underemployed youth, everyone has spaced out at least once...
So, in reality, it's perfectly normal for a human to zone out for a moment...
"However, to daydream for hours on end until you've ditched every single afternoon class because your soul decided to wander into deep space—I believe you're the only one in this entire school capable of that."
A clear, cold, and unfriendly voice—yet one saturated with a sense of weary resignation—emerged from behind Izuru's head. It jolted him from his "hollow" state instantly, as if several buckets of Antarctic ice water had just been dumped over him.
Simultaneously, his brain shifted into high gear to process the situation. He recognized the owner of the voice immediately, and he understood exactly why she was saying it...
Izuru glanced out the window. The sun, which had been blazing when he first started daydreaming, had now dwindled into a dim twilight. It was painfully obvious: he had stared out that window and fantasized the entire afternoon away, right until the final bell, without hearing a single word of the day's lessons!
Such a blatant lack of academic seriousness would make anyone else seethe with indignation. The culprit, however, didn't harbor a shred of guilt. Instead, he turned around toward the speaker with a meaningful smirk and teased in a playful tone...
"Like I always say, Hiranoshita Hiranon. How do you know I was daydreaming for hours? Don't tell me that just because you sit behind me, you've been watching me with a gaze full of hidden meaning all afternoon?"
"Please address me as 'Yukinoshita,' Kamukura-kun. You should know that those arbitrary nicknames you invent are an insult to my character; they are quite uncomfortable..."
Yukino knit her brows, looking genuinely displeased. Then, with a face as cold as ice, she continued.
"Furthermore, the fact that you were daydreaming all afternoon isn't something only I noticed. The entire class and every subject teacher are well aware of it. Hiratsuka-sensei even left in a fit of explosive rage, leaving orders for you to report to her office immediately after school."
As she spoke, Yukino tucked her textbooks and organized documents into her bag. There wasn't a single wasted motion; she seemed to apply time-efficiency to an extreme degree.
Her small, porcelain-white hand brushed back her impeccably maintained raven hair. With a movement both gallant and graceful, Yukino turned to leave, her cold voice reaching Izuru's ears once more.
"Additionally, I only spent a little extra time organizing documents in the classroom today; it's a mere coincidence that I'm leaving late. Besides, watching you daydream any longer would likely be a further waste of time, so I was simply being kind enough to remind you. Do not misunderstand."
{What's this? A Tsundere?! Well, it's actually kind of cute...}
Izuru mused to himself.
Looking at the empty desks around them, the clock showing it was already thirty minutes past dismissal, and the fact that only the two of them remained in the room, it was a situation ripe for misinterpretation. Perhaps Yukino feared Izuru would get the wrong idea, which was why she spoke those words to shatter any of the "three great illusions of life" that might be forming in his head.
But regardless, since it was just the two of them, there were certain things that could be said or done with a bit more boldness...
Now, don't get the wrong idea. This wasn't about a kabedon scene or a romantic confession that risked an encounter with the FFF Inquisition; rather...
"Hiranoshita Hiranon, I heard you're the President of the Service Club. There's a favor I need to ask of you!" Izuru suddenly stood and called out to Yukino just as she reached the door.
Interestingly—and Izuru wasn't sure if it was just his imagination—he felt that Yukino's pace just now had been significantly slower than usual. It was almost as if she had predicted he would call out to her and had intentionally slowed down so she could stay.
However, Izuru immediately dismissed that ridiculous thought. Even though he was an otaku who changed his 2D "waifu" every other day, it didn't mean he was a fool who believed every woman was falling for him. He liked to fantasize, but he wasn't naive.
As for the suspicion that Yukino had slowed down because she knew he'd ask for help, Izuru chalked it up to the ambiguous vibes he'd received from Kaguya, Itsuki, and Miku earlier that day. It was probably making him—a guy who hadn't even held a woman's hand—a bit narcissistic, causing him to subconsciously create a "life illusion" out of Yukino's perfectly normal after-school behavior.
After all, Yukino was just a classmate he occasionally exchanged greetings with. How could there be deep-seated romantic feelings? Unless Yukino had jumped through various world-lines like in Steins;Gate, enduring countless hardships alongside him before returning to the present with her love intact... otherwise, there was simply no way.
Shaking the nonsense from his head, Izuru's expression turned serious and he spoke with a hint of resignation.
"A student came to the Student Council today asking me to teach him basketball. He wants to confess to an athletic girl he likes, but his own athletic talent is... concerning, to say the least. Even the experts in the basketball club gave up on him. Although he asked me, I have zero experience in teaching that sort of thing. Then I heard that Hiranoshita Hiranon is the President of the Service Club, which exists to help people, so I'm asking for your assistance. Perhaps someone as capable as you has a way to solve this difficult problem that the rest of us couldn't crack..."
Hearing Izuru's words, Yukino paused for a moment and stopped her retreat. After listening to his entire explanation, she turned around as if she had reached a firm decision. With a slightly condescending expression, she spoke.
"I told you to call me Yukinoshita. However, even though your provocation sounds cheap and ridiculous, I will still treat it as though you are doubting and challenging my abilities. Furthermore, this is my duty as the President of the Service Club. Since you have asked, I shall naturally put forth my utmost effort to resolve the problem that you were unable to solve."
{Hmm, that's classic Yukino Yukinoshita. Guess my gut feeling earlier was just a misunderstanding, huh?}
Though Izuru's instincts felt she was being a bit deliberate, he threw those doubts aside and continued...
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