"Look, look! It's the President, the Vice President, and Yukinoshita-san!"
"Wow, how romantic! To think two girls would ignore all the gossip just to share their umbrellas with one guy. No wonder the handsome, do-it-all President is so fond of those two expressionless ice statues. So that's how it is—who knew those stiff ice dolls had the skills to charm a man like that?"
"It's so frustrating. If it were me, I'd want that too. Why won't the President even look at me?"
A group of young girls standing in a corner of the school clutching their umbrellas began whispering immediately. Some were filled with curiosity, others found it nonsensical, and a few murmured with pure spite.
"Why?! Why are those two ice beauties willing to do something so enviable for a pretty boy without caring what people say?!"
"Reality is shattered! Death to all couples! I, in the name of the high ranking members of the FFF Inquisition, swear I will make this couple—or these two couples... oh, whatever, the point is I'll make this lucky winner a loner again!"
"The sine formula is..."
The male students walking along the school's main path were also loud with commentary. Some screamed in disbelief, others lamented their fate while cursing with vengeance, and a few didn't care at all, remaining focused on their studies.
However, the main players at the center of this storm of opinion—Izuru, Kaguya, and Yukino—paid them no mind. They continued their casual pace into the school building.
"..."
"..."
As they placed their wet umbrellas into the stand, both Kaguya and Yukino's faces were tinged with an unusual, deep flush. It seemed they felt a wave of intense embarrassment over the act of sharing umbrellas and the various physical contacts with Izuru earlier. Even now, an inexplicable silence hung over them.
Seeing this, although Izuru felt incredibly smug inside, he spoke with an outward air of awkwardness.
"The bell's about to ring. Let's get to class."
"Yes."
"Right."
Yukino and Kaguya answered simultaneously. This caused them to lock eyes again, and as if displeased with one another, they let out a synchronized, cold huff.
"President, I'm heading off. Remember, come to the Student Council room early this afternoon."
Kaguya wasn't in the same class as Izuru, so she couldn't walk to the room with him. This left her feeling reluctant and slightly saddened, but she could only accept the situation. After a weak wave goodbye, she turned and left without sparing Yukino a single glance.
Yukino didn't mind either. After swapping her outdoor shoes for indoor slippers, she headed straight for the classroom without waiting for Izuru. It was as if her blushing face and racing heart from moments ago were merely accidental occurrences and not of her own volition.
This left Izuru scratching the back of his head in confusion. Just a second ago, he felt like a "winner at life" flanked by two beauties; in the blink of an eye, he was back to being a lonely bachelor ignored by everyone. This drastic shift was quite unpleasant. However, he realized that what just happened was a rare stroke of luck that might only occur once in a lifetime. So, what more could he demand?
Having come to terms with that, Izuru quickly brushed off his dejected expression and hurried to catch up with Yukino.
"Um... Hirano..."
"How long do you intend to use that stupid name?" Yukino let out a resigned sigh before asking with curiosity.
"What is it, Kamukura-kun?"
"Eh, I just wanted to ask about you and Yashoku sharing your umbrellas with me earlier..." Izuru scratched his cheek with an awkward yet slightly hopeful expression.
"That was only because I dislike her and wanted to annoy her on purpose. Don't get the wrong idea!"
Yukino cut him off immediately with a slightly emotional tone.
"Besides, sharing an umbrella with a schoolmate is a perfectly normal thing to do. Yes, I simply view you as a classmate and sheltered you once. Don't you ever, ever, ever get the wrong idea!"
Seeing Yukino's face gradually return to its freezing state, Izuru wisely chose not to push the matter and immediately switched topics.
"I get it, I get it. Earlier was just an act of ordinary classmate solidarity, no personal feelings involved. So... let's talk about something else. Like... your club?"
For some reason, the moment Izuru uttered those words, the chill on Yukino's face intensified manifold. Her tone even sounded remarkably stiff as she replied.
"What about my club?"
"Didn't we discuss this earlier? About that Hikawa-kun issue yesterday. It started as my request, but in the end, you were the one who solved it. I should owe you one, so I plan to pay you back by helping resolve the Service Club's problems."
Despite finding the change in Yukino's expression and emotions unusual, Izuru continued following his train of thought.
"I believe you mentioned that to me once before..."
Yukino spoke with an icy face and a very, very, very flat tone.
{What do you mean "I believe"?!}
Izuru felt annoyed but remained patient: "I'll be speaking with Hiratsuka-sensei about this later. I'll see if there's a way to make you satisfied while perfectly resolving the club's issues."
"Is that so? Yes, I understand."
Yukino's ice-cold face showed no emotion whatsoever. Even as she responded, her tone remained flat without a single ripple, making Izuru feel even more mentally exhausted.
{Good grief, My Lady, what's the matter? You were blushing shyly just a moment ago; why have you frozen over again in the blink of an eye?}
However, Yukino's next sentence made it impossible for Izuru to dwell on that, instead making him question his very existence.
"By the way, do you remember? You were daydreaming all afternoon in class yesterday, and Hiratsuka-sensei told you to go to her office before heading home..."
Hearing that, Izuru felt his world crumble instantly. It seemed, it felt, it appeared as though such an event had indeed occurred. But because he didn't care at the time, he had forgotten it immediately. Now... stay calm, don't panic. First of all, let's find a time machine.
And to make matters worse, Izuru hadn't even touched a single word of his homework since yesterday!