Chapter 201 - 201: Do You Believe in Light?

Words : 1652 Updated : Oct 14th, 2025

Yukino exchanged a few casual messages with her sister in the group chat before setting her phone down. As for Haruno's cheerful "Wanna hang out?", she didn't take it seriously at all. Knowing her sister, if Haruno were truly under pressure again, she wouldn't just message casually—she'd either call directly or show up at their door without warning. Yukino still remembered what Haru once said: "If Haruno ever feels suffocated or stressed out, she'll come find you to unwind." And honestly, she agreed with that. Even though their relationship as sisters was far from gentle or affectionate, Yukino had to admit—her sister had always looked out for her in her own way, from childhood until now. "She's probably just bored and looking for someone to drag along," Haru commented from the side. Yukino nodded slightly. "My suggestion: ignore it. Unless she's genuinely in a bad place emotionally." "That's what I was thinking too." After dinner, Yukino quietly went to change her clothes and packed her professional camera. Though she'd already filmed Haru in his tokusatsu suit once before, that time was purely spontaneous. Both she and Utaha had only used their phones. The video quality wasn't exactly… archival material. This time, the outing team had changed from Utaha to Megumi. Yukino, however, didn't seem to have much of an opinion about the switch. Yukino was well aware of how Megumi's feelings for Haru were growing more and more obvious. But ever since the incident involving Utaha's blatant interference, she herself had begun to notice that her own feelings were subtly shifting. Especially after teaming up with her senpai and still losing so miserably—that was something she found hard to believe. "Does this guy even have a limit to his stamina?" With curiosity bubbling in her chest, Yukino quietly entered the bedroom—only to find Haru slumped over the desk. Is he tired? She thought for a moment. He hadn't seemed particularly busy lately. The only thing he had been doing regularly was coaching her through her daily training. Then it clicked. Every morning, he went out to train, and on top of that, he tailored her meals every day based on her activity levels. Day in and day out like that—it was no wonder he looked exhausted. Yukino's eyes softened. She tiptoed closer, thinking maybe they could skip today's outing and let this idiot rest for once. But just as that warm thought settled in her heart, something didn't feel right. Haru certainly looked like he was napping, his face buried in his arms in a typical resting pose. But… his wrist was moving. As she approached, she finally saw it clearly—on the lower shelf of the desk was a phone, and the screen was open to the photo gallery. His fingers occasionally swiped across the screen. And the photos? They were all of her. In an instant, all of her tenderness evaporated. She stood there with a dark expression, watching in silence. Judging by how organized the gallery was, he had clearly created an entire album just for her. There were pictures from their childhood, travel photos, and even candid moments that spanned almost her entire life. Yukino rubbed her forehead, sighing softly. "No wonder you didn't come out after going in to change clothes. You were sneaking a peek at my pictures?" "It's not sneaking," Haru said calmly, lifting his head with a surprised look. "I'm appreciating them. But when did you get here?" Yukino didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked like she was deep in thought. "Why aren't you saying anything?" "I'm trying to figure out what weird idea you've come up with this time," she replied coolly. Haru closed the album and replied with a serious expression, "Why do you say that? I was simply admiring your beauty." "If that's really all you were doing, I wouldn't mind. But…" Yukino's tone paused, suspicion clear in her eyes. "Knowing how sharp you are, there's no way you didn't notice me coming in." Haru feigned surprise. "Didn't expect you to catch that." Yukino sighed again. "Just be honest. What are you plotting now?" He held up his phone, looking regretful. "I just realized… you're missing a few iconic photos in your album." "Iconic?" Yukino frowned. "What kind of photos are 'iconic' to you?" A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes. "Obviously, Catgirl Yukino." Yukino turned on her heel and walked off immediately. Her voice, filled with disdain, trailed behind her. "I knew nothing good ever comes out of your mouth." She left without hesitation, her face full of annoyance—but Haru was secretly delighted. Her reaction meant that, if he just persisted a little more, she'd eventually agree to put on the cat ears and let him take those adorable pictures. Of course, Haru's goal was still lingering from Utaha's bold suggestion: "If Yukino's willing to wear cat ears, then I'll wear bunny ears—and I'll do anything you ask." There's no way Haru wasn't tempted by that offer. Catgirl Yukino and Bunnygirl Utaha? What kind of man could possibly resist that kind of lineup? And judging by Yukino's reaction today, the plan might actually work—it would just take a bit of time. He had a good feeling about it. At 6 p.m., Haru and Yukino met up with Megumi outside. Naturally, Haru was wearing the Ultraman Zero suit he'd borrowed from Furukawa. Megumi greeted Yukino politely, then looked at Haru with sparkling eyes. "So this Ultraman suit really is borrowed? You didn't make it yourself?" Before he could respond, Yukino cut in. "Yes, he borrowed it from Furukawa. I was also surprised at how perfectly it fits him." Haru casually explained, "Furukawa made the suit based on my measurements." That made both girls freeze. It was the first time either of them had heard such a detail. Before Yukino could process it, Megumi asked, "Does that mean Furukawa has… a high affection level for you?" His expression darkened beneath the helmet. "I know what you're trying to say, but you're way off. My friends are all perfectly normal!" …Though one of them does have a thing for crossdressing. Yukino, uninterested in this line of conversation, changed the subject. "Let's start filming, Kato." Megumi nodded, but glanced at Yukino as if wanting to say something. Yukino, almost like a mind-reader, spoke up first. "If you want to talk about Utaha-senpai, let's do that later." Megumi blinked in surprise, but quickly remembered just how sharp Yukino was—of course she would have figured out her intent. Without another word, Megumi obediently took out her phone. Haru, meanwhile, began striking Ultraman poses for the camera. The scene didn't draw much attention. Cosplayers doing photo shoots on the street weren't exactly a rare sight. In fact, the only one drawing glances was Yukino. Just by standing there, her beauty turned heads. But since she wasn't alone, no one dared to come over and chat her up. Haru, now more experienced, didn't feel nearly as awkward as last time. The biggest reason? He suddenly remembered—he was in a full-body suit. No one could see his face, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Some people don't wear masks to hide—they wear them to be themselves. Midway through the shoot, they encountered another cosplayer passing by. Yukino and Megumi didn't think much of it, but Haru couldn't help glancing over. The girl smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Ultraman Zero!" Haru stared at the glowing halo on her head. "Wait… are you Alice from That Millennium Game?" "Yup! You play Blue Archive too?" she asked cheerfully. He felt a twinge of disappointment—she was far too friendly. If only she had said "I swear, a box!" in true fandom fashion, the vibes would've been perfect. They exchanged a few more words before going their separate ways. Yukino snapped a few candid shots and then, through the camera, spotted a familiar figure. "Look over there," she said, motioning with her eyes. Megumi turned first and was surprised to see someone sitting on a nearby bench. "Is that… Hiratsuka-sensei?" Haru tried to adjust his vision—limited by the small slit in the Ultraman mask. "Should we go say hi?" Megumi asked. Yukino shook her head. "Don't. Didn't you notice? Her makeup is very different from usual." Only then did Megumi and Haru realize that Hiratsuka-sensei, sitting quietly with her head down, looked rather downcast—but she was wearing flawless makeup and an outfit that accentuated her figure. It looked exactly like she was on a date. "That's strange," Megumi whispered. "Utaha-senpai once told me that Hiratsuka-sensei didn't have a boyfriend… but today's outfit really screams 'date night.'" "Not a date," they both said at the same time. Yukino turned to look at Ultraman's big round eyes and couldn't help but snicker. Megumi blinked. "Then why is she dressed like that?" Yukino didn't answer directly. "We'll find out if we go talk to her." She already had a pretty good idea. If Hiratsuka-sensei had gone to the trouble of dressing up so beautifully, only to sit alone on a bench at night… Then the answer was obvious. A failed blind date. Yukino sighed. The year had barely started, and yet another matchmaking attempt had ended in disappointment for Shizuka. That kind of emotional blow couldn't have been easy. Just as she was thinking that, she noticed Haru walking straight toward the bench. Both she and Megumi watched, puzzled. Haru reached out his hand to the dejected Shizuka and asked with absolute seriousness— "Miss, do you believe in light?"

Chapter 201 - 201: Do You Believe in Light?

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