Chapter 51 - 51: The Unrivaled Second Miss Yukinoshita

"Morning, Amamiya." The moment Haru arrived at his seat, before he even had a chance to sit down, Furukawa and another male classmate leaned in, their faces full of curiosity. "Morning. What's with those looks?" Haru chose to get straight to the point. The two exchanged glances before Furukawa lowered his voice and asked, "We heard your photography club is making a short film?" "Yeah." Haru didn't bother asking how they knew. After all, he never told Yukino or the others to keep it a secret. It was only natural for the news to spread. "So it's true?! But aren't you guys a photography club? Shouldn't you be working on photography projects? How did you skip straight to filmmaking?" The two classmates were visibly shocked. Haru shrugged. "Because when I originally applied to start a film club, the school rejected it." "...That's quite a simple reason." The two laughed as they commented. Haru also smiled. "It really is that simple." After chatting casually for a bit, Furukawa lowered his voice and asked, "Even if it's just an experimental short film, wouldn't that still require a lot of funding? Is the school actually willing to provide the budget?" "Of course not. It's all self-funded." Haru didn't hide the truth. The two exchanged glances, looking as if they had expected this answer. Then, they offered, "If you're having financial difficulties, we can help you figure something out." Haru was taken aback. "Why would you do that?" The two looked a little awkward but laughed. "Back when school first started, you were the only one willing to talk to us. The moment other classmates heard we were obsessed with certain games, they immediately distanced themselves from us." Their expressions then grew serious. "We don't have much allowance, but if you need help, we're willing to support you." "Thanks. I'm honestly a little overwhelmed that you trust me this much." Haru felt warmth in his heart. Back then, they had also wanted to help him gather enough members to establish the photography club. However, they were quickly discouraged after realizing how complicated photography could be. "Thanks again," Haru repeated sincerely. Furukawa grinned. "No need to thank us! A friend who takes finishing Rance seriously is obviously a good person!" Haru wanted to point out how flawed their logic was, but he held back. Regardless, these two truly saw him as a friend. After School That afternoon, the photography club members noticed something odd. Their club president, Amamiya Haru, was suddenly overflowing with enthusiasm. No matter who had a question, he would rush to help them before they even finished asking. And if no one had any questions, he would make a point to ask them something—almost as if he was creating problems just to solve them. "What's up with you today?" Yukino finally had enough and called out to him. "The shoot is about to begin. As club president, it's my job to support everyone," Haru replied with utmost seriousness. Yukino narrowed her eyes at him. "I get the feeling you're not being entirely honest." "Is there something wrong with me being enthusiastic?" "Not exactly wrong, but you're too enthusiastic today." "You're just overthinking it." Haru brushed off her suspicions. Of course, the real reason was to gain experience. Ever since his [Physical Fitness] skill evolved into [Steel Body], the problem he had anticipated finally arrived: he had to cut back on his sparring sessions with the karate club. Earlier today, even with full protective gear and padded gloves, his upperclassman was effortlessly crushed by him. Haru had even considered not fighting back at all. But even when he held back, his opponent's gloves ended up splitting open from repeatedly hitting his body... Though he hadn't gained much experience today, it was a wake-up call. Since his [Teaching] skill was already at level 9, he figured he might as well max it out and see what it evolved into. Naturally, this wasn't something he could explain to Yukino. Fortunately, Utaha had just returned from her "revival match," diverting much of Yukino's attention. Yukino dutifully interrogated Utaha to confirm she was truly back to normal before simply remarking, "Please don't do anything foolish again, Senpai." Utaha could only nod awkwardly. After the club activities ended, Utaha approached Kato Megumi. It wasn't until they stepped out of the school gates that Utaha finally spoke. "I've been thinking these past two days. I was wrong to stand you up last time. I should've given you a heads-up." Megumi shook her head. "It's fine. It wasn't a big deal." Then, noticing Utaha seemed to be in a particularly good mood, Megumi asked casually, "Did something good happen?" "Mm, I suppose you could say that." A smile crept onto Utaha's face unconsciously. Megumi's voice was light as she remarked, "Seems like it has something to do with Amamiya-san." Utaha chuckled but didn't reply. "I do feel much better now. Even though I made a fool of myself before, at least now, I have hope." Megumi opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately stayed silent. Does she really have a chance? Megumi didn't think so. After spending these days in the photography club, she had already realized that Yukino had an advantage no one else could compete with—she was always by Haru's side. More importantly, Yukino was an exceptionally capable girl. Proud, sharp, intelligent, and merciless when she saw an opportunity. In the photography club, Yukinoshita is unbeatable. Megumi had wanted to tell Utaha this. But the older girl was clearly riding a wave of excitement. Megumi had seen similar situations in books and TV shows before. When someone was in such a state, it was nearly impossible to make them listen to contrary advice. "What's wrong?" Utaha noticed Megumi's silence and slight change in expression. Megumi answered calmly, "Your confidence is impressive, Senpai." "Huh?" Utaha didn't quite understand. Megumi didn't elaborate. Yes, her confidence was impressive. But that was all it was. Meanwhile... After school, Haru and Yukino changed out of their uniforms and met up again in the city. Haruno had called earlier, saying she would pick them up for dinner. "Senpai seemed to be in a good mood today," Yukino commented as she casually observed the passing pedestrians. Haru nodded. "She probably won't make the same mistake again anytime soon." "That's thanks to you." Yukino's tone seemed slightly odd as she said this. Haru was about to respond when she continued nonchalantly, "Senpai seems to have misunderstood me. She thinks I'm an excellent and proud girl, so she assumes we're the same type of person." "Did you two have another secret conversation?" Haru teased. Yukino shot him a look before continuing, "Before you arrived, I checked on her. She actually started talking to me first." "So, how did that go?" "I feel both pleased and disappointed." "Can you put it more simply?" "With your brain, you should be able to understand." Yukino glanced at him. Haru met her gaze, pretending not to understand. Seeing him play dumb, Yukino sighed. "Honestly... Fine. To put it simply, I'm pleased because she isn't as formidable as I thought. I'm disappointed because she misjudged me. And because you visited her, she's now under the illusion that she has a chance of beating me." She rested a delicate finger against her chin, her smile dazzling. "I haven't even gotten serious yet." Haru, ever the flatterer, declared, "The second Miss Yukinoshita is unrivaled."