Nino finally got her photo session as she had wished.
Since he didn't have any professional equipment, Makoto had pushed his phone camera to its limits.
Lighting and angles—these were all things he had studied seriously during his time loops.
He still used his own phone to take the pictures.
So when Nino saw those incredibly satisfying photos of herself, it felt natural to exchange contact info with Makoto.
In other words, Makoto now had the contact information of three of the five sisters.
"So what Itsuki said was true—your photography is amazing."
Nino smiled happily as she received the photos.
Itsuki also leaned in for a look. The quality was still excellent, on par with the ones she had gotten before.
"Can I take a look too?" Yumiko spoke up then.
For some reason, seeing this girl she didn't quite like taking the initiative to ask gave Nino a strange sense of satisfaction.
She was in a great mood now and agreed immediately.
As Yumiko looked through the photos, her attention gradually shifted from the overall beauty of the shots to Nino's chest.
All of the pictures taken by Makoto were decent and tasteful—not only capturing the girls at their best angles but also subtly highlighting the attractive curves of their figures.
It was the same for the photos on Yumiko's own phone.
The problem, however, was that Nino's figure was too good!
Yumiko sneaked a glance at Itsuki.
As expected, both of these sisters were classic examples of "slim waist, full bust."
Tiny waists, long legs, large chests—and all with beautiful faces.
She even thought back to Ichika's figure and realized it was the same.
That left her feeling very unbalanced.
Normally, her own figure was considered great—well-proportioned, clearly defined curves, and long legs.
But the Nakano girls were simply born gifted!
This time, Yumiko had literally run into a "naturally talented opponent"—no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't win.
"Are you done looking?" Nino's voice sounded.
"I'm done."
Yumiko quickly averted her gaze, biting her lip in frustration.
Nino caught every bit of that reaction.
Which made her even more pleased.
Though she couldn't quite describe it, she was definitely enjoying herself.
Only Makoto really understood why.
From the moment he deliberately brought up "beautiful things," he had been performing a kind of linguistic art.
You could also call it the art of push and pull.
He first drew the girls' attention and curiosity, then, at the key moment, pulled Yumiko away and brought Nino into the spotlight.
Nino and Yumiko hadn't exactly had a pleasant interaction today, yet both were beautiful girls and had both been photographed by Makoto.
Naturally, once they received their photos, a bit of rivalry was bound to emerge.
Nino didn't get to see Yumiko's photos, but she saw the reaction.
Which was enough to satisfy her.
Yumiko felt crushed by someone born with such natural assets, but she remembered she still had two photos on Makoto's phone, waiting to be refined before being sent to her.
That meant she still had cards to play.
Her mood lifted a bit.
However, both girls noticed one detail: Makoto hadn't said anything about editing Nino's photos.
So... was it because Nino was naturally stunning and didn't need any editing?
Or was it because Makoto was giving Yumiko extra attention?
That question floated into both of their minds at the same time, but neither of them dared to ask.
Makoto pretended not to notice and started chatting with Itsuki about the nearby food street.
The two girls, thinking the same thing, happened to glance at each other.
Their eyes met.
Then, in an oddly synchronized moment, they both looked away.
Interesting.
Makoto noticed and found it quite amusing.
A while later, he saw Hayato's group approaching from the park, and took the chance to say, "Yumiko, I should get going. Hope you all have a good time."
Yumiko blurted out, "Why don't you have dinner with us? I already told my family—I'll be eating out tonight."
Makoto shook his head. "But I have to eat at home. Sorry."
"...Fine then." Her longing only grew deeper.
Makoto quickly added, "I'll send the photos to you tonight."
Yumiko instantly lit up with a hopeful smile. "Got it. See you tomorrow."
Her emotions were completely in his hands.
"See you tomorrow."
Makoto turned and walked off.
Nino and Itsuki followed.
They were headed in the same direction.
"I have a question for you."
Nino had been waiting for a moment without outsiders. Now that it came, she couldn't hold back any longer.
Makoto put on a curious face. "What question?"
Nino looked him in the eye. "Why did you specifically mention editing Yumiko's photos, but didn't say anything about mine?"
Itsuki also looked over, intrigued.
But Makoto wasn't about to answer directly. "What do you think?"
Nino frowned. "I'm the one asking you."
Makoto looked puzzled. "I thought you already guessed the answer."
Nino froze for a moment. Her eyes began to sparkle. "It's because I don't need editing, right?"
See, girls who like to overthink will always find the best interpretation for themselves.
Beautiful girls are all well aware of their appearance advantages, so when it comes to matters of looks, they naturally assume they're the superior ones.
But Makoto hadn't said anything at all.
That's what you call push and pull.
He thought smugly.
Itsuki, as the "bystander," was a bit more clear-headed.
She hesitated slightly and asked, "Is that really the reason?"
Nino didn't even give Makoto a chance to speak.
She lifted her chin, puffed out her chest, and said with a hint of pride, "What else? Itsuki, don't tell me you think we're not pretty enough?"
"It's not that. I just think Fushimi must have his reasons for doing that."
"His reason is exactly what I said."
Nino smiled happily, and even turned to Makoto and added, "Right?"
It wasn't a question—it was a statement.
Makoto gave the perfect answer: "The five of you are all beautiful. That's just a fact."
Nino felt another wave of satisfaction.
Itsuki, a little embarrassed, thanked him, secretly pleased as well.
It wasn't until they parted ways that Nino, watching Makoto's figure gradually disappear into the distance, suddenly slapped her forehead. "Damn it, I forgot to ask about him and Ichika."
Itsuki looked surprised. "I thought you decided to give up. You clearly had the chance just now, but you never brought it up."
Nino's cheeks flushed red.
I just got completely lost in all those compliments…
Elsewhere—
Makoto first returned home and called Mrs. Yukinoshita.
He hoped she could help him find a music composition teacher—he wanted to start learning in that area.
Mrs. Yukinoshita agreed immediately: "I should be able to get back to you in about half an hour."
Sure enough, it was less than thirty minutes before she called back with high efficiency, telling Makoto everything was arranged.
"The lessons will be scheduled for the weekends. As for the fees, you don't need to worry about them. You've helped me twice now—I should repay the favor."
"No need to wait for the weekend. Tomorrow is fine."
"Tomorrow? You're skipping class? Or are you planning to go after school?"
"I'm taking a day off tomorrow."
Of course Makoto was taking a day off.
He was preparing to enter a time loop again.
After successfully getting the music teacher's contact info from Mrs. Yukinoshita, he changed clothes and went to Mayu's home for dinner.
More accurately, he helped her cook.
After dinner, Mayu happily sat with him in the living room watching TV and casually expressed her concern about the club.
"Everything's going well. As for club activities, I plan to officially start on the weekend, since Ichika's been a bit busy lately… Hm? What's that?"
As Makoto was speaking, his gaze happened to fall on the sofa cushion.
Right in the center between him and Mayu, there was a conspicuous strand of curly hair.
Very short, curly hair.
"What are you looking at?"
Seeing him fall silent, Mayu also glanced down.
Makoto picked up the strand, thinking its length didn't match Mayu's hair.
So this must be…
His expression changed.
Mayu hadn't thought much of it, but upon seeing his strange reaction—and recalling the odd dreams she sometimes had at night—
The beautiful teacher immediately blushed and murmured, flustered, "Don't get the wrong idea! That's not mine, because I don't even have any!"
That was quite a loaded statement.
Makoto thought to himself.
That day in the bathroom, Mayu had covered herself so thoroughly that he hadn't been able to see anything, even if he'd wanted to.
Still flustered, Mayu explained quickly,
"It must be from Miss Shizuka. She stayed over at my place last night. And after taking a bath, she didn't even wear pajamas—just wrapped herself in a towel and sat on the sofa chatting with me."
She didn't hesitate at all to tell the truth.
But what Makoto cared about more was something else entirely.
Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise.
What was the fourth divine beast again?
So hard to remember…
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4 divine beast : azure dragon, black tortoise, vermillion bird, and lastly White Tiger.
WhiteTiger is also a slang for women who naturally don't have any pubes.
In case you didn't know.
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