152. How embarrassing!

Yukino felt an unfamiliar heat rising to her cheeks.

For someone like her—composed, reserved, and always in control—sitting in a boy's arms like this, hand in hand, was nothing short of a catastrophe.

And yet, here she was.

Cradled gently by Hozuki Nozomi in the quiet of the clubroom.

Of course, she blamed it all on him—this infuriatingly shameless rogue who dared to break through the icy fortress she had built around herself.

But...

...at least he hadn't done anything more outrageous. That much brought a sliver of relief.

Still, her heart pounded like a taiko drum during summer festival season.

She peeked up at him from beneath her bangs, only to find the corners of his mouth slightly raised in a self-satisfied smirk.

Yep. As she suspected.

He was enjoying this.

Because he was hugging her.

How embarrassing!

By the time the warm rays of midday sun had begun to fade, Yukino managed to wriggle free from his embrace. Nozomi let her go, though reluctantly, his hand lingering a moment longer than necessary.

With a flustered expression and blazing cheeks, Yukino smoothed out her skirt and bolted from the room like a startled kitten.

The afternoon only held two classes: Literature with Hiratsuka-sensei and then P.E.

As class monitor,Nozomi joined Shiina Mahiru in hauling gym equipment for the session.

And of course, the usual suspects were nearby.

Tobe Kakeru, ever the bumbling sidekick to Hayama Hayato, was grinning like a fool, sneaking glances at Ebina Hina who stood chatting next to Miura Yumiko.

It was so obvious, it was painful.

Even a passing Tanuki spirit would pick up on his intentions.

Ebina sighed inwardly. If it were a random guy, she could've shut him down immediately. But Tobe was Yumiko's friend, so rejecting him outright might shake their group dynamics.

Hayama understood her dilemma, but he too found Tobe's antics hard to defend. The guy thought he was being subtle, but really, he was about as stealthy as a giant mecha stomping through downtown Tokyo.

Earlier, Tobe had gone ahead and bought movie tickets for the group. The genre? Horror.

Big mistake.

Not only was it a well-known scream-fest featuring the legendary Mai Sakurajima herself, but Tobe—the genius—was terrified of ghosts.

So… what was the plan here?

Was he trying to get close to Ebina just so he could cling to her during the scary parts?

Or was he banking on accidental hand-holding during jump scares?

Either way, it reeked of desperation.

Worried that it would seem too obvious if he handed out the tickets himself, Tobe passed the job to Hayato, thinking it would make things seem more "natural."

Unfortunately, he also admitted he was too nervous to even talk to Ebina properly, let alone confess anything. Just the thought of speaking to her made him stammer.

Hayato wanted to slam his head against the gym wall.

"We're just watching a movie, not confessing under cherry blossoms at graduation," he muttered.

But as he thought that, a shadow passed over his thoughts—Haruno Yukinoshita.

He too had once frozen in front of someone.

Back then, Haruno would occasionally check in on him. But it was never about him. It was always about her sister, Yukino.

Now, she barely spoke to him. Instead, she seemed far more interested in Nozomi.

Hozuki Nozomi, meanwhile, had no time to care about high school rom-com drama.

Just moments ago, Kamigusa Misaki had called him.

The Magical Girl Misaki game was finished.

During this period, Kashiwagi Eri worked diligently on the character and scene illustrations. Once she reviewed her work and felt satisfied, she handed everything over without hesitation. With the help of Akasaka Ryunosuke, a vibrant, card-drawing battle-style magical girl game was finally born.

Kamigusa Misaki, as energetic as ever, urged Hozuki Nozomi to create a few more plot segments. She wanted to give Kashiwagi Eri some additional material to draw before they finalized everything. Once the game went on sale, the animation production could begin in earnest.

Of course, Nozomi had no intention of letting Misaki down. He took advantage of some free time during physical education class to grab a notebook and start scribbling away with serious intensity. His hand danced across the page, his eyes gleaming with focus as if he were writing the script to save the world.

"Oi, give the rest of us some breathing room, Nozomi. You're already overpowered—now you're writing in the middle of gym class too?" Hikigaya Hachiman's voice came from behind, full of dry sarcasm. He squinted at the furious pen strokes and couldn't help swallowing a little in defeat.

Nozomi didn't even pause, only rolling his eyes slightly. "Aren't you the one who dreams of being a stay-at-home husband? You should be grateful I'm paving the way. Literary creation might be your best shot. You do well in liberal arts, right? Ever thought of getting a head start?"

"Absolutely not. I'm still a high school student. I want to sing praises to youth, not bury myself in manuscripts." Hachiman's expression was as deadpan as ever.

Nozomi chuckled. "Then I hope you and Totsuka Saika have a beautiful wedding."

Hachiman immediately flushed. "Wha—She's a guy! Totsuka is a guy, dammit!"

Nozomi tilted his head playfully. "As long as he's cute, does it matter? Can you look him in the eye and say Totsuka Saika isn't cute?"

"I—I won't do that. We're friends! I'm not going to attack him just because he's cute... stop trying to bait me!"

Just then, the soft voice of Totsuka Saika floated over like an unexpected flower petal on the wind. "Hachiman… You don't like me?"

"Gya—Wha—Totsuka, wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Hachiman flailed, his face turning bright red as his brain scrambled for an explanation.

Nozomi struggled not to burst out laughing. He watched with an amused smirk as Hachiman, ensnared by Totsuka's angelic aura, fumbled for words. Then, turning his attention back to his notebook, he resumed his work, unfazed.

Hayama Hayato strolled over, hands in pockets. "You're oddly patient with Hachiman. You usually brush people off, but not him. Why is that?"

Nozomi shrugged without looking up. "Because when other guys approach me, they either glare at me with envy or use fake-flattering small talk. I'm not interested in becoming the next Hayato Hayama, so I don't need a bunch of yes-men."

"Hey, the people around me are my friends, not lackeys," Hayama replied with a faint frown.

Nozomi grinned and waved him off. "Relax, I'm just teasing. Honestly, I just like Hachiman because he has a cute sister. And maybe it's a sister-control kind of thing—we get each other."

Hayama's brow twitched. "Wait... you have a sister? She goes to our school too?"

"Yep. Class J. Same class as Yukino. Her name's Yuki Suo."

The air shifted. Hayama's expression stiffened. "Wait. You're... related to the Suo family's daughter? As in, actual siblings?"

"That's right," Nozomi replied casually. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, it's just... surprising." Hayama laughed awkwardly. He had once thought he held a unique edge—his parents being legal advisors to the Yukinoshita family. But it seemed Nozomi had him beat in background too. No wonder Yukinoshita Haruno seemed oddly interested in him.

Meanwhile, Hachiman had finally calmed Totsuka down and stomped back over, glaring at Nozomi.

"I'm warning you now—don't even think about getting close to Komachi. I won't hand her over to some pervert like you."

Nozomi merely raised an eyebrow, amused. "You sure about that? What if Komachi likes older guys with charm and ambition?"

"Shut it! Keep your twisted scenarios to yourself!" Hachiman barked, cheeks still burning.