Makoto watched the Nakano quintuplets leave, and casually asked the system in his mind, "System, why aren't there any related tasks for Nino and the others?"
[Because I am an internship system, and the number of tasks I can assign at one time is limited.]
"You're really making things hard for me," he replied.
[Why?]
"If you could keep assigning tasks to me, I'd be able to finish my internship for you sooner. In other words, you're affecting your own progress."
[Stop complaining, all the internship tasks are up to you now.]
After teasing the system, Makoto noticed that Shizuka and Mayu were walking over.
"Fushimi-san, sorry to keep you waiting."
Mayu seemed a bit happy.
Shizuka, curious, asked, "Did you two arrange to meet?"
"Yeah, I need to ask him about something, and it just so happens that we live in the same apartment building."
"I see, well, I won't disturb you then."
Shizuka smiled at Makoto and left.
Mayu and Makoto walked home together.
Just as she was about to ask about his drawing skills, he spoke first. "Matsukaze-sensei, are you going grocery shopping today?"
"Yeah, my house is out of ingredients."
"How about we go together?"
"You're going to cook too?"
"Not just that. What I mean is, we could have dinner together."
Makoto said as he glanced at Mayu, who looked a little surprised, and added, "My cooking skills are pretty good too."
"How good?" Mayu instinctively asked.
"It's probably not just three or four stories high."
"That's the first time I've heard that. Alright, it's settled then."
Hearing Makoto speak with such confidence, Mayu's curiosity was once again piqued.
The atmosphere of their conversation was quite pleasant, and Mayu's sweet voice alone was enough to lift anyone's spirits.
Her occasional surprised expressions only made her even cuter.
Makoto even thought that if he had a favorability system, he would surely hear the "Favorability +1" prompt by now.
And it would be a continuous one.
He remembered a post he had seen online: How much effort does a man have to put in to fill the heart of a woman who has never been in a relationship?
The answer is: just a little is enough.
Just a little is enough to fill her up and receive a passionate response in return.
The two of them arrived at the supermarket to pick out ingredients. Makoto casually said, "Let's cook dinner together. Matsukaze-sensei can make a dish you're good at."
Mayu smiled and said, "Didn't you say your cooking skills are very high? I thought you were going to take over dinner."
"Because I've never tasted Matsukaze-sensei's cooking, I'm looking forward to it."
"Got it, then we'll cook together."
The gentle and sweet Mayu was now noticeably more enthusiastic.
It was their first time having dinner together, so of course, he wanted her to feel involved.
Even if she wasn't very good at cooking, as long as she said, "I'm looking forward to it," she would be filled with the motivation and enthusiasm to try.
As for whether her cooking would be good or not, that didn't matter much.
What mattered was that a woman was willing to cook for a man, which meant she could be courted.
These were the insights Makoto had gathered from his time loops.
The two of them picked out ingredients and chatted happily.
Mayu asked him about his relationship with the Nakano quintuplets.
This was because she had seen the scene outside the school gate earlier.
Makoto casually said, "I'm only really close to Ichika, and that's because I wrote a short story she really liked."
"A short story?" Mayu clearly became interested, unconsciously leaning closer to him.
If she leaned just a little more, her chest would touch Makoto's arm.
This clearly showed that she no longer had any defenses up around him.
"Yeah, just a little story I think is okay."
Makoto pulled out the little notebook.
Mayu quickly took it and started reading seriously.
Makoto didn't disturb her, continuing to pick out meat. His phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
He picked it up and saw a message from Yukino.
Yukino: [Do you still have any stories suitable for adaptation like the one before?]
No pleasantries, just getting straight to the point, showing she cared.
Makoto: [I have some. I probably have nine stories suitable for adaptation.]
Nine?
On the other end, Yukino leaned back in her chair, her beautiful eyes glinting.
Ever since she got home, she had been thinking.
Since the time loop was real, Makoto studying photography and scriptwriting probably wasn't just to distract himself from his frustration.
Nakano Ichika!
That girl was an actress!
Makoto didn't hide his intentions regarding his pursuit.
Yukino immediately concluded that Makoto must have studied these things to prepare for courting Ichika.
In that case, what about his method of courting her?
Yukino spent the rest of the time thinking about this question after returning home.
Most importantly, she wanted to know more.
It was the first time encountering such a supernatural phenomenon, and if she couldn't satisfy her curiosity, it would be a great loss.
Yukino quickly typed a message: [Didn't Ichika say she wanted to invite us for dinner? I don't have her contact info. You can pick a time.]
After sending the message, her chest, which wasn't very curvy, slowly rose and fell.
She was inexplicably a bit nervous.
Because her intentions were a little too obvious.
But her curiosity was really very strong.
She stared at her phone, waiting until ten seconds after sending the message, when Makoto replied.
And it was Makoto's reply that immediately made her blush.
[Why do you have to beat around the bush? Is it that hard to admit you care a lot?]
Yukino nearly blushed.
Then Makoto sent another message: [If you want to know more about the time loop, you can just ask me directly.]
Yukino: [Would you tell me directly?]
Makoto: [No.]
Yukino: "…"
This guy, he's a bit mean!
Yukino took a deep breath, feeling her blood pressure rising.
This time, she decided to be direct: [You studied photography and scriptwriting to court Ichika, right?]
Makoto: [I thought I made it clear. I have to find things to distract myself.]
Yukino: [So, you don't have Ichika's contact info yet?]
Makoto: [Of course I do.]
Yukino was about to strike back, but before she could, she saw Makoto send another message:
[The reason I have Ichika's contact info so quickly is that she just happens to be suitable to appear in my friend list.]
Yukino: ???
Makoto sent another message: [You too.]
Yukino fell silent.
She put her phone down, deciding not to bother with that guy for now.
She picked up a book to calm down.
Yukino read, but then that sentence popped into her mind: "Is it that hard to admit you care a lot?"
And then, that one: "You too."
She could almost picture Makoto's mischievous grin when he sent that message.
Great, she couldn't focus on her book anymore!
…
Makoto was indeed smiling.
It was to be expected that Yukino would care so much.
A curious and intelligent girl like her, when she encountered a supernatural phenomenon, would naturally be very interested.
And he had told her many things without fully explaining everything.
Riddles were the most annoying.
Just as Yukino cared about him, he cared about this girl.
What mattered most to him was Yukino's beautiful legs.
They already looked so beautiful, and they must feel wonderful to the touch. Carrying her would be even better…
Stop.
Makoto cleared his thoughts.
At this point, Mayu leaned in, her face glowing with excitement. "I finished reading, this story is great."
"Right? I think it's pretty good too." Makoto took the notebook back.
"It's more than just good. I can already picture the ending. It really surprised me earlier."
"Thanks for the compliment."
After finishing their grocery shopping, the two were still talking about the story.
It was clear that Mayu really enjoyed the twist.
At that moment, Makoto's attention was caught by a slender figure walking out of a bookstore ahead.
And coincidentally, the girl looked over at him.
Their gazes met, and she showed a surprised look.
Her name was Kasumigaoka Utaha.
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