The antics during the class meeting were quickly laughed off and forgotten, but the relentless wave of classes that followed drained everyone to their limits.
The subsequent teachers, eager to make up for lost time, sped through their lessons as if rushing to get home. Their rapid-fire lectures were an endless torrent, all in an effort to cover the entirety of the missed second-semester material within the remaining time.
Even though the students in Yukio's class were focused and attentive, the pace left their heads spinning, their brains feeling like they were on the verge of burnout.
Finally, during a much-needed break, everyone turned apologetic eyes toward Ishizaki.
"Ishizaki, we're sorry. We shouldn't have laughed at you earlier. Honestly, I feel like getting beaten up just to take two days off."
"Yeah, Ishizaki, we used to think you were kind of silly, but now we realize you're actually pretty smart."
"Uh, r-really?" Ishizaki blinked in confusion. While their apologies seemed genuine, the more he listened, the more something felt off. Were they subtly mocking him? Silly? Him? No way!
Yukio, however, paid no attention to his classmates' banter. He was busy typing on his phone, messaging Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Manabu had sent a message stating that he had already recommended Yukio for the upcoming student council succession and was pushing the school to make a decision as soon as possible.
While the school required some time to assess the qualifications of the new student council president, Yukio's academic performance was so stellar that there was no reason to worry.
However, Horikita Manabu's insistence on expediting the process left Yukio a bit bewildered. Why does it feel like Horikita is in such a hurry to step down?
When he asked Horikita about the reason, the response was simple: Horikita felt that he couldn't keep up with the younger generation and wanted to step aside sooner rather than later. This left Yukio at a complete loss.
At that moment, a new chat notification popped up:
"Yukio-kun, it's autumn now. The golden leaves on the trees are so beautiful."
The message was accompanied by a maple leaf and a small star emoji. When Yukio checked the sender—it was Airi Sakura.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but let the corner of his mouth curl up slightly. Perhaps this was a cultural difference. Back in his hometown, it was normal for girls to occasionally send memes or emojis, but it was rare to see them sprinkle small emojis into the middle or end of sentences like this.
In contrast, here in Japan, it seemed to be part of a unique "cute culture." Girls often liked to add these kinds of adorable emojis to their messages, either mid-sentence or at the end, as a way of subtly emphasizing their own cuteness.
All he could say was that the culture here was fascinating—most girls seemed to aspire to embody this idea of cuteness.
While pondering this cultural quirk, Yukio replied to Sakura:
"I feel like an autumn scene like that would be perfect for taking photos."
Sakura, who had been waiting for his reply, responded almost immediately:
"That's amazing! I was thinking the same thing. A scene like that would definitely look beautiful in photos."
Spot on. As Yukio methodically continued the conversation, he confirmed his hunch. Out of the three undercover agents from Class D, Sakura was undoubtedly the easiest to deal with and the most obedient. Aside from her routine reports, she would only reach out if she had uncovered some critical information.
Messages like this—casually mentioning that it was autumn—were out of character for her. Especially since it was currently a break between classes, not the usual idle evening chat time.
From the moment he saw the message, Yukio had already begun analyzing its purpose. It wasn't intelligence-related, nor did it feel like simple small talk. That left only one possibility: it was about a personal matter for Sakura.
It seemed likely that Sakura wanted to ask for something but, being too shy, couldn't bring herself to say it outright. Instead, she was using a roundabout and tentative approach.
What could Sakura possibly want to ask of him? After two semesters, she was still the "invisible girl" of Class D, with almost no social interactions—occasionally sneaking off to play with Shina, and that was about it.
She had never caused any trouble for Yukio, let alone made any requests. Thinking back, Yukio could only connect her tentative message to one thing—their initial agreement about taking photos.
At the time, Sakura had been the first person Yukio recruited as an undercover agent, and they had a mutual agreement: Sakura would provide intelligence, and in return, Yukio would clear the area whenever she wanted to take photos, allowing her to choose any location on campus.
It was this agreement that Yukio vaguely recalled when he replied to her message. After all, since that one time they used the swimming pool during the first semester, the promise had not been fulfilled again.
Receiving Yukio's reply, Sakura was overjoyed. She clutched her phone tightly with both hands, lowering her head and silently smiling behind her pink glasses.
It's wonderful—Yukio-kun remembers! He wasn't brushing her off; he genuinely remembered the promise he made with her.
As she thought about this, Sakura felt warmth welling up in her heart, as if she were transported back to that stormy summer day in the gymnasium, where it was just her and Yukio alone. She vividly remembered how Yukio had kindly helped blow-dry her hair.
The warm air from the hairdryer seemed to have traveled through time and space, still reaching her now, warming her heart even after so long.
She was snapped out of her memories when Yukio's latest message arrived:
"How about this Saturday or Sunday?"
Sakura was thrilled by Yukio's decisive answer but also worried that the timing might be too tight.
"That works! As long as the leaves hold on a bit longer, I'll follow your schedule, Yukio-kun."
The more vibrant and golden the leaves, the faster they would fall. If Sakura wanted to take pictures, she needed to act quickly; otherwise, the leaves would all fall, leaving bare branches, and what would there be to photograph?
Still, Sakura didn't want to impose too much. She was easily contented—just being able to spend time alone with Yukio was enough for her. Even if all the leaves fell and the trees were bare, it wouldn't matter to her at all.
On his end, seeing Sakura's reply, Yukio quickly understood her concerns and messaged back:
"Then let's do it tomorrow. Just take a leave of absence. Since it'll be during class time, there'll be fewer people around. Clearing the area won't even be necessary—I can watch the surroundings on my own."
Sakura's fingers moved quickly as she typed her reply:
"Eh? How could I trouble you like that, Yukio-kun? That's too much! Maybe… maybe another time?"
"It's decided then." Yukio could be firm when necessary. Since Sakura really wanted to take a set of photos amidst the golden leaves of autumn, he was determined to make it happen—it wasn't much trouble, after all.
Plus, he wasn't exactly thrilled about sitting through classes himself.
Meanwhile, in Class D, Sakura was blinking rapidly, clutching her phone tightly with both hands. Despite her grip, the phone trembled slightly—or rather, her hands were trembling just a bit.
Sakura always presented herself as a shy, head-down type in front of others, far removed from the confidence and brilliance she radiated when taking photos.
As a result, no one noticed that her face was now flushed a deep crimson. When she saw Yukio's last message, she had unknowingly started imagining things.
In her mind, Yukio tilted her chin up forcefully, meeting her gaze with his, much like the domineering CEO characters in novels. With an unyielding tone, he declared, "It's decided then."
A Yukio like that… so handsome!
No, no, no! Sakura quickly buried her head in her arms on the desk, as if she were taking a nap during the break.
In reality, she was hiding her embarrassment, unable to control herself. Her thoughts spiraled, and she resolved to stop reading those "arrogant heir falls in love with me" shojo mangas. They were filling her head with unrealistic scenarios!
But… would Yukio actually lift her chin like that? Or maybe it'd be something like pinning her against the wall—?
Noooo, stop it! Why am I imagining this again?!
As it turned out, her frequent blushing during class breaks caught the attention of Chabashira. Misunderstanding the situation, Chabashira subtly approved Sakura's sick leave, thinking she wasn't feeling well.