At this moment, Yumiko felt a little strange.
Usually, within her social circle, everyone was willing to listen to her arrangements. Outside of her group, classmates also viewed her with respect and admiration.
Since the start of the school year, she had been surrounded by this "queen" aura.
But now, she found herself following Makoto's instructions throughout, posing like a robot, obediently following his every command.
She thought that with her looks and figure, as long as she avoided awkward candid shots, no matter how she was photographed, she should look beautiful.
However, Makoto wasn't satisfied with her initial self-directed attempts.
She should have spoken up, but for some reason, whether it was because of Makoto's approachable demeanor or his serious and focused expression, she didn't have the heart to interrupt him.
Hmph, I'll see if you're really that skilled.
Yumiko unknowingly developed a bit of a competitive mindset, typical for young girls.
"Miura-san, your smile is too confident. It needs to be a bit softer, like a gentle feeling. You should understand, right?"
After Makoto's careful direction, Yumiko's photos were finally taken.
She let out a deep breath, as if she had just completed a long-distance run.
At that very moment, Makoto raised his phone again, and with a "click," he took another photo.
"Eh? Didn't we already finish?" Yumiko looked up when she heard the shutter sound.
Makoto waved at her: "Come take a look."
Yumiko crossed her arms as she walked over: "If you've made me look bad in the photo, I'm going to say it straight."
Makoto: "Don't worry, General, let's see this picture."
Yumiko, filled with questions, leaned in. She took a quick glance at the photo on the phone, and instantly felt surprised.
He made me look so good!
And all of them were in a gentle, feminine style.
The lighting and angle were perfect, and the photos felt completely different from my selfies.
Yumiko's eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into a smile: "No wonder you had me find angles and pay attention to subtle expressions. So this is how you took the photos?"
"Are you satisfied?"
"Mm, very satisfied!"
Yumiko emphasized the words, her smile widening.
She truly liked the photos.
Usually, her selfies had that seemingly confident smile, but Makoto had captured a completely different style of her.
Girls who love beauty are always happy when they get beautiful pictures of themselves.
Especially when it's a style they've never seen before.
"I carefully selected them, and there are four photos that are up to standard," Makoto said at that moment.
Yumiko was stunned: "Four? But I like all seven of these."
"The other three didn't meet my requirements," Makoto said seriously. "You should remember, right? I said photography is an art."
"Oh, oh… I understand."
Seeing him suddenly become serious, Yumiko instinctively nodded in agreement.
There was no way around it—Makoto made her look so good that she had every reason to believe him.
Yumiko certainly wanted those photos, but it was only now that she realized Makoto was using his own phone.
So, the blonde girl raised her phone: "Let's exchange contact information, and then you can send me those four photos."
Makoto, however, said: "I'll send you two photos first."
Yumiko was puzzled: "Why only two?"
"I think the other two still have room for improvement. Once I've edited them, I'll send them to you."
"You can do that too?" Yumiko's face lit up with surprise.
Makoto's expression remained unchanged. Only by doing this will you keep thinking about them.
Yumiko thought to herself: This guy is so thoughtful.
Among all the people she knew, only Hayato was this considerate.
But Hayato definitely didn't have such good photography skills!
Like most boys, when he took photos, he just aimed for a "human shape," and that was enough.
Girls like Yumiko, who care about beauty, would definitely not be satisfied with such a "barely human" photo approach.
Girls, after meeting different boys, occasionally make comparisons in their hearts.
It's not malicious; it's just an unconscious action.
So, after comparing Makoto with the boys she knew, Yumiko quickly realized that Makoto was the one who surprised her the most.
Hayato was also a good guy, but he had one sharp flaw.
Whenever they were around their classmates, he was always just "Hayato" to everyone, never belonging to anyone in particular.
This warm-hearted approach to life easily created a subtle sense of distance.
It wasn't just the girls who felt this; even the boys who admired Hayato and wanted to be his best buddies felt the same way.
For example, right now, seeing the others distracted, Hayato took the group for a walk in the park.
"Thank you, Fushimi-san," Yumiko said sincerely.
"It was just a small favor," Makoto replied.
Yumiko gazed at his handsome face and smiled brightly: "From now on, you can call me Yumiko. By the way, what do your friends usually call you?"
Makoto: "Everyone is really polite to me and calls me 'Makoto-nii.'"
Yumiko: "???"
The girl rolled her eyes at him and said to herself: "Then I'll call you Makoto-kun. We're friends now, so this way it won't feel awkward."
Meanwhile, Nino, who had been watching from behind, now had a completely tense look on her beautiful face.
"She just called him Makoto-kun like that?"
Nino muttered in annoyance.
She knew very well that she and Yumiko weren't enemies.
The reason she was annoyed was purely because she had met Makoto earlier than Yumiko—and this boy happened to fit her aesthetic preferences.
Most importantly, Makoto also had a close relationship with her older sister.
Now, seeing the somewhat well-known Yumiko in school act so boldly, she instantly felt uncomfortable.
Itsuki gave Nino a helpless look and said softly, "Keep your voice down. It wouldn't be good if others heard that."
Nino, seeing her younger sister disapprove, snapped, "Don't you feel bothered? He's your friend, and he's really close with Ichika too."
But Itsuki replied quietly, "Nino, you're getting too worked up. Haven't you noticed? Fushimi's attitude toward Miura-san is completely just polite, like between regular classmates."
Nino was stunned.
Itsuki continued, "I can easily tell that the way he treats Miura-san and the way he treats me is different."
Because he was willing to tell me Ichika's secret right away—and even invited me to join the club before Ichika did.
That kind of connection clearly feels like a close friendship.
Even though Itsuki felt that the reason Makoto was so kind to her was probably because of Ichika...
She still felt happy about it.
"Is that so?" Nino asked uncertainty, once again looking toward the two of them.
Yumiko held her phone, happily admiring the photos for a while, then suddenly said, "Should I tie my hair up and take a few more shots?"
"Tie it up?" Makoto looked at her golden locks.
"Yeah, what do you think about a high ponytail? I used to wear that style."
"A high ponytail is great—very cool."
"Cool?" Yumiko blinked, feeling that the word didn't suit a beautiful girl.
Makoto gave a thumbs up. "Totally. Like the Wind Swordsman—super cool."
Yumiko: "?"
Looking at the stunned expression on the girl's face, Makoto wanted to laugh.
He could tell that Yumiko was very satisfied with his photography skills, and also, because of the deliberate thoughtfulness he displayed, she couldn't help but want to learn more about him.
In other words: while she was trying to get to know Makoto better, she also hoped he'd get to know her better.
Only then could Yumiko fully display her "queen" charm at school.
However, Makoto had a different thought about that: Are you done showing off? Then it's my turn.
He smiled and said, "Let's save the next photoshoot for another time."
"Why?"
"Because beautiful things are best saved a little—only then can they surprise you again next time."
Yumiko stared at Makoto, slightly dazed.
After two seconds, her cheeks inexplicably turned a little red.
She touched her fair chin and happily said, "You really have a way with words. Alright, next time it is."
Makoto responded with a polite smile. Then he turned around, his gaze landing on Nino.
"Nino, do you want to take a photo?" he asked.
He actually just called me Nino?
Nino was still thinking about that, then asked in surprise, "Why me?"
Makoto pointed at Itsuki. "Among the three girls here, you're the only one I haven't photographed yet. That feels a little regretful to me. I'd like to fix that soon."
"Regretful?"
"You heard what I said just now, right? Beautiful things should be preserved a little. So I want to preserve this moment now," Makoto explained.
Yumiko, who had been happily looking at her photos, froze: Wait, you can explain it like that?
Makoto: I hold the final say on the explanation—I'll interpret it however I want.
Nino's face flushed slightly, and her heart stirred a little.
After all, Itsuki had praised Makoto's photography skills to her many times.
She also saw Yumiko's reaction just now—he clearly took some amazing pictures.
At that moment, Itsuki gently nudged her. "Go ahead. Miura-san wasn't wrong—this park is popular with girls for photo shoots. Even some of my classmates have come here."
She could tell Nino wanted to take photos.
That's what you call: the Nino I pushed forward.
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