They took a ton of photos—some with just the two of them, some with all three together. Afterward, Utaha and Yukino huddled together to review them, deleting the ones that didn't look quite right. In the end, only about half were kept.
"Isn't that a bit too few?"
"When it comes to photos, of course you keep only the good ones," Utaha replied matter-of-factly. "Some angles and lighting just don't work, so those have to go." As she spoke, she took Ichin's phone and sent the selected photos to both her own phone and Yukino's.
After looking through them, Utaha picked a selfie of herself and Ichin and set it as her wallpaper.
Seeing that, Yukino also chose a photo of herself with Ichin and set it as her phone's wallpaper.
Ichin took his phone back, rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and then set a group photo of the three of them as his wallpaper.
Utaha and Yukino leaning against him on either side—was that a bit too flashy?
He shook his head. There was no need to overthink it. It was his phone, after all. It wasn't like many people would be looking at it.
After setting the wallpaper, Ichin checked the time and said to Yukino, "Haruno still isn't up yet? It's already getting late—she should be getting ready for the class reunion."
Yukino nodded, picked up her phone, and stood up. "I'll go check on her. We can't have her being late."
A few minutes later, Yukino returned from next door.
"She's up already, just still a bit groggy. She's in her bedroom picking out clothes."
"Then that's fine," Ichin said, stretching lazily. "I'll go change too. After that we can head out, grab lunch, and then go meet up with Aoba and the others."
Utaha nodded. After Ichin went to change, she glanced at Yukino's outfit and said, "Hmm? Why didn't you listen to me and wear a short skirt too?"
Yukino tugged lightly at her skirt, looking a little helpless. "It's still a bit cold these days, and I'm almost… you know. I'll wait until next month."
"Ohhh, I see," Utaha sighed. She didn't push it further, then smiled and added, "But Yukino, your figure really suits short skirts. Once the weather warms up, you have to wear them. Ichin will definitely be completely captivated."
Yukino nodded. She had already bought the clothes, so she was definitely going to wear them. She didn't have the bad habit of buying things and letting them go to waste.
Soon, Ichin came out after changing. He grabbed his wallet and keys, and together with Utaha and Yukino, headed out.
After closing the door, Ichin opened the door next door and said to Haruno, who was in the living room, "Haruno, we're heading out first. Keep an eye on the time—since it's a rare class reunion, don't be late."
Haruno, who was drinking juice, waved her hand to show she understood.
Closing the door, Ichin led Utaha and Yukino downstairs, got into the car, and set off.
Once they were on the road, Ichin asked the two in the back, "What do you want to eat for lunch? We're meeting at one thirty, so everyone's having lunch on their own."
Utaha thought for a moment, then looked at Yukino. "Yukino, is there anything you want to eat? I'm fine with anything."
After thinking it over, Yukino suggested, "How about we just find a ramen shop and eat something simple? We're going shopping and watching a movie this afternoon anyway. We'll probably buy snacks on the street, and the movie theater will almost certainly mean popcorn."
Listening to Yukino, Utaha started counting on her fingers. "Yeah, when we're shopping, those girls will definitely want milk tea, and then there's the popcorn at the cinema. In terms of calories, Ichin… let's go with Yukino's idea and just have some ramen."
"That works for me," Ichin said. "Let's keep lunch simple."
As for the calorie talk Utaha mentioned, Ichin couldn't be bothered to listen. By evening, they were still going out for barbecue—there was no way Utaha would be able to resist that.
Of course, he only thought that to himself. There was no way he'd say it out loud. Otherwise, even though he was driving now, once they parked, Utaha would definitely come over and put him in a chokehold.
With lunch decided, the only question left was which ramen shop to go to. On that point, none of them—Ichin, Utaha, or Yukino—knew much.
But there was someone who knew ramen extremely well.
That would be Hiratsuka Shizuka, the ever-diligent teacher.
Utaha took out her phone and made a call, startling Hiratsuka, who had been lying around at home doing nothing.
"You're going to see a movie today? And you're going out for ramen now? I'll find a place right away—count me in!"
She hung up immediately, and within a single minute sent over the address of a ramen shop.
After giving the address to Ichin, Utaha said helplessly, "Ichin, why do you think Hiratsuka-sensei still hasn't found a partner? She's already in her thirties."
"Don't ask me," Ichin said with a laugh as he drove. "She's probably just gotten too comfortable being single. Since Hiratsuka-sensei wants to come along, let her. We all know each other anyway—one more person doesn't matter. We can consider it looking after an older single woman."
His words made both Utaha and Yukino laugh.
Fifteen minutes later, the three arrived at the ramen shop Hiratsuka Shizuka had chosen. Since it was close to her apartment, her car had already arrived before them.
After parking, they immediately saw Hiratsuka Shizuka occupying a table inside.
"Long time no see, Hiratsuka-sensei," they greeted.
Nodding at the three, Hiratsuka Shizuka said, "It has been a while. Is it just you three? Where's Haruno?"
Seeing Ichin get pulled over to sit with Hiratsuka Shizuka, Yukino and Utaha sat opposite them. Yukino answered, "My sister has a class reunion today. She should have already gone out by now."
"I see," Hiratsuka Shizuka said, rubbing her chin with interest. "But inviting Haruno to a class reunion—this probably isn't just about catching up, is it? Ever since she took over the company, it's been developing really well and expanding into new businesses. I'd guess someone has their eye on her—maybe someone who's achieved something after graduating and now wants to use that as confidence to pursue her?"
"Huh?"
Ichin was stunned. He hadn't even thought about that.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, are you sure?" he asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said firmly. "I know more about Haruno's college days than you do. Her family background was already known to her classmates in freshman year. During those four years, there were plenty of guys who liked her, but very few dared to pursue her—the gap was just too big. And now, right after graduation, they're holding a reunion so quickly. The purpose is pretty clear."
Seeing how confident Hiratsuka Shizuka was, Ichin was genuinely surprised. He immediately realized that this class reunion was definitely not as simple as Haruno had made it sound—and that she hadn't told them everything.
"Well, whatever," Ichin said. "We'll find out when Haruno comes over for dinner tonight. Let's order first."
With that, he picked up the menu beside him.
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