Reincarnation: Yukino Yukinoshita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Haru returned to the photography club after brushing up on his karate skills. Spotting Utaha already there didn't surprise him.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, Haru retrieved a neatly printed document from the drawer and handed it out to the group. "This is the story I mentioned last time. It'll be your next project."

Yukino didn't reach for a copy. With her advantage of being close to Haru, she'd already read it.

In fact, several details in the story had been her own suggestions.

Utaha was already engrossed in the document.

From her first year, Utaha had proven to be exceptionally talented at screenwriting. This was her territory, her expertise.

Yui, on the other hand, accepted the document with a strange look on her face.

She couldn't help but think back to the conversation she'd had with Haru online that one night.

A 30MB text file… just the index? And it'd take at least ten years to master writing like that?

She sighed inwardly. How am I supposed to carve out my own path when Yukinoshita-san's defenses are this solid?

Her gaze drifted briefly to Yukino, who was sitting calmly as usual, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Why do you have a telescope here?" Haru asked, breaking her train of thought as he noticed the item on Hashimoto's desk.

"Wanna try it out? My sister gave it to me. It's got fantastic magnification and aperture," Hashimoto said as she passed the telescope to him.

Haru accepted it casually. "Make sure you all finish reading the story. You'll need to shoot it later."

"Got it, Mr. President~," Hashimoto replied playfully.

Everyone buried their heads in the documents, even Yukino refraining from interrupting the silence. She sat quietly, flipping through a book of her own.

With nothing else to do, Haru wandered over to the window and raised the telescope.

Hashimoto hadn't been lying—the telescope's magnification was impressive.

He turned the lens toward more distant objects, adjusting the angle until—

Haru froze.

[Congratulations! You've unlocked a new skill: Auto-aim (Lv1).]

Auto-aim ?

Haru didn't rush to test his new skill. Based on his experience, skills at Lv1 hardly offered any noticeable improvement.

Still, something about this puzzled him. He'd often gazed into the distance to test his eyes before, so why did this skill unlock only now?

Could it be that the naked eye doesn't count? Do I need to use tools to see farther to unlock this "auto-aim" skill?

Curious, he picked up the telescope again.

[You are aiming into the distance. (Auto-Aim) EXP +12.]

[You are aiming into the distance. (Auto-Aim) EXP +16.]

The notifications popped up repeatedly as Haru continued to experiment, until the group gradually put down their documents.

"Haru," Yukino called him back. "From what you said earlier, you're not planning to help with the filming?"

"Eh?"

At her words, the others immediately turned to look at him, curiosity and concern written on their faces.

Utaha gave Yukino a brief, knowing glance.

"Of course I'm helping," Haru replied, shaking his head. "I'm the president of the photography club. How could I not?"

Meeting everyone's gazes, he continued with a slight grin, "But I'm not going to do everything for you. This story is meant to be your practice project, after all."

"I'll do my best!" Yui's face flushed red with determination.

Practice? Is he giving me a chance to gain hands-on experience? Yui's heart fluttered at the thought.

Yukino, as always, quickly pieced together his intentions. Years of understanding Haru's quirks made it easy for her.

Meanwhile, Utaha observed quietly, a conclusion forming in her mind: These two are very close.

"Amemiya-kun, didn't you mention that the photography club is still recruiting?" Utaha suddenly asked.

"Yeah, why? Are you thinking of joining? Can you handle it on top of your other activities?" Haru raised an eyebrow, knowing she was already involved in another club.

"I can manage. At the very least, I don't want to miss out on working on this story."

"If you're willing to help, then start by filling out the application form."

"Alright."

And just like that, it was decided.

Yukino watched the exchange unfold but didn't object.

Haru's words echoed in her mind: 'Exceptionals are naturally drawn to one another.'

She knew how excellent Utaha was.

And outstanding people will also attract each other.

Having someone like Utaha onboard would only make the team stronger. Yukino didn't mind at all.

If anything, she saw it as an opportunity to challenge herself against someone equally remarkable.

Such an outstanding rival is rare. This will be a valuable experience for me too.

With a composed demeanor and her signature unshakable aura, Yukino maintained her position as queen.

The addition of Utaha to the photography club meant Haru had to walk her through the basics. While teaching her, his skill experience surged once more.

Currently, he had three skills at Lv8: [Physical Fitness], [Photography], and [Scriptwriting].

[Teaching] was at Lv7.

At this rate, he was confident he could grind [Physical Fitness] to Lv10 by the end of the week.

What he didn't know was whether anything special would happen when a skill reached Lv10.

After all, I only have a skill panel, not an actual system.

This had been a source of frustration for him ever since that bizarre high-jump competition in his childhood. Without a proper system, he had no way to get answers to his questions.

When the club activity ended, everyone headed home. Everyone except Utaha.

She stood outside the building, gazing up at the overcast sky.

She looked up at the gloomy sky and thought, will it rain today?

Sure enough, ten minutes later, accompanied by rumbling thunder, a rainstorm suddenly fell.

A smile tugged at Utaha's lips.

She'd checked the weather forecast two days ago and waited for this exact moment.

Coming to the photography club two days in a row wasn't for learning anything. Getting past Yukino's guard takes strategy.

Yesterday's clear skies had forced her to postpone her plan.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, didn't you bring an umbrella? Want me to walk you home?" A friendly girl nearby offered help, holding her umbrella out.

"Thank you, but no need. A friend's coming to pick me up," Utaha replied with a shake of her head.

Once the girl left, Utaha pulled out her phone and sent Haru a message:

"Can you come to school? I just finished up and realized it's pouring. I forgot my umbrella."

Within seconds, Haru replied: "You're still at school? Wait there, I'll come get you."

Seeing his response, Utaha let out a relieved smile.

But when she spotted him rushing across the rain-drenched field, umbrella in hand, his clothes already soaked from the downpour, her heart skipped a beat.

For a moment, she was stunned.

This boy—someone so capable and outstanding—had dropped everything and rushed out into a storm just because of a single message from her.

In that fleeting instant, Utaha felt something stir inside her.

This must be what falling in love feels like.

Though she'd never experienced it before, she was certain: she was falling for him.

It's rare to meet someone this exceptional. Why would I let him go?

As for Yukino Yukinoshita?

Sorry, but I'm not the type of girl to play fair and square.

When Haru finally reached the steps, he shook off his umbrella and muttered, "I knew it would rain today, but this is overkill. If I'd known, I would've borrowed one of those big market stall umbrellas instead."

Utaha chuckled at his childish grumbling. So he has this side to him too.

"Had you done that, the shop owner would be chasing you down right about now," she teased.

"I was joking," Haru replied, handing her the spare umbrella he'd brought.

Utaha's eyes softened as she took it, noticing his damp clothes and wet hair.

"You didn't have to rush. The rain will let up soon enough. I wasn't in any hurry," she said gently.

"But I was," Haru countered with a shrug. "I have a gaming session later. The faster I get you home, the sooner I can duo-queue."

Utaha blinked, speechless for a moment.

She stared at him with her beautiful eyes, saying nothing.

"Okay, okay, I was joking again," Haru relented. "The session's tonight."

Utaha let out a soft "hmph" and turned to look at the rain. "This kind of rainstorm usually comes quickly and goes away quickly. We can run to the convenience store opposite to take shelter from the rain later and see how the rain changes then."

"Why the convenience store? The bus stop's closer," Haru questioned, his gaze briefly lingering on her elegant figure.

Because I want to spend more time with you.

Utaha turned back to him with a dazzling smile. "Take a guess."

"I'll pass," Haru replied, feigning disinterest.

But inside, he sighed. There she goes again. Flirting out of nowhere.