I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Because everyone treats Ayaha very casually, but they are very polite to me and always keep their distance."

Tachibana Kanade sighed softly, her silver hair falling on her profile, her expressionless face darkening slightly.

She looked at the ground and murmured insecurely, "Am I disliked...? Even though I think that, everyone still gives me snacks every day, and even the cafeteria lady secretly adds extra Mapo Tofu for me. It's really incomprehensible..."

I thought she was struggling with something, but it turns out it's this kind of trouble?

Tenkuji Yu shrugged and said matter-of-factly, "What's so hard to understand? That's how it is with school idols. They're respected but also shunned. Unless you have maxed out your social skills, many people will think they're not qualified to get close to you."

Upon hearing this, Tachibana Kanade raised her head, frowning slightly as she retorted, "Being friends doesn't require qualifications, does it?"

“You really don’t need to. So when you want to be friends with someone, just say so.” He said this reassuringly, while taking the opportunity to pinch her cheek.

It feels cool and soft to the touch, like a marshmallow kept in a refrigerator, making you want to put your palm on it and knead it vigorously.

Suppressing this beastly instinct deep inside, Yuu Tenkuji patted her head after pinching her cheeks. The silver hair still felt so good, like high-quality silk woven by a crane.

"They don't have the courage I do, so it's up to you to take the initiative to get closer to them... but don't get too close. You need to clearly express your thoughts, understand?"

"My own thoughts..." Tachibana Kanade looked at his warm and approachable smile, which resembled that of an older brother. After a moment of silence, she nodded gently, her face regaining its radiance. "I understand, Yu-senpai."

"Very good, the future student council president can't be timid!" Tenkuji Yu smiled and withdrew his hand, then took a step back.

Before anyone knew it, the camera that Iroha was holding had been snatched away by him, and he was playing with it with great interest.

"Ah—!! Senior, you thief!"

Attracted by their conversation, Iroha Isshiki only then realized what was happening and rushed towards Yuu Tenkuji, waving her little fists, shouting, "Give me back the camera! That belongs to our (future) student council!"

"Is it from the Film Research Club?" He showed her the Film Research Club label on the camera and raised his hand so that the petite girl couldn't touch it.

The camera focused on Isshiki Iroha, who was jumping around and looking indignant. Yuu Tenkuji said with a smile, "Don't panic. I'll return the recording to you after I delete it. We can borrow it from the Service Club later. It won't be long."

"Robber! Senior, you're despicable now!"

On the surface, her face turned red with anger, but Iroha's eyes darted around, and her hand moved unintentionally, placing it on his shoulder to try and reach the camera while secretly feeling the firm muscles and burning heat under his clothes.

Wow, is this what they mean by "stunningly sexy when she takes her clothes off"?!

He doesn't look particularly muscular, but he feels as hard as steel to the touch, and you can even feel the distinct lines of his biceps, instantly bringing to mind a bunch of male celebrities with perfect physiques...

Iroha Isshiki resisted the urge to drool, trying not to let her expression crumble, and stopped trying to grab the camera; all she could think about was wanting more muscles.

It's a rare opportunity to take advantage of someone like her. If her senior insists on not returning the camera to her—hmph, then don't blame her for groping this young man with such a nice butt!

As for a girl's modesty?

What is that? Would the senior care about such a thing? Can you exchange such a thing for the pleasure of taking advantage of someone?

No! So it's useless!

"Quickly, give me back the camera!"

Shouting angrily, Isshiki Hachiman secretly gathered her strength, preparing to jump onto her senior, pretending not to notice anything amiss in the midst of their playful fight, but in reality, she just wanted to hang on him and touch his muscles more.

However, before she took action.

It was as if her entire body and soul had been seen through. Suddenly, she held something hard and warm in her hand, while the hard and hot object she had been holding in her other hand easily slipped out of her control, almost causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

The camera, which was originally cold, had been warmed to a temperature similar to Naoko's by the two of them holding it.

"Alright, here you go." Tenkuji Yu patted his disheveled clothes and looked at Tachibana Kanade. "Let's make a deal. You guys lend me your camera later, and I can help you edit your political survey videos. Post-production is a lot of work, so lending me an hour will get you hours of results. You shouldn't refuse, right?"

Tachibana Kanade shook her head, seemingly lost in thought, staring at his body with a thoughtful expression.

Iroha Isshiki, who successfully "snatched back" the camera, stood there lost in thought, as if life had lost its joy, radiating a pale aura of "why didn't I do it sooner."

In any case, Yuu Tenkuji achieved his goal.

"Standard S●NY camera x1, microphone x1, other accessories x1" —GET DA☆ZE!

Chapter Ninety-Five: Let Me See!

After that, Yuu Tenkuji went to the classroom with two junior students to retrieve the photography lights and reflectors stored there.

Although all the equipment had been borrowed and the plan to film a political survey video had been temporarily put on hold, Iroha Isshiki and Kanade Tachibana did not go straight home to rest. Instead, they came with him to the Service Department classroom in the special building, ready to make a big splash there.

"Is the senior going to film a performance video for the cultural festival with the senior students?"

Seeing Tenkuji Yu nod, Isshiki Iroha raised the camera, patted her slender arms with little muscle, and said with a confident smile, "If you were all actors, wouldn't there be no one to help with the filming? So feel free to leave it to me!"

"As a professional high school girl, she's second to none when it comes to taking photos!"

"Photography is different from taking selfies... Are you really capable?" Yuu Tenkuji asked with a doubtful look.

"Hmm...we'll find out if it works after we try it once!" Dissatisfied with her senior's doubts, Iroha puffed out her cheeks cutely and stretched out her fair palms towards him as if asking for money. "Do you have any storyboards or scripts or anything like that? Let me see them."

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you're quite professional?"

"Of course! My dream during high school was to become a blogger with millions of followers and make money by making videos!"

Her feigned dissatisfaction vanished instantly, replaced by a sly smile. The girl with short, flaxen hair lifted her chin, and said with a hint of pride, "I'm not just saying it; I've really read a lot of books about cameras and visuals, and I've also made a lot of interesting videos myself—I'm not the novice that my seniors think I am."

"Really?" Tenkuji Yuya mimicked her and held out his hand. "Let me see."

"...I won't let you see! Anyway, you have no choice but to accept it, Senpai." As if she had stepped on some landmine, Iroha Isshiki slapped his hand down hard, her expression changing faster than turning the pages of a book.

She turned her head angrily, her attitude inexplicably hardening: "Fine, you don't have a storyboard, but you should at least tell me what kind of film you're planning to shoot?"

“Okay, although I haven’t even told you that you passed the interview yet…” Tenkuji Yu shrugged slightly, and was about to explain the script outline that Yukinoshita had written earlier when he felt his clothes being tugged.

He looked down and met those calm eyes, clear as a lake.

"I'd like to help too. Is there anything I can do?"

If it were Iroha Isshiki asking this question, Yuu Tenkuji would probably just wave her away and tell her to go play somewhere else, too lazy to add any more people to the chaos.

However, at this moment, with Tachibana Kanade staring at him with such serious eyes, even if he was hard-hearted and afraid of trouble, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Most importantly, since he hadn't refused Isshiki Hachiman's request to be his photographer, how could he exclude Tachibana Kanade, who had no ill intentions?

After all, fairness is the only way to be a decent human being!

"Let me think..." While thinking, Tenkuji Yu subconsciously touched her small head, then casually withdrew his hand amidst the disdainful and contemptuous glare from the side. "By the way, we need someone to hold up the reflector. Can you do that?"

“Yes, I’m very strong!” With her eyes lighting up, Tachibana Kanade answered firmly, and as if to prove her strength, she raised the reflector placed next to her high.

Her face remained expressionless, but judging from the light snort she let out and the way her back was so straight it was almost bent backward, she seemed quite pleased with herself and was waiting for their applause.

Yuu Tenkuji immediately clapped her hands vigorously, then looked at Iroha Isshiki with an encouraging and urging look in her eyes.

"Senpai is definitely a lolicon..." Rolling her eyes speechlessly, Isshiki Hajime tried her best to resist the urge to hit the camera on her senpai's head. She clapped a few times to appease him, so as not to let the petty senpai target her in secret again.

As the applause gradually subsided, just as she was about to say something, the door to the Service Club was suddenly opened, and Yui Yuigahama walked in with a puzzled look on her face.

"Xiaoyou, what are you clapping for... Huh, is that Xiaocaiyu and Xiaozan?"

"Yay, Yui-senpai~"

"Sorry to bother you."

Smiling in response to both casual and polite greetings, Yui Yuigahama looked at Yuu Tenkuji and tilted her head slightly, asking, "Are they here to help?"

Yuu Tenkuji nodded and said, "Although I can handle shooting myself and stitching the shots together in post-production, having someone help me can save some effort and make the one-shot flow smoother."

Yui Yuigahama gave a vague "oh," then suddenly seemed to realize something and scratched her cheek sheepishly: "So, we're going to perform in front of Ayaha and the others? Ahaha, I feel a little nervous..."

"Don't be nervous, Yui-senpai!" Iroha Isshiki encouraged her with a smile, saying sincerely, "We've seen much more awkward situations, it's just acting, it's nothing!"

"Okay, that makes some sense... Well, so Ayaha can be sarcastic too." Recalling what happened on the day of the Q&A session, Yui Yuigahama laughed even more awkwardly, feeling like her embarrassing past had been dug up and brought up again.

"Eh? Sorry, Yui-senpai!" Realizing her slip of the tongue, Iroha Isshiki quickly bowed her head and apologized sincerely, explaining, "I didn't mean it that way, I just forgot to adjust my tone when I was talking to you, senpai!"

"Hey junior, is this how you treat your seniors?"

With a low voice, Tenkuji Yu reached out his hand toward her head, but the way his five fingers formed a claw was definitely not meant to be a loving pat on the head.

Iroha Isshiki reacted extremely quickly. In the instant she felt the fear of her head being about to be crushed, she bent down and hid behind Yui Yuigahama, raising an eyebrow at him with confidence—she didn't believe he would dare to put his claws on Yui-senpai's chest!

In fact, although Tenkuji Yu wasn't afraid, with other people around—specifically Tachibana Kanade—watching, he still had to consider his image and restrain himself.

"I'll teach you a lesson sooner or later." — He mouthed this, accompanied by a villainous, sinister laugh.

Isshiki stuck out her tongue, outwardly showing no fear or even disdain, but inwardly...

Cough cough, it's just that my heart is racing a little.

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around." Yui Yuigahama clapped her hands, her gentle tone stopping the two of them from glaring at each other.

She pulled out the Isshiki Hatake from behind her, glanced at Tachibana Kanade standing next to Tenkuji Yu, paused slightly, and continued, "From now on, we are partners in making videos together. We can't argue or bully each other, okay? At least for now, please get along well!"

I feel like they're standing a little too close... Am I being too sensitive?

As this thought crossed her mind, Yui Yuigahama shook her head inwardly, reflecting on her own neuroticism—to see someone as pure-hearted as Kanade as a love rival, this was no longer the behavior of a girl in love, but rather someone addicted to love.

That won't do, that won't do. It's better to suspect Xiao Caiyu than Xiao Xue... At least she and Xiao You bicker from time to time, like close friends of the same age, without any sense of seniority.

Just like now, even without looking at each other, they still gave each other a disdainful sneer:

"I have no interest in bullying little monkeys."

"I'm a little monkey senior, and I'm a gorilla in heat."

Kanade Tachibana looked at them with envy as they "got along well," wanting to say something and join in, but not knowing what animal to use to describe herself.

If the hair is white, is it a ferret?

Her calm eyes lowered as she fell into complex thoughts.

The commotion in the Service Department lasted for nearly ten minutes before the rather old door was pushed open from the outside again.

Of course, knocking before opening the door is her habit.

Why is it so noisy?

Without waiting for anyone to answer the door, Yukino Yukinoshita, having finished her work as quickly as possible, chose to push the door open and enter, her brows slightly furrowed in confusion.

She could hear music playing inside from the corridor; it was one of those Indian dance tunes with all sorts of strange harmonies, and the mesmerizing voice of "Auntie, press me down~" was practically corrupting her mind from afar.

Yukino Yukinoshita reasonably suspects that this is another thing that Yuu Tenkuji did.

But didn't he already borrow the equipment and wait for me to come and shoot the PV in the club room?

Could this be the music to be used in the PV?

...Hehe, then he'll have to figure out what kind of dogeza (a traditional Chinese kneeling posture) he should do later to look cool.