Miura Yumiko arrived at Sobu High just like always.
Her mood today was perfectly ordinary. The one thing that could count as good news was probably what Yukino Yukinoshita had told her yesterday, that Lin Ye wouldn't come pestering her anymore, wouldn't take advantage of her again.
Even though Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't agreed to her request to be friends in the end, at least she hadn't refused either.
As for the future, Miura had no idea whether Yukinoshita would ever say yes, but at least she still held onto a sliver of hope.
Lost in thought, Miura Yumiko suddenly noticed a figure standing in front of her.
She stopped without thinking, lifted her gaze, and got a clear look at the man before her.
Lin Ye.
In all of Sobu High, the one man she could never forget was this very man standing in front of her.
"What is it?" Miura Yumiko kept up her cold, aloof expression.
Before, there had still been a trace of gratitude mixed into how she felt about Lin Ye. Back then he had at least helped her get away from the sports field, letting her, the Blond Queen of Sobu High, keep her dignity in front of the students.
But now, not being sick of him was already the best she could manage.
"I just want to talk with you about yesterday."
There were other students around, so naturally Haruno had no wish to torment Miura Yumiko here. Here, Miura's urge to resist would rise to its peak.
She knew that much.
"What is there left for us to talk about?"
"There is. The relationship between the two of us is still very much alive, you know. Yukinoshita may have said something to you, but that isn't enough. Don't you think so?"
Faced with the man's words, Miura Yumiko hesitated for a moment, and in the end still chose to follow Haruno.
Soon they reached their destination.
Miura Yumiko looked at this all too familiar place, and a faint, uneasy premonition surfaced.
This spot was exactly where this man had tormented her before.
Why had he brought her here again?
It couldn't be for that. Surely not.
Yukinoshita had sacrificed herself for her sake, had offered up an exchange, so would this man really break his promise to Yukinoshita? If he did, how could he ever earn Yukinoshita's goodwill, how could he ever succeed in courting her?
So Miura Yumiko dismissed her own suspicion.
"Whatever it is, just say it."
"Getting close and cozy with my girlfriend, what more is there to say?"
The words landed, and Miura Yumiko gave a start, only to find that the man had already vanished from view.
The instant she instinctively stepped back, she felt an impact against her back.
The man was already behind her.
"You…"
What followed was the sensation of being wrapped in an embrace.
"Don't move."
"You…"
"You don't want to cry out and draw a crowd over here, do you?"
That made Miura Yumiko tremble on instinct.
No, this was wrong.
"Acting like this, and you still want to chase after Yukinoshita?" she said resentfully, even as she struggled.
But the strength coming from the man was not something she could break free of.
Miura Yumiko couldn't help wondering whether a man's strength was really this overwhelming.
"Chase? There's no need to chase."
Had he given up?
"She's already my girlfriend, you know."
The voice by her ear made Miura Yumiko shudder, and her eyes went wide with disbelief.
She didn't believe it. She didn't dare believe it.
Yukino Yukinoshita had actually become Lin Ye's girlfriend.
This, this…
For her sake, to free her from Lin Ye's harassment, Yukino Yukinoshita had actually accepted Lin Ye's condition, which was to become his girlfriend.
Miura Yumiko's heart pounded faster and faster.
She wanted to reject the guess, yet it only grew stronger and stronger. Beyond that, she truly couldn't think of any other reason why Yukinoshita would become Lin Ye's girlfriend at a time like this.
"Despicable."
"Shameless."
Miura Yumiko was seething with fury.
"You bastard, you… you actually threatened Yukinoshita like this… made her… made her become your girlfriend."
Haruno didn't understand the specifics, but she grasped that Miura Yumiko had misunderstood something, and that only sharpened the amusement inside her.
Nice, very nice.
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not," Miura Yumiko blurted out at once. "You can't do this. This is between you and me. You can't drag Yukinoshita into it."
Ohh, ohh, ohh!
Something clicked for Haruno, and she realized Miura Yumiko seemed to have formed some misunderstanding about the relationship between Yukinoshita and herself.
But this misunderstanding was excellent.
Haruno liked it. You could even say she liked it best of all.
"Oh, so concerned about Yukinoshita?"
"That has nothing to do with you," Miura Yumiko said, keeping her face stern.
Even though she wanted to become friends with Yukinoshita, even though she already regarded Yukinoshita as a friend, she had no intention whatsoever of explaining that relationship to the man in front of her.
"If it has nothing to do with you, then why do you care so much?"
"…"
Haruno was enjoying herself more and more.
"Fine, you don't want to talk, no problem. I'll go ask Yukinoshita. And if Yukinoshita won't say either, that's fine too. She's already my girlfriend, so I can do all sorts of things to her. Mm, the same sorts of things I did to you before."
Miura Yumiko's memories came flooding back.
The moment she felt Haruno let go, she instinctively raised her hand and gripped Haruno's, the force of her grip a mirror of the fierce emotion inside her.
Yes, she was unwilling to let Haruno go after Yukinoshita.
The moment she pictured Yukinoshita being tormented and taken advantage of by Haruno in every way, all because of her, the guilt only burned stronger.
"What, can't bear to see me leave?"
The voice by her ear carried mockery and derision.
Miura Yumiko's heart trembled without end, but she forced down the extreme discomfort inside and didn't let it show.
Her mind spun as she thought about what she should do, how she could possibly solve this problem.
The golden-haired young girl racked her brains for a solution.
In truth, one method had already surfaced in her mind. She simply lacked the resolve to go through with it.
"I'll be going first. I'm really looking forward to how well Yukinoshita cooperates with me today."
The discomfort inside Miura Yumiko grew even more intense.
No, absolutely not.
She would never allow that kind of thing to happen.
She gripped Haruno's hand harder still.
"No."
"What?"
"You can't go to Yukinoshita."
"On what grounds?"
Right. On what grounds could she interfere? On what grounds should Haruno listen to her?
Miura Yumiko clenched her teeth and slowly spoke. "I'm your girlfriend."
She had said it.
"I have the right to forbid you from going after other women."
A crack appeared inside her.
The instant she spoke that line, Miura Yumiko realized that a certain thing she had held firm to had already cracked, could never mend again, could never come back in the future.
But the moment she thought of what her friend Yukino Yukinoshita might be going through, she felt that this decision of hers here and now could not be wrong, that there was nothing wrong with it at all.
"Ohh, ohh, so now you're using your status as my girlfriend to remind me?" Haruno laughed. "Didn't a certain someone say she didn't want to be my girlfriend?"
"…"
Of course Miura Yumiko didn't want to. Make her choose ten thousand times and she'd refuse ten thousand times over. But the situation was different now. She had to accept this role.
"No, I am your girlfriend, so promise me, don't go to Yukinoshita. The promise Yukinoshita made to you, I need you to cancel it."
"Cancel it?" Haruno asked back with a smile.
She didn't elaborate, but Miura Yumiko knew exactly what the teasing in Haruno's eyes meant.
Asking Haruno to cancel the promise with Yukinoshita, how could any ordinary person ever agree to that?
She and Yukinoshita might be about equal in popularity at Sobu High, but in reality Miura Yumiko knew Yukinoshita's popularity ran far higher than hers. If the boys were truly made to pick one as a girlfriend, the ones who'd choose Yukinoshita would definitely outnumber those who'd choose her.
Getting Haruno to give up Yukinoshita's promise now was as good as trying to climb to heaven. If she were a boy, she couldn't agree to it either.
"Right. Cancel it."
"Are you joking with me, Student Miura? I'm starting to suspect you got into Sobu High through the back door."
That was already a jab at her emotional intelligence, and her actual intelligence had probably been doubted and looked down on long ago.
"Whew…"
Miura Yumiko slowly let out a breath.
For her, this was an enormous decision, one that demanded even more courage.
"I'll make it up to you," Miura Yumiko said.
The moment she said it, her whole body went slack, and at the same time it marked the fierce loneliness inside her.
Once she took this step, there would be no turning back.
But Yukinoshita had done this much for her. To let Yukinoshita break free, this was what she ought to do.
And besides, this was her business to begin with. It had nothing to do with Yukinoshita. It was because she had gone to beg Yukinoshita that Yukinoshita had ended up in danger.
So she had to take responsibility for Yukinoshita, had to solve the problem for her.
Miura Yumiko had already made her decision. She was already resolved.
Inside, Haruno was howling with laughter. She had known Miura Yumiko would say this line. She had been waiting for Miura Yumiko to make exactly this decision.
And now it had finally come.
She was thrilled. She was delighted.
Pleasure was what Haruno chased after.
And now she had caught it, a thrill even stronger than tormenting Meguri Shiromeguri.
She and Yukino had no agreement whatsoever. Yukino had never made any promise at all. But Miura Yumiko had clearly misunderstood, and because of it was now offering "compensation."
This, hahaha, this. When the moment came that Miura Yumiko learned the truth, who knew what an entertaining reaction she'd have.
Haruno looked forward to the moment Miura Yumiko learned the truth.
"Spell out the compensation."
The instant Haruno said this, it eased Miura Yumiko's mind, yet she couldn't help but sneer at Haruno inwardly.
Men. In the end it always came down to this.
When all was said and done, they still craved a woman's body.
That was what Miura Yumiko thought, though naturally she didn't say it aloud. She knew such words were unfit to be spoken, that once they were out they'd surely stir Haruno's displeasure and cause complications.
If that made Haruno go back on the deal, where would she go to cry then?
Miura Yumiko slowly went on, "The things you did to me before, they… they can all…"
Her whole body was shaking, but she still got the words out.
As for being taken advantage of afterward, she'd endure it. Such a steep sacrifice, if it was for the sake of her friend Yukinoshita, she was willing.
But Miura Yumiko waited a long while and got no reaction from the man before her.
What was wrong?
The golden-haired young girl lifted her eyes, and what she saw was the man's calm.
Soon Haruno spoke. "That's it?"
What did that mean? Was that tone one of dissatisfaction?
Miura Yumiko swallowed and continued, "This… isn't enough?"
"What do you think?"
"Then…" She was about to say "what do you want," but then felt that would only let Haruno make an outrageous demand.
"A girlfriend who won't even keep a bed warm at night? Are you joking with me?"
Miura Yumiko: ???
She really didn't think Yukino Yukinoshita would go that far.
"There's no way Yukinoshita would agree to that extent."
"Oh!" Haruno drew out the word.
"You want me to give up my agreement with Yukinoshita and choose you, and yet all you can manage is the same extent as Yukinoshita? You really are joking with me, aren't you?"
Miura Yumiko was stumped by the question.
"If you want someone to jump ship, you've got to put up enough chips."
Miura Yumiko fell silent. That was indeed true. She agreed as well.
"And besides, Student Miura, do you really think you measure up to Yukinoshita?"
Even if that was the fact, Miura Yumiko had no wish to admit out loud that she'd lost.
"You only beat her in your figure. If it weren't for that body of yours, I honestly wouldn't have much interest at all."
As he spoke, Haruno's gaze swept up and down over Miura Yumiko, hard, making her shiver faintly. If she could, she really wanted to leave.
But she knew she couldn't.
"I'll give you five seconds to think it over. Agree or not."
"Five…"
"To what extent did Yukinoshita agree to?" She wanted to know how far Yukinoshita had gone, so she could add a few more chips on top of that.
"Four."
"I, I…"
"Three…"
"You tell me what extent she agreed to."
"Two."
"Except for the last step, I can do anything for you."
"One…"
"That's my bottom line," Miura Yumiko said through gritted teeth.
The last step, she would never give it up. That was her line.
Haruno watched Miura Yumiko's stubborn look and understood the girl's thinking.
Fine. Pushing any harder wouldn't get a good result. Better to stop here.
"All right."
That answer let Miura Yumiko breathe a sigh of relief.
This was the fruit of her holding firm. She knew that if Haruno had kept pressing, she really couldn't say whether she'd have caved. And she knew all too well what caving further would mean.
Thank goodness Haruno had relented. She felt an enormous weight lift, and counted herself endlessly lucky for having stood her ground.
"Then, now let's have a little sincerity, a little down payment."
Miura Yumiko: ???
Now? Did this guy like it that much? So hateful.
But she really couldn't bring herself to refuse either.
"After school… would that be all right?"
After school won't be me.
"What do you think?"
With an answer like that, Miura Yumiko knew she had no chance, and could only accept it.
"What sincerity do you want?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Miura Yumiko pursed her lips and finally moved to Haruno's side, took Haruno's hand, and guided it first to a firm grope of her own backside.
"That's fine, isn't it?"
"…"
Seeing Haruno stay calm, she had no choice but to raise the stakes further, offering up another part of herself.
Haruno thought it wasn't bad at all. This blondie wasn't bad.
She rather liked it.
Though this time was probably the last time.
Sigh, she felt a little regret.
…
…
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