Chapter 27 – Protect Yukinoshita Yukino!
"Ahhh~"
Under the warm glow of the morning sun, Yukinoshita Akira stretched his body with a soft sigh.
As he gazed out the window, it was hard to believe that beyond the peaceful facade of this world lurked man-eating demons roaming the shadows.
Just last night, he had experienced the sweet reward of his "training."
A single session had already boosted his progress by 0.8%. If he kept this up, wouldn't he become stronger in no time?
Unfortunately, after that, his progress had halted completely.
Akira suspected it might require entering that special enlightenment state again—or perhaps he needed to wait for the next day.
He glanced at the clock.
6:30 AM.
Still plenty of time before school started.
He picked up his Murata Katana again, deciding to use this early morning to test his theory.
— — —
[Ding!]
[You have gained 0.1% Heritage Template Progress!]
The notification confirmed one thing: as long as he trained once a day, he would gain some progress in his inherited power.
But compared to the 0.8% from the previous night, this was rather small—an eightfold difference.
It seemed that the state of special enlightenment had a significant multiplier effect.
Even if the result wasn't ideal, this was still good news.
At the very least, he now had a steady, daily method to strengthen himself—even if the gains were small.
With enough time, he would be able to protect himself in this world.
Later on, by hunting demons, he could probably gain large bursts of heritage progress.
After outlining a simple plan in his head, Akira sheathed his Murata Katana, slid it back into the sword bag, and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up and get ready.
Knock knock knock.
A knock echoed from the front door.
Akira paused. Who would come this early? The First Daughter of the Yukinoshita family? Or the Second?
He opened the door—only to be met by an elegant figure standing at the entrance.
"Why didn't you answer your phone?"
The moment the door opened, Miss Yukinoshita spoke sharply, clearly displeased.
"My phone?"
Akira turned to glance at the table where he had left his phone the night before. He hadn't touched it since.
He picked it up and pressed the power button. As expected, the screen was completely black.
"Sorry, battery ran out and it shut down."
"I was going to ask you to go buy breakfast. It would've been a great opportunity to grow closer with Yukino. But now that golden chance is wasted."
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in Yukino."
"Not interested in Yukino? Then does that mean... you're into me? So in the end, Akira-chan really does like me more, huh?"
As she spoke, she leaned in. Akira could feel the soft pressure of her body against his chest.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in you either, Miss."
Akira stepped back, putting some space between himself and the "rose with thorns," his tone calm but firm.
Haruno simply chuckled. In her eyes, all men were the same—just playing hard to get.
A man claiming not to be interested in her? Ridiculous. Her figure alone was enough to tempt nine out of ten men.
"Well, we're technically an engaged couple, right? Isn't it only natural for our relationship to be... closer?"
"Miss, if you have something to say, just say it. No need for this act."
"Jeez, you're no fun at all, Akira-chan."
"That's the last thing I want to hear from you."
Akira shot her a sidelong glance. For her own amusement, she had twisted her own little sister's personality—turning her into someone who both loved and hated her. Truly a perverse hobby.
In Oregairu, there were a few characters who were already "broken." Yukinoshita Haruno was one of them.
"Fine, I'll stop teasing. I'm actually here because I have something I want to discuss."
"Oh?"
"May I come in?"
"Of course."
Akira stepped aside. Technically, this house belonged to Haruno. He was merely renting it—from her.
Naturally, the system had arranged all of this, as part of a demonstration of his "independence."
Without a hint of awkwardness, Haruno entered and casually inspected the room.
"Hmm, looks like you're tidier than I expected, Akira-chan. No underwear lying around, no clothes scattered on the floor."
"That's your lifestyle, not mine."
"Now now, it's rude to talk to a lady like that. Your reputation could take a hit."
"That's fine."
Expressionless, Akira had no interest in bantering with her when she was clearly wearing another one of her many masks.
A woman like her never came without an agenda. As the saying goes, "No one visits a shrine without a reason."
"Akira-chan, I have a favor to ask. Would you be willing to help me with something?"
A stunning woman dressed lightly, bowing 60 degrees in front of a man—showing off her generous curves with a pitiful look on her face... It was enough to shatter the defenses of almost any guy.
"Just say it. No need for the dramatics."
Akira, though experienced, was still human. That kind of temptation wasn't easy to ignore.
"Wanna touch a little? If it's you, Akira-chan, I'll let you~"
With a teasing voice and seductive gaze, Haruno ramped up the pressure.
Fortunately, Akira's "resistance" was quite strong. His girlfriends and fiancées had been far more captivating than Haruno in every way.
"Cut it out. Just tell me what you want."
"Aww, Akira-chan, you're no fun."
In an instant, Haruno's flirtatious expression vanished—as if it had never existed.
With women like her, you could never tell which face was real.
"Just say it. As long as your request isn't outrageous, I won't refuse."
"Ooh~ That's a big green flag. Akira-chan really is such a gentleman."
"Get to the point."
Akira's patience was wearing thin. This woman was exhausting.
"Alright, alright. Don't be mad~ You're so serious."
"..."
"So, after what happened yesterday—especially since Yukino was the target—I can't relax as her big sister. That's why I'd like to ask you to protect her."
"Protect your little sister?"
"Yes."
"But we're not even in the same class."
"That's fine. Yukino started a club at Sobu High. But she's the only member."
"You want me to join that club?"
"Exactly. In return, this house will be yours—completely. How about it?"
"I don't mind. But you'll also need to prepare the item I want."
"No problem."
Haruno smiled, clearly satisfied. Her goal had been achieved.
Even if she still had doubts about Yukinoshita Akira, for now—she had to admit—there was no safer place for Yukino than by his side.
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