"I definitely won't lose? One of his girlfriends?"
At the Yukinoshita residence.
Haruno slowly set down the phone after the call ended. Her expression was calm, but her trembling pupils couldn't hide the surging emotions within. Her mind felt like it was swarmed by ten thousand buzzing bees, utterly chaotic.
The weight of those final declarations of war carried too much.
She could sense that Yukino deeply cared for Yuu. She had once worried about the embarrassing scenario where two sisters might fall for the same man. For that reason, she had tested Yukino multiple times. Precisely because of this, when she learned Yuu was dating Yuigahama, Haruno felt a slight relief. She thought there was no way they could end up together…
Yet Yukino had just said she was Yuu's girlfriend—and one of them?!
Could her innocent, pure, and overly principled little sister really share a man with her best friend?
No way. Were high school girls' brains all broken these days?!
Was this because Yuu's charm was too overwhelming, or had Yukino, who'd never had many friends, been so intoxicated by friendship that she made such an absurd choice?
Haruno couldn't help but clutch her head. She sat on the bed, slightly dizzy.
What was wrong with this world…
"Jerk…"
For a moment, she didn't even know who to be angry at or who to curse.
As if abandoned by the entire world, she sat on the bed in a daze, looking around. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but her room was empty—only she was there. Even the night was concealed by curtains. No one could tell her how to face this.
What should she do?
Her little sister had declared war. Her boyfriend was almost stolen. What else could she do?
She clearly had him first, yet Yuu still flirted with her precious little sister, even letting her become the third party—unforgivable. Drug him and lock him in the basement.
She clearly knew Haruno liked Yuu, yet Yukino still became his girlfriend, even sharing him with her best friend as if it were normal—she needed re-education. But they were family, so target Yuigahama instead.
Seeing her best friend suffer because of her would surely make the self-righteous Yukino feel immense pain. She wouldn't dare make the same mistake again, would she?
"Hehe… Right. I should've done this long ago… Without Yuu-chan, I'm truly hopeless…"
Perhaps because the surroundings were too quiet.
She could hear something cracking inside her heart.
Haruno suddenly laughed. She chuckled softly with delight, as if imagining an amusing scene.
Yet, despite moving the muscles at the corners of her lips, there was no trace of a smile in her deep, slightly narrowed eyes.
Her hands on her knees slowly clenched into fists. Blue veins appeared on her pale skin. She gripped so tightly that her hands trembled slightly.
It wasn't that she didn't give her little sister a chance to explain.
But when she called back a second time, the sound of a dead line rang out. Clearly, Yukino had decided to become her enemy.
Unwilling to communicate? That was fine.
Yukino had never beaten Haruno. She just needed to crush her little sister's hopes of surpassing her as easily as she always had.
As for confronting Yuu, Haruno never considered it.
He had disappointed her too many times. Whether there were hidden reasons or it was intentional, what he'd done couldn't be undone. The fact that he betrayed those memories had already happened—if he wanted to defend himself, she'd sit and listen carefully only after Yuu was fully hers.
She would show them just how far someone could go when they loved someone deeply.
"This is the second time. No one can separate me and Yuu-chan… No one."
Her voice was hoarse and low. Haruno clenched both fists and swore to herself.
Sitting dazed on the bed for a few minutes, she had already formed a rough plan. She even had a general idea of the steps and how to conclude it. She just needed to go survey the location and make arrangements herself.
But just before she prepared to contact some professionals, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed by a mature, gentle, and melodious voice.
"Haruno, you're still awake?"
"Mother?"
Snapping out of her dark emotions, Haruno shook her head firmly. She slapped her cheeks to return her dark, distorted expression to normal. She stood up and opened the door as if nothing had happened. "I'm still up. What's the matter?"
"I just wanted to tell you that this weekend's work has been canceled. Your father is going on an overseas business trip."
Saori was still wearing an elegant and refined kimono. Her sleek black hair was pinned up behind her head. Her tone and gaze were as commanding as ever, leaving no room for opposition.
"However, your restriction from going out hasn't been lifted. I've arranged some lessons for you. Study well. Don't keep thinking about playing around and neglecting important matters."
"I understand. I don't have anywhere to go right now anyway."
Haruno nodded obediently with a smile. After finishing her sentence, she moved to close the door and return to her room. "Anything else? If not, I'll rest."
Through the slowly closing door, she could see her mother frowning, appraising her face.
(Did she notice something?)
Haruno knew in her heart that this crude disguise wouldn't fool her mother's eyes. If her mind hadn't been too preoccupied to think clearly earlier, she wouldn't have rushed to stand and open the door.
Saori let out a soft sigh, as if annoyed. Sure enough, before the door fully closed, her gentle yet uncompromising voice came from outside.
"Wait a moment."
"What is it?" Opening the door again, Haruno still played dumb.
Saori stared straight into her eyes, as if trying to see into the depths of her heart. After a moment, she spoke as if confirming:
"You fought with Yukino?"
Haruno's mouth involuntarily opened wide.
(She could guess even this?)
(Terrifying. Where did this mind-reading old monster come from!)
"Are you calling me an old mind-reading monster?" Saori showed a gentle smile, but her voice hid a murderous intent. "Sorry, it's not that I can read minds—it's that the current Haruno is too easy to read~"
"Not at all. Mother, you're overthinking~" Haruno turned her face away, twirling the ends of her hair while laughing awkwardly. "It's normal for sisters to have small fights, right? It's not a big deal anyway. Don't worry, don't worry~"
"If it wasn't a big deal, you wouldn't brush me off with such poor acting… After all, I watched you grow up."
Saori sighed helplessly. Suddenly, she raised her hand and gently cupped Haruno's right cheek.
She looked at her with a tender gaze and said softly:
"Maybe when you were ten? When your grandmother passed away, you used this same expression to comfort Yukino… You lost something important but refused to cry in front of others. You could only force yourself to act stronger than anyone else."
"It's indeed a valuable skill in the workplace. I'm proud of this strong and mature you—but Haruno, this is home. You don't need to do that."