The morning sunlight streamed in. For once, thick clouds didn't cover the sky today.
The winter sky was clear. The small house, home to just two people, felt warm and bright, as if you could fall asleep under a blanket of light by closing your eyes.
The steam from hot food rose to the ceiling. The air was calm and peaceful. The chirping of birds outside the window was the main melody.
"Yuu, did something happen?"
Suddenly, a sweet, clear girl's voice broke the silence.
At the dining table, Sora, holding a bowl and chopsticks, paused her eating. She looked at him with a suspicious expression.
"Hm?" Yuu tilted his head, smiling brightly. "Nothing happened. Why ask that?"
"Hah… Haven't you looked in a mirror?"
Sora pouted, slightly displeased, looking like she wanted to slap his face.
"If nothing's wrong, why are you smiling so creepily? Can't you eat normally?"
Yuu sighed, setting down his bowl and chopsticks. He raised his chin slightly.
"Honestly… Sora, your big brother has seen the world."
"…Seen the world?" Sora's eyes widened in shock. Looking at her brother across from her, the phone number for a mental hospital flashed in her mind.
That once-handsome face seemed to shed all worldly desires, slowly radiating a holy light, trying to dazzle her eyes.
Yuu adopted a saintly monk-like posture to lecture his sister.
"Sora, sometimes you must let go, sometimes you must take. All things in the world can't escape one word: balance. If so, why obsess over so many worldly thoughts? Follow your conscience. That's all."
"Yuu, did something hit you outside…" Sora, initially a bit worried, suddenly recalled something. Her face darkened, and she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "No way. I heard there's something called a sage mode for boys. After releasing their desires, they enter a time when their minds are clear like a sage…"
She blinked as if realizing something. Not sure what image she conjured, a faint pink blush appeared on her fair cheeks. She tentatively raised her gaze to him. "Yuu, don't tell me you secretly this morning…"
"Don't think weird things."
He immediately dropped his smile. Yuu picked up a piece of vegetable with his chopsticks, calm as usual, exuding the dignity of the head of the household. He said in a heavy tone, "Just teasing you. Kids shouldn't have so many dirty thoughts. Hurry up and eat."
"I'm sixteen already, and you still call me a kid?" Sora rolled her eyes. Used to his fatherly style of switching faces and denying his actions, she didn't care. Muttering, she picked up her bowl again. "Maybe I know more than you…"
Yuu snorted coldly. "So what if you're an 'experienced driver'? Someone eager to hear about wet dreams is just a naughty kid in the end."
"I'm not eager… Wait, so it was a wet dream?" The corners of Sora's lips curved up, a curious glint sparkling in her eyes.
Yuu shut his mouth, not answering. She kept pressing.
"An erotic dream. Who did you dream about?"
"Did you know? I heard Aragaki Yui married Hoshino Gen. A bunch of wives out there were heartbroken."
Ending the round with his terrible topic-changing skills, Yuu finished breakfast, cleaned up, and said goodbye to his adorable, inexplicably delighted sister. He prepared to head to school.
As he closed the front door and stepped onto the dry, cold street outside, he suddenly felt tense—a sensation of being watched.
"Weird…"
He looked around. Aside from the evergreen bushes in winter and cold-resistant plants, he found no source for this feeling—not behind utility poles, neighbors' fences, or even in the clear sky.
There were a few crows lined up neatly, perched on high-voltage wires, staring at him.
Their jet-black eyes gazed coldly, locking onto his figure without moving, as if ready to swoop down and finish him with an ultimate move. It genuinely made his whole body uneasy.
So, taking advantage of the sparse morning crowd, Yuu picked up a few small stones from the ground. He tossed them twice casually, a sly smile suddenly appearing on his face.
"Secret Technique! Sky Maiden's Flower Scatter!"
*WHOOSH!*
He waved his hand. The stones shot upward like scattershot bullets, precisely grazing each crow's head, causing a flurry of panicked black feathers. Their wings flapped, and they scattered in different directions.
"Stare at what…" He sneered disdainfully. After driving them all from his sight, Yuu hummed casually, continuing toward the station.
As for the feeling of being watched, it vanished after he left the area.
After confirming the crows weren't controlled by the Uchiha family, he dismissed the matter and paid it no more attention.
—The faint red glow flickering among the bushes was obscured by the warm winter sun and leaf shadows.
At the distant Yukinoshita residence, the college student woke from sleep with an odd feeling. Haruno happened to see the man's back leaving the camera's view.
She stared blankly at the monitor for a long time before snapping out of her daze. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched and yawned loudly.
"Hah… Poor high schoolers, having to wake up this early every day~"
Muttering half-mockingly, half-smugly, she shifted her gaze from the clock, picking up the half-finished work on her desk. She held it up, examining it carefully.
"Mm, stuff made while half-asleep really isn't great quality… I thought I could finish it easily with my smarts. Turns out it's harder than I expected."
Sighing helplessly, Haruno tossed the overnight work into the trash, taking a new set of raw materials from the drawer.
Luckily, she'd prepared in advance, buying several sets for testing and backups. She had enough to 'seclude' herself until she crafted the most perfect finished product.
Though she didn't know when the chance to give it would come—Haruno had a hunch.
Maybe tomorrow, maybe this weekend. It was time to act proactively and break the stalemate maintained so far.
"And I don't want to lose to Yuu-chan…"
The corners of her lips curved into a relaxed smile. But the laziness in her eyes vanished, hardening into a blade-like sharpness.
She said to herself, "From then until now, I've never won a single match against him… If I can only beat him once in my life, it has to be now!"
"Only by doing better than him can I make him change his mind!"
She took a deep breath, threading the needle. Her fingers moved again.
For the final battle, whose start was unknown, Haruno still worked tirelessly alone in her room today.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The fervor radiating from the students might drive away all the cold winds around the school.
The next few days were spent in the festive atmosphere of Cultural Festival preparations. Even the dry branches seemed adorned with the colorful festival vibe.
Even on weekends, many people bustled around Sobu High.
Some set up haunted houses to be scarier. Others ensured all yakisoba ingredients were in the large kitchen fridge. Some prepared prizes for challenge booths, attaching a slogan to one: "Tenkuji and dogs not allowed to participate."
Though soon after, the booth disappeared from the stall area. Classmates searched for it for a long time, finally finding it in the trash pile, cut into pieces, unable to be reassembled.
Thus, the students reached a consensus—not only Yuu himself but also his true fan club members were ruthless characters ordinary people shouldn't mess with.
This interlude, for Yuu, preparing to go on a date with two girls today, was a trivial matter he didn't even need to know about.
While his classmates were still rehearsing for the Cultural Festival performance, he stood in front of a statue at Chiba Station's North Exit.
Leaning against the hard wall, one hand in his jacket pocket, he looked down at his phone, clearly waiting for someone.
He didn't look up, but many women passing by couldn't help turning back for another glance. Bolder ones even took out their phones, secretly snapping two or three photos before hurrying away guiltily, sharing the pictures with their sisters excitedly.
Yuu didn't care. He knew how handsome he was.
No need for much refinement. With his Expert-Level Mode skills, he knew how to dress suitably.
He wore flat white canvas shoes. His winter clothes were clean and elegant. Dark blue jeans accentuated his long, straight legs. His large, strong hands gripped the phone tightly, fingers clearly defined, nails neat and even—so handsome even Kira Yoshikage might get excited over them.
His short, tidy hair fluttered in the cold breeze. His Adam's apple, uncovered by a scarf, was strikingly sexy. His side profile was handsome, calm, and steady. The corners of his red lips formed a barely noticeable curve, as if anyone speaking to him would be greeted with a spring-breeze-like smile.
Yuu had checked the mirror before leaving. Of course, he knew how strong his specially dressed-up charm was—maybe just striking a few poses could make him fall for himself?
Sora even complained he was going out to be a 'host.' He nearly couldn't leave the house due to her jealousy and had to coax her gently.
After all, Yuu's foundation was excellent. Combined with system-enhanced physical qualities and passive status boosts from miscellaneous skills, when he got serious, charm naturally clung to him.
Even if he just stared at someone expressionlessly, a cool, dominant aura of handsomeness would radiate from within.
This was both a good and bad thing.
While confident in himself, he could also make his female partner shine. The downside was, if he didn't tone down his presence, he might not have peace the whole way—perhaps this was how big celebrities felt going out without a disguise?
Overall, Yuu just wanted to date two beautiful girls.
He dressed up deliberately so they wouldn't be embarrassed. He also tried his best to reduce his presence to avoid being approached. This was the first time he realized dating was such a troublesome activity…
Though dating two people at once was indeed a first for him…
"They should be here soon, right?"
Yuu checked the time. Today, he arrived twenty minutes early on purpose, just to beat someone who always arrived ten minutes early.
He didn't have a habit of letting girls wait in the cold wind. He wasn't afraid of the cold either. Waiting a few hours outside was fine—though he'd never do that either.
Originally, he wanted to bring Yuigahama along. But she insisted they meet separately at the station for the 'dating feel.' Reluctantly, Yuu came alone to the agreed spot to wait.
When the time came, he started looking around. He quickly spotted a girl standing out like him, equally eye-catching but stunningly beautiful in the crowd.
His steps paused. Then he walked toward her.
Like a lofty fairy descending to the mortal world, the girl ignored the mortals' gazes. Her eyes locked only on him. Her black hair swayed lazily behind her, like a cat's tail waving elegantly at him.
"Morning. Where's Yuigahama-san?"
The cold, clear voice sounded unusually warm today.
"She said she wanted to meet separately. So she'll probably arrive later?"
Yuu shrugged helplessly, his gaze sweeping over her outfit.
Today, Yukino wore a light blue silk long-sleeve top with a round collar adorned with lace. The bottom was paired with a white pleated skirt. Outside, she wore an unbuttoned cream trench coat, warm and exquisitely ladylike.
"Very beautiful," Yuu couldn't help but praise.
As if expecting the compliment, Yukino didn't panic. She just nodded casually, as if it was only natural.
"I know I'm very beautiful. The public's eyes are sharp… But thanks for the compliment."
"And I'm very handsome too."
After a brief silence, Yukino looked at him oddly. "So?"
"So, I complimented you. You should compliment me too," Yuu said, dissatisfied, his expression as innocent as a child who got perfect grades but no reward from their parents. "Let's not lie to each other. How about we praise each other honestly?"
After a long silence, Yukino sighed heavily, showing helplessness at dealing with him.
"…Hah, can't you stop doing childish things like this?"
"Just passing the time~"
Yuu dropped his expression, smiling nonchalantly.
Before he finished speaking, the long-haired girl suddenly stepped forward, coming very close to him.
A clearer, more delicate scent than usual hit Yuu's nose.
At that moment, Yuu realized that despite her usual calm and honest demeanor, she'd made subtle refinements to her appearance for today's date.
For example, makeup so light it seemed like none. Or a slight change to her usual hair ribbon style. And the natural fragrance—hard to tell if it was her hair, body, or soap—making her sweeter and livelier than usual…
"You're handsome too."
As Yuu was stunned, Yukino fixed his messy collar. Smiling, she said in a tone like humoring a child, "Satisfied now? Really… If you keep being stubborn, I'll ask Yuigahama-san to deal with you."
Since Yukino disliked lying, both "You're handsome too" and the following words were the truth.
Yuu nodded, satisfied. "Not a waste of my time picking out clothes."
He suddenly changed the topic, raising an eyebrow and looking at the beautiful black-haired girl who'd returned to her original distance. "By the way, about calling each other by first names…"
Her fair face instantly flushed lightly. Yukino cleared her throat twice, saying seriously, "That, we'd better discuss when Yuigahama-san arrives…"
Coincidentally, as Yukino finished, both their phones dinged simultaneously with a message notification.
They pulled out their phones. It was a message from Yuigahama, mentioning both in their three-person group chat.
Yui: {Ugh, I got a stomachache before leaving. I'll try to catch up later. You guys go have fun at Disneyland first!}
Yui: {You really have to love each other and enjoy your date properly~}
After reading the message, they simultaneously looked up from their phones, staring at each other with slight shock, their thoughts complex and varied.
Yuu thought: Yuigahama, who said she wanted a three-person date, was the one leaving them alone today. With such contradictory actions, had her mind veered into some strange direction?
Meanwhile, Yukino thought:
(Yuigahama-san, I considered you a friend, and you set me up like this?!)
Where was the promised three-person date? She'd only mentally prepared for that…