By this point, Yuu was mentally prepared.
Meeting both sets of parents had become a certainty. The only uncertainty was how the situation would unfold...
It might just be excessive tension, or it could develop into the worst-case scenario he imagined.
But no matter what, he had no path to retreat—well, he never intended to retreat from the start.
"I understand. Then let them come."
The surprised emotion faded as quickly as the tide. Yuu nodded with a calm expression.
"But..."
Yukino still wanted to say something, but she knew she no longer needed to worry when her gaze met Yuu's eyes.
As Yuu had said before, it was his responsibility.
A responsibility he was willing to bear because of love. This was a fact agreed upon by all three of them.
However, it wasn't just him who made the mistake.
"Alright."
In that short response, Yukino had also prepared herself. Her gaze was as calm and firm as Yuu's.
Since when had she grown accustomed to standing by his side?
It was like that in the past, it is now, and in the future, she would face any difficulty together with him.
Simply because she wanted to properly protect the boy who had become her lover.
Though this kind of love was heavy, it gave an extraordinary sense of security, as if she could do anything as long as he was by her side, and she was no longer the immature self from the past.
If this continued, perhaps one day, even if she truly had to forget all of this, she could—
The moment that thought arose, it felt as if her throat was choked by a large hand; her consciousness was overwhelmed by momentary breathlessness and pain.
"Yukino?"
Under Yuu's slightly frowning worried gaze, Yukino slowly exhaled. Then she turned her face away and spoke calmly into the phone again:
"We're at the gymnasium. Tenkiji-kun will perform in half an hour. He has no time before that... You can come find us backstage after watching the performance."
After finishing, she pocketed her phone. She boldly swept her long hair from her shoulder, stepping forward, showing only her fair profile to Yuu.
"Come on, let's prepare for the performance later."
There was no hesitation in her words.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Finally here."
Following the Yukinoshita mother and daughter, Asuna, who had been playing a real-life stealth game, arrived at the gymnasium and luckily wasn't caught the whole way.
A very popular performance must have just ended. Many students exited with satisfied and excited expressions, discussing how great the show was, how cute the guitarist and bassist were, and similar topics.
Just as she was about to enter the gymnasium with the two, she saw a uniformed student wearing a committee armband quickly following the crowd. After pasting a flyer on the bulletin board, he hurried off.
"This..."
Looking closer, it was a program change announcement.
The gist was similar to what the Yukinoshita mother and daughter had just discussed—the hip-hop club members couldn't perform, so it was temporarily replaced with a solo piano by Tenkuji Yuu from the Service Club, lasting about ten minutes.
Asuna certainly knew about the Service Club. On the Kyoto trip, she had asked the three about the meaning of "Service." It sounded like a very interesting small club...
If possible, she wanted to join this club after transferring schools—or rather, she had to join!
Anyway, her mother wouldn't allow her to transfer to anything but the International Education Class. If she wanted to get close to Yuu, it would be hard without actively creating other conditions.
And to her surprise, that guy was really going on stage to play piano!?
Though it was just minor unimportant information, her older brother hadn't mentioned it at all...
As expected, if she wanted to know more about him, she had to contact him herself.
Shifting her gaze from the announcement, Asuna entered the dimly lit gymnasium and looked around near the entrance for a while.
Only the stage lights were on inside the room. Visibility below the stage relied on light coming from outside, but it wasn't pitch black.
She stepped forward, walking half a circle around the audience seats, and soon spotted the Yukinoshita mother and daughter—and Yuigahama Yui—who had arrived earlier than her.
It seemed Haruno took the initiative to approach. Yuigahama stood somewhat panicked. After exchanging a few words, the five sat in the same row of seats and seemed to be chatting casually.
"They know each other, huh... Makes sense, since Yuigahama-san and Yukinoshita-san are friends."
Asuna thought for a moment. For some reason, she didn't really want to greet them now.
She found a seat not too far and not too close. There was someone in front blocking her from being suddenly seen, and it didn't completely obstruct her view for observing.
The next performance slowly began, but Asuna's eyes weren't on the stage. Her thoughts slowly drifted aimlessly far away, rising and falling in the air, riding on an inexplicable familiar feeling.
"Have I been here before..."
Perhaps only after half an hour could she escape this weightless feeling, where reality and illusion separated.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Did Mrs. Yukinoshita watch the morning drama? That male actor has a new drama lately..."
"Sorry, Mrs. Yuigahama. Since I help with my husband's work on weekdays, I don't have time to watch morning dramas..."
"Oh, is that so? No problem, I'll tell you the plot..."
Perhaps communication is a skill every middle-aged woman must have and master. The two housewives meeting for the first time sat together and soon began chatting harmoniously.
In contrast, Yuigahama shivered. Usually lively and active, she now didn't even want to utter a word. She sat stiffly in her seat, like a frog stared down by a snake.
As for the reason, it was of course the college student beside her who didn't sit next to her mother but deliberately sat next to her.
"What's wrong, Dango-chan? How about we chat friendly like our moms?"
Haruno curved a smile that didn't look like a smile, her eyes full of joy in mocking others, as if venting frustration from failing all day.
However, Yuigahama seemed to realize she couldn't keep being this weak. She suddenly drew a breath, then raised her head and puffed her chest, showing a bright smile to Haruno.
"Of course! Haruno-san, what do you want to talk about?"
Though she asked that, she knew in her heart that their topic would only be her and her boyfriend.
And in this situation, it would of course be about her boyfriend's affairs.
"Let's talk quietly so they don't hear."
As if seeing through Yuigahama's thoughts, Haruno placed her index finger in front of her mouth and smiled meaningfully.
"After all, Yuu-chan and Yukino-chan's secrets can't be known by them, right?"
"..."
After a brief silence, Yuigahama quietly clenched her fists. She pulled a fake smile on her face and looked at her seriously.
"Haruno-san, did you deliberately bring your mom here even knowing this?"
Haruno shrugged: "I didn't intend that. I just mentioned it in passing earlier, and who knew she'd insist on coming."
Yuigahama was surprised: "Eh? Really?"
"Believe it or not."
The smile at the corner of her lips slowly faded. Haruno glanced at the suspicious Yuigahama and said in a slightly cold tone: "Before accusing me, check yourself first."
"You know Yukino-chan and his relationship can't be publicized. As the official girlfriend, you bring your mom to school to find him... Tch tch tch, killing and hurting hearts. What grudge does Yukino-chan have against you?"
Haruno's eyes narrowed into dark crescents. She sneered at her.
"Looks like a white lotus, but actually two-faced more than anyone. It must be a girl like you, right? Dango-chan."
"You—!"
Widening her eyes in disbelief, Yuigahama pressed her lips together, staring at Haruno beside her. Her clenched fists trembled slightly.
Right now, she no longer felt fear or respect for this older woman. Anger kept surging from her heart. She wanted to retort harshly, but before she could speak, deep sadness surged in her heart.
"..."
After a long silence, Yuigahama slowly lowered her head. She seemed about to give up and swallow her anger, not even daring to utter a word in rebuttal.
However, before Haruno could pout in boredom, a voice more like a lament over a sad reality than sympathy or pity sounded softly.
"Haruno-san, you're wrong about a few things."
"...What?"
Yuigahama drew a deep breath. Her eyes slightly reddened, and her nose ached a bit. Even so, she stubbornly raised her head and met Haruno's gaze.
Of course she would feel sad, guilty, and angry when suddenly called two-faced. She couldn't even manage her usual bitter smile. For the first time, she felt anger to the point of wanting to cry like this.
However, looking at her in front, that anger gradually stopped burning.
Yuigahama suddenly remembered something.
Even if she could accuse her with such words, Haruno right now couldn't regain her past happiness and love. She could only keep making futile efforts off-stage. She kept getting disappointed and sad. While hurting others, she also hurt herself.
The last incident with Yuu accepting the bracelet didn't fill that void much—at least in her view, Haruno was still like a cracked glass statue. When the glass shards fell, she vented her sadness and hatred for being abandoned on others.
As fellow women loving the same person, Yuigahama only felt pity for her.
Then, would Yukino one day become like this too?
Yuigahama slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again. Her eyes were clear and calm, like a waveless sea surface directly connected to the blue sky.
There was no need to doubt.
With the two of them, Yukino would never follow the same path as that ex-girlfriend.
Even if Yuu couldn't do it, she would prevent such a future... Because she had something just as important as love.
That was the biggest difference between Yukino and Haruno.
"First, I didn't call my mom. She just insisted on coming, and I couldn't stop her."
Yuigahama said calmly: "It is my fault for being incapable, but I didn't intentionally create this situation... I wouldn't do anything to trouble Yuu-kun. After saying this, you should understand what I mean, right?"
"...Tch, you're still good with words."
This time it was Haruno's turn to fall silent for a few moments. She slowly averted her gaze. Not looking into those eyes that seemed to see her own reflection, she just said casually: "You once said we ex-girlfriends don't understand his suffering and would only torment him more, right?"
Those were words Yuigahama had said before leaving the private cafe room at Disneyland.
"My thoughts are the same as yours. Even if it hurts me, I don't want to do things that would hurt him..."
Haruno sighed lightly. She crossed her arms over her chest, her fingers gently tapping her arm, as if trying to suppress anxiety while talking to her.
"Though our feelings aren't different, you suspect I'm behind all this. I got upset and scolded you. Is that wrong? Tell me, is that wrong?"
"...No, I'm sorry."
Realizing her mistake, Yuigahama apologized very straightforwardly, but she had no intention of backing down at all. On the contrary, the light in her eyes grew brighter.
"But besides that, there's something else I want to tell Haruno-san!"
Facing Haruno's returning gaze, she said without fear, in a firm voice: "No matter what difficulties we face, no matter how many trials in the future, Yukinon and I will face and overcome them together with Yuu-kun—our bond as three is a hundred times stronger than ordinary couples and won't be destroyed just by losing memories or feelings!"
"It's not me willingly sharing Yuu-kun with Yukinon, or Yukinon having to tolerate Yuu-kun's cheating... It's not that simple at all!"
The deliberately lowered voice was now enveloped by greater strength, as if wanting to pierce both eardrums and heart at once.
"Precisely because we accept each other from the heart, we're determined to move forward together as three! So, things like deliberately provoking Yukinon to have Yuu-kun alone—I'm different from you; I would never do that!"
"Haaah."
Even so, Haruno didn't waver at all. She just curled her lips in disgust, as if too lazy to pay attention.
"You're just good at sweet words. Indeed, a girl who can accept her boyfriend cheating isn't too normal in the head."
"Because Yuu-kun is special, and Yukinon is special too, of course you wouldn't understand." Yuigahama immediately replied, "This is our love; you as an outsider don't need to interfere!"
"Outsider?" Haruno raised her brows, staring at her angrily, with sharp cold light in her eyes, "Good. The newcomers now are this arrogant..."
She was only halfway through. Even before she could lower her hand and get serious, the moms who were engrossed in chatting finally noticed something wrong on this side and turned to ask confusedly:
"What's wrong? Fighting?"
"Haruno, what happened?"
Haruno pulled the corner of her lips. Her eyes glanced coldly at Yuigahama who raised her head fearlessly. She suddenly put on her usual casual smile and waved to her mother:
"Nothing, just arguing about handsome guys... Didn't expect my views and Dango-chan's to differ so much."
She had once said everything she did was for Yuu—that statement was not a lie at all.
Since she couldn't stop her mother's actions, she was always by her side and could cover for them anytime.
Because hiding an affair was difficult, even if she would be very upset and feel like helping a rival, Haruno actually planned to be on their side, finding ways to ease the chaos Yuu would face.
Even now, after being provoked by Yuigahama, she had no intention of changing her mind out of anger.
She only thought of Yuu; everyone was the same.
"To me, he's pretty special too... Don't think you're the only different one, you lowly junior."
After settling things with her mother, Haruno said expressionlessly, in a voice only Yuigahama could hear.
The stage lights suddenly brightened. Following the host's introduction, the next performing group went on stage, preparing to start their performance.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
No one noticed that Sora slowly raised her head.
The game console screen paused with the word "Pause." Cold electronic light reflected on half her cute and delicate face. She looked a bit more like an expressionless doll, making her eyes seem more lively and mischievous.
"Are girls in love, no matter their age, all becoming stupid... Really."
After the dispute beside her finally subsided, she could only sigh helplessly, complaining with a maturity beyond her age.
But fundamentally, if not for her sitting between the moms and those two, no matter how tightly Yuigahama and Haruno held their voices, the level of their argument definitely couldn't be hidden and would make the moms hear something unpleasant.
That's why she said they were stupid.
They only focused on the head-to-head fight and completely didn't notice that the parents could come anytime.
Shrugging, Sora lowered her head and shifted her gaze back to the game console. Her face somehow glowed. She hummed softly, looking full of superiority and pride.
"Tch, everyone talks about thinking of Yuu, but in the end, the one protecting him in the shadows is me, his little sister~"
As for the performance on stage?
No need to watch at all. Just wait for Yuu to appear.