Seeing that the Tanaka parents didn't press her with questions, Yukinoshita let out a soft, inward sigh of relief.
She was terrible at navigating such social expectations. A quiet, uninterrupted meal was her ideal of comfort.
As for the rest of the dinner party:
Jahy was utterly unbothered, her attention wholly commandeered by the food.
Masao ate lunch with Yukinoshita daily and his morning and evening meals with his parents; this was just a fusion of the two routines, so it was business as usual for him.
The only ones who seemed to feel any real tension were Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka themselves.
They were burning with curiosity about Yukinoshita Yukino—who she was, how she'd met their son, and the exact nature of their relationship. But faced with her quiet composure, they found themselves holding their tongues, matching her silence throughout the meal.
Their eyes, however, kept drifting back to her, their thoughts echoing a single sentiment: 'She truly is the picture of a perfect young lady.'
—
Dinner ended as the evening grew late.
Yukinoshita rose to take her leave. The Tanaka parents saw her to the door, instructing Masao to ensure she got home safely.
It was past seven, and night had fully descended. The streetlights cast puddles of orange glow on the pavement, but the spaces between them were pools of deep shadows.
Masao and Yukinoshita walked side-by-side down the quiet residential streets.
Having made this walk with her countless times, Masao couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but Yukinoshita seemed to be walking closer to him than usual.
'Is she afraid of the dark?' He recalled that in the original story, Yukinoshita Yukino had something of a fear of darkness. 'She always seems so formidable, almost untouchable, yet she has these very human vulnerabilities. It's… kind of endearing.'
"You were unusually quiet today, Yukinoshita-san," he ventured, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Quiet?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity. "How so?"
"Well, you didn't fire off a single sarcastic remark all afternoon. Especially when my parents were there—you were practically mute. Could it be that the great Yukinoshita Yukino is actually shy?"
She shot him a glance.
"Has my lack of verbal abuse left you feeling physically unwell, Masao-kun? If that's the case, I could perhaps reward you with a little." A faint, knowing smile touched her lips. "You S&M loving Masao-kun. Or have simple insults lost their potency? Would you prefer I inform your parents of your true nature right in front of them?"
'There it is,' Masao thought. 'The familiar bite. The classic Yukinoshita. Everything is right with the world again.'
A strange sense of relief washed over him.
After a deliberate pause, she continued, "And as for your 'shy' accusation… I am just not particularly adept at unnecessary socializing."
'That's the definition of being shy!' Masao screamed internally.
"Ahem, for the record, I am not into S&M," he stated aloud, steering the conversation back to safer ground. "My parents… they didn't make you feel awkward, did they?"
Yukinoshita gracefully ignored his first statement.
"Your parents are very kind," she said, her voice softening slightly.
Remembering the Tanaka couple, her assessment was sincere. Their gentle, respectful distance was the kind of social interaction she appreciated most.
A faint pang of envy pricked at her heart. The atmosphere in Masao's home was so… ordinary. So warm.
It stood in stark contrast to her own family.
She held affection for her gentle father, but his work kept him absent for most of the year.
Her mother was a paragon of stern, uncompromising strength. Yukinoshita craved her approval, yet it always seemed to settle upon her older sister—the one who was exceptional in every way, the one who carried the weight of everyone's expectations.
Add to that her years studying abroad during elementary school, and the result was a family connected more by blood and duty than by genuine warmth.
At school, she was isolated. At home, she felt overlooked, perpetually living in the shadows of her mother and sister.
It was the reason she had chosen to escape, to live alone.
Even Yukinoshita Yukino, for all her strength, had her limits.
Hearing her praise his parents, Masao broke into a genuine smile.
"I think so too. I like them a lot."
He felt a surge of gratitude, fortunate in both this life and the last to have been blessed with such good people as parents.
—
They continued their walk, conversation ebbing and flowing with the quiet of the night.
All too soon, they arrived at the base of the tall, luxurious apartment building where Yukinoshita lived.
Masao gazed up at the imposing structure, then glanced back in the direction of his own, far more modest home.
He parted ways with her every day at a nearby intersection, so he knew the distance wasn't great. But now, seeing her destination, he realized that he could actually see this very building from his room window.
Yukinoshita noticed his distant look.
"What are you looking at?" she asked, following his gaze but seeing nothing in particular.
"Hm? Oh," Masao said, pointing. "My house is over that way. I can see your apartment building from my place."
Yukinoshita looked toward where he pointed.
"Oh. Is that so?" Her sense of direction was notoriously poor, and she'd never paid it any mind. She let her eyes linger on the distant rooftops for a moment longer before turning back. "I'm going up now."
"Right. It's getting late. See you tomorrow Yukinoshita."
"See you tomorrow Masao-kun."
With a wave, Masao started his journey home.
Yukinoshita watched his back recede into the dimly lit street before she finally turned, the automatic glass doors sliding shut behind her with a soft hiss.
She unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside. The empty silence greeted her.
"I'm home," she whispered to the stillness.
There was no reply.
The darkness and quiet of the apartment felt heavier tonight. The lingering warmth and chatter of the Tanaka household made the ensuing silence feel not just empty, but also cold.
For a moment, she hesitated on the threshold, reluctant to fully immerse herself in solitude.
She shook her head, physically dispelling the melancholy thought.
L Flipping the light switch, she banished the shadows, the artificial brightness lifting her spirits a little.
After her night routine, she gathered her sleepwear and headed for the bath. Sinking into the hot water, she let out a contented sigh as the warmth enveloped her.
This was one of her two sacred, daily comforts.
The other came after her bath: a warm mug of milk, her favorite sofa, and her beloved television program.
As footage of pandas tumbling and munching on bamboo filled the screen, a deep, soothing calm settled over her. The adorable creatures never failed to heal her spirit.
'It has been a long time since I last visited the zoo,' she mused. But the thought of navigating those crowded, cheerful paths alone quickly extinguished the idea of going.
Her gaze drifted from the television to the dark window pane, reflecting her own face back at her. And then she remembered Masao's words.
"I can see your apartment building from my place."
Almost without conscious thought, she found herself rising and walking out onto the balcony. The night air was cool against her skin.
She looked out across the tapestry of lit windows that dotted the neighborhood.
'It should be that one, shouldn't it?'
Her eyes settled on one particular, illuminated window in the distance. A quiet intuition told her that it was the Tanaka residence.
—
Meanwhile, Masao, who had been home for a while, heard the familiar chime of the system in his mind.
[Ding.]
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10 points of Corruption Value.]
He was unaware that these points were a direct result of Yukinoshita, having tasted the simple warmth of a family, finding herself strangely captivated by the feeling.
However, Masao had no attention to spare for the system's notification. A far more immediate crisis was demanding his full attention.
___
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