Dinner at the Yukinoshita household was delicious.
But even more delicious than the food was their family gossip.
Mori Shinra was like a well-fed rat, hiding with One Leaf Blocks the Eye activated, sneakily listening to the sisters' conversation.
From the bits and pieces of their dialogue, he managed to glimpse the darkness of the Yukinoshita family.
Okay, it wasn't actually that dark.
Although it was only a few sentences, combined with the information Mori Shinra already had, he could analyze the general situation.
First, let's talk about the power structure of the Yukinoshita family.
The Yukinoshita matriarch, let's call her Yukimom, is the highest authority in the family, standing at the pinnacle of power.
Although Yukidada is a prefectural assemblyman and the president of the family's construction company, he serves more of a symbolic role, acting as Yukimom's external spokesperson.
Commonly known as the mascot.
The older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, is the designated family heir by Yukimom.
It's clear from her words and actions that Haruno has been receiving an elite education from Yukimom since childhood.
Although she is still in college, she has already begun to gradually get involved in the family's affairs and network, preparing to inherit the family business.
As for the younger sister, Yukinoshita Yukino, because she is not the heir, Yukimom adopted a hands-off approach to her education.
This is evident from the fact that she was able to move out and live on her own.
Of course, hands-off is still hands-off, but the prerequisite for Yukimom's 'leniency' towards Yukino is that she must conform to the image of a 'good girl' in her mother's eyes.
Yukino doesn't have to be as outstanding as Haruno, but she cannot turn bad.
This is partly out of a mother's duty, and partly to avoid disgracing the Yukinoshita family name.
After all, the core members of this generation of the Yukinoshita family are just the two sisters, Yukino and Haruno.
Although Yukino will not inherit the family, she still represents the face of the Yukinoshita family.
Therefore, it can be inferred that the current family status of the Yukinoshita members is roughly as follows: Yukimom (Yukidada) > Haruno > Yukino > Yukidada.
As for why Yukimom is followed by Yukidada in parentheses, it's because when Yukimom supports Yukidada, his family status receives an epic boost.
Conversely, if their opinions differ, Yukidada's family status will plummet to the very bottom.
The reason why Haruno and Yukino had such violent emotional fluctuations over the 'whether to go back' issue is largely related to Yukimom's differential education.
Simply put, Haruno envies her younger sister's freedom to choose her own path in life.
As the eldest daughter of the family, she has had no choice since birth.
Meanwhile, Yukino admires her powerful older sister and wishes to gain their mother's approval just like her.
The two sisters are jealous of each other and dislike each other, yet they also love each other deeply.
After figuring out the situation, Mori Shinra finally understood why a simple matter of going home for dinner could cause such a huge rift between the two.
He could also somewhat understand why Haruno had developed her current personality.
If Yukinoshita Yukino is a cold, arrogant, and inarticulate cat, then Haruno is undoubtedly a lion, forcibly held up by responsibility and expectations.
She appears cheerful and strong, but in reality, she has no 'self'.
She is a complete and utter fake.
This is a bit like Hayama...
No, while there are some similarities, comparing Hayama to Haruno is like comparing a child to an adult.
They are not on the same level at all.
And a Haruno like this is clearly not someone Mori Shinra can sway with just a few casual words.
His previous attempts at probing during their chat were clearly misdirected.
For the current Haruno, rather than a friend who can understand her inner world, she needs a form of salvation.
A salvation that can grant her a 'self'.
Only by achieving this might she truly be able to show others the real part of her heart.
Mori Shinra guessed that Haruno's golden wish power request was most likely related to this.
As for Yukino's golden wish power request, to be honest, Mori Shinra still had no clue.
But one thing was certain: it was inextricably linked to Yukimom and Haruno.
Wait, why does this system of mine feel like a galge?
To get rewards, I have to complete requests. To complete requests, I first have to accept them. To accept requests, I have to raise the target's affection first. And after completing the request, the target is basically already conquered, and the target herself can even be considered one of the rewards.
Case closed.
My own promiscuity might be 1% my fault, but the other 99% should be blamed on the system.
The system instructed him to do this.
Sigh, I've been set up by the system.
Now that he had clarified the situation, Mori Shinra was no longer worried that the system wouldn't continue to issue him requests after this settlement.
Although Haruno herself had no 'self', she could project this wish onto her younger sister.
She longed for her sister to break free from dependence and gain a true 'self'.
The concrete manifestation of this wish was Mori Shinra's purple wish power request.
Therefore, Mori Shinra could reasonably deduce that the reason this request suddenly went into settlement was largely because Haruno had seen the change in Yukino.
After all, in the past, the only opponent in Yukino's eyes was Haruno.
Now, there was Mori Shinra.
Isn't this change a manifestation of Yukino's 'self'?
It adds up. It all adds up.
So, as long as Mori Shinra maintains a friendly relationship with Yukinoshita Yukino, Haruno cannot avoid him.
This move... this move is called 'holding Yukino hostage to command Haruno'.
Yukinoshita Haruno, you can't escape. (Gravity field deployed.)
Seeing that the meal was almost over, Mori Shinra opportunely deactivated One Leaf Blocks the Eye, taking the chance to test what their reaction would be.
—There was no reaction at all.
After he stopped using the ability, both Yukinoshita Yukino and Haruno easily noticed Mori Shinra's presence.
As for the family matters they had discussed in front of him, they rationalized it as having subconsciously overlooked Mori Shinra in the heat of the moment.
It was their lapse in composure.
For this, both Yukino and Haruno apologized to Mori Shinra.
I was eavesdropping on their conversation, and not only did they invent a suitable reason for it, they even apologized to me.
Mori Shinra felt that One Leaf Blocks the Eye was far more powerful than he had imagined.
If, while this skill was active...
Stop, I said stop.
Mori Shinra felt he couldn't let his thoughts go any further.
Any further, and the surface world would turn straight into the underworld.
After dinner, Mori Shinra bid his farewell.
Haruno also took the opportunity to leave Yukino's home with him.
However, she didn't go straight back to the Yukinoshita main house, but instead used this chance to invite herself over to Mori Shinra's home.
She had figured it out.
Regardless of whether she asked Mori Shinra for help or not, he would end up getting involved with Yukino.
Plus, Yukino clearly showed a special attitude towards Mori Shinra.
Since that was the case, it was better for her to guide him herself.
That way, she could at least control the situation and prevent things from developing in the worst possible direction...