Tsubaki Yuki's Illness

"Does she know about the White Room, too?" Tsubaki Yuki asked in surprise. She had thought she'd never hear that term again after Yuto graduated.

"Wait, Sakayanagi—could she be the chairman's daughter?"

"Yes. I asked her."

"I see. That makes sense." Yuki rested her chin on her hand and thought it over. "So what happened after that? You went shopping with her. What else did you talk about?"

"She invited me to check out the clubs together this afternoon and play chess together tonight."

"Hm?" The word "chess" put Yuki on alert. "Why chess?"

"She happened to see me playing on the day she arrived, I think. That was how she got into chess... But enough about that. Did your first day in Class D go smoothly?"

"How should I put it? It was a mixed bag. I think I did pretty well, but my classmates in Class D are... hard to describe."

Yuto could probably understand how she felt.

She must have been taken aback by the freak show that was Class D.

"By the way, I saw a guy buying what looked like a really expensive game console at Keyaki Mall. I walked around to check the price, and it was a whopping thirty thousand points."

Only a student from Class D would do something like that, which was why Yuto brought it up.

"Oh, I think I know who." A certain loudmouth who'd played in the top-tier league back in middle school flashed through Yuki's mind.

"It's getting late. Let's go eat."

"Okay."

Sakayanagi Arisu returned to her room, took out her phone, and tapped in a phone number from memory.

The call rang and rang. Sakayanagi Arisu waited patiently.

At last, someone picked up.

A familiar voice came from the other end. It sounded a little exasperated, but mostly affectionate.

"Arisu, didn't I say I only gave you this number in case of an emergency?" Sakayanagi Narimori deliberately lowered his voice, as if covering the receiver. "Why are you calling your dad on your very first day? Didn't you say you wanted to be treated like an ordinary student, without any special privileges?"

"Something unusual came up. You must know about it, too, Dad—the boy in my class, Yuto."

"Ah, you mean Yuto. I never did tell you about him. At first, I didn't know how to bring it up, and then I got busy and forgot. But I didn't realize you still remembered him, Arisu."

"It's lunchtime, so can you tell me about him, Dad~?" Sakayanagi Arisu's voice turned soft and sweet. She knew her father couldn't resist when she spoke that way. Whenever she wanted something, she used that tone, and he never turned her down.

"Ah, all right. Then I'll count this call as compensation for forgetting to tell you. It won't count as you calling me." Sakayanagi Narimori's voice carried the helplessness of someone who knew he couldn't win. What could he do? He was utterly wrapped around his daughter's little finger.

"Thanks, Dad. You're the best~ I want to hear everything about Yuto from then on—all of it—"

Yuto and Yuki went to the cafeteria and each ordered a regular meal for 300 points.

"Yuki, look over there. They have free mountain-vegetable meals." Yuto pointed to a spot and gestured for her to look.

Those meals were free, but what they served was... hard to describe.

White rice, wild vegetable roots, leaves that had only been rinsed in plain water, and soup as flavorless as water.

"I think my cat eats better than this." Yuki pursed her lips.

It was no wonder Yuki thought that. The free mountain-vegetable meal certainly looked hard to swallow.

And apart from the carbs, did it even have any nutritional value?

But since the school provided free daily necessities at the store and free meals in the cafeteria, a clever student would only need to think for a moment to realize that their points could run out. That was why the school prepared these resources for students, to ensure they could meet their basic needs.

If you looked closely, you could even spot students in the cafeteria eating those free meals that looked impossible to swallow.

Most had gloomy expressions. They were probably upperclassmen who had no hope of moving up a class.

On the other hand, Advanced Nurturing High School provided free utilities and housing, as well as free necessities, food, and water. It also had a library and other learning resources. As long as you weren't expelled, you could study there comfortably without spending a single point.

Even if you spent all three years cramming in the library and then applied to the university of your choice, you might not end up any worse off than a Class A graduate.

Yuto and Yuki found a seat and began eating.

"Have you made any friends in your class?" Yuto asked.

"Not yet. The boys aside, the girls all seem to gather around Karuizawa and Kushida." Yuki shook her head.

"Could it be that you're so impressive that everyone's too embarrassed to approach you? Wouldn't it be nice to take the initiative, like Kushida? She came up to me and asked for my contact information. Or you could be less restrictive and make friends in another class."

"If it's another class, I have you, Yuto!" Yuki sounded stubborn, like a headstrong little kid.

Yuto didn't bring it up again and changed the subject. "Are you going to the club recruitment event this afternoon, Yuki? I remember you like dancing and painting."

"I'll think about it. It's just a group recruitment event, right? If I'm interested in anything, I can sign up later."

"That's true, but..."

Yuki ignored him and kept her head down as she ate.

"Yuki."

"What?"

"Make sure you pay attention in class."

"Are you an old man, Yuto? I'm not a little kid anymore."

The sight of Yuki keeping her head down as she ate didn't feel like a good sign to Yuto.

Even when he'd brought it up himself just now, Yuki hadn't asked about Kushida taking the initiative to add him as a friend.

She was completely different from when she'd first met Horikita Suzune and interrogated him about his relationship with Sakayanagi.

That was enough to prove how unsettled she was inside.

Yuto knew that Yuki's depression hadn't gone away.

Depression wasn't a cold. It didn't gradually get better just because you hid it away.

It was more like a tide. When the water receded, you thought you were safe. You walked along the beach, enjoying the crashing waves and the calm between them.

But the tide never disappeared. It had only retreated beyond sight, gathering strength for its next surge.

And the recovery Yuki had shown over the past year was nothing more than a bridge made of glass. The sunlight might pass through it and scatter beautiful colors.

But beneath the glass was nothing, and under the bridge lay an abyss.

Yuki, after you left the White Room, what happened during those eight years I was gone? What caused your depression?

Yuki had been the one to suggest enrolling at Advanced Nurturing High School, but before that, Yuto had already spoken with her parents about her condition.

"I believe Yuki can only recover by living a school life." Yuto spoke solemnly, making a promise to Yuki's parents. "For these three years, I'll protect her and take on the roles of both her guard and her doctor. I'll find out the truth behind her depression during those three years."

"We trust you, Yuto. Since you came back, there's been light in Yuki's eyes again. We're counting on you to look after her. We'll work with you and make sure Yuki learns about this school."

Even the head of the Tsubaki Conglomerate, a family as renowned as the Amasawa family, was just a worried parent when it came to his daughter's illness.

The color brochure Yuto handed to the two of them was an admissions poster for Advanced Nurturing High School!

This was three weeks before Yuki said she wanted to enroll at Advanced Nurturing High School.