My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As Expected

On the narrow terrace of the luxury hotel's third floor, two young ladies from aristocratic families, who should have been dignified and displayed aristocratic demeanor in every word and deed, were squatting without any pretense of grace, their evening gown skirts casually piled on the relatively clean open space.

The two who should have hated each other now looked like two pathetic little beasts who had fallen into water together.

Maki Shijo, having cried enough, finally had the energy to speak in a muffled voice, "I came here because I couldn't help but want to cry in secret. What did you come here for..."

Yukino rested her chin on her hand, looking at the waning moon in the sky.

"The same as you."

"Hmm...?"

"Originally, like you, I wanted to come here and cry in secret."

Yukino said with a serious expression, "But seeing you cry so miserably has already made me feel much better."

Maki Shijo: "..."

Seeing the vein on Miss Shijo's forehead bulge, Yukino finally smiled faintly, "I..."

She paused, then said, "The person most important to me not only no longer remembers me, but also doesn't recognize me."

Maki Shijo's tone was cool, "Then you really deserve it."

Yukino replied, "Yes, I really deserve it."

Her tone, so calm to the extreme, yet saying such self-deprecating words, stunned Maki Shijo for a moment.

This notorious black-haired girl had a jade-like face. She had just stood in the center of the field with a tranquil expression, but the moment the shimmering light in the room reflected on her face, it was overshadowed.

She shouldn't be the type of person to say such things.

"...Then just say it directly. What's the use of suffering by yourself?"

"I won't."

Yukino quickly said, "Just like you would never confess to Tsubasa Tanuma, I will absolutely never say it directly."

Maki Shijo:?

The reason she couldn't express her feelings was that she couldn't do anything to harm her close friend's happiness or damage her family's reputation. You, Yukino, have no such obstacles!

Because Haruno said, she would definitely find me.

Yukino thought this.

When they were children and their parents weren't home, they used to play hide-and-seek. Yukino always liked to hide in particularly remote blind spots, feeling smug that Haruno would never find her, while also genuinely worrying that Haruno might not find her.

But no matter how many times, Haruno would always find her.

"No matter where Yukino hides, I will find you."

Haruno said she would find her.

So, Yukinoshita would wait.

She was, after all, a stubborn and childish child.

Occasionally, a few voices could be heard from the banquet hall downstairs. Yukinoshita glanced at her phone.

"It's time to go."

Under the cover of night, the two girls, who had been wallowing in self-abandonment for a long time, stood up again.

They each brushed off a bit of dust from their skirts, returning to the state of strangers who could nod to each other when they met.

Maki Shijo thought that perhaps she would never have another night like this, a night where she could speak of the deepest secrets hidden in her heart to someone else.

With a slight, almost imperceptible regret in her heart, Maki saw Yukinoshita reach out, her fingers brushing past Maki's ear and through her hair.

The body temperature of a stranger, a fleeting touch.

Maki Shijo instantly blushed and jumped back.

"What are you doing?!?!?!"

"There was a leaf."

Yukinoshita held up her fingers, a half-yellow leaf caught between her index and middle fingers. It must have fallen into Maki's hair when Miss Shijo had approached the greenery on the terrace earlier.

Seeing Maki's face flushed with shame and anger, Yukinoshita looked confused. "...Should I put it back for you?"

Maki Shijo: I'm definitely going to hate Yukinoshita forever!!!!!!!!

Fifteen minutes and thirty-two seconds had passed, and Yukinoshita still hadn't returned.

Although Haruno had always told herself that whatever that person did or wherever they went had nothing to do with her, and her only task was to protect this body and wait for the day her real sister could return safely.

But ever since Yukinoshita had excused herself to go to the restroom, her gaze couldn't help but dart towards the staircase entrance.

[If the soul inhabiting my body were to die, would my sister be able to return?]

Haruno had considered this possibility before. There was even a moment in the past, on a certain day, month, and year, when this thought had swelled and almost turned into a real action.

What if, even if that person died, her sister still couldn't come back?

In the end, Haruno herself applied the brakes to this frantic thought. When it came to her sister, she had to consider even the slightest accident.

"Haruno, you're really dating someone lately, aren't you?"

Miss Yagyu casually remarked, "Your condition hasn't been great for the past year. The dark circles under your eyes are like a pet you own, inseparable."

Miss Hananomiya teased her, "Could it be that you're juggling multiple partners, leaving you with no time?"

For the past year, even with the most expensive whitening, hydrating, and moisturizing cosmetics, Haruno Yukinoshita still had faint pale blue traces under her eyelids.

Although her smile was still brilliant, she looked much more tired than she did over a year ago.

Haruno finished the wine in her cup and chuckled lightly, "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, trying to balance company matters and school grades."

This was a lie.

Over the past year, Haruno Yukinoshita had been busy to the point of mental and physical breakdown.

The Yukinoshita Group's parent company and its branches were all busy developing business. As the highly anticipated heir of the Yukinoshita Family, she absolutely could not drop the ball at this critical time.

At school, she had to constantly strive to be the best, excelling in grades, club activities, and even her right to speak within the school. This was because Yukino admired an older sister who was extremely excellent in everything. Haruno would never disappoint her.

And then there was the secret that only she knew, the secret that only she believed: that her younger sister's body had been replaced by someone else.

Curse Studies, Talisman Studies, Occult Studies, Religious Studies, Probability Studies, and even Evil Cults – Haruno had frantically researched everything over the past year, seeking any information that could help her sister in the slightest.

She had hired the most renowned fortune tellers and masters in Tokyo, attempting to summon spirits for her sister, but the results proved that every single one of those so-called fortune tellers and masters were liars.

She had visited every temple or shrine known for granting wishes, and she had left an Ema with her prayer at almost every shrine in Japan.

Whether it was science or metaphysics, she was willing to believe anything, as long as Yukino could return.

The myriad of incredibly busy trivial matters only made her body tired. But the last straw that almost crushed her spirit was that nothing she did had any effect.

[Is Yukino somewhere in the world right now, waiting for me to find her?]

Every time she felt like breaking down, she would think this, and then regroup her emotions to try again.

The pain and despair had mixed to such an extent that it had become a twisted, obsessive fixation that absolutely forbade any shrinking back.

She took another glass of red wine from the waiter's tray and downed it in one gulp.

Miss Suzuki's eyelids twitched, "Hey, hey, hey, you've drunk quite a lot today."

"You guys know my drinking capacity." Haruno's eyes remained clear, and she smiled, "No matter how much more I drink, I won't get drunk."

As the heir of the Yukinoshita Family, Haruno had been taken to various banquets by her parents since childhood. After becoming an adult, she had practically lived among wine jars.

"Yukino is back."

Miss Hananomiya's eyes lit up. After Miss Shijo had returned to her seat, Yukino quickly came down the stairs a while later.

Haruno's gaze also unconsciously followed.

When Yukino had temporarily left, she vaguely sensed that Yukino's mood seemed a bit low.

But in just over ten minutes, the negative emotions on this person seemed to have been completely discarded.

She casually held a glass of champagne and seemed to want to walk back. A young master from an aristocratic family walked up to her and said something to her with a smile.

So Yukino stopped, and they socialized and chatted back and forth.

The Yukinoshita family's genes had always been good. Mr. Yukinoshita was gentle and refined. Madam Yukinoshita was once a beautiful girl as brilliant as a summer flower. The eldest daughter, Haruno Yukinoshita, had gained countless good reputations and admiration since entering the social circle.

But Haruno had always believed that the most beautiful and cutest person in her family was always Yukino.

She had already grown into such a graceful and slender young girl. Her interpersonal skills were orderly. No matter which young master or man from an aristocratic family was present, their gazes couldn't help but fall on her quietly for a moment.

This banquet was originally a welcome banquet for the Shijo family's official return to the country, hosted by local aristocratic families who had connected with the Shijo family. Since most of the attendees were young people from various families, it also had the meaning of a matchmaking banquet.

After the young man who had spoken to her, several more young men walked up successively. They were dressed dazzlingly, handsome, and had a distinguished bearing. But Haruno felt this scene was particularly conspicuous.

What is this, a thief who stole Yukino's body...

What was she triumphantly boasting about.

Yukino didn't feel triumphant. It was fine when she was alone, but now that so many people were surrounding her, it indeed made her, an introvert who disliked crowds, feel a bit uncomfortable.

After apologizing to these people, she returned to her older sister and her good friends.

As soon as she returned, Hananomiya immediately wrapped her arms around her waist, "Wuwu, little Yukino is finally back..."

Why were her older sister's friends so clingy...

Sighing, she looked at Haruno and saw that the earlobes exposed were already a little pink.

Yukino glanced at her speechlessly and handed her a glass of orange juice, "Drink less, Mom will nag you when we get back."

Haruno had a good drinking capacity, but compared to her drinking capacity, she was best at pretending to be sober. Even if she was dead drunk, her eyes were still bright, her voice clear, and her posture stable.

To see if she was drunk, one had to look at her ears.

And looking at her ears now, she was probably half-drunk.

"I'm not drunk."

Haruno said defiantly, subconsciously took the orange juice and took a sip, then froze all over.

How could her attitude towards her be so natural???

---It shouldn't be.

Absolutely not.

Not even a little slack.

Yukino, she's all alone now...

The banquet was nearing its end, the atmosphere at its peak.

The guests, who had been somewhat reserved and unfamiliar at the start of the banquet, had now cast aside the complicated grievances between their families, gathering together to chat and laugh, creating a lively scene.

This was why the Shirakawa Family had organized this banquet, inviting mostly young people.

Shushi Shirakawa held his red wine. "Compared to those old foxes who think ten steps ahead, young people who are active and lively will always get to know each other faster."

Maki Shijo understood his implied meaning perfectly.

She smiled, picked up her lemonade, and clinked glasses with the young master Shirakawa. "We've troubled the Shirakawa Family a lot during this time."

Shushi Shirakawa smiled modestly. "This is precisely what we should do for our family."

The Shijo Family was originally a member of the Shinomiya Conglomerate. Dissatisfied with the decadent current state of the Shinomiya Conglomerate, they attempted to reform it from top to bottom but were completely suppressed by the Conservative Faction, forcing them to go into exile in America to establish the new Shijo Group.

The Shijo Family primarily developed in America and Europe. After years of operation, they had established a firm footing overseas. Now, Maki Shijo's return to Japan was self-evident in its meaning.

The Shirakawa Family, the hidden pawn the Shijo Family had placed in the country, immediately organized a banquet, inviting the young people from various families, including Maki Shijo.

The Shijo Group intended to silently establish a new diversified conglomerate system, led by the Shijo Family, to confront the Shinomiya Conglomerate.

Among those attending the banquet were some who came because they couldn't save face but harbored vigilance in their hearts, some who didn't want to confront the Shinomiya Family or offend the Shijo Family and wished to be opportunists, and others who were unaware and simply came for matchmaking.

But none of that mattered. The warm water for the boiling frog was ready, and the stage had been set.