Another Monday rolled around. Miura got out of bed, clutching her messy hair, and the first thing she did was call Yui Yuigahama over and over to drag her out of bed.
Kaho liked to sleep in too, but Junko was her neighbor, so she always dragged Kaho along to school every day.
After breakfast, Miura got into her father's car. She yawned, making him chuckle. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Hardly." She'd tossed and turned until the middle of the night without falling asleep.
That weekend, Junko and Kaho had gone to the neighboring city, while Miura had arranged to go to the city zoo with Yui. Afterward, she'd even gone out of her way to post the pictures they'd taken on Twitter.
She'd thought it all through. Yukinoshita was quiet and reserved, and rarely started conversations with people. But if Yukinoshita saw the photos she'd posted, maybe she'd get curious and strike up a conversation with her.
Offer up a topic and get someone else to start talking.
That was the foolproof way to make conversation with people, according to the most popular article in this year's bestselling magazine.
On the first day of the weekend, there was not a peep from Yukinoshita.
Miura began to question her entire existence.
Could Yukinoshita really not be the slightest bit curious about her?
On the second day of the weekend, when Miura brought it up in passing, Yui told her that Yukinoshita hadn't signed up for Twitter. As a side note, she didn't have an Instagram account either.
Miura: "..."
No way, no way. Were there really young people in Japan these days who didn't have Twitter or Instagram???
But it was true.
For the blonde Yukinoshita, Twitter might have a wide reach, but it was a chaotic mix of people, and there was also a high risk of exposing herself. Line was more convenient.
As for the black-haired Yukinoshita, ummmmm...
She'd never been privileged enough to have friends to use Twitter and Instagram with.
Then, last night, Miura finally noticed that the last page of the book she'd been reading about how to quickly grow closer to someone said, [The above advice applies to people in the ambiguous period of a relationship.]
Gasp!!!!!!!!
Miura was so startled she nearly ate the book.
How could that be?!
Ridiculous. Magazines these days really did spout nonsense without a care in the world!
Between her and Yukinoshita, at most, Yukinoshita had a one-sided crush on her. There was absolutely no way she...
Absolutely no...
No...
Miura still couldn't sleep last night. She opened her phone's photo album and looked through the pictures she'd taken with Yukinoshita at the aquarium the previous weekend, one by one.
At last, she reached the final picture. Yukinoshita had one hand holding back her hair beside her ear, while the other lightly pressed down her skirt. She'd turned around with a smile.
It was the first time Yukinoshita had smiled in front of her.
Miura had pressed the shutter almost without thinking, her heart pounding furiously.
It was strange. She'd had friends before, hadn't she?
But never once had she felt the way she had that time. Just seeing Yukinoshita smile was like watching ten thousand stars twinkle in the sky, seeing the bright moon spill its silvery glow, or watching clouds roar over one another through a vast, towering valley.
For that brief instant, it seemed she'd witnessed every breathtakingly beautiful thing in the world.
Yukinoshita...
Why am I acting so strange?
Silence settled over the Yukinoshita Residence for a moment.
Haruno sprang to her feet and leaned over the dining table, staring straight at Yukino.
The two maids jumped. "Eldest Miss..."
Yukino waved a hand. "It's fine. You can go."
She remained calm, even lifting her milk with a lazy, composed air.
Just like all those times in the past when Yukino had watched her older sister get flustered, with amused interest.
The older she got, the more awful she became. She was nothing like the sweet, obedient girl she'd been as a child.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!!
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!!!!!
Haruno slapped the table. She looked absolutely furious, with none of her usual elegance or grace.
"Under the tiles in the courtyard, second row, sixth from the left?"
Her words made no sense at all, but Yukino understood immediately.
She glanced at Haruno.
"That's where I buried the goldfish I killed when I was in kindergarten."
"What about in the oak tree in the courtyard?"
Yukino rubbed her forehead helplessly. "...The baby teeth I lost when I was six."
"Then where did you put the whole set of Barbie dolls I gave you when you were ten?"
Yukino finally raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to get me to admit?"
There was no way she liked something like Barbie dolls. If Haruno Yukinoshita dared give her those, she'd send her back a pile of deathly pink lipstick.
Haruno stared blankly at Yukino across the dining table. For a moment, she even felt that this had to be a dream, or that she still hadn't woken up. She didn't even dare take a step, afraid she'd wake up if her foot landed wrong.
She'd had this dream so many times before.
Yukino watched her sit there in silence. She frowned and gulped down her milk before asking, "Are you going to school or to the office later?"
She wiped her lips with a napkin. "If you're going to the office, do you want to ride there with me?"
Before she could finish, a pair of arms came around her and held her tight.
The scent of the body wash still clinging to Haruno and the warmth of her body enveloped Yukino all at once.
"You're so mean..."
"Yukino's so mean, so mean, so mean!!!!"
The elegant, perfectly groomed heiress who usually carried herself with such poise had now thrown away every last one of her masks in front of Yukino.
She held her little sister tightly, a pitiful, disheveled mess, and her voice was choked with tears.
"You came back when you dyed your hair black, didn't you? But you didn't tell me at all. You made me feel awful for more than a month! You're so mean, so mean, so mean!"
Yukino felt a little guilty about that. Last night, she'd thought Haruno hadn't noticed someone else had taken over her body. She'd even gotten so angry she'd nearly cried in embarrassment, only to end up uncovering a Dark History with Miss Shijo.
"...Because I thought you'd find me. But when I looked, you were still obsessing over the same thing. You really are an idiot."
She gently patted her sister's trembling back, but still didn't hold back. "You promised you'd find me no matter where I was. But this time, I was standing right in front of you, and you still acted like that. You're the one who was so awful!"
She didn't forget to settle accounts, either. "Oh, and don't forget—you lost this round of hide-and-seek."
Haruno squeezed her eyes shut, but tears still trickled down her face.
"I hate hide-and-seek most of all!"
"Good morning, Yukinoshita~"
Yukinoshita had just gotten out of the car at school when she saw Yui Yuigahama waiting by the gate. As soon as Yui spotted her, she broke into a cheerful smile and trotted over.
She was like a little white poplar, her lively branches seeming to wave from far away. Her whole body radiated the vitality of a pretty, adorable girl in the bloom of youth.
Yukinoshita wasn't used to people being so familiar with her. "Were you waiting for me?"
Yui was popular at school, and not just with the boys. To the boys, she was the ideal girlfriend, the kind who'd make a good wife and mother. To the girls, she was a beautiful, gentle, friendly friend.
Lots of boys and girls smiled and greeted her as they passed through the school gates.
"Did you need something?" Yukinoshita asked, glancing at her as they walked toward the classroom. "Have you been waiting long?"
Yui hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no. Yukinoshita always gets to school around this time, not too early or too late."
Yukinoshita: "...Really?"
Even she hadn't noticed that about herself.
Yui smiled a little sheepishly. "Yukinoshita, you're so diligent about studying. I really admire you. So I thought if I spent more time with you, maybe I'd get a little of that passion for studying too. Hehe~"
Then she laughed at herself. "I'll probably fail again this month. If this keeps up, I'll have to repeat the year..."
As one of the region's top schools, Sobu High School was strict about grades. If students failed too many classes, the school would force them to repeat the year.
Yui looked at Yukinoshita expectantly. "Do you have any tips for sticking with your studies?"
Yukinoshita kept her eyes forward. Inwardly, she thought that Yui must have a natural talent for getting along with people. That talent was similar to Haruno's, but also completely different.
The first time Haruno met someone, she could quickly sort them into categories with sharp efficiency, then figure out what made them happy, angry, or fond of something, and finally respond in the most appropriate way.
That was why Haruno got along so well with almost everyone. So many people felt as if they'd known her forever from the moment they met.
But Yui was different. She was always bending over backward for others.
She was too sensitive and too kind. She'd force herself to become whatever kind of Yui everyone liked.
She was like a well-stocked department store shelf, with something for everyone. If someone had to feel bad in the end, Yui would inevitably step forward and take their place.
That was just the kind of person she was.
And this people-pleaser was also especially pretty and adorable. No wonder everyone at school liked her.
Thinking all that, Yukinoshita replied in an even tone, "Because I know my efforts will pay off. That might not be true for you, Yui."
Yui looked dejected. "Huh? Isn't that just a roundabout way of calling me stupid?"
"Yukinoshita, that's so mean."
"I'm just telling the truth."
"Hehe, okay. Then, Yukinoshita, can you guess what your score will be on the upcoming school mock exams?"
Yui was a very considerate person. She was afraid Yukinoshita might feel awkward if too many people were around, so even though she was curious, she only asked casually when they were walking together by themselves.
Yukinoshita, however, was quite confident.
"The test is pretty difficult. I spent a month getting through more than a year's worth of material in all five subjects as quickly as I could, but there are still lots of Knowledge Points I haven't properly absorbed."
She thought it over. "I'll be in the top ten in the grade."
The questions this time were pretty obscure, and she'd rushed through the material. She'd probably make it into the top ten, but she couldn't count on the top three.
Yui: "...You're really confident, Yukinoshita."
Going from near the bottom twenty in the grade to the top ten in a month was beyond comprehension for Yui, who kept testing the limits of how much of a dunce she could be.
Even when she looked as if she were questioning her entire existence, she somehow seemed to be pouting.
Yukinoshita walked ahead with a stern face, but inside, she was thinking:
[...So cute.]
Any boy at school would have fallen for Yui on the spot.
Damn, Social Butterfly JKs really did have such strong girl power!
Yui kneaded her adorable face, scrunched up into a ball. "This is such a headache. What am I supposed to do if I fail again next time..."
Yukinoshita thought, Didn't Yumiko make you study for a whole week?
You just studied for three days, then slacked off for two.
But the Unscrupulous System didn't want her to keep being so sharp-tongued.
[The system has selected the best option to turn around your Negative Image: help Yui Yuigahama get through this round of failing classes]
Before you continue