They seemed to have been hidden beyond the dark curtain of the sky, but now Yukino only had to reach out and pluck so many stars with ease.
Though Yukino often spoke without the slightest courtesy, when Yui left her speechless, she was even more merciless with her teasing.
[If even Yui can learn it, I imagine it'd be quite satisfying.]
When Yukino said something so cutting, it still sounded lovely.
Yui could even picture the expression on her usually cool face as she sent the message: helpless, yet quietly indulgent.
She must have been busy with something at the time. She'd sent Yui a problem, then only given her the solution method some time later. After all, Yukino usually solved problems in an instant.
[This is the kind of question our teachers love. Look at it and practice it more.]
[I gave Yui twice as many example problems as an ordinary person. If you still say you can't do them, I'll double them again (smile.jpg)]
As the problems gradually grew more challenging, the two of them even started a voice call.
Yui heard indistinct background noise on the other end, like a video tutorial playing. Even amid all that noise, Yukino's voice explaining the problems remained clear.
In the end, Yui didn't even know when she fell asleep.
When she got up, she saw Yukino's last messages on Line, sent after their call had ended. The timestamps showed that it was already three in the morning.
[When Miura, Kamizawa, and Ono aren't around, Yui is like a poor little piglet waiting to be slaughtered.]
[Everyone has their own weaknesses. I don't intend to force you to change anything.]
[But you're such a cute girl, Yui. If you just smile at people, I don't think anyone will dislike you, even when you turn them down.]
That was the first compliment Yui had heard from Yukino that night.
The many pictures below showed solution methods and formulas for problems of the same type, explained in such detail that they were practically a step-by-step lesson.
Kaho and Junko were still chatting and laughing.
Yui rested her head on her arms and idly wrote Yukino's name on her scratch paper. After thinking for a moment, she slowly crossed it out.
Yukino had treated her with such kindness and patience, yet Yui had become quietly dejected just because she didn't know the slightest thing about what Yukino was up to.
It was just awful.
But she couldn't help thinking it anyway.
—I wish...
I wish Yukino were my friend and mine alone.
I wish Yukino's eyes only ever looked at me.
With her head buried in her arms, she couldn't help reflecting on herself:
Had she always felt such an awful possessiveness toward Yukino?
"Huh??? Is this really a good idea?!"
After Yukino told Miura what she had in mind, the girl with golden, softly curled hair opened her eyes wide.
If she were a little older, she would probably be a beautiful woman one could call a dominant queen older sister.
Now and then, when a pretty girl with such a striking appearance put on an innocent, guileless look, she became radiant, as though flowers had suddenly blossomed before their eyes.
"Can this really work?"
Though she asked, a hint of excitement soon appeared on her face. She gently took Yukino's hand and gave it a few unconscious shakes.
The two of them were sitting on a stone bench beneath a flat-roofed pavilion on campus, casually exchanging information.
Miura spun a pen in her hand. "There's just one thing I find strange. Nishimiya used to go to Qicong High School, right? Why did she suddenly transfer to Soubu?"
She was already in her second year of high school, and this wasn't a good time to switch classes.
After spending more than a year together, the students in each class had already established their social circles. It was very difficult for someone who joined halfway through to fit in.
And if they couldn't fit in, they would be isolated.
"Teacher Hiratsuka said she visited Nishimiya's home. The Nishimiyas are a single-parent family, and their strong-willed mother usually takes care of her two daughters. They don't have much money to spare because of the cost of treating Shoko, but recently, their family received charitable support from a company."
"The support included not only money, but also an opportunity to enroll at Soubu High School. And Soubu is a famous school."
Miura raised her eyebrows. "Even so, transferring schools so suddenly must be really hard on Nishimiya, right?"
Yukino gave a quiet hum. "Nishimiya's mother is very strong-willed. When Nishimiya was little, her mother made the decision to cut her hair short because she believed her daughter could be just like everyone else—if not even stronger."
Miura sighed. "...Shouldn't we go see Class 1-D?"
Yukino was recording all kinds of information in her notebook. "If we were using Hachiman's approach, then yes, we should go to Class 1-D and stand with the crowd. But if we go now, we'll only alert them. It's time to turn the page."
Miura took out her phone, opened her photo album, and swiped through the pictures for Yukino. After only a few glances, Yukino wrote down the person's general personality and her direction of analysis in her notebook.
Curious, Miura leaned over Yukino's shoulder. "Huh, is this psychological profiling?"
Miura's family were doctors, while her neighbor Hayama's family were lawyers. She had occasionally heard some unusual stories about the legal system from Hayama.
She'd heard that some specialists at the Metropolitan Police Department could observe a person's behavioral traces and infer their state of mind, then analyze their personality, living environment, occupation, upbringing, and so on.
"Of course not. It's just basic information integration and judgment. I learned a little from my older sister."
As the heir to the Yukinoshita family, Haruno had to learn a great deal more than Yukino. One of the most important foundational subjects involved extracting useful information from a person's facial features, expressions, and even posture.
Haruno had long since graduated with top marks in that field. After only a short time with a stranger, she could roughly figure out what they liked and disliked, then tailor her approach accordingly.
Yukino had only studied halfway before putting it aside, so of course she didn't have that kind of ability. Still, she could manage a simple personality analysis.
"This is her. The person who lost her wallet this time is Kazue Kuraki." Miura found the photo she'd saved on her phone and showed it to her. "I asked Ikeda about her yesterday. She seems pretty well-known in class."
Yukino gave a small "oh," understanding.
She was like an inferior version of a social butterfly such as Miura.
If Miura was an ultra-high-school-level social butterfly, then Kuraki was a class-level social butterfly.
Miura propped her chin up in both hands. "It's only been a week. How did Class 1-D's attitude toward a transfer student get this bad?"
Yukino's expression immediately took on a knowing air. "The person in a group's dominant position can gain a unique sense of superiority only by suppressing the weak and making most of the group complicit."
Miura: "..."
Was the world really that scary???
But before Miura could say anything, Yukino continued on her own. "Of course, I doubt the people in Class 1-D have the scheming or the practical ability to be that malicious. At most, they're quietly going along with things and happy to see how they turn out."
Miura had also learned a little about Yukino's past from Hayama.
Yukino had experienced countless acts of malice even in elementary school. She had already seen more than enough of that direct ugliness and envy at such a young age.
Her life was practically a living guide to anti-bullying.
Miura hurriedly changed the subject and leaned over to swipe through more photos for Yukino. "Oh, right, there's Fumioji Yoshida, too. He's a boy, so he probably wouldn't be jealous of Nishimiya, right? But why is he picking on her, both openly and behind her back?"
Yukino let out a cold laugh. An ominous dark aura seemed to seep from behind her.
"Did you forget? Shoko Nishimiya is a very pretty girl who fits most boys' standards of beauty."
"Who's easier to approach: a fragile girl who's isolated by everyone, or a popular girl surrounded by people?"
Miura: "..."
That was dark, but it made so much sense!
Yukino, what in the world had you been through?!
Yukino glanced at the photo of Shoko Nishimiya, but didn't immediately write down any analysis. "The only person we can meet later is Shoko. I'm worried about her mental state."
Miura: "...Huh?"
Yukino seemed to have remembered something, and her voice grew a little subdued. "Someone who has spent too long wandering amid malice and pain might mistake the first ray of light in their life for love."
Miura's heart softened.
She wanted to ruffle Yukino's hair, but her gaze couldn't help falling on the delicate stretch of neck peeking out from beneath the girl's hair. It was as white as jade.
She wanted to...
She wanted to touch it and see what it felt like.
Lately, she'd kept having these strange thoughts about Yukino.
Just then, Yukino happened to turn around. "And what's more..."
Miura, who was right beside her, felt something soft and spring-snow-like brush gently across her forehead.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment: the black-haired girl's wide eyes, the leaves stirred by a nearby breeze, and the occasional noise coming from far away.
For an instant, everything was silent.
Only in her mind, flowers seemed to blaze and bloom as far as the eye could see.
The situation in Class 1-D had indeed caused quite a stir.
Even the third-years had heard about it. The commotion that day had apparently been loud enough for the neighboring class to hear, and afterward the teachers throughout the school had taken a deep interest in the matter.
But it didn't help much. Most of Class 1-D was still in an uproar. After all, before the money went missing, Shoko Nishimiya had been the only one in the classroom during gym class, since she'd been excused.
And she did seem to be struggling financially.
She couldn't even manage to clearly explain her side of things.
With two class breaks left before the end of the school day, Yui carried her chair over and sat down with a cheerful smile.
"Yukino, I heard about it!"
Yukino unconsciously moved farther away from her. She'd never been comfortable with excessive physical contact, and now she felt even more awkward.
Yui acted as though she hadn't noticed at all. She took out her phone and gestured that this was top-secret stuff, so they should message each other.
Yukino: ?
Her face was full of question marks.
No, if you're going to message me on your phone, why are you sitting so close?
Yui's messages came rattling in: [I heard about Nishimiya! If you and Yumiko want to solve the problem, you just need to find out where the wallet went, right?]
Yui: [Once you find the missing money, you can clear Nishimiya's name!]
Yukino: [...Are you really that sure Nishimiya is innocent?]
Yui: [I know Iroha Isshiki, and I think you can trust an underclassman who swears she's telling the truth. Ehehe.]
She really was Soubu High's social butterfly. She knew everyone...
Yukino didn't want to discuss it much. Until they had confirmed the final step today, she wasn't sure whether they really ought to go through with it.
She typed with a stern expression: [Did you finish all the example problems I gave you yesterday? Are you slacking off?]
Yui: [Please spare me, Teacher Yukinoshita QAQ]
It might have been her imagination, but lately there had been a strange, back-and-forth tension between Yukino and Yumiko.
When the two of them had returned to the classroom just now, neither of them had shown any sign that anything was wrong.
Yui: [Darn it, even if Yukino doesn't explain, I'll figure it out sooner or later!]
Yukino replied with a "yeah, right": [When you do, remind me to buy a lottery ticket.]
According to the plot of a TV drama, whenever there was a misunderstanding or a false accusation, the next step was usually to uncover the truth and clear the person's name.
But real life wasn't like a TV drama. Once the truth came out and the person was cleared, the perpetrators wouldn't necessarily break down in tears, apologize to their victim, and reflect on their awful behavior.
The main reason Shoko Nishimiya was isolated was that she had drawn the special "attention" of the two most influential people in the boys' and girls' groups in Class 1-D, while she herself couldn't fit into either group.
If those problems weren't addressed, the incidents would continue even after the money was found.
And the timing of the money's disappearance had been so convenient that even Yukino would have to spend time figuring out where the wallet had gone.
But Yukino was always too lazy to use such an inefficient method.
She was going straight for the result.
Before you continue