Yukino Yukinoshita Is Definitely Crushing on Me

Aloofly obsessed with studying.

Are you kidding me? Yukino Yukinoshita, the student with the lowest grades in the class, actually wants to study?

But she really has been acting like she's putting in the effort lately.

To be honest, after seeing Yukino Yukinoshita like this, I can't even remember what she used to be like.

Miura had even seen photos of Yukino Yukinoshita from back then on the school forum.

I completely don't get it. Why would someone like Yukino Yukinoshita choose to degenerate herself over a year ago? She's beautiful and comes from an incredibly wealthy family; logically, there shouldn't be any reason for her to fall into such a state... But come to think of it, could it be because of problems at home?

Isn't that how it always plays out in TV dramas and anime? Young ladies and gentlemen from privileged backgrounds spending their days wallowing in melancholy over all sorts of bizarre things.

[Do you think I'm happy? No, money can't buy happiness!]

Taking advantage of the moment the teacher turned around, Miura threw a crumpled piece of paper onto Yui Yuigahama's desk.

Yui Yuigahama glanced back at her, looked at the words on the paper, scribbled something down, and threw it back.

Question: [Yui Yuigahama, do you know why Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly went from being a stuck-up girl to a gloomy one a few months ago?]

Answer: [I don't know, but come to think of it, Miura, you seem really focused on Yukino Yukinoshita lately ( ^_^)]

Miura's face immediately turned awkward.

W-what are you talking about!

I just need to understand the enemy's situation, that's all!

Yes, that's exactly it.

Yukino Yukinoshita abused her cute looks to flirt with boys and cheat on everyone. Even Hayama-kun was cheated on by her just two days after they got together.

Miura certainly still hated Yukino Yukinoshita, but...

No matter how much you hate someone, once you suspect they might like you, that hatred starts to feel unconvincing. Yumiko Miura was exactly that kind of person.

That Yukino Yukinoshita, could she really be harboring a crush on me?

Someone from the Yukinoshita family is supposed to be impeccable forever; falling to this point is truly shameful.

Although Yukino Yukinoshita only half-understood the second-year high school curriculum she was listening to every day, she recorded her class notes diligently.

She sat at the desk next to Yumiko Miura. The jacket that used to be loosely tied around her waist was now worn properly, the buttons of her shirt were fastened neatly to the very top, and the two ends of the red ribbon at her collar hung down at exactly the same length.

The once-vibrant nail polish was gone, and the nails on her slender fingers were trimmed neatly.

Her back was straight and her posture graceful, possessing a dignified, aloof air like a green pine in the snow.

It was impossible to imagine that someone who looked like a model student at first glance had been a blonde-haired Shibuya-style gyaru just a few days ago.

Yumiko Miura felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!

Why did she have to be sitting right next to me?

Is this a coincidence, or was it intentional?

No, no, no. Even if Yukinoshita is sitting right beside me, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. It could just be a random seating arrangement by the teacher, or maybe the class representative organized it...

Setting aside whether the rumors about Yukinoshita liking girls are true or not, even if she did, there's no way she'd like someone like me!

The number of girls at Sobu High School who hate Yukinoshita is too high to count, and among them, Yumiko Miura is arguably the most famous.

Although she is also at the forefront of fashion with blonde hair and stands at the pinnacle of the school's popular crowd, there isn't a trace of a delinquent Shibuya gyaru vibe about Miura. Instead, she exudes the queenly aura of a natural-born leader.

Together with Hayato Hayama, the school's golden boy and the peak of the popular clique, she is considered one of the best sights at Sobu High School. Many people think they are a perfect match and that they will end up together sooner or later.

Before this, Yumiko Miura had thought so too.

But one day, Hayama came to her, looking shy and happy, and told her that he was dating the famous Yukinoshita from the class next door.

It was Yukinoshita who had confessed first.

By that time, Yukinoshita's reputation was already terrible; she had confessed to more than half the boys in the class, only to cheat on all of them within a day or two.

Yumiko Miura had never seen the usually steady Hayama look so happy.

She had known Hayama since they were children. He was cheerful, kind to everyone, excelled in his studies, and was a master of every sport. He was the school's prince, and many girls had liked him since elementary school.

But he had never treated any girl with special attention, let alone dated anyone.

For a while, Miura even suspected that Hayama liked boys.

Back then, even though she was incredibly bitter and harbored doubts about Yukinoshita's character, Yumiko Miura still intended to offer her blessings to the couple.

Although Yukinoshita was known for accepting any confession that came her way only to dump them heartlessly, this was, after all, Hayama—the most outstanding boy in all of Sobu High School.

Yumiko Miura thought to herself, how could anyone bear to break up with Hayama?

And then, the very next day, Hayama was dumped.

Miura: "..."

Yukinoshita is definitely a piece of trash who toys with people's feelings and has no heart!

Yumiko Miura remembered how she felt at the time: first shocked, and then furious.

The friend she valued so much, whom she had wanted to entrust to another girl in good faith, had ended up being discarded on the ground like a piece of trash.

From that point on, Miura and Yukino Yukinoshita became like fire and water.

However, this "fire and water" dynamic was merely her own one-sided perception. In reality, this kind of bickering and taunting whenever they met was hardly worth mentioning compared to the bullying Yukino Yukinoshita had endured in her previous class.

But that same wretched Yukino Yukinoshita had now transferred into her class, become her desk mate, and even claimed that she had always liked girls.

At this very moment, Miura felt as if her heart were undergoing a massive earthquake.

Her phone vibrated slightly. Miura glanced at the teacher, who had her back turned to the class while drawing geometric figures on the blackboard. She quietly pulled her phone out from under the desk and saw a message from her good friend, Ka Onozawa.

Onozawa had always been keen on gossip, and right now, she was beyond excited.

"Yumiko! Yukino Yukinoshita is sitting right next to you!! She did that on purpose, didn't she? She's definitely crushing on you!!!"

"No wonder she broke up with Hayama-kun after only one day of dating. She just wanted to ruin your relationship with him, right?!"

"After all, Hayama-kun and Yumiko were getting much closer during that time!"

Yumiko uncomfortably raised her arm to shield her slightly flushed face.

What is she talking about? Onozawa is just gossiping nonsense again.

Yukino Yukinoshita, how could she possibly...

For a girl of this age, a crush from someone of the same sex would usually be met with more embarrassment and repulsion than shyness or joy. But if that admirer was the long-haired, raven-locked Yukino Yukinoshita, then of course, it was a different story.

Just as she was focused on her phone, a stern voice suddenly came from above: "Miura, stand up and answer this question!"

Yumiko Miura stood up instinctively. Seeing the middle-aged female teacher's eyes filled with fury, cold sweat broke out on her back.

It's over. I have no idea where the teacher even is in the lesson!

Just as she was breaking out in a cold sweat, she heard a few faint taps of a pen against a desk coming from her neighbor. She turned her head instinctively, and her sharp vision allowed her to see a large "C" written on her neighbor's notebook.

You've got to be kidding me. Yukino Yukinoshita, that academic failure?

She's definitely just scribbling something to mess with me.

But the teacher was still glaring at her with burning eyes. With no other choice, Miura bit the bullet and said, "I choose... C."

The teacher let out a heavy, cold snort through her nose.

As I thought, you're just messing with me, Yukino Yukinoshita!

"Correct. Sit down. Even if your foundation is good, you still need to pay attention in class, Miura."

Huh?

Miura sat down in a daze, turning her head to look at Yukino Yukinoshita's calm, fair, and beautiful profile.

In the past, people had complimented Miura, saying that her makeup, hair color, and outfit coordination were so natural that she was a beauty who could be photographed and used directly as a fashion magazine cover without even needing Photoshop.

But at this very moment, Miura finally realized that for a true beauty, those complicated makeup routines were nothing but a burden.

Her phone vibrated several times, but Miura was in no mood to check it at all.

There was only one sentence in her mind.

Yukino has a crush on me?

This Yukino is secretly in love with me?

Yukino is definitely in love with me!

If that weren't the case, why would someone like her help a former-former-former-former-former-former-former-former-former-former romantic rival like herself?

At this moment, Yukino received the reward for her chosen task.

[System has filtered the best option for reversing your negative image: Prompt Yumiko Miura that the answer is C]

[Choice completed, Spirit +1]

The fact that the System comes with reference answers is truly too friendly for a poor student like Yukino... (:з"∠)

For a school pariah like Yukino, whom everyone hates, there was no course more troublesome than Physical Education.

Physical education classes in Japan are extremely, extremely, extremely annoying because they involve all sorts of pair-work projects—volleyball, warm-up drills, things that all require two or more people to do together.

As it happened, more than half the girls in this class held a genuine grudge against her and were dying to see her make a fool of herself. The other half, who didn't have direct animosity toward her, didn't dare to interact with her casually for fear of rumors spreading that they liked Yukino.

Ever since the answer-passing incident yesterday, Miura couldn't help but keep glancing toward Yukino.

At this moment, Yukino had her long hair tied into a ponytail and was wearing the school's standard PE uniform—a loose white T-shirt and knee-length athletic shorts, with knee-high socks above her indoor shoes.

The fabric pressed slightly into her fair calves, creating an incredibly attractive curve beneath the loose sportswear.

It was clearly a very ordinary outfit, but on her, it immediately took on a clean, sharp, and beautiful quality.

She stood all alone outside the crowd, forming a stark contrast to Miura, who was surrounded by people.

Yet, even in a scene that Miura found awkward and uncomfortable just by watching, Yukino remained calm, her hands clasped behind her back, her head slightly lowered.

What could Yukino be thinking about at this very moment?

Just as Miura couldn't help but want to take a step toward her, someone called out to her, "Yumiko~"

The voice was as cheerful and gentle as always—it was Hayato Hayama.

Yumiko wore a smile as she turned her head. "Hayato, is something wrong?"

Hayato Hayama was a boy with blonde hair, his face handsome, sunny, and dashing. Even though his feelings had been thoroughly toyed with a few months ago, he had lost none of his poise and had never once shown a hint of decadence or dejection.

He scratched his head, looking a bit awkward. "Yumiko, do you have a partner for PE class yet?"

Yumiko was a little puzzled, but she answered truthfully, "Kasumi, Junko, Yui, and a few other classmates—we're just pairing up among ourselves."

Hayato looked even more awkward. "Then, then would you..."

He finally managed to say it. "Could I ask you to pair up with Yukino Yukinoshita, Yumiko?"

Yumiko was stunned for a moment. "Ah..."

Hayato felt incredibly awkward and quickly added, "You don't have to force yourself, Yumiko. It was abrupt of me; just pretend I never said anything."

Yumiko smiled. "If any other classmate paired up with Yukino, rumors would start spreading by the next day."

She waved her hand and started walking over. "I'm the most suitable choice. You thought so too, didn't you, Hayato?"

Indeed, her relationship with Yukino had been hostile in the past; no matter who saw them paired together, it would be impossible for anyone to spread gossip.

But, even after being played with to such an extent, are you still concerned about Yukino?

Hayato, you really are...

Yukino stood quietly in place, lost in thought, waiting for the teacher to assign the next task.

PE class was a bit of a hassle, but that was all it was—just a bit of a hassle.