Yukino Yukinoshita Is Definitely Secretly in Love With Me

Could it be that there really is a System that makes you stronger if you confess and then dump someone???

Just a wild guess.

The expression on Kasumigaoka's face remained a forced, insincere smile. "Aren't you going to invite me in, Yuigahama-san?"

Is there a police officer around? I suspect someone is trying to commit murder in my home!

Back when she saw the name of the victim, Eriri Sawamura, Yukinoshita had thought that if she gave her real name, Eriri Sawamura would definitely not want to come, so she had casually given the name Yui Yuigahama instead.

However, she never in her wildest dreams expected that the person who showed up would be Kasumigaoka.

Compared to Eriri Sawamura, who seemed fairly easy to read, this upperclassman Kasumigaoka was practically synonymous with being black-hearted; she was full of nothing but bad intentions.

There was no need to even guess—this person was definitely full of malice toward her!

Yukinoshita blocked the doorway. "I suspect you want to murder me."

"Heh, you're not even worth me risking a prison sentence, you piece of trash."

"You've already weighed whether or not it's worth going to jail for me???"

"...Regardless, your driver is downstairs, so you don't need to worry about anything, okay?!"

"You even scouted out the location of my driver???"

Kasumigaoka: "..."

In the end, Utaha Kasumigaoka was allowed into the room.

After all, Yukinoshita was the one who had requested the tutor and given the fake name first; she felt a bit in the wrong for blocking her out like that.

After entering, Kasumigaoka scanned the room's minimalist decor and furnishings. It was somewhat unexpected; she had assumed Yukinoshita was the type to like flashy, gaudy things.

In fact, Kasumigaoka's guess wasn't wrong—Yukinoshita had just thrown out a pile of flashy decorations and clothes from her apartment two days ago, and she had been in a foul mood the entire time.

Yukinoshita walked over to the refrigerator. "Mineral water, soda, or plain water?"

"No thanks, I'm afraid you'll poison it."

Yukinoshita just poured herself a glass of water. As she came over and opened the first-year high school math textbook, she felt a bit puzzled.

"Kasumigaoka, you aren't short on money, are you? Why did you suddenly think of becoming a tutor?"

"Please call me Teacher Sawamura." Kasumigaoka twitched the corner of her mouth. "I'm just getting a head start on some social experience."

That was, of course, a lie.

In truth, one of the reasons she had used Eriri's name was to gather material for her new novel. While her identity as a light novel author wasn't exactly a secret worth keeping, she hadn't exactly gone out of her way to let anyone else know, either.

The second reason was the fear of running into Sobu High School students who knew the victim, Utaha Kasumigaoka.

Who would have thought that instead of running into someone who knew her, she would run straight into the primary culprit, Yukino Yukinoshita.

This person she detested to the core.

Looking at the malicious gaze hidden beneath that seemingly quiet and elegant face, Yukino couldn't help but voice her suspicion, "Are you planning to teach me nonsense so I'll fail my next exam?"

Kasumigaoka chuckled, "I heard that you're ranked last in your class and in the bottom ten of the entire school at Sobu High School. It would be quite difficult for a social reject like you to do even worse than last time, wouldn't it?"

Yukino: "..."

That detestable blonde Yukino!

After confirming the curriculum content, the tutoring session between the two began quickly. Somewhat unexpectedly, the teaching and progression of the lesson went very smoothly.

The trouble Kasumigaoka had been wary of Yukino causing did not happen, and the situation Kasumigaoka had been dreading—where Yukino, as a poor student, wouldn't understand anything she was taught—did not happen either.

She absorbed new knowledge at an incredibly fast pace; her train of thought, mental clarity, and memory were all excellent. For her, drawing inferences from a single instance was merely a baseline.

Even someone who had studied the material before couldn't learn it faster or remember it better than she did.

Kasumigaoka had dominated the top spot in her grade at Toyogasaki Academy for years, but she asked herself, she had rarely encountered an opponent this intelligent.

She was even more surprised in her heart.

In fact, ever since she first saw Yukino Yukinoshita today, this feeling of surprise had not ceased.

The black-haired, long-straight Yukino was truly as beautiful as a dream, a world of difference compared to her previous image as a blonde gyaru. If it weren't for the fact that Kasumigaoka detested this person so much that she would never forget her appearance, she might not have recognized that this person was the original Yukino at all today.

She couldn't help but say something that sounded like a compliment, "Why on earth did you choose to degenerate yourself back then?"

How would I know? Don't ask me that.

Yukino rested her chin on her hand and sighed without answering, "Let's move on to the next chapter's key points, Teacher Sawamura."

Kasumigaoka had never seen a Yukino like this.

In her memory, Yukino had messy blonde hair, heavy makeup, and an arrogant expression; she was a nuisance who didn't fit her aesthetic at all.

But the current Yukino was wearing a light blue cotton dress with a beige knit cardigan over it. As her black hair draped over her slender shoulders, it revealed a patch of delicate, jade-like neck.

Her entire being exuded a gentle and clean aura.

Kasumigaoka didn't even dare to look too much; she felt that her hatred for Yukino was about to dissipate by a tenth.

Eriri Sawamura was arrogant and infuriating whenever she opened her mouth, but she was genuinely good-looking, which was why Kasumigaoka liked to bicker with her from time to time and watch her get so angry she was rendered helpless.

Yes, Kasumigaoka was a fan of beautiful faces.

Even Aki, who seemed like a shut-in, turned out to be a handsome classmate once he took off his glasses.

One teaching quickly and the other learning just as fast, today's scheduled lesson not only finished ahead of time but even covered extra material.

Kasumigaoka sat on the carpet, leaning back against the sofa, and exhaled with her head tilted back. Even she was surprised that she hadn't felt like she was sitting on pins and needles or that the time was dragging while dealing with a nuisance like Yukinoshita.

She lifted her arm and rested it casually on the sofa, but felt her forearm press against something slightly hard. After lifting her hand, she discovered it was a book that looked somewhat familiar.

No way, no way. It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, right?

She picked it up and flipped through it, finding that it was indeed a light novel. The signs of it having been read many times were obvious; it was clear that its owner quite liked it.

Kasumigaoka gave a light cough and shook the paperback light novel in her hand. "You like reading light novels?"

Yukinoshita, who was slumped over the desk and looking like she was about to blow bubbles from exhaustion, lifted her eyelids. "Mm."

Even though Yukinoshita had only given a soft "mm," Kasumigaoka's expression began to turn awkward.

On the cover of the light novel was the eye-catching title, Love Metronome.

It was none other than the debut work that had become a bestseller after Kasumigaoka's start in the industry.

In recent times, the most dazzling name at Sobu High School was undoubtedly Yukino Yukinoshita.

Once so trashy that she was hated by the entire school, she now seemed to be a scumbag turning over a new leaf, a player finally coming ashore. She had shed her former gyaru appearance, started attending classes seriously, and studying hard. Even her favorite extracurricular hobby of playing the field and cheating had been abandoned recently.

The school atmosphere at Sobu High School suddenly became much cleaner.

Even the principal and the dean of students had been pulling Shizuka Hiratsuka aside in various school meetings lately to praise her again and again, saying that it was precisely because she hadn't abandoned or given up on her students that the former number one cancer of Sobu High School had finally turned over a new leaf.

They claimed her professional ethics and conduct were excellent, possessing the legacy of the ancient sages.

Shizuka Hiratsuka felt incredibly guilty hearing all the praise.

After school that day, she called Yukinoshita's name as usual. "Come out with me for a moment."

Although she hadn't encountered any malicious bullying since moving to her new class, Yukinoshita remained cautious and prudent, carrying her bag with her at all times.

She had assumed it was just more instructions or concerned inquiries, but Teacher Hiratsuka led her to the school parking lot, where a red Aston Martin was parked.

Yukinoshita: "?"

Brothers, put my face on a question mark.

"Teacher?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka stood with one hand on her hip, laughing heartily. "Haha, Yukinoshita has been doing well lately, so I'm taking you for a joyride."

"...Is a teacher taking a student off campus in a sports car really not going to invite controversy?"

"Yo-ho, is little Yukino worried about me?"

What the hell is this familiar sense of déjà vu regarding her terrible personality?

And how did you manage to switch to such an intimate nickname like "little Yukino" so nonchalantly?

Yukino sat in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, her school bag resting neatly on her lap. Her expression was cold. "Don't say stupid things, Hiratsuka-sensei."

Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't wrap her head around it at all—that a girl who had the word "refined" written from the tips of her hair to her heels had been a delinquent gyaru just over a week ago.

She shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it. "Today, I'm taking you to see my favorite thing. Consider yourself lucky."

"I'm not looking forward to it."

Although she said she wasn't looking forward to it, when they actually arrived at their destination, she was still a bit stunned.

"...A ramen shop?"

Yes, this wealthy, beautiful teacher who drove an Aston Martin sports car worth roughly 100 million yen (6 million RMB) had sped over twenty kilometers with her student just to eat a bowl of ramen at this unassuming shop where the average price was 500 yen (31 RMB).

Shizuka Hiratsuka greeted the staff and the manager with practiced familiarity while ordering boisterously, "What would you like, little Yukino?"

There was a small booth here separated by wooden partitions that could seat two people, which counted as a barely sufficient private space.

Yukino took the menu, glanced at it, and casually ordered the shop's signature dish. "A bowl of tonkotsu ramen."

"A rich girl like little Yukino hasn't ever eaten commoner delicacies like ramen, right?"

Yukino glared at her, expressionless. "It's not that exaggerated, okay?"

While waiting for the food to be served, even Yukino couldn't help but retort, "I feel like there's the soul of a terrible middle-aged man living inside you, Sensei."

She was clearly a beautiful woman with a lovely appearance, yet she possessed this personality that one didn't know whether to call unconstrained or violently boorish.

Even in Japan, where the national character constantly oscillates between conservative and open, Hiratsuka-sensei was likely an exceptionally eccentric and eye-catching person.

Shizuka Hiratsuka, who had been resting her chin on her hand, turned her head with a grin upon hearing this. "Keep talking and Sensei is going to get angry."

Yukino wisely shut her mouth.

The ramen was served quickly.

Yukino took out her chopsticks. "I'm digging in."

Once the ramen arrived, Hiratsuka-sensei's expression visibly relaxed. She couldn't wait to take a bite herself before saying slowly, "Little Yukino, how does it taste?"

The steaming heat and aroma rushed toward them, and even the atmosphere between teacher and student, which hadn't been very familiar, seemed to be quickly warmed up by the steam.

Yukino used her chopsticks to lift a little and taste it. After a moment, she said, "It's ordinarily delicious."

A ramen shop that has been in business for over a decade certainly wouldn't serve bad food. Yukino had expected that ramen so beloved by Hiratsuka-sensei would be incredibly delicious or uniquely special, but in reality, it was just ordinarily good.

It was common, nothing special—just good.

Hiratsuka-sensei laughed heartily. "Being ordinarily good is enough. Many people want to achieve that level of 'ordinary' but can't."

Yukino turned her head to look at her.

"Sensei doesn't need to strive for that kind of 'ordinary.' Even with you being so uniquely strange, I still think you are excellent."

Shizuka Hiratsuka nearly choked on her words. "Whoa, Yukino-chan, why are you suddenly saying things like that!"

Yukino remained calm. "Because I like you, Sensei."

The air went silent for a moment.

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked like she was about to fall apart. "Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to cause me social suicide as a teacher?"

"...It is merely a student's positive recognition of a teacher in the ordinary sense."

"Anyone would misunderstand a comment like that!"

Shizuka Hiratsuka gulped down her water, trying to hide the blush on her face.

Despite her boisterous exterior, she was actually quite bad at handling these kinds of sentimental topics.

She had heard that this girl had recently confessed to liking girls.

No way, no way—she couldn't possibly have a crush on her, could she?

No, this forbidden thought must be nipped in the bud!

As a steaming Shizuka Hiratsuka snuck a glance over, she saw the girl who had just dropped such a bombshell still eating her ramen with a deadpan expression.

Even while eating ramen, her posture was as elegant and beautiful as if she were dining at a five-star hotel.