Yukino Yukinoshita Is Definitely Crushing on Me

So she definitely has something going on with that upperclassman, Mizuno!

Or perhaps the first-year junior, Iroha Isshiki? After all... uh, who even came up with that guess? There's absolutely no common ground to be found there!

But regardless, no one ever puts forward a guess involving Yumiko Miura.

"I actually really understand those people. After all, from an outsider's perspective, Yukinoshita is just an ice queen with 'do not approach' written all over her face."

Onozawa Kaho whispered this with a cheeky grin. "Of course, she's the exception when it comes to Yumiko~"

In Japan, a rather unique country, being able to "read the air" is an essential skill from school all the way to the workplace. People who can't read the air are called "KY," and in severe cases, they can even be isolated or bullied by everyone in their social circle.

When bullying becomes the atmosphere of a group, even refusing to participate can be interpreted as being "KY," so basically no one dares to stand up and oppose the group alone.

Everyone lives day by day in a submissive and mild-mannered way, trimming away all their own spikes and edges just to fit in, but Yukinoshita has never done that.

Even when she is all alone, she always maintains such a strong and composed posture.

And it is precisely because she is like this that Yukinoshita makes people all the more curious.

Onozawa Kaho deliberately lowered her voice, occasionally using eye contact and gestures to communicate, because even though they were gathered in the classroom near Yui Yuigahama's seat—the furthest one from Yukinoshita's—they were still talking about something super embarrassing.

Faced with such a topic, the usually lively Yuigahama was somewhat distracted, lost in her own thoughts.

Miura gave a light cough.

She crossed her arms, struggling to suppress the pride and joy that she couldn't keep off her face, and tried her best to act indifferent. "Isn't it normal for people to like me? There are tons of people at Sobu High School who like me~"

Miura tried her best to ignore the awkward feelings in her heart.

Because being liked by a girl like Yukinoshita was, in any case, truly something worth being happy about.

Onozawa Kaho laughed mischievously. "So, you're saying you don't like Yukinoshita at all, Yumiko?"

Miura immediately flew into a fit of embarrassed rage. "Get lost, get lost! Who would like her!"

Junko Kamizawa retorted directly, "Yukinoshita is just too much of an ice queen right now. If we hadn't been so clever and accurately deduced the right answer, we would be just like everyone else—completely unable to tell that she treats anyone differently."

"Bragging about being clever is going too far; you're becoming just as narcissistic as Yumiko, hahaha."

"Hey, who are you calling narcissistic!"

Onozawa Kaho suddenly said, "So, what exactly is the relationship between Yukinoshita and that third-year upperclassman, Mizuno?"

Junko Kamizawa also said with a smile, "I heard a lot of people saw it. When Yukinoshita arrived at school yesterday morning, she nodded and greeted Mizuno in a very friendly manner."

She looked at Miura with a malicious sense of fun. "Does Yumiko know about this?"

Yumiko Miura gave an awkward "tch." "How would I know about something like that? Yukinoshita isn't anyone to me."

"For real? Though I have heard some gossip on the school forum about Yukino Yukinoshita and Mizuno-senpai, I just don't know if it's true or not~"

Miura let out a soft "Eh," her brows knitting together instinctively. "...What gossip?"

"I thought you didn't care, Yumiko, hee hee~"

"Junko!"

"Alright, alright, Junko, stop teasing Yumiko."

Yui Yuigahama laughed, "Yukino Yukinoshita and Mizuno-senpai don't have any relationship; that post on the forum was just made up."

Before anyone else could ask, she added with a smile, "I did know Yukino Yukinoshita for a while back then, so it's not strange that I'd know that."

"Then what about the nodding-in-greeting incident?"

Yui Yuigahama sighed with a smile, "That was probably just a complete misunderstanding. Yukino Yukinoshita had hay fever that day and just happened to lower her head to sneeze."

It was just that she was too self-conscious about her image as a beautiful girl, so she forced herself to hold it in while looking down, which made it look like she was nodding to greet someone.

Onozawa Kaho laughed out loud, then asked with some curiosity, "How do you know about something like that, Yui?"

Yui Yuigahama's smile faltered for a second. "Ah, I just happened to see it that day."

In another corner of the classroom, the voices of the popular girls chatting fluctuated in volume. Yukino Yukinoshita frowned and turned the volume on her Bluetooth headphones back up to a normal level.

Popular people, how annoying.

Although she still couldn't get along with her classmates in this new class, at least they didn't come over to pick fights or bully her for no reason. Her plan to return to her peak academic performance was already set, detailing exactly how much she needed to improve by the next Sobu High School periodic exam. Everything was methodical and orderly.

Regarding the fact that she had opened her eyes to find herself more than a year in the future, it was now hard for her to feel any waves of "I'm numb" or "I'm falling apart."

Yukino Yukinoshita thought her life would continue to be this peaceful.

Then, just as Japanese class ended that day, she was called out, and a cup of cold water was splashed right over her head.

Yukino Yukinoshita thought she had been doused with sulfuric acid and was scared to death.

But the cold, refreshing sensation brought her back to her senses.

It was just ordinary mineral water. [Ecstatic]

"Yukino Yukinoshita, do you have any shame left at all!"

Why are you yelling so loudly?

If you've got the guts, go find the System!

If it weren't for this unscrupulous System, would I be this shameless!

Then again, who are you, the one who threw the water?

Yukino, finally snapping out of her daze, wiped the water from her face without changing her expression. Just as she was about to speak, she felt a jacket being draped over her shoulders, followed by a blonde girl stepping in front of her in a protective stance.

Those in the classroom who had heard the commotion all looked over, and then Hayato Hayama stood up, walking over with a few of his close friends.

Even Hachiman Hikigaya, who usually looked like he could never wake up, was now looking in this direction.

Yui Yuigahama stood by Yukino's side. This girl, who was rumored to have had her crush stolen by the blonde Yukino, now wore a calm expression. She even smiled and said she had a spare shirt and could bring it over for Yukino to change into later.

Yukino wasn't sure about the nature of her relationship with Yui over the past year and three months, so she hesitated and declined, "Thank you, but I brought a gym jacket."

Yui didn't say anything after her offer was rejected and turned her head to look at the scene of the conflict ahead.

Hayama, the prince who always wore a gentle smile, had a somber look on his face right now. "What happened?"

As for Miura, she wasn't nearly as polite. She stormed out, furious, looking as if she were ready to throw a bucket of ice water right back!

The tall, blonde girl radiated an intense aura, looking particularly overbearing as she glared down at the person.

"Who do you think you are, coming here to bully my... to bully someone from our Class 2-F?!"

Onozawa Kaho and Junko Kamizawa stood beside Miura with arrogant postures. The group of them looked like the villainous supporting characters and their lackeys from a TV drama.

"You've got some nerve, causing trouble in our class!"

Yukino looked down and saw the name tag of Yumiko Miura pinned to the chest of the Sobu High School jacket draped over her.

Her school shirt had become somewhat translucent after being splashed with water; if not for this jacket, she might have had a wardrobe malfunction today.

Yukino was truly a bit bewildered now.

Was her relationship with Miura really this good?

Wasn't it said that after she "stole" Hayama, Miura hated her to the bone and the two of them were like fire and water?

Why was it that when she got into trouble, Miura was the first to rush out to stand up for her, and even faster than Hayama?

In front of the famous Sobu Queen Yumiko Miura, the girl who had thrown the water felt her aggressive momentum suddenly deflate. She couldn't help but take a step back, saying indignantly, "Yukino stole my boyfriend, am I not even allowed to be angry about it?!"

Everyone turned their condemning gazes toward Yukino.

How did you end up stealing someone else's man again?

Or did you awaken some terrible hobby of being into both men and women?

As for everyone who had stepped out to defend Yukino, they were now feeling a bit awkward. What now? What now? Did they start a fight for no reason and end up drawing aggro?

Yukino gave a light cough and stepped out from the tight protective circle. "Who is your boyfriend?"

The girl who had splashed the water looked at Yukino Yukinoshita with eyes full of hatred. "Hideki Kobayashi!"

Yukino Yukinoshita thought about it seriously. "...Who is that?"

Her indifferent attitude made the girl who had splashed the water even more furious. She dragged out the boy who had been hiding behind her. "Hideki Kobayashi uses your photo as his phone wallpaper! What else do you have to say for yourself, Yukino Yukinoshita?"

The boy had been on the scene the entire time, but his expression was evasive and he hadn't said a word. Everyone present had assumed he was just an unrelated bystander watching the show; no one expected him to be the male lead in this conflict.

The expression on his face looked incredibly awkward. "Asano, let's just go..."

Asano shook off his hand. "Why should I leave? I'm not the shameless one who stole someone else's boyfriend!!"

Faced with this chaotic situation, Yukino Yukinoshita's thoughts remained clear as she struck at the heart of the matter. "When exactly did you discover that your boyfriend had changed his wallpaper?"

"Yesterday, of course! He added a passcode to his phone yesterday, and that's when I knew something was wrong!"

At this moment, Miura's brain also caught up quickly. Her voice was resonant and powerful, sounding full of conviction. "Nonsense! For the past two days, Yukino Yukinoshita hasn't stepped out of the classroom once except to go home after school. How could she possibly have had the time to flirt with your so-called Kobayashi!"

The girl who had splashed the water immediately retorted, "How do you know she hasn't stepped out of the classroom once? Don't tell me you've been staring at her every single second?"

"Of course I've been staring at Yukino Yukinoshita every single second!"

Everyone's gaze fell upon Miura's face, and they let out sounds of confusion and gasps of "Eh?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Miura realized that what she said sounded a bit off. Her face turned bright red instantly. "I mean, as the class disciplinary committee member, since Yukino Yukinoshita just transferred into our class, I naturally have to pay more attention to her!"

Huh, you're actually a disciplinary committee member?

Isn't the person who loves breaking school rules the most on a daily basis you, Miura?

Dyeing your hair, wearing makeup, altering your school skirt—is there anything you haven't done?

"In any case, the entire class can testify to this. Yukino Yukinoshita just transferred to our class; we have no reason to lie for her."

Miura quickly looked at Hayama. "Right, Hayama?"

Hayama was stunned for a moment.

As a gentle, reserved, and subtle campus idol, Hayama was actually aware of the feelings others projected onto him. Likewise, he could also sense the hazy, budding affection Yumiko had for him in the past.

Whenever he was around, Yumiko would always keep her eyes on him.

But now, Yumiko's eager gaze, filled with a protective instinct, was directed at someone else—at Yukino Yukinoshita, a classmate who was supposed to have a less-than-stellar relationship with her.

Although he was confused, Hayama still nodded with a smile. "That is indeed the case."

With the two people who held the most influence in the school having reached a verdict on the matter, the girl who had splashed the water immediately lost her confidence.

Yukino Yukinoshita thought for a moment. "What kind of photo of me is on his phone?"

The girl who had splashed the water still muttered, looking unconvinced, "So what? It's just a picture of your back..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she realized the truth.

If Yukinoshita really had any involvement with her boyfriend, the picture on his phone definitely wouldn't have been just a shot of someone's back.

It was blindingly obvious: this Kobayashi guy was just mentally cheating unilaterally, and Yukinoshita didn't even know who he was.

The boy who had been dodging and weaving this whole time muttered, "I told you, it wasn't Yukinoshita-san's fault..."

Miura was even more smug now. "I told you so. If just anyone in this school jumped out and said they liked me, does that mean the people around them can just splash me like a drowned rat whenever they feel like it?"

"Today it was just cold water, but what about tomorrow? What about the future? Could it be something terrifying like boiling water or sulfuric acid?"

"Are you trying to use jealousy as an excuse to commit crimes with a clear conscience?!"

Onozawa Kaho stepped forward, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Why are you just standing there? Apologize!"

Junko Kamizawa also sneered, "Don't tell me you were planning on just sneaking away like that?!"

With everyone's eyes fixed on him, Hideki Kobayashi felt his face burn with shame. He hurriedly shoved his girlfriend. "Hurry up and apologize, Asano..."

She had come here to settle the score because of her boyfriend, but in the end, she was the first to be backstabbed by him.

In the silence, Asano gave a deep bow to Yukinoshita. "...I am very sorry for hurting you without even knowing the facts."

Yukinoshita wiped the dripping water from her face and hair, her expression cold and her tone sharp. "Honestly, your suspicion was truly idiotic and completely groundless."

Asano kept her head bowed, prepared to silently accept whatever verbal abuse Yukinoshita threw at her. After all, this was entirely her fault—she had been impulsive, hot-headed, and reckless.

"Because if it really came down to the end of the world, where you and your boyfriend were the only humans left, and I absolutely had to choose one person, the probability of me choosing you is far higher than choosing your boyfriend."

Asano snapped her head up, her face filled with shock.