Chapter 11

I changed into my outdoor shoes and headed outside. Walking around the school building, I entered the courtyard, where the asphalt gave way to white cobblestones. The path was bordered by low brick dividers on either side, enclosing flower beds planted with trees and flowers. These flowerbeds were technically off-limits, with signs discouraging entry.  

As I followed the path bordered by bricks, the area opened up, revealing a wide expanse of grass before me. The lawn was dotted with wooden benches and tables available for anyone to use. Given the nice weather, nearly every spot was occupied by students.  

The kind of people who went out of their way to have lunch here exuded an air of refinement. Though I’d often looked down at this area from the hallways of the school building, this was my first time stepping foot in it.  

I scanned the area for Yuki, but she was nowhere to be seen, and I ended up walking past the grassy section entirely. I had no idea what sort of situation I was walking into.  

As I approached the path enclosed by bricks again, a shadow suddenly darted out from the side and grabbed my arm. I was yanked into the flowerbed.  

“Amazing, you actually came, wow~”  

Leaning against the school building wall, Yuki clapped her hands softly.  

She had led me deep into the flowerbed, right into the farthest corner of the courtyard near the edge of the school building. Hidden among the greenery, it was a spot completely out of sight from the students on the lawn.  

Looking around, I realized this was the same place where, from the school building windows above, I had once witnessed a couple getting uncomfortably intimate.  

“What’s this about now? I already told you the thing with your minions is sorted.”  

“Yep, yep. And because you helped me out, I thought I’d give you a reward.”  

“A reward?”  

“Yea. So, which do you want? A head pat, a lap pillow, or a kiss on the cheek?”  

Yuki looked straight up at me, her gaze unnervingly sincere.  

“What’s with those options?”  

“Hm? Did you want something more extreme?”  

“Alright, I’m leaving.”  

“Aahh wait a sec!”  

Yuki grabbed my arm, planting her feet firmly on the ground to keep me from leaving. In her effort, she ended up leaning into me, and I felt a soft sensation against my upper arm—a sensation I definitely didn’t need to experience.  

When I pulled my arm free, she grinned mischievously and said, “But you know, Naito-kun, you’re actually really nice. I was sure you wouldn’t come.”  

“Can you stop sending those terse messages? They’re creepy.” 

“And this morning, I thought for sure you’d refuse. Like, ‘That’s not my problem. Handle it yourself,’ or something.”  

To be fair, there was a calculated reason for my cooperation. Resolving the incident with her group neatly also served to smooth over my own involvement in that altercation. Sure, I had the pictures as leverage if things escalated, but keeping things peaceful was in everyone’s best interest.  

“Oh, that? It’s just that our interests happened to align.”

“But deep down, it’s because you like me, right?” Yuki said with a sly smile.  

“…Hah?”  

“You’re just trying to make up excuses because you’re too shy to admit it, aren’t you?”  

“Wait, is that true? For real?”  

“Looks like you’ve just realized your own feelings, huh?”  

She crept closer, triumphant and confident.  

Apparently, I was putting up with Yuki’s whims because I liked her. If only things were that simple.  

Raising a hand in mock defeat, I turned to leave.  

“Oh, I see. So that’s how it is. Alright then.”

“Wait, what? How can you just leave after that?”  

“Was this seriously all you wanted to talk about?”  

“Yeah, pretty much,” Yuki admitted unapologetically, staring back at me without flinching.  

When someone gets this brazen, there’s not much you can say in response.  

“Come on, don’t be in such a rush. Sit down for a bit and let’s chat, okay?” she coaxed, lightly patting my shoulder as if calming a child.  

The ground near the wall had a stack of white concrete blocks that seemed oddly out of place. It was obvious this spot was used for purposes that weren’t exactly… school-approved.  

Reluctantly, I sat down, and Yuki perched herself on a block opposite me.  

“Have you eaten lunch yet?”  

“Yeah, I already ate.” 

My eyes caught a paper carton with a straw poking out of it sitting on one of the blocks.  

“Wait, don’t tell me you eat here all alone?”  

“Not at all! I eat in the classroom, too. Today, I just felt like a change of pace,” Yuki said, her tone utterly nonchalant.  

“When I eat here, sometimes couples show up and go ‘Aahh!’ before awkwardly leaving. It’s hilarious.”

“You’re pretty bold, huh? Doing that all by yourself? What kind of mental fortitude do you even have?”  

“Well, it’s not like I have any friends to eat with.”  

“…Yikes.”

“I had minions before, but they’re all gone now… Oh, but it’s fine since I’ve got a new minion now.”  

“And who might that be?”

Yuki laughed, covering her mouth with zero effort to hide her amusement.  

Despite the similarity in their faces, the difference in her behavior and words compared to her sister made my head spin.  

“How could two people with such similar faces end up so different? Yuki-san and Miki-san, I mean.”

“I used to be popular too, you know. When I first started at school, boys confessed to me all the time. Pretty much as often as they did to Miki.”  

“Really? So what happened?”  

“Who knows? Maybe because I turned them all down? They started calling me ‘cold’ or whatever.”

“How’d you turn them down?”  

“Like, ‘Would you go out with me?’ and I’d just go, ‘Oh, no, that’s not happening.’”  

“Wow, that’s harsh.”  

“I can’t lie about that stuff. Unlike Miki. I’m not like that liar.”  

She emphasized her words, a hint of bitterness slipping through her voice.  

“Miki’s like, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think I can see you that way right now. But maybe we could start as friends?’ Ugh, it’s so fake.”  

“Maybe she’s just trying not to hurt anyone’s feelings?”  

“It’s better to be clear about these things, isn’t it? She’s not interested at all, but she gives them hope with that attitude. That’s why she’s got all those ‘friends’ swarming around her.”  

According to Sumahiko’s intel, there were still plenty of guys who tried and failed with Miki. If she didn’t outright cut ties with them, her circle of ‘friends’ must grow endlessly. That sounded exhausting.  

“And now she’s got everyone calling her a princess. Ugh, what’s so princessy about her anyway?”  

“Didn’t you kind of do the same thing?”

“Not even close. I never tried to butter anyone up. I made it clear: ‘You guys don’t stand a chance.’ They just worshipped me on their own.”  

Miki was the type to spread her attention wide but shallow. Yuki, on the other hand, went narrow but deep. Then again, Miki did have some serious loyalists too. It wasn’t as simple as that.  

“I wasn’t all sweet and nice like Miki. Look, even this bruise under my eye is from when Papa hit me,” Yuki said, pointing at her left eye.  

The conversation took such an unexpected turn that I was momentarily speechless.  

Yuki seemed to notice my reaction and explained further.  

“You looked like you were curious about it, you know? I could tell,” she said, brushing her fingers lightly near her eye.  

I had wondered about it before, but I never pressed her to share. Yet here she was, continuing on her own.  

“Papa’s usually calm—quiet, even. But when he drinks, he gets violent. Hitting his daughter’s face, though? That’s next level, right? Anyway, he’s gone now,” Yuki said with a laugh.  

Her tone was light, almost flippant. She didn’t seem to carry hatred toward her father, but I couldn’t be sure what lay beneath her words.  

Before I realized it, my right hand moved on its own. I gently placed my fingers beside her eye, close to where the bruise used to be, and asked her softly.