"Okay!! Then it's settled. You're coming to my house after school."
Sakura bead as she made her decision.
The re thought of what was going to happen had her kicking her feet lightly against the floor in excitent.
"Sakura-san, bouncing your feet like that is hardly proper behavior for a lady."
"Also… while I understand the concept, that kind of invitation is usually between friends. And we are not friends, so I have no reason to go to your house."
When it ca to being a proper lady, Yukinoshita Yukino was the undisputed authority.
Even with the soft bed beneath her seemingly trying to swallow her whole, she still sat perfectly straight.
Her feet, in simple white disposable slippers, were neatly tucked together like… well, like a cat—prim, graceful, and composed.
"Ehh? What?! We're still not friends? But Yukinooo, we literally know each other's life-and-death secrets!"
Sakura threw her arms up dramatically.
"…"
At those words, a vein visibly twitched on Yukino's forehead.
Her previously drowsy brain throbbed in protest, and she sighed, raising a hand to her temple.
"First of all, yes—I'm aware of your, let's say, potentially life-threatening situation. And you're aware that I'm, in fact, alive and well."
"But that hardly qualifies as holding each other's lives in our hands. Please don't use such misleading language, even if you have no sense of common decency."
"Secondly, as for the definition of friendship, that's still up for discussion. At present, you are indeed the person I'm most familiar with at school."
"So if we go by that standard, I suppose it's reasonable to call us… friends. But if we're talking about—"
Yukino tried to collect her thoughts and correct Yamauchi Sakura's wildly off-base reasoning.
"Haha, I knew we were friends! I'm so glad—Yukino-chan finally has a friend!"
Sakura cut her off with a cheerful laugh.
She'd already figured out how Yukino ticked.
Just as she suspected, Yukino deeply longed for companionship.
But people either got scared off by her excellence or rejected her out of jealousy.
That's why, much like Kasumigaoka-senpai, she'd built walls around herself—not to keep others out, but to protect her own heart.
Sakura tilted her head against the backrest of the chair, smirking at the girl still debating whether or not to refute her.
If Yukino really didn't consider her a friend, would she have followed her to the break room so obediently?
This girl was secretly a little tsundere—or maybe just shy.
"Alright, alright, it's decided then. Now lie down and get so sleep. I'll wake you up when lunch break ends."
"No, I can't. I still haven't confird whether Hojou has mastered 'Yorunomai' yet. I'll need to give him extra practice after school."
Yukino flatly refused.
"Kyousuke, huh~?"
Sakura grinned mischievously. "You might not find him after school, you know. Blink and he's gone, like a bubble popping. That's because today, he's training at ho."
"At ho? He trains at ho too?" Yukino asked, surprised.
"Of course he does! He even hired several private tutors. Honestly, Yukino, I think you've got a lot of misunderstandings about Kyousuke."
"At least in terms of discipline, he's got you beat."
"Impossible!"
If you're going to demand change from others, you need to live by those standards yourself.
That's what Yukino believed.
She'd worked hard, and that gave her the right to expect effort from others.
Forcing expectations on soone else that you haven't t yourself? That's the worst kind of hypocrisy.
Still—deep down—Yukino believed no one could say no to her.
Not when she was this cute.
Sure, people might think they were bewitched by her looks at first, but if they truly followed through, they'd realize she was right all along.
They weren't being manipulated—they were just being honest about wanting to beco better.
"I rember you said you used to practice Aikido, right?" Sakura asked, using one of her favorite tactics.
She'd figured out the trick: with Yukino, only logic she personally recognized would work.
Like how Kyousuke had mastered the proper way to deal with the tsundere Eriri, Sakura had discovered the right way to talk to Yukino.
"Yes," Yukino answered crisply, a note of pride in her voice.
It was proof of her self-discipline and ntal strength—being able to act on her ideals and suppress her impulses.
"Then why are you still in such poor physical shape?"
Never mind technique—if you practiced that consistently, your body should be in much better condition.
Sakura herself was proof.
Despite the intense surgeries she'd undergone, most people in her position would be gasping for air after just walking. Yet she was full of life.
"…"
Of course, smart as Yukino was, she instantly grasped Sakura's point.
But she had her own principles.
She hadn't quit halfway—she'd trained until she was confident she could pass as a master.
After that, she realized brute force couldn't accomplish her real goals, and she moved on.
"But Kyousuke hasn't missed a day of kendo practice since he started."
"That's because he has competitions to prepare for. He needs to improve constantly."
"Have you watched his old middle school matches? Do you think he could win championships now, based on how he was back then?"
"…Yes," Yukino admitted through gritted teeth.
She had analyzed his match footage in detail, and there was no denying it—his strength was almost inhuman.
"Alright, alright. Enough talk. Go to sleep already—it's getting late."
Sakura, ever the cat teaser, dangled just enough provocation to keep the kitten chasing, but never let the prize be fully caught.
And when the kitten seed ready to give up, she'd drop the toy right in front of it.
"…Okay." Yukino gave a small nod.
She took off her slippers, peeled off her white socks, pulled the blanket up, and climbed into bed.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, she glanced over at Sakura, who had turned around and was fiddling with her phone.
"Um… Sakura-san. Do you want to… co lie down too?" Yukino's voice was soft and her face flushed.
"Eh? You're saying we're close enough to sleep in the sa bed now? Yukino-chan, I'm so happy! This isn't friendship anymore—this is best friends for life!"
Sakura turned around with a beaming smile.
Yukino quietly turned her back and closed her eyes.
She'd expected Sakura's cheerful face to be the image lingering in her mind—after all, this was her first and only real friend.
But instead, the first thing that appeared in her thoughts was Hojou—clad in his kendo uniform, swinging his sword.
In that empty dojo, the only sounds were the creaking of bare feet on wooden floors and the swoosh of his blade through the air.
No spirited shouts to hype himself up—only silent, persistent effort.
Yukino could almost see the drops of sweat falling from his brow.
It was probably because she'd been slightly shaken just monts ago.
Yukinoshita Yukino quietly made up her mind—starting tonight, she'd resu her Aikido training.
Being able to confront her own feelings head-on had always been Yukino's key to growing stronger.
She wasn't the type to deceive herself with comforting lies.
That kind of weakness had no place in her.
Sakura smiled slightly as she looked at the black-haired girl standing with her back turned, then turned away and looked down at her phone.
A chat window was open on the screen.
————————————————————————
"gumi, co hang out at my place after school. We can play that ga we talked about—pat Momotarō's head and watch General Bubble Show."
"Sure~ Is it the sa address Hojou-san ntioned last ti?"
—Katou gumi
"Yep. If you're free after school, feel free to co with Eriri and the others."
————————————————————————
Sakura typed furiously with both thumbs.
The way she interacted with gumi felt completely different from how she spoke with Yukino.
With Yukino, every word felt like it needed to be weighed and carefully chosen.
But with gumi-senpai, it was as easy and natural as asking soone to go to the restroom with you.
There was no hesitation, no second-guessing.
It was a stark contrast to Yukino's constant internal tug-of-war.
Even their nas reflected this difference.
Yukino still showed a flicker of embarrassnt whenever Sakura casually called her by her first na, never directly saying whether she was okay with it or not.
But with gumi-senpai—it was different.
The first ti Sakura called her "gumi," she responded just as naturally by calling her "Sakura."
No drama.
No awkwardness.
Just a smooth, pleasant exchange.
————————————————————————
"Ah, I see~ Got it. Then I'll ask Sawamura-san later."
—Katou gumi
————————————————————————
Yes, that's how she always was.
Even when it ca to sothing that would be considered explosive news at Toyosaki High—like Eriri, one of the school's flawless ojousamas, living with boys—Katou-senpai's reaction was as calm as ever.
You'd never guess from her ssages that she felt even a ripple of emotion.
Of course, Sakura was sure that even if she saw gumi in person, she wouldn't be able to read her expression either.
Maybe Hojou Kyousuke could, though.
Back at the café, he'd casually said sothing that actually managed to surprise Katou-senpai for a second.
Katou gumi had a kind of presence that made everything feel easy.
Talking with her didn't require effort or overthinking. It was like your brain could take a break.
Even if you cracked a joke so bad it could freeze a room, she wouldn't grimace or give you that awful pity-laugh.
Instead, you could just keep throwing out dumb jokes, and she'd even help you analyze why they weren't funny and how you could make them better.
And all the while, she'd respond with that sa calm, even voice.
"Yup, I've already asked Eriri. She said she'd wait for you after school."
Since they were living in a special place like the Riyu Dorms, it was only natural to give the others a heads-up when inviting friends over.
It was an unspoken rule among the girls. Especially in Eriri's case—maintaining the image of a flawless lady was essential.
If rumors of her living with guys got out, the whole school would erupt.
Before morning classes had even ended, Sakura had already asked the group chat if it was okay to invite a female friend over.
As soon as they heard it was her friend, everyone imdiately agreed.
Hopefully Eriri wouldn't blow a fuse when she saw Yukino.
That was her only concern.
Kyousuke could vouch for her: Yamauchi Sakura had friends everywhere.
It would be totally illogical if gumi were her only one.
So technically, she wasn't lying.
Hmm... if Eriri did get angry, Sakura figured she'd make it up to her by helping her escape next ti Kasumigaoka-senpai decided to pick on her.
Her phone screen had already gone dark, but Katou gumi was still staring at it in a daze.
Then again, since she always wore a blank expression, no one around her noticed anything strange.
"gumi, gumi? What are you thinking about?" Rinko Ohashi waved her hand in front of her friend's face.
"Huh? Oh…"
gumi shook her head.
So things—especially things that would definitely make her friend shriek in disbelief—were better left unsaid.
She didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to herself. It just wasn't her style.
"That black soybean bun we had earlier was really good. Hope they sell it again tomorrow," she said, steering the conversation back to sothing mundane.
"Totally! Fujiyama said they've changed suppliers, so we'll probably be seeing new stuff from now on. I'm hyped!" Rinko replied excitedly, looking like she was ready to run off and buy two more right that second.
"Then let's go with bread for lunch again tomorrow," gumi said cheerfully.
"Agreed! But we've got to switch up the drink—no more juice. Three days in a row is too much!"
"Yeah, yeah…"
"…"
That was gumi Katou's everyday life.
No black-haired girl chasing so grand, righteous ideal by her side.
No mysterious beauty taking naps in the classroom lounge.
No late-night sessions creating 3D animations and setting up creepy ritual circles that would freak out anyone who saw them.
Just a plain, ordinary, uneventful life.
Even her conversations with friends could border on boring.
Just like her—an unremarkable presence, the embodint of normalcy.
But—
That tranquil life, peaceful and still like Lake Motosu, had begun to ripple ever so slightly.
Ever since Sakura and Kyousuke entered her world, it felt like soone had dropped a pebble into her calm waters.
The ripples were faint but persistent, spreading outward in wave after wave… slowly, but undeniably disturbing the stillness.
———————————————————————
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