Crossover: Becoming Chapter 232 233: Anyone But Him

Yukino walked into Toru's guest room, holding pillows, sheets, and bedding.

She silently walked to the bedside, took off her slippers, picked up the sheet, and spread it over the bed while kneeling.

After returning home, Yukino had not changed into pajamas. She was still wearing that school-style JK uniform and short skirt.

She knelt on the bed, her beautiful peach-shaped butt raised. Her posture was charming and alluring. Her fair feet, clad in black stockings, had taut arches, and the fabric over the soles was thinner, allowing a faint glimpse of her pinkish-white soles through the weave of the stockings.

After smoothing the sheet out, Yukino pressed her hand firmly across it, flattening the wrinkles.

Then she picked up the pillow and pillowcase. Before putting it on, she hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you prefer a high pillow or a low one?"

Toru and Haruno stood nearby, watching Yukino work. Hearing her question, Toru said, "A high one is fine."

"Okay," Yukino replied, then put the pillowcase on the pillow.

After finishing all that, she spread out the thin blanket, then clapped her hands and slid off the bed, her knees brushing against the sheet.

"The air conditioner controls are by the bedside. If you feel hot tonight, just turn on the air conditioner."

Yukino knew this was only common sense, but she still reminded him twice.

Toru said in surprise, "Yukino, you're pretty capable when it comes to doing things."

From the way she arranged the bed and sheets, it was obvious this was not her first time doing it. She could even be a maid!

Yukino lowered her head and eyes and said in a cool, clear voice, "When you live alone outside, you always have to do the cleaning yourself."

"My mother allowed me to live on my own, so I have to do things like laundry and cooking myself."

That last deep conversation with Toru had made Yukino clearly realize that she was not independent and had not truly grown away from her family environment.

Even the high-end apartment she was currently living in alone had been rented for her by her family.

In the past, Yukino had subconsciously denied this, until Toru pierced through that false layer of pretense and forced her to face her true self directly.

After years of falsehood were shattered, Yukino had resisted, and she had wanted to run away.

But she had still bravely faced it all and admitted everything.

She was different now from before. She had acknowledged the reality of this world and was slowly moving out of her chuunibyou phase.

"Oh my, my little Yukino has really grown up. She's not like when she was little anymore, relying on her sister for everything."

Haruno stepped forward, smiling as she playfully pinched Yukino's little cheek.

Yukino slapped her sister's hand away and said unhappily, "I've never relied on you."

"Still so tsundere!" Haruno was all smiles.

Yukino ignored her, tossed her beautiful hair, and left the guest room with her eyes lowered.

"Toru-kun, go to sleep early. Yukino and I will go cheer for you at the match tomorrow."

Haruno, like an older sister, clenched her fist at Toru and gently closed the door.

Only after the two sisters left did Toru slowly sit down on the bed.

Ah, how nice it would be if one of you sisters stayed behind to sleep with me. If not, then it's fine if both of you stay.

Toru grumbled inwardly. He knew that the Yukinoshita sisters were actually a very conservative pair of sisters.

There was no need to mention Yukino's personality. She was cool and aloof, and a little tsundere. It was already difficult enough to get her to be slightly proactive. Getting her to be bolder was extremely difficult.

As for Haruno, perhaps because the Yukinoshita family had been raising her as the successor from the very beginning, she had a strong personality, could be somewhat self-centered, and even rationally put her own interests first.

For a woman, that kind of personality was not very likable. She simply hid it very well, but as the successor of a family, a Haruno like that was absolutely qualified.

Toru glanced at his system panel.

To obtain attribute points and lottery chances, a woman's affection had to reach full marks, which meant complete devotion in every sense.

That was very difficult.

Older women did not believe in love. They had experienced too much in life and would not easily give everything to a man.

Younger women believed in love, but even so, making one person completely trust another was inherently a very difficult thing.

Only women who seemed indifferent but had strong emotional and security needs deep down, like Vermouth and Haibara, were more likely to risk everything they had.

"The system is very powerful, but the source of all rewards is much harder than I imagined. Even becoming the Prime Minister of Japan is actually simpler than making a woman fall completely in love with you and never change her heart."

If it was only a matter of making one woman, or two women, devoted, Toru could easily do it with his abilities, just like now.

But wanting every woman to be devoted and willingly accept you having a harem, that level of difficulty truly exceeded imagination.

There were too few women who would choose to throw themselves into the fire while clearly knowing that you might not be able to give them a future.

Only women who were extremely starved of love, like Vermouth and Haibara, or women with yandere personalities like Momiji, whose family background was enough to let her ignore marriage, might completely fall in love with Toru without caring about the future.

"So, I can't rely entirely on the system. The human heart is the most complicated thing. To become stronger, I have to use the advantages the system gives me to obtain everything I want."

"Even if one day I no longer rely on the system, I will still be fearless and stand at the peak of the world. That is what a truly strong person is!"

Toru stopped thinking and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes.

Outside, after leaving the guest room, the Yukinoshita sisters silently walked toward their own bedrooms.

As Yukino reached the door to her bedroom, Haruno suddenly said, "Yukino, if I hadn't been there just now, would you have stayed in Toru-kun's room?"

Yukino, who had one hand on the doorknob, did not move. She shook her head and said, "I wouldn't be that immodest. That would only make people look down on me."

"I've never been in love, but I understand that isn't the right way to pursue someone."

"Toru-kun is excellent. There are many girls who like him, and I don't think I'll be the one who succeeds."

"But I won't give up. I will take the initiative."

Yukino had her back to her sister, and her tone was firm.

Haruno said softly, "Can't you really give him to me, little sister?"

"I've already given you too many things, Sister. This time, I won't give up again."

Yukino's lips curved slightly. She whispered, "...You're afraid, Sister. You've realized you're not as outstanding as you thought, which is why you're saying such weak words."

"I have to get up early tomorrow, and I'm a little sleepy, so I'm going to bed. But there is one thing you might be right about. If things really become impossible, I can give up everything to pursue what I want."

"Sister, ask yourself, can you do that?"

"Good night, see you tomorrow."

Yukino entered her room and gently closed the door, watching her sister's figure slowly disappear through the narrowing gap.

Haruno stood by her sister's bedroom door with a complicated expression.

Could she really, like Yukino, abandon everything without hesitation to pursue everything she wanted?

After asking herself that, Haruno finally arrived at an answer. She could not.

She was the heir of the Yukinoshita family. The education she had received since childhood had taught her to put interests first, and feelings second.

Haruno, in truth, lacked the courage to burn her bridges.

For a woman like her, it was difficult to place her true feelings above her family's interests. The values she had been taught since childhood made it impossible for Haruno to change.

She was not worthy of love, not worthy of a boy who liked her.

"You really have grown up, enough to make even me, your sister, start to feel afraid, start to worry."

"Since childhood, I've known that you, Yukino, are actually better than me, your sister. I lack courage. I can only protect the past of the Yukinoshita family. Only you, Yukino, can create the future."

"But being looked down on by the little sister I've always bullied still makes me unwilling."

Haruno felt both relieved and sad, her emotions tangled.

With a mixture of gain and loss in her heart, she arrived at her mother's door and knocked gently.

"Is that Haruno? Come in."

When she entered her mother's bedroom, Mrs. Yukinoshita had already changed into pajamas. Still slightly drunk, she was putting on a face mask to take care of her skin.

"Haruno, is there something you need from Mother so late at night?"

Mrs. Yukinoshita took her daughter's hand and sat her on the bedside, the mother and daughter speaking intimately.

"Mother, you told me about our family's crisis yesterday. After thinking it over, it will probably be very difficult for the Yukinoshita family to get through this on its own."

"We need outside help."

Haruno made her suggestion carefully, choosing her words with caution.

The smile on Mrs. Yukinoshita's face faded. She said softly, "You want to go to Fujiwara-kun, to ask Fujiwara for help, don't you?"

Haruno nodded and said, "Our family's problem is neither too big nor too small. What we need most right now is a sum of money."

"As long as we can borrow a sum of money with not-too-high interest, and without giving up control of the family, then even if we fail to recover the profits, it still won't fundamentally damage the family."

"Although Fujiwara's assets can't compare to those of the large conglomerates, financially he is more than capable. As long as the funding issue can be solved, our problem will be easily resolved."

"As for the Chiba Prefectural Assembly members, we have always supported Fujiwara. As long as Fujiwara is willing to say a word, we can gain more support."

"Fujiwara is our relative. Both emotionally and logically, we should trust relatives rather than outsiders."

Haruno's suggestion was good, but Mrs. Yukinoshita gritted her teeth and said, "No, you're wrong, Haruno, you're completely wrong!"

"The people you should trust the least are your own relatives."

"I understand what you mean, but Haruno, you must remember this. You can ask anyone for help except Fujiwara. This is the bottom line for our Yukinoshita family!"

Mrs. Yukinoshita suddenly became somewhat hysterical. Her voice abruptly rose, and her expression turned angry.

Haruno was stunned. This was beyond her understanding.

Why had Mother become like this?

(To be continued.)