"Good morning, Yukinoshita-san."
First, Masuzu casually greeted Yukino. Then she raised a brow and smiled: "I’ve never bothered you. Why do I feel your hostility toward this classmate isn’t small?"
"Of course. Tenkuji-kun is a mber of our club..." Yukino paused, staring calmly: "He’s also one of my friends. You did that to him in front of —did you expect to roll out a red carpet?"
"Of course not." Masuzu brushed her long hair over her shoulder. She spoke calmly, still smiling: "I don’t regret what I did then. Nor do I care if you hate —like how you don’t care about others’ opinions... In that sense, we’re actually quite similar."
"I don’t think so."
Yukino didn’t hold back. She stated plainly: "I don’t know what you went through to beco abnormal since that day... But I don’t want to be lumped in with your type, and I don’t feel we have any similarities."
"Abnormal? That’s an overstatent—though I agree."
Masuzu grinned. The sticky, hollow laugh reached Yukino’s ears, making her frown. She recoiled slightly as a chill crawled over her body.
Masuzu ignored her disgust—and the curious glances from classmates around them.
She only stared deeply at Yukino. A clear yet eerie voice—like pine needles in the wind—sounded softly before her:
"I know we don’t like each other. We didn’t before, and even more now... So I’m just here to make a deal with you."
"...A deal?"
Though she knew ignoring her was best, hearing this, Yukino couldn’t help asking in confusion.
Masuzu nodded and smiled: "Exactly. You’re curious—why I was in your big sister’s car that day."
"Wasn’t it just a coincidence drop-off after dinner? Who’d be curious about that."
"Really that simple? You should’ve realized—she’s secretly doing a lot behind your back."
"So what? My sister doesn’t need to report anything to ..." Yukino frowned uneasily. Her tone grew firr.
"Natsukawa-san, if you have sothing to say, say it directly. Class starts in two or three minutes. I’m not interested in riddles with you."
"Haaah, you sisters are the sa. Start panicking once your secrets are exposed." Masuzu sneered, sounding slightly bored.
"The riddle is the deal—I’ll give you info about you that your sister definitely won’t tell you, and you just help a little. How’s that—profitable?"
Recalling her earlier talk with Haruno, Masuzu couldn’t help sneering.
History is always so similar.
anwhile, Yukino stared. Her first words weren’t rejection but a question: "Why should I trust you?"
"Because I have no choice." Masuzu shrugged, unbothered: "Tenkuji-kun is definitely avoiding now. Yui-san must resent for that incident... I know I reap what I sow, but I’m not giving up. I still have to try."
So she chose Yukino. She seed the least approachable—but actually the highest-success breakthrough among the three.
Did Haruno, pulling strings behind the scenes, ever expect her to co straight to the little sister to negotiate?
Thinking this, Masuzu felt oddly pleased.
"Not giving up... You an you still want to go after Tenkuji-kun?"
Yukino’s gaze turned icy. She glared in annoyance, speaking word by word: "Listen carefully. The Yui-san you ntioned is his girlfriend!"
"Even if your morals are low enough to steal soone’s boyfriend, don’t assu everyone is that low—do you think I’d agree to let you ddle in their relationship just for so vague secret?"
"Wait, Yukinoshita, are you misunderstanding?" Masuzu raised her hands, defending calmly: "I didn’t say you have to help break them up. Don’t accuse people carelessly."
With lips pressed tight, Yukino’s expression stayed cold and silent.
"Well, I’m not surprised you’d think that..." Masuzu sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. She also laughed self-mockingly: "But honestly, I’d rather see them together. I hope they find happiness in each other—I know this thought is disgusting and totally unfit for soone like who hates romance, but who knows? It suddenly appeared in my heart, like an idiot, heh."
"..."
She seed to see genuine emotion on her face. Yukino was slightly shocked. After a mont, her silent expression softened a bit.
"Then why did you do that to him that day?"
Masuzu thought for a second. Her fingers pointed to her soft lips: "Because my body instinctively craved him? At that mont, my whole mind just wanted to be one with him—I didn’t think much else."
"Be... one?" Realizing, Yukino’s pale face adorably flushed. She took a slow breath, exhaling like a sigh: "I can’t understand why you’d have such a lewd reaction. But overall, the deal you want with —has nothing to do with Tenkuji-kun and the others?"
"It does."
Masuzu admitted. Her elegant, confident smile blood again.
Though it held no emotion—like a smiling mask—Yukino heard pure, stubborn longing in her voice.
An emotion deeper than anyone’s, born from having lost sothing.
"I want to be closer to him—even if I can only watch him and Yui-san be affectionate and loving. That’s better, actually... As long as I can stay by his side, I don’t care what price I pay."
In just this sentence, there was no hesitation.
"You..."
As if not understanding, Yukino opened her mouth. She stared in shock at the beautiful half-foreign girl before her, who seed utterly serious.
She unconsciously wanted to say sothing—but suddenly felt advice or scolding would be useless.
In her eyes, there was only one light, unshaken by anyone’s will.
So she could only comnt:
"Natsukawa-san, you’re more abnormal than I imagined..."
"For , love is the greatest abnormality." Masuzu said cheerfully. She enjoyed Yukino’s helpless sigh.
"Yukinoshita, trust for now. Just give one chance to get close to him. Whether I can stay by his side in the future—I’ll handle myself. You don’t need to overthink."
"Even if you say that..."
Noticing her stance wavering, Masuzu’s lips curved slightly. She suddenly stepped closer, bringing her lips to the girl’s ear, exhaling softly.
"Then I’ll pay the deposit first."
Black and silver hair crossed and overlapped at their chests. Pale cheeks pressed together, almost kissing.
Before Yukino could react and pull back, Masuzu chuckled and began to speak:
"Your big sister has delusional disorder. She keeps saying Tenkuji Yuu is her boyfriend."
"Last night, she even asked to sabotage his relationship with Yui-san..."
Yukino’s body froze in her seat. Her eyes widened in shock.
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