By this point, Yuu was ntally prepared.
eting both sets of parents had beco a certainty. The only uncertainty was how the situation would unfold...
It might just be excessive tension, or it could develop into the worst-case scenario he imagined.
But no matter what, he had no path to retreat-well, he never intended to retreat from the start.
"I understand. Then let them co."
The surprised emotion faded as quickly as the tide. Yuu nodded with a calm expression.
"But..."
Yukino still wanted to say sothing, but she knew she no longer needed to worry when her gaze t Yuu's eyes.
As Yuu had said before, it was his responsibility.
A responsibility he was willing to bear because of love. This was a fact. agreed upon by all three of them.
However, it wasn't just him who made the mistake.
"Alright."
In that short response, Yukino had also prepared herself. Her gaze was as calm and firm as Yuu's.
Since when had she grown accustod to standing by his side?
It was like that in the past, it is now, and in the future, she would face any difficulty together with him.
Simply because she wanted to properly protect the boy who had beco her lover.
Though this kind of love was heavy, it gave an extraordinary sense of security, as if she could do anything as long as he was by her side, and she was no longer the immature self from the past.
If this continued, perhaps one day, even if she truly had to forget all of this, she could-
The mont that thought arose, it felt as if her throat was choked by a large hand; her consciousness was overwheld by montary
breathlessness and pain.
"Yukino?"
Under Yuu's slightly frowning worried gaze, Yukino slowly exhaled. Then she turned her face away and spoke calmly into the phone again:
"We're at the gymnasium. Tenkiji-kun will perform in half an hour. He has no ti before that... You can co find us backstage after watching the performance."
After finishing, she pocketed her phone. She boldly swept her long hair from her shoulder, stepping forward, showing only her fair profile to Yuu.
"Co on, let's prepare for the performance later."
There was no hesitation in her words.
"Finally here."
Following the Yukinoshita mother and daughter, Asuna, who had been playing a real-life stealth ga, arrived at the gymnasium and luckily wasn't caught the whole way.
A very popular performance must have just ended. Many students exited with satisfied and excited expressions, discussing how great the show was, how cute the guitarist and bassist were, and similar topics.
Just as she was about to enter the gymnasium with the two, she saw a uniford student wearing a committee armband quickly following the crowd. After pasting a flyer on the bulletin board, he hurried off.
"This..."
Looking closer, it was a program change announcent.
The gist was similar to what the Yukinoshita mother and daughter had just discussed-the hip-hop club mbers couldn't perform, so it was temporarily replaced with a solo piano by Tenkuji Yuu from the Service Club, lasting about ten minutes.
Asuna certainly knew about the Service Club. On the Kyoto trip, she had asked the three about the aning of "Service." It sounded like a very interesting small club...
If possible, she wanted to join this club after transferring schools-or rather, she had to join!
Anyway, her mother wouldn't allow her to transfer to anything but the International Education Class. If she wanted to get close to Yuu, it would be hard without actively creating other conditions.
And to her surprise, that guy was really going on stage to play piano!?
Though it was just minor unimportant information, her older brother hadn't ntioned it at all...
As expected, if she wanted to know more about him, she had to contact him herself.
Shifting her gaze from the announcent, Asuna entered the dimly lit gymnasium and looked around near the entrance for a while.
Only the stage lights were on inside the room. Visibility below the stage relied on light coming from outside, but it wasn't pitch black.
She stepped forward, walking half a circle around the audience seats, and soon spotted the Yukinoshita mother and daughter-and Yuigahama Yui-who had arrived earlier than her.
It seed Haruno took the initiative to approach. Yuigahama stood sowhat panicked. After exchanging a few words, the five sat in the sa row of seats and seed to be chatting casually.
"They know each other, huh... Makes sense, since Yuigahama-san and Yukinoshita-san are friends."
Asuna thought for a mont. For so reason, she didn't really want to greet them now.
She found a seat not too far and not too close. There was soone in front blocking her from being suddenly seen, and it didn't completely obstruct her view for observing.
The next performance slowly began, but Asuna's eyes weren't on the stage. Her thoughts slowly drifted aimlessly far away, rising and falling
in the air, riding on an inexplicable familiar feeling.
"Have I been here before...
Perhaps only after half an hour could she escape this weightless feeling, where reality and illusion separated.
"Did Mrs. Yukinoshita watch the morning drama? That male actor has
a new drama lately..."
"Sorry, Mrs. Yuigahama. Since I help with my husband's work on weekdays, I don't have ti to watch morning dramas..."
"Oh, is that so? No problem, I'll tell you the plot..." Perhaps communication is a skill every middle-aged woman must
have and master. The two housewives eting for the first ti sat together and soon began chatting harmoniously.
In contrast, Yuigahama shivered. Usually lively and active, she now didn't even want to utter a word. She sat stiffly in her seat, like a frog stared down by a snake.
As for the reason, it was of course the college student beside her who didn't sit next to her mother but deliberately sat next to her. "What's wrong, Dango-chan? How about we chat friendly like our
moms?"
Haruno curved a smile that didn't look like a smile, her eyes full of joy in mocking others, as if venting frustration from failing all day. However, Yuigahama seed to realize she couldn't keep being this weak. She suddenly drew a breath, then raised her head and puffed her chest, showing a bright smile to Haruno.
"Of course! Haruno-san, what do you want to talk about?"
Though she asked that, she knew in her heart that their topic would
only be her and her boyfriend.
And in this situation, it would of course be about her boyfriend's
affairs.
"Let's talk quietly so they don't hear."
As if seeing through Yuigahama's thoughts, Haruno placed her index finger in front of her mouth and smiled aningfully.
"After all, Yuu-chan and Yukino-chan's secrets can't be known by
them, right?"
After a brief silence, Yuigahama quietly clenched her fists. She pulled
a fake smile on her face and looked at her seriously. "Haruno-san, did you deliberately bring your mom here even knowing
this?"
Haruno shrugged: "I didn't intend that. I just ntioned it in passing earlier, and who knew she'd insist on coming"
Yuigahama was surprised: "Eh? Really?"
"Believe it or not."
The smile at the corner of her lips slowly faded. Haruno glanced at
the suspicious Yuigahama and said in a slightly cold tone: "Before accusing , check yourself first."
"You know Yukino-chan and his relationship can't be publicized. As
the official girlfriend, you bring your mom to school to find him... Tch
tch tch, killing and hurting hearts. What grudge does Yukino-chan have against you?"
Haruno's eyes narrowed into dark crescents. She sneered at her.
"Looks like a white lotus, but actually two-faced more than anyone. It must be a girl like you, right? Dango-chan."
"You-!"
Widening her eyes in disbelief, Yuigahama pressed her lips together,
staring at Haruno beside her. Her clenched fists trembled slightly. Right now, she no longer felt fear or respect for this older woman. Anger kept surging from her heart. She wanted to retort harshly, but before she could speak, deep sadness surged in her heart.
After a long silence, Yuigahama slowly lowered her head. She seed
about to give up and swallow her anger, not even daring to utter a word in rebuttal.
However, before Haruno could pout in boredom, a voice more like a
lant over a sad reality than sympathy or pity sounded softly.
"Haruno-san, you're wrong about a few things."
"...What?"
Yuigahama drew a deep breath. Her eyes slightly reddened, and her
nose ached a bit. Even so, she stubbornly raised her head and t Haruno's gaze.
Of course she would feel sad, guilty, and angry when suddenly called two-faced. She couldn't even manage her usual bitter smile. For the first ti, she felt anger to the point of wanting to cry like this.
However, looking at her in front, that anger gradually stopped burning.
Yuigahama suddenly rembered sothing.
Even if she could accuse her with such words, Haruno right now
couldn't regain her past happiness and love. She could only keep making futile efforts off-stage. She kept getting disappointed and sad. While hurting others, she also hurt herself.
The last incident with Yuu accepting the bracelet didn't fill that void much-at least in her view, Haruno was still like a cracked glass statue. When the glass shards fell, she vented her sadness and hatred for being abandoned on others.
As fellow won loving the sa person, Yuigahama only felt pity for
her. Then, would Yukino one day beco like this too? Yuigahama slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again. Her eyes
were clear and calm, like a waveless sea surface directly connected to the blue sky. There was no need to doubt.
With the two of them, Yukino would never follow the sa path as
that ex-girlfriend.
Even if Yuu couldn't do it, she would prevent such a future... Because she had sothing just as important as love. That was the biggest difference between Yukino and Haruno. "First, I didn't call my mom. She just insisted on coming, and I couldn't stop her." Yuigahama said calmly: "It is my fault for being incapable, but I didn't intentionally create this situation... I wouldn't do anything to trouble Yuu-kun. After saying this, you should understand what I an, right?" "...Tch, you're still good with words."
This ti it was Haruno's turn to fall silent for a few monts. She
slowly averted her gaze. Not looking into those eyes that seed to see her own reflection, she just said casually: "You once said we ex-girlfriends don't understand his suffering and would only tornt
him more, right?"
Those were words Yuigahama had said before leaving the private cafe room at Disneyland.
"My thoughts are the sa as yours. Even if it hurts , I don't want
to do things that would hurt him..." Haruno sighed lightly. She crossed her arms over her chest, her
fingers gently tapping her arm, as if trying to suppress anxiety while talking to her.
"Though our feelings aren't different, you suspect I'm behind all this. I got upset and scolded you. Is that wrong? Tell , is that wrong?" "...No, I'm sorry."
Realizing her mistake, Yuigahama apologized very straightforwardly, but she had no intention of backing down at all. On the contrary, the
light in her eyes grew brighter.
"But besides that, there's sothing else I want to tell Haruno-san!"
Facing Haruno's returning gaze, she said without fear, in a firm voice: "No matter what difficulties we face, no matter how many trials in the future, Yukinon and I will face and overco them together with Yuu-kun-our bond as three is a hundred tis stronger than ordinary couples and won't be destroyed just by losing mories or feelings!"
"It's not willingly sharing Yuu-kun with Yukinon, or Yukinon having to tolerate Yuu-kun's cheating... It's not that simple at all!" The deliberately lowered voice was now enveloped by greater strength, as if wanting to pierce both eardrums and heart at once. "Precisely because we accept each other from the heart, we're determined to move forward together as three! So, things like
deliberately provoking Yukinon to have Yuu-kun alone-I'm different
from you; I would never do that!"
"Haaah."
Even so, Haruno didn't waver at all. She just curled her lips in disgust,
as if too lazy to pay attention.
"You're just good at sweet words. Indeed, a girl who can accept her
boyfriend cheating isn't too normal in the head." "Because Yuu-kun is special, and Yukinon is special too, of course you wouldn't understand." Yuigahama imdiately replied, "This is our love; you as an outsider don't need to interfere!" "Outsider?" Haruno raised her brows, staring at her angrily, with
sharp cold light in her eyes, "Good. The newcors now are this
arrogant..." She was only halfway through. Even before she could lower her hand
and get serious, the moms who were engrossed in chatting finally
noticed sothing wrong on this side and turned to ask confusedly: "What's wrong? Fighting?" "Haruno, what happened?" Haruno pulled the corner of her lips. Her eyes glanced coldly at Yuigahama who raised her head fearlessly. She suddenly put on her usual casual smile and waved to her mother: "Nothing, just arguing about handso guys... Didn't expect my views and Dango-chan's to differ so much."
She had once said everything she did was for Yuu-that statent
was not a lie at all.
Since she couldn't stop her mother's actions, she was always by her
side and could cover for them anyti. Because hiding an affair was difficult, even if she would be very upset
and feel like helping a rival, Haruno actually planned to be on their
side, finding ways to ease the chaos Yuu would face.
Even now, after being provoked by Yuigahama, she had no intention
of changing her mind out of anger. She only thought of Yuu; everyone was the sa.
"To , he's pretty special too... Don't think you're the only different
one, you lowly junior."
After settling things with her mother, Haruno said expressionlessly, in
a voice only Yuigahama could hear. The stage lights suddenly brightened. Following the host's introduction, the next performing group went on stage, preparing to start their performance.
No one noticed that Sora slowly raised her head. The ga console screen paused with the word "Pause." Cold
electronic light reflected on half her cute and delicate face. She looked a bit more like an expressionless doll, making her eyes seem more lively and mischievous.
"Are girls in love, no matter their age, all becoming stupid... Really." After the dispute beside her finally subsided, she could only sigh helplessly, complaining with a maturity beyond her age. But fundantally, if not for her sitting between the moms and those
two, no matter how tightly Yuigahama and Haruno held their voices,
the level of their argunt definitely couldn't be hidden and would
make the moms hear sothing unpleasant. That's why she said they were stupid. They only focused on the head-to-head fight and completely didn't
notice that the parents could co anyti.
Shrugging, Sora lowered her head and shifted her gaze back to the
ga console. Her face sohow glowed. She humd softly, looking
full of superiority and pride.
"Tch, everyone talks about thinking of Yuu, but in the end, the one
protecting him in the shadows is , his little sister-"
As for the performance on stage?
No need to watch at all. Just wait for Yuu to appear.
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