anwhile, in the luxury apartnt.
After returning from school to her solitary residence, Yukino tried to do other things to distract herself, but her mind kept wandering and she couldn't settle down.
As she sat on the sofa reading a book, Yuu's image unconsciously appeared between the lines. Even after putting down the book and closing her eyes for a brief rest, she could almost sll his lingering scent in the quiet and lonely living room, rging with her in an intimate embrace on the sofa, in every corner of the living room.
It was probably an illusion caused by Yuu's hug.
So, Yukino took another shower, trying to wash away the scent from her body. However, for so reason, as the shower gel was rubbed onto her skin, her heart rate quickened. The touch of fingers on every sensitive area of her skin felt like an electric current, as if soone had just gently and powerfully rubbed every part of her body in the bathroom, leaving a mark that was difficult to fade in a short ti.
Unconsciously, Yuu's figure appeared in her mind. Instantly, Yukino shook her head with a flushed face—what did that have to do with Yuu!
Not to ntion she wouldn't have any physical contact with him at all, Yuu was her best friend's boyfriend. Even just having such thoughts was tantamount to betraying her best friend!
"This is teenage syndro... even if I truly like him, I would never have thoughts that cross the line..."
Blaming this fantasy on hormonal imbalance, Yukino, the pure love warrior, decisively turned the hot water to cold, and for this ti, she took a cold shower, forcing her flushed skin back to snow-white.
She knew that doing this would make her very uncomfortable, and with her physical condition, she might even catch a cold.
However, nursing a cold alone at ho was better than struggling in a love triangle... At least the forr wouldn't violate Yukino's beliefs, and wouldn't make her feel like a different stranger.
But while showering, she was surprised to find that the cold water didn't give her too much discomfort, nor was there any process of self-restraint she expected to do with gritted teeth and a trembling body. Although she could feel the water was very cold, it felt like bathing in warm water. Her body's reaction was so flat that it made her feel like she was dreaming.
"It seems I should just sleep again..."
Normally, she would never engage in such lazy acts as sleeping in late, unless she had a cold or fever.
However, on vacation, she couldn't concentrate on books for even half a word, nor was she interested in browsing the internet to watch cat videos. With so little entertainnt to pass her ti, of course, she could only lie in bed, close her eyes and clear her mind to calm her emotions.
Holding her forehead, Yukino ca out of the bathroom and sighed softly. She hadn't expected the first day of her winter break to be this bad.
She returned to the bedroom, sat in front of the dressing table, and began to dry her hair. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, which sohow looked different, her mind beca chaotic again as her hair strands flew around.
(Were the words Tenkuji-kun said to sincere?)
Undeniable sincerity. Precisely because of that, she beca agitated and panicked, and hastily fled from the warm, pounding sound of her own heart.
(What exactly did Tenkuji-kun want to tell ? Why is his current self so different from my mory, giving such a strange feeling?)
(With Tenkuji-kun's personality, he would never recklessly confess his love, knowing that I couldn't accept it... So, could the reason be related to what he hastily wanted to tell ?)
(After all, the Tenkuji-kun in my mory never had intimate interactions with . Could it be that he, like , fell in love with the other party through increasingly close companionship day by day?)
(If that's the case, why didn't he show any signs of it before? And why could he form a relationship with Yuigahama-san so naturally, and display affection every day in the clubroom, in front of ?)
Rationally, Yukino's analysis was like that. But emotionally...
Although her mories were filled with his figure, why was it only this morning, Yuu who suddenly hugged her with such gentle eyes that felt strange, actually made her feel the most familiar, and the throbbing sensation far surpassed previous tis?
Compared to his current self, his past self felt fake, giving a very unreal feeling.
"Is this just an illusion..."
Slowly putting down the hairdryer, Yukino frowned, her hand gently pressing her left chest, as if wanting to confirm the floating and always unstable feeling inside her.
The more she thought about it now, the more she felt that sothing was very strange everywhere.
In fact, ever since she was driven by an unclear urge in the morning, ignoring the train stop and walking to the school clubroom to read, Yukino felt as if she was enveloped in a thick fog, with the surroundings feeling floating and unreal.
The most important thing was...
Suddenly she rembered sothing, pulling out the drawer under the dressing table. Inside it was a necklace neatly wrapped in a handkerchief.
Beneath the glittering silver chain hung a clear, pure white snowflake-shaped crystal. Right in its center was embedded a sky-blue gem, sparkling with pure light.
From its material and craftsmanship, the necklace appeared expensive, feeling warm like jade to the touch, as if continuously emitting a slight warmth—a work of art that gave warmth, completely contrary to its snowflake-shaped exterior.
But Yukino swore that she had never seen this necklace, which should have been the main item in a jewelry auction. Moreover, when she woke up in the morning, this object was already hanging around her neck, clinging tightly to her bare skin.
The second strange thing was here.
She, who had absolutely no habit of sleeping naked, and had no mory of taking off her pajamas last night, was apparently curled up under the blanket completely naked, wearing only this necklace. When she woke up and realized this, Yukino just sat speechless on the bed hugging the blanket. After a while, with a confused and frightened feeling, she began to check the doors, windows, and her body.
Of course, the tightly locked doors and windows wouldn't allow even a mosquito to enter. The floor, bed, and blanket only had her traces. No part of her body felt pain, and the pajamas she should have been wearing were neatly stored in the closet, as if she hadn't worn them since last night.
Finding no clues that could explain the situation, Yukino even began to suspect if so mischievous fairy had entered her bedroom through the ventilation or sothing, undressed her, gave her this necklace as compensation, just to see her panicked expression upon waking.
Of course, this conjecture was too unrealistic. Finally, she could only comfort herself with 'sleepwalking'—
As for the necklace, since she couldn't find any reasonable explanation, for caution, she took it off and stored it in the drawer, planning to ask her mother for help to examine it after returning ho.
"Wait, so it's not like there were, absolutely, no clues at all..."
As she realized this, her slightly confused and distressed eyes suddenly sparkled.
Yukino suddenly rose from the dressing table, raised her right hand high, and looked at the necklace with a sharp gaze.
At this mont, logic and emotion connected, gathering countless possibilities at a speed approaching overclock.
—Sherlock Hols once said, first, eliminate all impossible conclusions. Whatever remains, no matter how strange and incredible, must be the undeniable truth.
Firstly, even if she sleepwalked, there's no way she would walk out in the middle of the night and find such an expensive necklace to bring ho.
Therefore, this necklace must have been given by soone else, and perhaps that person was the one who put it on her neck—she just forgot.
Secondly, despite it being winter break, she was driven by an unexplainable urge to go to Sobu High, and t the person she liked there. Was all of this truly just a coincidence?
If not a coincidence, could it be that she had actually promised Yuu to et there—she just forgot.
Thirdly, did Yuu confess his love in the clubroom just because he suddenly wanted to flirt and take advantage of being alone with her?
"No, he clearly ca prepared. When he t , he already knew what to say. Even when rejected, he didn't panic, instead saying that he was already certain of my feelings, looking as if he had expected it."
"If you think about it carefully, his tone when confessing his love wasn't one of eagerness to express his feelings, but rather a sense of relief like fulfilling a promise he had made—it's just that I forgot everything, and he wasn't surprised, he already knew why I felt panicked and shocked."
"Fourthly, still about Tenkuji-kun."
"His attitude was clearly illogical. Usually, he was always loyal to Yuigahama-san, able to rcilessly reject any woman's love confession, and even when the most beautiful girl in the world secretly liked him, he always maintained a distance as a 'soul friend' and never went further."
"How could it be that after Christmas Eve, he suddenly beca so obsessed with that he couldn't control his desires, and the loving gaze in his eyes made no effort to hide at all?"
"Unless, I forgot sothing very important to both of them. Sothing that, if forgotten, would make the whole world feel very strange."
"Is this what you wanted to tell ..."
Yukino murmured softly, her slowly enlightened gaze seemingly piercing the sky-blue gem, seeing Yuu's relieved and happy smile.
Because she knew him, because she liked him, because she always paid attention to him.
Therefore, no matter how absurd the possibility, as long as it had sothing to do with Yuu, Yukino was willing to believe it.
"...The condition is, he has to talk to nicely, and not launch a sudden attack that would surprise too much to think."
"But I really... why did I only rember now? He already gave the answer from the start!"
The black-haired girl sighed helplessly, her thin and soft lips slightly closed, but her tense nerves unconsciously completely relaxed.
Like a student who, in the last minute of an exam, finally found the formula to use for the last math problem, she narrowed her eyes casually and confidently, chuckling softly as she mumbled to herself:
"'Even if you don't rember anything, you must still love ... Wait for , who loves you, to co find you'"—Why didn't he just say that from the start?
"Tenkuji-kun, you're just as foolish as I am."
"Even saying it directly might still make think there's sothing wrong with his head, but it's much better than suddenly hugging and confessing his love, right?"
"He knows my personality very well. After being treated like that, how could I possibly remain calm and listen to what he had to say?"
—However, no matter what.
This was the answer to all the problems that had arisen since she woke up this morning.
Although Yukino didn't yet know what exactly happened, how Yuigahama was doing she also didn't know, and the reason she slept naked was better not thought about further...
However, the thin, cold fog at the end of the open road had now disappeared.
Because Yuu was waiting for her ahead, what was floating was no longer floating, and what was vague was no longer vague—as long as Yukino stepped forward, she would surely be able to dispel all confusion and rediscover her elegant and strong past self.
Yukino took a deep breath, her skin, whitened by the cold water, was now adorned with a slight healthy blush. Her reflection in the mirror no longer looked agitated, like a traveler who had long been trapped in a labyrinth finally found a signpost, and had thought about the next step to take.
First and foremost, of course, was to call Yuu, whom she had just threatened to hate. After apologizing for her agitation, the two of them would sit together and talk about 'amnesia' and 'the necklace' as he suggested.
However, before that, there was one thing Yukino wanted to do.
"I rember there was a plot like this in a short story... a girl with amnesia slowly rembers what happened in the past after putting back on an object given by her boyfriend as a token of love..."
Although her cheeks flushed and her heart rate increased because of the words 'boyfriend,' she still couldn't help but stare at the exquisite snowflake necklace in front of her with a curious gaze, like an innocent girl waiting for her prince charming to co pick her up.
Then, with an experintal attitude, Yukino brushed her hair to her chest, lowered her head, preparing to put the necklace back on.
But before she could—
*DING-DONG!*
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, accompanied by a less-than-polite knock on the door.
"Yukino-chan, you're ho, right? If so, open the door quickly. Onee-san ca to visit, you know~"
That lazy and overly casual tone, it must be Haruno.
"Nee-san? Why is she coming now..."
Muttering in confusion, Yukino wasn't stunned for too long. She wrapped the necklace back in the handkerchief, stored it in the drawer, and walked towards the entrance.
"What's wrong? Why didn't you inform before coming?"
As she opened the door, she imdiately questioned her sister, acting as if facing an uninvited guest.
As usual, the college student outside didn't care about her sister's sharp attitude. Haruno waved her hand, signaling Yukino to move aside quickly, because it was very cold outside and she wanted to quickly get into the warm house.
"Look at you, does a sister need another reason to et her sister?"
"Then please inform first."
"I can't. I happened to be passing by today, so I stopped by. There's no point in informing just one or two minutes in advance, right?" Casually taking off her sports shoes and stepping inside, Haruno looked around the living room, which didn't look any different from usual, then smiled aningfully.
"Or perhaps, you're afraid of being caught while being intimate with your boyfriend at ho?"
Closing the door, Yukino frowned, staring at her sister's back with an uncomprehending gaze.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Where would I get a boyfriend?"
(Moreover, that tone of hers, faintly feels like there's ill intent towards ... What's with this hostile aura?)
"Hmm~ Maybe I misunderstood."
Haruno shrugged, walking slowly a few steps on the wooden floor. Suddenly, as if rembering sothing, she turned around and smiled at her sister.
"Oh, Yukino-chan, speaking of boyfriends, I have so good news I want to tell you first! It's a secret that even mom doesn't know, you know~"
"W-What?!"
Almost without ntal preparation.
Her hand had just left the doorknob, Yukino instantly tensed, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, and she couldn't utter a single word, as if choked.
What truly surprised her wasn't the so-called 'secret told only to her and not to mom,' nor her sister's unusually enthusiastic attitude, let alone the bright smile that rarely ca from the bottom of Haruno's heart.
Rather—
"Here it is."
Haruno pulled out her phone from her pocket, pointed the screen towards Yukino, and pressed the power button.
The screen lit up. A shared photo used as a wallpaper was clearly reflected in Yukino's bright and clear blue eyes, as if frozen into a stiffly colored painting.
As if she had expected it, Haruno laughed cheerfully and said:
"Surprised, right? I've been dating him for a long ti, I just kept it a secret from everyone for various reasons. But since it's almost the end of the year, I thought of announcing it now and giving a New Year's surprise... And as my sister, and his good friend, I thought I should tell you first!"
"That Tenkuji-kun of yours—Yuu-chan, is actually my boyfriend."
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