In the end, Yukino still ca out of her room.
Her complexion had improved a lot. She no longer looked as pale as she had that night, nor as absentminded as she had been when Haruno visited her.
Of course, she was still upset.
So, the mont she sat down across from Haru, the atmosphere in the living room beca noticeably tense.
Mrs. Yukinoshita had said she would only help Haru for a little while, and she ant it.
Now, she calmly sipped her tea, her expression composed, as if even if the sky were to collapse, she wouldn't bother speaking.
Her husband, on the other hand, simply kept his gaze lowered, pretending to be deep in thought.
With both of them acting like sages above mortal affairs, Haru had no choice but to break the silence himself. He looked at Yukino and asked,
"I saw the notice you posted in the group chat. When's the next shoot scheduled?"
"What do you think?"
Yukino replied coldly.
"You decide. After all, you're the director, and I'm just the caraman."
"So, you ca all the way here just to ask this?"
"Of course not. I wanted to talk to you about sothing else too."
"But I only want to talk about this."
Yukino cut him off without hesitation.
Mrs. Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow, sensing that the tension between them was unusually high this ti.
She exchanged a glance with her husband, who imdiately understood and stood up with her.
Before leaving, she casually said to Haru, "Stay for dinner tonight."
"Alright," he replied.
Haru watched as the couple went upstairs before turning back to Yukino.
After a brief silence, she finally spoke, her expression unreadable.
"Did my sister tip you off?"
At least she's talking now.
Relieved, Haru shook his head. "No, I figured it out on my own."
No way was he going to sell out Haruno.
He thought to himself.
"Your lying skills are getting worse," Yukino said.
"That's because I haven't had ti to co up with a good excuse."
That familiar tone caught Yukino off guard for a second.
She lowered her gaze, staring at the steaming cup of tea in her hands.
"You shouldn't have co."
Haru understood what she ant—she didn't want her parents to notice.
Softly, he said, "I didn't tell them anything. Even though your mother was ready to interrogate , I held my ground and stayed silent."
Yukino couldn't help but glare at him. "Can you take this seriously?"
"Of course. Whatever you say." Haru nodded eagerly.
For a mont, it felt like the past again—whenever he made her mad, he would always pull this goofy, bootlicking act.
Yukino snapped out of her thoughts and kept her tone indifferent.
"You ca to apologize?"
"Not just that."
"Then you have sothing else to say?"
"Yeah."
Seeing him answer so simply, Yukino's expression finally shifted.
"What about Kasumigaoka-senpai?"
"In what way?" Haru treaded carefully.
She stared at him intently, as if about to say sothing, but in the end, she just shook her head.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter anymore."
A hint of frustration crept into her voice.
"You admitted the truth on your own. That ans you really care about her. So… why did you have to co find while I was still upset?"
"Because I was worried about you," Haru said honestly.
"I haven't seen you in days."
Yukino just looked at him.
He continued, "I actually wanted to see you that day, but I knew that if I showed up then, you wouldn't even let through the door."
"You guessed right," Yukino said.
"That's why I waited a few days. I wanted to make sure you were feeling a little better before I ca over."
Hearing this, Yukino's fingers curled slightly into a fist on her lap.
"What exactly do you an by that?"
Haru t her gaze head-on.
"I an that I won't give up."
Yukino fell silent for a second. Then she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to hear my opinion?"
"I'm not sure."
Haru answered without hesitation.
"But I still won't give up."
Yukino stared at him for a mont before looking away.
She muttered under her breath, "Scumbag."
Silence returned to the living room.
Upstairs, Mrs. Yukinoshita was arranging flowers, looking calm and composed.
Her husband stood near the staircase for a few seconds before turning to her and whispering, "It's quiet down there now."
Neither of them had eavesdropped on the conversation.
"That ans they're still at a standoff."
Mrs. Yukinoshita saw through the situation imdiately.
"What were they fighting about this ti?"
Her husband mumbled to himself, but she didn't seem to hear him.
Instead, she thought to herself—these two had known each other for years.
To others, Yukino might seem difficult to get along with, but to Haru, she was actually easy to coax.
If even he couldn't smooth things over, then this ti, it must be sothing serious.
Mrs. Yukinoshita pondered for a mont before calling down to them.
"There's still ti before dinner. If you two want to go out for a walk, just make sure to be back on ti."
She had considered calling Haruno to ask, but then thought better of it.
If Haruno had gone out of her way to tip Haru off, she probably wouldn't tell her anything yet.
Or perhaps, even Haruno hadn't figured out the whole story.
Whatever the case, she decided to let the kids handle it themselves.
Downstairs…
Hearing that voice from earlier, Haru turned to Yukino.
"Do you want to go out?"
To his surprise, she actually agreed.
However, she called for her mother's driver first, and after receiving her mother's permission, the two of them got into a Toyota sedan.
As the car pulled out of the residential area, both Haru and Yukino sat in the back.
After a while, as if disliking the heavy silence, Yukino suddenly asked, "Aren't you curious about what I'm thinking right now?"
"If you're willing to tell , I'm willing to listen."
Haru's response was utterly spineless.
Yukino gazed at the passing scenery outside, her pale face reflected in the window.
"Are you too afraid to ask?"
"Yes."
"That's not like you. Since when were you such a coward?"
"My bravery is flexible. It adapts to the situation."
"…..."
Yukino seed to lose interest in talking to him.
At one point, the car stopped at her request.
Haru followed her out and watched as she bought a few daily necessities.
When they got back in, the car continued driving, going even farther this ti.
"Where are we going?"
Haru noticed that Yukino was busy on her phone, typing away.
"You'll find out soon enough," she replied.
But even after a while, he still had no idea.
Eventually, the car pulled up in front of an old, abandoned residential area.
Haru leaned forward, taking a good look. He recognized this place—most of the residents had already moved out, leaving the yards overgrown with weeds and the buildings in disrepair.
"Get out."
Yukino's sudden command caught him off guard.
What's she bringing here for?
Surely she's not so upset that she wants to go ghost hunting like those kids at school?
Without much thought, he stepped out of the car.
Then—click.
A crisp locking sound rang out.
The door had been locked.
So that's what she was ssaging the driver about.
Still in shock, Haru turned to the now-lowered car window, where Yukino t his gaze.
"I've spent the past few days adjusting my emotions. I do feel a little better now," she said calmly.
"But that doesn't an I'm not still angry."
"Hey, hey, isn't this a bit childish?" Haru pointed at the completely deserted surroundings.
Yukino ignored him and continued, her lodious voice carrying a hint of amusent.
"Didn't you just say my mother was interrogating you? Well, if you don't make it back in ti for dinner, you'll get to enjoy another one of your favorite interrogation sessions."
She chuckled softly.
"I look forward to seeing your 'unyielding spirit.'"
With that, the car window rolled up, and the engine revved.
The sedan drove off, leaving Haru stranded in the middle of the abandoned residential area.
The driver, showing so concern, remarked, "There aren't any taxis around here. If he tries walking back, it'll take at least an hour."
Yukino glanced at her phone, where a new ssage from Haru had popped up:
"This is pure cruelty."
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, but she quickly suppressed her smile.
"He's not that dumb," she murmured. "There's no way he's walking back on foot."
Stranded in an abandoned neighborhood, Haru let out a breath.
And yet… he felt oddly relieved.
Because if Yukino had the energy to pull a childish stunt like this, it ant she was willing to forgive him.
"Tch. This little distance? Not even a warm-up for ."
Rolling up his pant legs, he prepared to run.
A stray dog scurried out from a patch of weeds nearby.
Haru suddenly called out, "Hey! Do you think my luck's about to turn around?"
The dog flinched in terror, tucking its tail between its legs and barking furiously, "Woof! Woof! Woof!"
"Thanks for the encouragent, buddy."
Without another word, Haru took off at full speed.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
The stray dog, still mid-bark, stood frozen in shock.
As it turned out, with his steel-like endurance, this distance was nothing.
Yukino probably thought that even if he could run back, his legs would be too sore to move afterward.
Yet, Haru didn't even feel tired.
He steadily controlled his breathing and pace, treating the whole thing as a workout.
Only when he reached the city did he finally slow down—just to avoid looking like so kind of superhuman.
By the ti Haru returned to the Yukinoshita residence, sweat dripped from his forehead, but his breathing remained steady and controlled.
Just as he expected, Yukino was waiting at the door.
"...Already?"
Her eyes were filled with unconcealed astonishnt.
She quickly glanced at the ti to make sure she wasn't imagining things.
A journey that should have taken over an hour—he had finished it in less than twenty minutes.
And judging by the way he wasn't even out of breath, his stamina was still going strong.
Lowering her phone in disbelief, Yukino asked, "You really ran all the way back?"
Haru hesitated for a mont. "Do you want to do it again? Isn't that a little much?"
She knew he was just putting on an act and shot him a habitual glare before pulling out a handkerchief and handing it over.
"Wipe your sweat, then go take a shower. Dinner will be ready soon."
Haru accepted the warm handkerchief. "I don't have any spare clothes."
Turning away, Yukino smirked. "You can wear mine."
"I've already made it clear—crossdressing is absolutely out of the question. Not even for the sweet and lovely Yukino." His tone was firm.
"...And there you go exposing your perverted nature again."
Yukino sighed, exasperated.
Taking advantage of the mont, Haru reached forward under the pretense of returning the handkerchief, gently taking hold of her soft hand.
For an instant, she tensed.
Then, she relaxed.
"Let go."
"Do you rember what I told you before?" His voice was steady. "I won't let go."
So this was what he had been waiting for.
Yukino was montarily stunned.
Looking at his sweat-drenched hair, she sighed. "I really don't know what to do with you."
"Take your ti figuring it out. That way, I get to hold your hand a little longer."
Yukino: "..."
She barely resisted the urge to curse at him. Instead, she sighed again, this ti in resignation.
After all these years… she really did like him.
Otherwise, she would have kicked him out today.
Too bad he's a jerk.
Inside the house, Mrs. Yukinoshita watched the two walk in hand-in-hand.
She discreetly exchanged a glance with her husband.
The look said: See? We should let the kids sort things out themselves.
Mr. Yukinoshita: Ah, right, right.
At dinner, while helping to bring out the dishes, Yukino heard her mother ask,
"So, have you two made up?"
She froze, unsure how to respond.
Had they?
She was still angry about the whole Kasumigaoka situation.
But… she also wanted to forgive him.
After a brief pause, Yukino pressed her lips together and gave an honest shake of her head.
I don't know either.
Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't press further.
Back in the living room, Haru —now dressed in an old-fashioned set of pajamas—was chatting animatedly with Mr. Yukinoshita.
"Uncle, I have to say, you have an impeccable sense of style. This outfit? Absolutely top-tier. The design, the color sche—flawless."
"Uh… Yukino bought that."
"I knew it! Only Yukino could have such refined taste!"
"...Wait, weren't you just complinting a second ago?"
"But Yukino does have great taste."
"...???"
Mrs. Yukinoshita, for once, chuckled warmly. She turned to her daughter and said,
"He's probably the only one who dares to talk to an elder like that."
Yukino had no response.
She thought back to the ssage Haru had sent her earlier—'This is pure cruelty.'
And suddenly, she felt like she should send that sa ssage herself.
Because once again, she was on the verge of forgiving him.
Her resolve was wavering.
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