I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"Under the Snow".

"Um..."

"If the Ministry of Revenue were to confess today, you probably wouldn't be seeing that scene."

“...That’s true,” Yukinoshita tapped Yuihama’s shoulder and said softly, “Yuihama-san, I’m sorry, I probably won’t be able to join you today.”

"Well, it would be much easier for us if you didn't try to be strong."

Hikigaya put his hands behind his head and looked at her sideways as he spoke.

"I'm really...sorry."

"It's alright, it's alright. We've done everything we could, and... we still have people staying at home, right?"

"Oh, that's really reliable."

Yukinoshita's monotone reading tone made Hikigaya roll his eyes.

Carrying someone on your back is not an easy task, even if that person is not heavy. If Himekoji hadn't trained a lot, she would probably have had to rest many times along the way. If it were Hikigaya, it would probably be an impossible task.

Author's Note:

P.S.: I still have some drafts saved up, but of course I'm still writing every day. However, I've discovered a very problematic issue: writing the Yukinoshita route has been incredibly smooth lately, with inspiration seemingly flowing endlessly. On the other hand, writing the Kasumigaoka route feels very stiff, and I often experience writer's block. As for the Touma route, it's somewhere in between, lukewarm but also going smoothly. I haven't really gotten to the Hiratsuka Shizuka route yet, so I'm not sure about it since I haven't written it. However, this doesn't mean I'm handpicking Yukinoshita. I haven't figured out the real ending yet, but I should be able to finish it before June 6.30th.

Chapter 234 And so, [Himekoji Haruto] chose to take off her over-the-knee socks.

"Yukinoshita, feel my right pocket and take out my phone."

"Oh..."

"Then enter the password, TMSK."

"I entered the information, and now my phone is unlocked. What's next?"

"Then, open your contacts and find a phone number for Kyoto G."

"Hmm...Found it."

"Dial the call, then bring the phone to my mouth."

When they had walked the remaining half of the journey, Himekoji estimated that it was about time, so she asked Yukinoshita to help her make a phone call, since she was holding Yukinoshita's legs with both hands and couldn't make the call herself.

After ringing twice, the other end quickly answered.

"It's me, Himekoji Haruto. Please arrange a car with a larger interior space to come to the place down the mountain from the Inari Shrine, and... bring a first-aid kit for external injuries and enough ice."

"learn."

"Alright, Yukinoshita, hang up now."

"ha..."

She picked up the phone again, hung up with a complicated expression, and then put it back into Himekoji's pocket.

"That's really impressive..."

Hachiman muttered to himself, "Ah, yeah, of course he's amazing. I was just thinking of casually playing around and watching him self-destruct, but—that bastard Yukinoshita caused this mess, so watching Hachiman self-destruct is probably going to be a waste."

"Your family has influential people in Kyoto, huh..."

Yukino sighed helplessly behind him.

“My family has lived in Kyoto for generations, and it wasn’t until my grandfather’s generation that we started to move to a different place... Chiba was a later move.”

"..."

Yukinoshita put a hand to her forehead, unsure of what to say next.

It's very close to Ningyocho from Kyoto, otherwise my grandfather and his family wouldn't have chosen to live there. Although there was a lot of opposition when we moved there, they couldn't persuade my stubborn grandfather.

"住めば都" literally means "the place where you live is the capital," a proverb related to Kyoto. As a proverb, it means to be content with one's lot. Kyoto served as the capital of Japan for much longer than Tokyo. Interestingly, Japan doesn't seem to have designated Tokyo as its capital, even though Tokyo is indeed the political and economic center.

Therefore, under the snow in Kyoto, she had no choice but to go with the flow and follow Himekoji's lead, since her family didn't have much influence in Kyoto.

"Well then, I have to take Yukinoshita with me. I probably won't be able to see the confession scene of the Minister of Revenue today, but—oh well."

After helping Yukino into the car, Himekoji stood by the half-open car door and shook her head at Hikigaya and the others.

Please take good care of Xiaoxue!

"Hmm... Don't worry, then, I'll leave Hachiman to you."

"What does it have to do with me if the Minister of Revenue wants to confess his feelings..."

Although Hachiman said this, his gaze involuntarily drifted elsewhere.

"I know you'll definitely have a way."

Himeko patted him on the shoulder, said goodbye, and got into the car.

The car was spacious, and besides Yukinoshita and Himekoji, there was only one female driver. If Himekoji remembered correctly, her name was Kyoko Hanazono, a maid who used to snatch candy from her when she was little. Today, she was assigned to be the driver.

"Hmm, let's go to that house over there."

With those words spoken, Ms. Kyoko stepped on the gas.

"Eh—, no, aren't we going to the hospital?"

“At my home, a professional doctor will treat you just as well, and it’s very quiet, a better environment than a hospital. Also, if your condition is serious enough to require surgery, I can handle that too. As for now…” Himekoji turned to Yukinoshita, gently pushed up her glasses, and said, “Take off your left shoe and over-the-knee sock.”

Yukinoshita's cheeks flushed again, but she still didn't refute Himekoji's meaning. She just nodded silently and began to carefully take off her shoes.

"what...!"

The stinging pain after taking off her shoes made Yukino startle. It seemed that Hiratsuka Shizuka was lucky last night; her high heel broke but she only twisted it and didn't get seriously injured. Yukino's situation was much worse.

"Shall I help you take off your socks?"

"Are you... are you a pervert?"

Yukinoshita cautiously hugged her chest, but the muscle tension pulled on her ankle, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Say what you want, it doesn't matter." Ji Xiaolu shrugged and said, "Anyway, if I do it, you shouldn't feel any pain, right?"

"Then...then you...you can come too..."

Yukinoshita covered her face with her hands, but she was still very worried. So she peeked through her fingers and saw Himekoji's amused smile. Yukinoshita was so angry that she turned her head away.

Hmm, this is the first time I've ever helped a high school girl take off her over-the-knee socks. Although Yoko would wear pantyhose and let me tear them for fun, and of course I would take them off for her when necessary, taking off the socks under Yuki's socks is still quite interesting.

"Well then, I'm going to take it off."

"Stop...stop talking, just do it..."

"What terrible words...they make one's mind wander."

"..."

Yukinoshita was silent.

Himekoji approached and gently placed her hands on the edge of the sock on Yukinoshita's left leg. Yukinoshita tensed her leg, but then had to relax it quickly because of the sharp pain.

"I'm telling you, I didn't hurt you, but please don't mess around with yourself, okay?"

"You...who told you...your actions were too lewd."

"I really took it all off this time."

"Um..."

She placed her hands back on the edges of her socks beneath the snow, this time seemingly trying desperately to relax, finally managing to stop herself from trembling in pain. Ji Xiaolu slid her hands inside the socks, slightly spreading them apart, and then gently slid them down her smooth, white legs, along the over-the-knee socks, along the tender skin beneath the snow.

Sliding down her knees and calves, Yukinoshita seemed to be shivering. If you looked up slightly from this angle, you could definitely see her panties, but Himekoji wasn't interested in seeing Yukinoshita's panties, and besides, she had already seen them once that day.

"Relax, or it will hurt a lot soon."

"I...I understand."

Actually, Himekoji was just messing with her. In this situation, instead of taking it off, it would be better to cut it open with scissors. Cutting it open would be much easier and quicker. But since Yukinoshita had never encountered this situation before, she decided to tease her on purpose.

I still don't know when she'll repay the favors she owes me. This girl isn't very well-endowed, so I'll just collect some interest here for now.

There were two before, and now that I've carried her down the mountain, there are three. Now that I'm taking her to my home for treatment, there should be four. Ji Xiaolu is very much looking forward to seeing what these four favors will bring her.

Chapter 235 But, [Himekoji Haruto] doesn't admit to being a foot fetishist.

They carefully stretched the hem of their socks wider, then glided them over their swollen ankles with the lightest touch. After this step, both Himekoji and Yukinoshita breathed a sigh of relief.

He pulled off the last part of the toe and placed the over-the-knee sock next to Yukinoshita. Then Himekoji asked Yukinoshita to lift her left leg and place it on the soft mat he had brought earlier, so that she would turn her toes toward him.

Although Yukinoshita was very suspicious of Himekoji's motives, she did as she was told. She opened the first-aid kit she had taken from the car and took out the ice packs that had been placed inside.

"I'm going to put it on now."

"Um..."

Under Yukinoshita's watchful gaze, Himekoji gently placed the ice pack on Yukinoshita's ankle, and she immediately let out a relieved "ooh...ooh..." sound.

If you sprain your ankle, apply ice first, and only apply heat after 24 hours.

"Would you like me to check you first? Mainly to see if any bones are broken."

Do you understand this?

"Of course I understand how to handle this level of emergency."

"Then...you can do it."

Seemingly somewhat hesitant to entrust her feet to Himekoji, Yukinoshita remained wary of him. After what had just happened, although she suspected that her panties might have been exposed, Himekoji hadn't said anything. As a result, Yukinoshita kept her skirt pressed tightly down.

Yukinoshita's feet were much smaller than Hiratsuka Shizuka's and Yoko's. There was no way around it, given her height. Her feet were also very thin, with delicate skin on the insteps. Her nails were neatly trimmed but without any paint, maintaining their natural color, creating a sense of harmony. Because they were so small, and Himekoji's hands were relatively long, it was easy for him to feel that he could easily handle them.

Hmm... I thought of ( ) Yu ( ) Da ( ) Fu.

"Hey... what are you staring at... weren't we supposed to be checking you, you pervert..."

Yukinoshita kicked Himekoji's trouser leg with her right foot in dissatisfaction.

"Ahem—, sorry, I got so engrossed in reading for a moment."

"Uh... Miss driver, could you please call the police for me?"

"Cough cough cough! Cough cough cough!!"