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

"Excuses...do you have to be so blunt about them?"

"Oh ho, does Yukinoshita like being treated like this by me?"

"abnormal..."

Yukinoshita blushed again, crossed her arms, and glared at him fiercely.

"Okay, okay, I'll wash the dishes for you as an apology."

Himekoji got up to clear the dishes, while Yukinoshita sat leisurely in place, neither saying yes nor no. However, her gaze seemed somewhat urging. Could it be that she was urging Himekoji to go home? He thought about it for a moment and then dismissed the thought.

After entering the kitchen, Himekoji took out his phone to check it. Good heavens, Kasumigaoka had just called him but he hadn't answered, and Kawasaki had called him but he hadn't answered either. In the short few minutes that Himekoji had been flirting with Yukinoshita, he had received two calls. He was also feeling extremely annoyed.

Well... he was well aware that what he had just done to Yukino was definitely flirting, but he couldn't be blamed for it. After all, Yukino was wearing those pantyhose that attracted him the most, so it was all Yukino's fault.

After shamelessly blaming everything on Yukinoshita, Himekoji saw Yukinoshita leaning against the kitchen door frame watching her. The cats were running around in the living room, meowing all around. But because the two of them were so engrossed in their conversation, Himekoji felt like she hadn't heard the meows at all.

She crossed her arms, giving a scrutinizing look, then gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, turned her head away, and said nonchalantly, "Just leave it to me..."

"Consider this my apology for what I did earlier."

"Actually, I'm not too... no, I should have called the police just now."

Yukinoshita's gaze, which had just softened, sharpened again. If looks could kill, Himekoji would probably be dead dozens of times over by now.

Himekoji was washing her dishes, while Yukinoshita was drinking her own tea. Halfway through washing the dishes, she suddenly asked, as if talking to herself, "Do you think I should choose humanities or science...?"

"Isn't this the path you chose to take?"

"Don't you care at all about my choice?"

"So what do you want me to say? Choose humanities and go to the same university as me?"

"You promised to help me..."

"Don't you have any confidence in yourself? Besides, there's still a year left. You can't possibly remain completely unchanged, can you?"

“But… I think this is fine too.” After Yukinoshita said this, Himekoji remained silent for a long time, and she also fell silent until Himekoji finished washing the dishes before she continued to ask, “Hey… how does it feel to have me lean on you?”

"Not bad."

"Is that all?" Yukinoshita's eyes were a little red. Himekoji turned his head and was about to say something, but then swallowed his words. He wiped his hands, smiled and rubbed Yukinoshita's head, saying, "Don't you know very well? Some things don't need to be said."

After saying that, Himekoji brushed past Yukinoshita and missed her. He was about to go back when Yukinoshita, who was standing behind him, impulsively reached out and hugged him, pressing her forehead against his back without saying a word.

"...What's wrong? You're not crying, are you?"

"I hate people like you the most."

"Really? I used to dislike you quite a bit... but now, I'm alright."

"I don't need your opinion on me... but why...?"

"The answer you seek must be found by yourself."

"Aren't you willing to help me at a time like this?"

"Only when you find the answer yourself will you not question it."

Himekoji grasped Yukinoshita's hands, which were wrapped around his chest and abdomen. She held his clothes tightly, then gradually loosened them after a few seconds, letting go completely so that Himekoji could continue forward.

Turning around, Yukinoshita's eyes were already brimming with tears. She herself found it hard to believe, her hands trembling as she touched her cheeks. Realizing she was crying, she murmured softly, "Liar, liar, liar..."

"No one can stay strong forever. The hard shell you put on will eventually break down. I hope you can find your true self and stop feeling lost."

Himeko reached out and hugged Yukinoshita, letting her cry freely in her arms. She didn't struggle at all, like a frozen cat, only occasionally trembling slightly and letting out a couple of sobs.

"Are you leaving?"

"It's really time to go."

"What's going on... acting like I'm your lover."

Yukino slowly crawled out of Himekoji's arms. She rubbed her eyes, which were still a little red and swollen, but she stopped crying. She looked up and met Himekoji's eyes, which seemed to be trying to suppress a laugh, and she couldn't help but laugh herself.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to choose humanities."

Yukinoshita took a deep breath and declared to Himekoji with great certainty.

"That's right. What's actually interesting is that in China, high school students choose their majors in the second year."

"Huh? So fast?"

"Well... you'll definitely choose science in your second year, right? If you do choose science, we probably won't have much interaction."

"Whether having so much interaction with you is beneficial or harmful to me is still hard to say." Yukinoshita snorted twice and gave Himekoji a push, saying, "Go home now."

Chapter 286 However, [Himekoji Daphne] is extremely cunning.

After getting dressed and putting on his shoes, Yukinoshita opened the door and saw Himekoji to the door. He turned to leave, but then heard Yukinoshita say, "Hey, Himekoji."

"Ok?"

Please continue to support me this year.

Yukinoshita bowed slightly, Himekoji smiled and gave an OK sign, then entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

Winter, a dry and unpleasant season, saw dark clouds hanging over Chiba Prefecture like a giant net. Cold air rushed into the moisture-rich clouds, causing snowflakes to sublimate. No one paid attention to the speed at which the snowflakes fell, down in centimeters per second. As the snowflakes drifted through the air, those waiting for someone left their seats and leaned against the window, watching their loved one's journey home.

"Hey, Aunt Daphne, when do you think Haruto will come back? Where do you think he is right now?"

"Oh dear~, I only know that he will always come back. As for where he is, well—he's a grown-up boy now, Mommy can't always be so strict with him."

Sitting at the piano like a little girl, Himekoji Daphne took her hands off the keys, looked at Kazusa leaning against the window with the heavy curtains drawn back, and gave her a warm smile.

"That guy has definitely grown up..."

Kazusa crossed her arms and watched the courtyard gradually being covered by snowflakes. She subconsciously blew into her palms, but her breath created a blurry white puff of mist on the cold glass. She smiled to herself and used her index finger to trace the words "Haruto" on the glass.

"What have you thought about that matter from before?"

"Ah... well... I don't think I have any reason to refuse, it's just that... what about him—"

"Kazusa, you may not have a reason to refuse, but Haruto has no choice."

"There are clearly other, better options..."

"But we are no longer in the era of hundreds of years ago. In the era of conglomerate economy, some 'better options' may have been very serious hidden dangers. At our current stage, risk avoidance is more meaningful than business expansion. Of course, neither side can stop."

"...I understand, huh? Why are you playing this now?"

"Because I often hear Haruto playing it, I sometimes play this tune too. How about that, it's quite fitting, isn't it?"

Daphne hummed the lyrics as she played, swaying her body slightly. Listening to the familiar "White Album," Kazusa seemed to see in the glass the scene of rehearsing with Himekoji and Setsuna, as well as the last song, "Yukitsu."

"...たとえ里れていてもその言叶があるから

The heart is happy and the words are incredible

The light snow is the best..."

Daphne was playing the guitar, and Kazusa was singing. Although her voice wasn't as sweet as Setsuna's, it was still very distinctive. She was perfectly capable of being the lead singer in a band. But as she sang, Kazusa began to silently shed tears, and she could no longer maintain her voice.

"Oh dear, what's wrong with Kazusa?"

Daphne immediately stopped playing, got up and went to Kazusa, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and hugged her tightly. But to be honest, with Daphne's height, hugging Kazusa looked more like a little sister hugging her older sister.

"I'm fine... I'm really fine—"

Kazusa temporarily left the window and was pulled to sit on Daphne's bed. Daphne placed her hair to the side and let Kazusa lean against her, silently shedding tears.

"Hey, Aunt Daphne, why did you choose to get married?"

"Hmm, this is actually a very complicated issue, and it can't be explained in a short time."

"When Aunt Daphne married Uncle Naoto, did Uncle Naoto have quite a few girls pursuing him?"

"Well—I didn't know that at first; I only found out after I got married."

Daphne scratched her cheek, feeling rather shy as she reminisced about her younger days.

"Should we go to any lengths to get what we like?"

"What are you worried about, Kazusa?"

"Why is it that Aunt Daphne can still maintain such a good relationship with my mother?"

"Hmm, we're mortal enemies, you know." Seeing Kazusa's disbelief, Daphne gently tapped her cheek and said, "We're also best, best friends."

"How did this strange relationship even last...?"

“Because people gradually mature, it seems Kazusa is having trouble with that.” As she spoke, Daphne pulled a smooth white chocolate bar from her skirt and said, “Have some chocolate. Eating sweets is very effective when you’re in a bad mood.”

"Aunt Daphne didn't answer my question..."

Kazusa was referring to the question of "Should we do everything in our power to get what we like?"

"Because you have to find the answer to this question yourself. Even if I give you an answer, it won't help."

"Aunt Daphne is too cunning..."

"Because I'm a woman."

When Himekoji returned home, she searched for Kazusa everywhere. Later, the maid told her that she was in her mother's room, which was next to Himekoji's room. But when Himekoji went to knock on the door, it was her mother who came out.

She even pushed Himekoji away from the doorway, saying, "Don't come in! Don't come in!"

"What happened? What's wrong with Kazusa?"

"Hmph, it's a secret!" Mom closed the door behind her back, pouted, and puffed out her chest. Ji Xiaolu rolled his eyes, but Mom caught his earlobe. She pulled and dragged Ji Xiaolu to the other side, ignoring his pleas for mercy, and kept saying, "You dare roll your eyes at Mom? You've really grown bold!"

The real reason Mom didn't want Himekoji to come into the room was that Kazusa had ruined her beautiful makeup by crying, and her eyes were red and swollen. She didn't want Himekoji to see her like that, so she asked Daphne to push Himekoji out.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch—Mom, please be gentle!"

Himeko was quite speechless. She rushed back from Yukinoshita's house to see Kazusa, only to be pushed out by her mother instead. She rolled her eyes and was caught by her mother before she could react. When Reiko saw the short Daphne grabbing Himeko's earlobe and pulling him through the corridor, forcing him to bend over extremely low, she couldn't help but laugh. She could only look at the ceiling and pretend not to see his embarrassing situation.

Author's Note:

P.S.: After thinking about it, I've decided to finish it this month and not drag it out until next month.

Chapter 287 Finally, [Touma Kazusa] stated her request.

Although Himekoji's ears were red from being pinched by her mother, her mother felt sorry for her afterwards. Because her earlobes were swollen, her mother took the first-aid kit and used cotton balls soaked in alcohol to clean Himekoji's ears for a while, explaining as she did so, "It's not that I wanted to push you out, it's just that Kazusa has something she doesn't want you to see..."