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

"???"

Yukinoshita opened her mouth, but couldn't find a way to refute it. She tilted her head to look at Himekoji, resting her head on Himekoji's shoulder in a very cute way. The theory of the School of Names of Keiko from two thousand years ago still worked immediately on Yukinoshita. —Of course, such a theory has flaws, which Zhuangzi found and refuted back then, but Yukinoshita hadn't studied these things, so she naturally didn't know how to refute them, she just instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"Alright, go play somewhere else." Himekoji released Manzhi onto the floor to let him run around freely, then said to Yukinoshita, who had a cold expression, "It's better to treat you like Manzhi, isn't it?"

After Wanzhi was released, the two of them nestled on the sofa in silence, but the awkwardness was not as intense as it had been at the beginning.

This continued for about ten minutes, when Yukina's stomach started growling.

"Coo...coo coo—"

"You should have said you were hungry earlier."

"I'm... okay, I'm hungry."

Yukino thought to herself: "They haven't even had breakfast and they've been discussing this until now. Isn't this all your fault? My sister and mother came early this morning and have been discussing it until noon. They're talking about my sister's engagement, but by noon we found out it's not like that at all."

"Should I do it or should you do it?"

"Go ahead and do it... If we're going to get married, at least give me something to look forward to."

Yukino hugged a small pillow and continued to lean against Himekoji.

"Okay, I'll go make it. I'll see what's in your fridge."

He gently tapped Yukinoshita's shoulder, and only after she moved slightly away from him did Himekoji get up.

"Oh, by the way, could you make me a cup of coffee first, please?"

"...Shouldn't these things be done by the wife? I'll cook, and you can make the coffee."

"cough--"

Yukino coughed, stopped arguing, and got up to make coffee.

Chapter 305 is very painful, [Kasumigaoka Utaha] made this choice.

Both Himekoji and Yukinoshita felt like the day had passed in a blur. They both seemed absent-minded during the meal, their minds wandering as they tried to talk to each other. Yukinoshita ate slowly, and their chopsticks kept clashing together. Then they would both let out a soft "Ah...", exchange a glance, and then look away.

There's something I feel I should remind you of.

After the meal, Yukinoshita got up and tidied up on her own, tying her apron and busily working by the kitchen sink, reminding everyone to be careful.

"I also feel there's something I need to do."

"So what you're thinking is the same as what I'm going to say—? I mean... about that Kasumigaoka-senpai."

"Ah, I'm thinking about her too. So, as my fiancée, what advice do you have for me?"

Half-reclining on the sofa where he had lain under the snow, petting two purring cats in his arms, and holding a can of chilled beer in his hand, Himeko felt very comfortable. However, at the same time, the problem of Kasumigaoka was like a sharp thorn constantly pricking his mind, making him restless no matter what.

"By the way, I need to apologize to you for something that happened before."

The sound of washing cups and plates under the snow stopped.

"What is it?"

"I admit I was wrong to say that you always used all sorts of tricks to manipulate other girls."

"...Okay, okay."

"Where's Touma Kazusa-senpai? Why aren't you engaged to her?"

“She…” Himekoji carefully chose her words and said softly, “She is very much like her mother. She wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and then surpass her. So after graduating, she will leave Japan and go directly to Vienna. She will spend most of her time developing in Europe. As for me… my family is in Japan, so it is impossible for the two of us to live in different countries all the time, right? Living in two different places is fine, but living in two different countries has a very bad influence to some extent.”

"That's a real shame... because today's conversation suddenly gave me the feeling that I was a thief. I think you and that Touma-senpai are a perfect match... It would be such a pity if you two couldn't be together because of this."

Yukino washed the cups and plates, washed her hands and applied hand cream, then took off her apron and went back inside. Silently, she took a cat from Himekoji and sat it next to his lap.

"If Kazusa and I were to get engaged so simply, you wouldn't have a chance to get involved, right?"

"I can't argue with that, but now you should explain this to Kasumigaoka-senpai properly."

Yukino glanced at him sideways, fiddling with her hair, revealing a red ribbon tied into a bow.

"Yes... I'm about to make a call, do you need to listen on speakerphone?"

"No need, I'll just leave a little. It wouldn't be good if I made things inconvenient for you." Just as Yukinoshita was about to get up and leave, Himekoji grabbed her wrist. She looked at him in surprise, but Himekoji just shook his head and said, "Since we're already engaged, I think we should be more honest with each other."

"...Alright, but there's really no need for hands-free listening or anything like that. I'll stay here the whole time."

Xuezhi suppressed her astonishment and obediently sat back down.

Himekoji took out her phone, found the number for Kasumigaoka, and dialed it. The call was answered immediately after only two rings.

He hasn't seen Kasumigaoka yet this holiday. He usually just makes phone calls and sends emails; he's never even had a video call.

"it's me..."

"Of course, it's you, Haruto-kun. I've been waiting for your call since this morning, and you didn't disappoint me. It's only 2 p.m. and you've already called. You didn't wait a day or several days. I'm really glad."

Kasumigaoka's voice lacked its usual seductive tone, replaced by pure sincerity, which stirred a bitter feeling in Himekoji's heart.

"I'm sorry..."

"If nothing unexpected happens, Haruto-kun is still at Yukinoshita's house, right? I'm not very familiar with her, but... if she is the girl that Haruto-kun and Aunt Daphne jointly chose, she will definitely stay faithfully with you for life. I firmly believe that."

"Shiyu, you..."

"No need to apologize. Haruto-kun, you may have liked me, but you never loved me. I know that very well. Maybe Haruto-kun just doesn't like girls like me who keep trying to get close to you and causing you trouble... I've already heard that Ogiso Setsuna confessed to you and was rejected."

"Indeed, she confessed her feelings to me a few days ago, and I cruelly rejected her."

After hearing Himekoji's words, Yukinoshita, though not quite sure who they were talking about on the phone, quietly placed her hand on Himekoji's hand and gently held it, but her gaze remained fixed on the cat in her arms. She stroked the cat with her right hand, pretending that her left hand had disappeared.

"That's a real shame... By the way, Haruto-kun, like we said before, could I be your maid? I'm willing to give up university... Ah, no way, my future wife, Yukinoshita, wouldn't allow a girl like me to stay by your side forever..."

Do you remember Miss Reiko, who was always by my side?

Himekoji would be very unwilling to be just an ordinary maid at Kasumigaoka; he would want to be the head maid. However... he felt that this was not a good choice for Kasumigaoka.

"Of course I remember, your head maid... a very unique woman."

"Even if I agree, you can only be called someone like Miss Reiko. So, do you still want to make this choice? I don't think I have anything that would make you devoted to me, and I've never touched your body, so—"

Himekoji gripped Yukinoshita's hand tightly. In fact, the intelligent Yukinoshita could deduce most of what the two were saying from Himekoji's words alone. Especially these few sentences about becoming Miss Reiko made Yukinoshita immediately understand the request made by Kasumigaoka.

"Haruto-kun, when you've gotten used to watching someone, leaving their side would be cruel to me. So, if you can agree..."

Kasumigaoka's voice almost choked with emotion, and Himekoji was also struggling internally.

"Wouldn't it be better to agree?" Yukinoshita suddenly spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I took the liberty of saying that..."

Chapter 306 is interesting; [Yukino Yukinoshita] actually chose to remain silent.

"In a sense, I could agree, but Shiyu, being the head maid is really not the best choice for you. Reiko is because she has been by my mother's side since she was a child, always her playmate, taking beatings for her, and so on. She also has to learn a lot of strange things... such as being a good driver. Even if I agree, my mother has her own set of standards... Choosing a head maid is very strict."

Himekoji hadn't expected Yukinoshita to agree, but in reality, the difficulty of becoming Himekoji's wife was not much different from that of becoming the head maid in his household.

Even so...

"Even so, if you still choose this path, I feel I'll be letting you down too much. Don't you think you could do more meaningful things in the rest of your life? Like becoming a great writer, or traveling the world, if you need to..."

"I will still make that choice, Haruto-kun. You may not understand, but as long as I have that choice, I won't pay attention to the others. As for convincing my parents... I think I can do that too."

"I understand. Yes, I did like you..."

"As for my feelings... I think I don't need to say anything. Well then, goodbye Haruto-kun, I'll be waiting for your good news."

After saying that, Kasumigaoka hung up the phone, leaving Himekoji no room for rebuttal.

He placed his phone flat on the table, rubbed his hair, and let out a long sigh.

"So this is how it ended."

Himeko looked up at the ceiling and murmured softly.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Another can of beer, please."

"I'll get it for you."

Yukinoshita didn't say anything more, got up and brought back the beer. The two of them leaned against each other and sat on the sofa, actually watching "Mr. Pan the Giant Panda". As Yukinoshita seriously explained each of Mr. Pan's stories to him, Himekoji felt his tense spirit relax a little.

As evening fell, Yukinoshita went to cook dinner on her own. No one called them, not even Daphne, who usually urged Himekoji to come home.

After watching Mr. Pan the panda for a while, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. Yukinoshita didn't urge them to go home, and Himekoji didn't mention wanting to go home either. The two of them maintained this tacit understanding, just leaning against each other and reading the books they wanted to read.

"I'll go get you a glass of water, would you like some?"

Yukinoshita looked at Himekoji beside her, but as she touched him, the paperback in Himekoji's hand fell to the ground, and he himself fell towards Yukinoshita, almost knocking her over.

"She actually fell asleep without making a sound..."

With a headache, Yukinoshita struggled to push Himekoji away from beside her, letting him lie down on the other side of the sofa. She looked out the window; the city, adorned with nighttime lights, resembled a captivating courtesan. The room was peaceful; Himekoji's breathing was so soft that Yukinoshita could barely hear him unless she remained absolutely silent.

"...I guess I should wake him up and tell him to go back."

After hesitating several times, Yukinoshita couldn't come up with a good solution. Actually, the choice was simple: call him or not call him. If she didn't call him, there would definitely be a lot of strange talk the next day, but if she woke him up... Yukinoshita felt a little reluctant.

Besides, since they're already engaged... there's nothing unconventional about sleeping at his fiancée's house.

"Should I let his family know...? But I don't know his family's phone number... I'm such a bad fiancée." Yukinoshita circled the sofa where Himekoji was lying several times, thinking: But I can use his phone to call... I just don't know the phone password.

Wait, the phone password seems to be...

"I took my phone out of my left pocket, the password was TMSK, and then I found a Kyoto..."

Himekoji's words during the school trip popped into Yukinoshita's head again. His phone didn't have a fingerprint sensor, so it was obviously unrealistic to use his hand to unlock it while he was asleep. Therefore, a password became the only option. Interestingly, because Yukinoshita twisted her ankle and helped unlock the phone to make a call, she happened to hear Himekoji say his password.

However, what exactly does TMSK mean? If it's an abbreviation of Touma Kazusa's name, it should be TMKS, while Touma Yoko's name is TMYK.

Picking up Himekoji's phone from the table, Yukinoshita typed TMSK. Without a second thought of browsing through the contacts, she opened the address book. After searching for a while, she found several phone numbers for "home," but none for "mother." Frustrated, Yukinoshita went to another room and called Reiko.

"It's me, Haruto. Do you need me to come and get you?"

"Excuse me, Miss Reiko, I am Yukino Yukinoshita. Himekoji... he's already asleep. I'm planning to let him stay at my house for the night. Could you please pass this message on to Aunt Daphne?"

"Oh my, things are progressing so fast! But remember to take safety precautions, okay? Bye!" Reiko hung up incredibly quickly, leaving Yukino no room for explanation. She stared at the call log for a long while, then slowly exhaled, rubbing her temples and frowning, "I knew it would turn out like this..."

However, Yukinoshita naturally wouldn't do something like carrying Himekoji to bed, taking off his clothes, and letting him sleep. She simply covered him with a thicker blanket, prepared a glass of water for him on the table, and then went to take a bath and prepare for bed.

In the middle of the night, Ji Xiaolu woke up groggily and was surprised to find that she hadn't slept very comfortably. When she moved her body, she realized that she had lost consciousness and fallen asleep while reading. She checked her phone and saw that it was already four in the morning. Feeling sticky all over, she quickly went to take a shower.