The time rewinds slightly.
At the Tenkuji residence, after rejecting Yuu's offer, Haruno quickly exited the door and walked toward her car parking spot.
It was a red brick wall covered in various graffiti and advertisements, a place that held many memories of their meetings and partings.
However, the car she drove today was different from usual. This new white sports car, she planned to give directly to Yuu as transportation once he turned eighteen and got his driver's license.
It didn't matter if his house lacked a garage for the car, since Haruno herself owned many properties. She could simply choose one of those properties to serve as a garage, and it could also be used as a place to stay if they wanted to date without going to a hotel. This two-birds-with-one-stone scheme was easily achievable, nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, due to various factors today, she forgot to tell him about it—but there was no need to rush, after all, once they married, a couple's assets would become shared property; what was hers would be Yuu's, sooner or later there would be no more separation.
"So, that kind of exclusive possession like placating a child, I don't need it."
Recalling his arrogant and stubborn words, Haruno couldn't help but sigh, her head bumping against the steering wheel, and she began to regret it.
"Yuu-chan didn't have those thoughts at all... I should have just seized the opportunity to devour Yuu-chan as a Christmas feast, and at the same time slow down the steps of the other women... Why did I have to act tough for no reason in front of him..."
However, perhaps it wasn't just acting tough.
Because Yuu could see through her lies, and because Yuu didn't want her to force herself—so the answer Yuu could accept at that time must have been the undeniable truth.
Haruno couldn't deny it.
Even though she always had a rational monster behind her helping her analyze the best choices, even though she could truly do anything to monopolize Yuu, and deep down she didn't want to see Yuu meeting other women, even starting to think about which basement would be the most comfortable to lock someone in...
Upon hearing Yuu's exclusive agreement that sounded full of affection, but in reality was no different from placating a child, Haruno still couldn't hold back her emotions, proudly lifted her neck, and firmly rejected it.
Foolish? Extremely foolish. Regretful? Regretful.
But if given another chance, Haruno still wouldn't sink into that gentle embrace trying to soften her—
Such sincerity was harder to accept than all the lies Yuu had ever told.
"Tch, who asked me to be such a troublesome woman? What was given to me, I reject, but I want to snatch and cause a fuss myself."
Sneering at herself, the college student rubbed the red mark on her forehead imprinted by the steering wheel, took a deep breath, and her usual relaxed and confident smile returned.
Then she shifted gears, stepped on the accelerator, and the white sports car sped through the bustling streets like a nimble and elegant beam of light.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Rejecting Yuu's offer out of pride, and creating opportunities for other girls to approach Yuu with her own hands—this foolish and self-sacrificing choice made Haruno feel nauseous just thinking about it.
Even though she knew Yuu was holding this Christmas party just to resolve all issues and avoid repeating the tragic case like hers before today, she still felt extremely annoyed and unhappy, and desperately wanted to do something malicious to vent.
The scenery outside the window flashed by quickly, her fingers tapping the steering wheel restlessly.
In less than ten seconds, a malicious idea emerged in her mind, lighting up like a large lightbulb, illuminating the road ahead.
"Right, better late than never. Why not go now... Hehehehe..."
An unconscious evil smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and the wicked light in her eyes ignited, as if she was about to play a prank.
Haruno shook off the lightbulb paper from her head, then sharply turned the steering wheel. That aimless journey now had a new destination, heading straight to the luxury apartment just twenty minutes away!
In about ten minutes, Haruno parked her car in the basement garage, then took the elevator directly to the eleventh floor.
Perhaps out of a desire for revenge, or maybe because she was too lazy to even tell Yuu about this small matter, she didn't inform Yuu what she was going to do now—namely, spoiling things for her own sister, letting her experience what was called the cruelty of reality.
They were sisters with a very close relationship, so close that they liked the same man... And now their positions had switched; how could she let her sister easily escape the pain she had once felt?
As for whether Yuu would object if he knew, Haruno wasn't worried about that.
Or rather, she was slightly looking forward to Yuu's reaction.
"After all, this is something Yukino-chan will eventually have to know. I'm just telling her directly. If Yuu-chan dares to blame me for this..."
That would prove Yuu was completely unfit for multiple relationships—a person who couldn't even be fair and view facts objectively still wanted to be a harem leader?
Don't be ridiculous! Trash like that only deserved to be stabbed dozens of times in the stomach by a mentally broken heroine, and have his life story turned into a game for future people to laugh at and learn from, forever unable to escape the label of a scoundrel playboy.
Most importantly, Haruno didn't think that in this timeline, where the God hadn't given tasks and the two of them still loved each other, there was any need to keep their relationship secret.
If Yuu wanted her to keep it secret, that meant he felt guilty, he wasn't worthy of her—Then, after obtaining this weakness, the plan to monopolize him and live happily together would have a not-small guarantee of success.
If Yuu didn't care at all, that meant he at least knew how to handle emotional issues between women, and was willing to let her do something akin to revenge. It also meant she didn't need to act like a noble first wife, lowering herself to consider the feelings of the other concubines.
No matter what she did, she wouldn't lose; she could attack and defend, and at any time pull out the final trump card to gain advantage in the chaos—thinking about it, Haruno couldn't help but admire herself.
(Haruno-chan, you're truly an evil woman with hidden intentions!)
The elevator arrived at the eleventh floor.
Haruno stepped out of the elevator, heading straight to Yukino's apartment door, pressing the doorbell, knocking, and shouting outside:
"Yukino-chan, you're home, right? If so, open the door quickly. Onee-san came to visit you, you know~"
While waiting for Yukino to open the door, Haruno slightly closed her eyes, quickly rehearsing the dialogue she would say in a moment in her heart.
At the same time, she also recalled everything that had happened since her memories recovered.