"Yukino, next time don't wander around outside this late. Go to bed earlier. You still have school tomorrow, after all."
At the entrance of the apartment building where Yukinoshita Yukino rented her apartment, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat in her sports car, warning the girl who had gotten out of the vehicle and was standing beside it.
"Mm... Hiratsuka-sensei, is what you said earlier really true?"
Nodding her head, Yukinoshita Yukino still seemed somewhat distracted. Seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka was about to leave, she asked the question once again.
Seeing Yukinoshita Yukino seeking confirmation again, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at her helplessly, sighed, and said:
"Haven't we already confirmed this many times? Hm... Although there was indeed a bit of joking in it at the beginning, I'm serious now. It can't be helped. After all, nobody wants me."
"Sometimes girls should be a little thicker-skinned, otherwise they'll end up as unmarried warriors approaching thirty."
Pressing her lips together, Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand, shooing the girl away before Yukinoshita Yukino could respond:
"Alright, alright, get going already. Go home and get to bed earlier. Seriously, you're still high school girls, and you're already getting caught up in all these romantic matters. Next time, it would be better if Takada-sensei and the others assigned more homework."
Seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka like this, Yukinoshita Yukino regained her composure, and a trace of light appeared in her somewhat gloomy eyes.
She nodded lightly and softly said:
"Hiratsuka-sensei, good night."
"Mm, good night."
After exchanging their goodnight greetings, Hiratsuka Shizuka stepped on the gas pedal.
The sports car's engine roared, and the vehicle sped off into the distance.
The sound of the engine gradually faded into the night wind as the taillights disappeared from sight.
After returning home, Yukinoshita Yukino turned on the lights in her apartment.
Looking at the empty apartment, an inexplicable sense of loneliness emerged in her heart.
"Girls should be a little thicker-skinned, otherwise they'll end up as unmarried warriors approaching thirty."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's words echoed in Yukinoshita Yukino's mind.
Sitting on the sofa, Yukinoshita Yukino frowned and thought about Hiratsuka-sensei's words, as if she were still hesitating about something.
A few moments later, Yukinoshita Yukino opened her eyes, took out her phone, and opened LINE.
Then she opened Yu's LINE contact that Yuigahama Yui had sent her.
Looking at the friend request page, Yukinoshita Yukino lightly bit her lower lip while her slender fingers touched the phone screen.
After editing the message, the last trace of hesitation passed through her eyes.
Then she pressed the button and sent the request.
"What kind of miracle is this? What's wrong with Yukino~?"
The next morning, holding Miura Yumiko in his arms, Yu slowly woke up from his sleep.
Seeing that the girl was still sleeping, he quietly got up, intending to prepare breakfast.
However, after changing clothes and habitually taking out his phone, he discovered a new LINE friend request.
Opening the request, Yu immediately saw a cute panda avatar under the name [Mr. Pan].
Among the people he knew, only Yukinoshita Yukino liked [Mr. Pan].
Yu didn't know how Yukinoshita Yukino had gotten his LINE, probably through Yui and the others, but that wasn't important.
What was important was the note attached to the friend request:
"Yu, I like you."
Hm, at first glance, this seemed like some kind of joke.
But after thinking about it a little more carefully, something still felt off.
Scratching his head, he thought about whether he had ever had any particularly close contact with Yukinoshita Yukino.
But after careful consideration, Yu was certain that his contact with Yukinoshita Yukino had been very, very limited.
Even yesterday, when they had been out together, he hadn't exchanged more than a few sentences with her.
"This girl has probably gone crazy, right?"
Looking at the friend request again, Yu did not decide to accept it immediately.
Instead, he tossed the phone onto the bedside table to charge and left the room, heading toward the kitchen downstairs.
It was already quite late.
He needed to make breakfast quickly so Yumiko could eat as soon as she woke up.
Especially since the previous night had been rather long.
Thinking about it, Yu yawned.
Not long after he went downstairs, the tempting aroma of food began to spread from the first floor.
Lying in bed and still asleep, Miura Yumiko smelled the scent of food.
Her little nose twitched slightly, and then she unconsciously smacked her lips.
Soon, under the influence of that aroma, her stomach began to growl.
Then she opened her eyes, saw that Yu was no longer in the room, and when she smelled the scent coming from downstairs, a happy smile appeared on her face.
"Ding-dong~"
Just then, Yu's phone, which was charging on the bedside table, suddenly rang because of a new message, and the screen lit up automatically.
Seeing the phone, Miura Yumiko raised an eyebrow, bit her lower lip, and looked at the device with a complicated expression.
Honestly speaking, she wanted to see what was inside Yu's phone.
Although it would be an invasion of his privacy, Miura Yumiko was still very curious.
Gulp.
Swallowing her saliva, she looked at the phone, hesitated briefly, and then suddenly grabbed the device with lightning-fast speed.
"Hehe, I'll just take one look before the phone reacts. Just one look!"
Miura Yumiko muttered, opened the phone, and saw someone she had not expected.
"...That avatar... that's Yukinoshita Yukino, right? Why did she suddenly add Yu?"
Miura Yumiko said in confusion, then skillfully entered Yu's password.
But when she saw the contents on the screen, she was stunned.
After being stunned for who knew how long, Miura Yumiko finally smiled and muttered:
"I didn't expect even you to like Yu... Hm~ your taste isn't bad."
"But Yu didn't even accept the friend request. He's usually so gentle, but in moments like this, he really doesn't know how to cherish girls."
Pressing her lips together, Miura Yumiko accepted Yukinoshita Yukino's friend request, then got dressed and ran out of the bedroom.
"You're awake? Go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Downstairs, hearing Miura Yumiko coming down the stairs, Yu, who was frying eggs, smiled and called out to the girl to come eat.
But the moment he turned his head, the clothes Miura Yumiko was wearing completely caught him off guard.
At this moment, Miura Yumiko was wearing a white shirt that wasn't particularly thick and was somewhat transparent.
Other than that, she wasn't wearing anything else.
Looking at Miura Yumiko at this moment, Yu felt as though he had taken some kind of drug.
Waves of blood rushed to his head, triggering an intense desire.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Yu's expression, the corners of Miura Yumiko's lips curled upward.
Of course, she understood the reason for his reaction, but she deliberately asked even though she knew the answer.
"Actually, we can start with the appetizer."
Smiling faintly, Yu waved his hand and left the frying pan under the control of the wind, then walked toward Miura Yumiko and embraced her.
At the same time, in the Yukinoshita family apartment, Yukinoshita Yukino sat at the dining table.
On her pale, snow-white face were two dark circles under her eyes.
Listlessly nibbling on a pre-packaged sandwich, she kept her gaze fixed on her phone.
Yukinoshita Yukino herself did not know exactly what she was waiting for.
Just as the girl was becoming disappointed and preparing to put down her phone, the device suddenly vibrated lightly.
Then a new message appeared.
The moment she saw the message, a smile appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's face.