Talk privately?
Lin Ye instinctively glanced toward Yukinoshita.
But the girl with long black hair gave no answer; her gaze rested on the anthology before her, and she offered no clear response at all.
Yet to Lin Ye, this was already an answer in itself.
No objection meant consent.
Even if Yukinoshita pressed him about it afterward, he'd have the confidence to answer.
"I'm stepping out for a bit,"
With that, Lin Ye rose and walked toward the Service Club room door.
'Clang...'
The Service Club room door closed.
In the corridor of the club building, there were only the two of them—Lin Ye and Miura Yumiko.
"What is it?"
But Miura Yumiko didn't speak; she simply walked on ahead along the corridor.
Lin Ye followed, pondering what this golden-haired young girl was after.
A short while later,
the two of them walked out of the club building and arrived at the tree-lined path on the campus grounds.
The setting sun sank in the west, its crimson light staining the earth,
and even Miura Yumiko's blond hair was suffused with a faint crimson glow.
"Student Tachibana—no, Miura-san, if you've got something to say, just say it!"
"You like… Yukinoshita, don't you!"
This question, in Lin Ye's view, was quite problematic.
He had once confessed to Yukinoshita to her face at Sobu High; though it hadn't quite reached the point of being common knowledge, it was impossible that someone like Miura Yumiko—not antisocial, and on fairly good terms with Yui Yuigahama—wouldn't know about it.
"I did once confess to her,"
"So that means I like her."
"Does this question mean anything to you?"
Lin Ye didn't give a clear answer—not because he didn't want to, but because he felt that answering would mean dancing to Miura Yumiko's rhythm. That feeling was a very unpleasant one, and he couldn't accept it.
"Curiosity,"
"You're still curious about my affairs?"
Lin Ye laughed. "Before today, we'd never even spoken. Surely it can't be that Miura-san truly fell for me at first sight and genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, confessed to me!"
He didn't believe it in the slightest,
for he was a man who had read the original work!!
"And what if I said yes!"
"Then you can go; I'm heading back to the Service Club."
Lin Ye didn't leave, only gazing at her with a calm look.
"How dull. Acting like this, Student Lin, you'll never get yourself a girlfriend,"
"I just turned one down."
The merciless words nearly made Miura Yumiko, the very party concerned, lose her composure.
She couldn't out-talk Lin Ye, and even less could she out-fight him,
and once she realized this, she took several deep breaths to calm her restless heart,
"If you're rejecting me because Yukinoshita was present, then I'll give you one more chance."
Lin Ye: ???
He stayed quiet for a good while, then circled around Miura Yumiko, examining her up and down, which made Miura Yumiko thoroughly uncomfortable.
"What are you looking at?"
"You don't really look like you're in heat to the point of needing a boyfriend,"
Miura Yumiko: ???
"Who's in heat!"
How was she in heat?
Miura Yumiko bristled, glaring furiously at Lin Ye,
"If it's not that you're in heat and short of a man, then why are you repeatedly hinting at me, giving me chances?"
Even Lin Ye himself didn't believe that conjecture; compared to it, he felt his other guess was far more likely. "Miura, you're behaving like this because you're sore about losing to Yukinoshita, aren't you!"
Miura Yumiko started,
her thoughts had been guessed exactly.
"Heh, what would I have to compete with that woman over."
"Haruno."
Miura Yumiko's eyes flew open,
"That name sounds familiar to you, doesn't it!"
"The instant you heard it, you already thought of who she is, didn't you!"
Facing Lin Ye's advance, Miura Yumiko instinctively retreated a few steps, trying to put some distance between them, but Lin Ye pressed forward step by step, leaving Miura Yumiko with nowhere left to retreat,
"Haruno, Haruno Yukinoshita—in other words, Yukino Yukinoshita's older sister,"
Miura Yumiko's expression grew even uglier,
"You… you lost to her older sister,"
"Stop it, stop it,"
In that instant, the eyes that had long since recovered now once again welled up with a glistening tear.
Watching the girl's tearful appearance, Lin Ye's heart softened, and he took the initiative to step back, putting distance between them.
"Now that you know the answer, you regret it again,"
She lowered her head, her full figure trembling faintly.
Yes, she did regret it somewhat.
"Women! Truly troublesome. From the very start you actually sensed this wouldn't be a good outcome for you,"
"I… was curious, I wanted to know,"
Miura Yumiko said dully, "Is that… is that wrong too?"
"It's not wrong; what's wrong is that you can't bear the consequences of knowing the answer,"
Miura Yumiko pressed her lips together and said nothing.
"What's done is done; your rival in love is Haruno, Yukinoshita's older sister. I'd advise you to give up."
The moment she heard "give up," Miura Yumiko grew agitated.
But just as she was about to say something, Lin Ye made a shushing gesture for her not to speak.
"You're no match for that woman, and as for Yukinoshita—don't go thinking about defeating Yukinoshita to satisfy that competitive streak of yours. You think persuading me would give you a sense of victory? You're overthinking it; this is nothing but self-gratification,"
Miura Yumiko gritted her teeth, unwilling to accept it.
She'd lost—not only to the older sister, but to the younger sister as well, and she'd been rejected to her face.
"What's so great about that woman? Flat as a board,"
This was Yukinoshita's biggest flaw and shortcoming.
Lin Ye shrugged. "I don't care. Besides that, what other flaws of Yukino's can you name?"
"A cold disposition, a sharp tongue, aloof to death, putting on that ice-beauty haughtiness at school. You men have your thoughts about her—isn't it just that you want to win her over and satisfy that conquering desire in your hearts?"
"Shallow."
That single word left Miura Yumiko dumbstruck.
"She's very gentle. That gentle heart hidden beneath her cold exterior is precisely what I love most."
The corners of Lin Ye's mouth slowly lifted, his reminiscence impossible to conceal.
That expression left Miura Yumiko briefly astonished before she returned to her normal expression.
"No matter how gentle she is, that gentleness isn't directed at you—does it mean anything?"
"It's enough that I love it."
"Shallow. What you can't have, you can't have,"
"Who says it won't turn out well!"
She's already my girlfriend now,
Lin Ye very much wanted to say it, but he held back, because he knew that even if he said it aloud, Miura Yumiko wouldn't believe it—she'd only take his honest words as bragging and as him trying to save face.
"You're awfully confident,"
"Confidence is more important than gold,"
Miura Yumiko knew this fellow Lin Ye had already completely fallen for her.
Beyond saving, and she didn't want to save him either—after all, this man's future had nothing to do with her.
"Suit yourself. Anyway, miss this chance, and you can just stay single forever!"
Sigh, why did every single one of them think he'd stay single, and keep on being single forever?
He couldn't figure it out.
He wasn't bad, was he!
"I rather think it's you, Miura-san, who'll go on being single."
"Heh, if I wanted a boyfriend, the boys of Sobu High would line up to apply."
This point, Lin Ye believed too, but—was that the kind of man Miura Yumiko wanted?
Definitely not.
Otherwise, Miura Yumiko would have started dating and gotten herself off the singles list long ago.
"Would you be willing to date any of those men?"
Miura Yumiko was stumped by the counter-question.
She definitely wouldn't be willing to date them; otherwise, she'd certainly have done so already.
From the time she enrolled at Sobu High until now, plenty of boys had confessed to her—perhaps not as many as to Yukinoshita, but not far off either.
Once she reached her second year, there were even first-year juniors who had just enrolled coming to confess, expressing their fondness for her.
It was precisely because of this that she had the confidence to speak to Lin Ye this way,
but Lin Ye's counter-question made her lose the confidence to answer.
"If you wouldn't be willing to date them, then forget Sobu High—even if every man in all of Chiba showed up, it wouldn't mean a thing."
Lin Ye laughed. "Just don't go crying and begging for me to take responsibility later. Your confession to me wasn't something I forced on you, and your falling-out with Hayama was your own doing—it has nothing to do with me,"
"You… you bastard,"
Miura Yumiko was furious,
for although that was the reality, Lin Ye putting it that way left her thoroughly displeased.
"If I'm a bastard, then tonight you'd have to come spend the night at a hotel with me."
"Ngh..."
Miura Yumiko clenched her fist; the most uncomfortable thing was that what Lin Ye said was true.
If Lin Ye had agreed to date her and proposed going to a hotel, she—she might really have gone; at the very least, that possibility did exist.
"Dream on,"
"Just as I thought, I guessed right. Miura-san, the way you tempted me just now was purely to deal with Yukinoshita—you never had any intention of honoring the bet. What a cunning woman."
No, I didn't,
but if she said that aloud, wouldn't it contradict what she'd said before.
Miura Yumiko had no way to respond.
"Heh heh heh,"
Lin Ye continued his mockery.
Miura Yumiko pressed her lips together and stayed silent; at a time like this, silence was the right choice. She already knew she was at an absolute disadvantage—a disadvantage with no possibility of recovery,
unless she played the rogue, made a scene, and refused to be reasonable,
but such behavior was something Miura Yumiko herself detested and absolutely did not want to resort to.
"Silence means consent."
Damn it,
I never consented to anything.
"Just as I thought, silence means consent,"
"No, I didn't,"
Miura Yumiko couldn't hold back and finally blurted it out.
Lin Ye was in a great mood; today he'd gotten enormous pleasure from Miura Yumiko's side. He was very happy, very pleased, very satisfied.
Having bullied her this far, it was about enough,
if he kept going, this woman would probably start shedding tears again.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the Service Club first; I won't keep you company,"
Ordinary words, but in Miura Yumiko's ears they carried an added trace of disdain.
He was looking down on her!
The moment Lin Ye turned to leave, Miura Yumiko reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes,
"Something else?"
"..."
After a moment, Miura Yumiko spoke up, "Walk me to the school gate."
Because she'd strolled and talked here with Lin Ye for so long, quite a few of the students around had already turned their attention to her.
At present, in the eyes of the other students at Sobu High, she and Lin Ye were now a couple.
If they parted ways right here now, she felt the other students would surely find it strange, would surely think something was off.
Therefore,
she needed Lin Ye to walk her to the school gate.
"Miura, after I walk you to the school gate, you're not going to make me walk you all the way home too, are you!"
Lin Ye could guess the reason Miura Yumiko had made this request—wasn't it just to stop the mouths of the Sobu High students? But surely just walking her to the gate would be enough?
Parting at the gate would still inevitably set certain people's imaginations running, wouldn't it.
"No, the school gate is fine."
Miura Yumiko said earnestly.
At the girl's request, Lin Ye agreed and accompanied her to the Sobu High gate, then said goodbye to her.
"Goodbye,"
"Mm, goodbye."
Miura Yumiko left,
walking alone along the side of the street, the lingering glow of evening falling upon her, drawing out a long, slender shadow of a whole day.
Lin Ye turned, preparing to head back to the Service Club.
But the people in the distance by the school gate caught Lin Ye's attention.
Hayama, along with his little group of friends.
"Hey hey hey, Hayama, that guy's the one who snatched Yumiko away..."
"Don't talk nonsense,"
Hayama cautioned, "It was Yumiko who confessed to Student Lin of her own accord. It's a good thing the two of them can be together."
"But,"
Hayama signaled for him not to say any more.
He quickly put on a smile toward Lin Ye, who was walking toward them.
He had just finished the soccer club's follow-up training.
This time, in the follow-up training, he'd thrown himself into it more desperately and diligently than ever before; the sweat he'd shed and the degree of exhaustion were by no means comparable to the past.
He knew very well it was because of the matter with Yumiko, which had affected his condition, leading him to vent the irritation and gloom in his heart through training.
Unwilling to accept Yumiko's confession, yet witnessing Yumiko confess to another man, be together with another man, have her hand taken and leave with him,
he'd even had to see the departing pair off with a smile.
For Hayama, wasn't this also an intense stimulation and shock.
But faced with the reality that had already appeared, he could only accept it; no matter how uncomfortable he felt inside, he could only accept it—beyond that, there was no other choice.
"Hayama-kun, training's over?"
"Yes, it's over. You're not seeing Yumiko home?"
"I'll see her home next time; the Service Club still has activities today."
"I see. But not seeing your girlfriend home when you've only just started dating—isn't that rather negligent?"
"Sigh!"
Lin Ye let out a long sigh. "Yumiko wasn't particularly willing. I did offer, but she said there was no need—probably out of shyness! For now she doesn't want her parents to run into me yet,"
Hayama showed a look of sudden understanding.
He could understand—Miura Yumiko was, after all, a young girl, and matters of romance, even having her boyfriend seen by her parents, would always be embarrassing.
"So that's how it is,"
Hayama continued, "Her parents are quite nice people; you don't need to worry too much."
"Mm."
How to put it!
Lin Ye wondered if he was being oversensitive—was that remark of Hayama's a way of showing off that he was acquainted with Miura Yumiko's parents?
It was possible, only that this possibility wasn't very high.
"I'll head back first, Hayama-kun,"
"Sure. If there's anything you'd like to know, you can ask me. Yumiko and I have been friends for quite a while—things like when her birthday is, what she likes to eat, that kind of information, I do know."
"I'll contact you when the time comes, Hayama-kun,"
With that, Lin Ye set off, walking along the school's tree-lined path toward the club building, then went inside and headed for the Service Club.
Meanwhile, Hayama stood in place for a while,
"Hayama, just like that..."
"Respect Yumiko's choice,"
"You clearly know that Yumiko..."
But facing Hayama's gaze, Tobe was reluctant, yet he shut his mouth and said no more.
He really couldn't fathom why Yumiko would confess to a man she'd had no contact with whatsoever, one she'd only known on the level of knowing his name.
Surely it couldn't be because that exchange student Lin Ye was very handsome?
But if Lin Ye were so handsome, then he wouldn't have stayed single until now, with not a single girl coming to confess to Lin Ye of her own accord. By contrast, the girls who confessed to Hayama were many, and quite a few of them were pretty girls,
only that after Hayama and Yumiko grew close, the number of confession incidents had dropped considerably.
He had always been convinced that Yumiko liked Hayama, that even if she confessed it would be to Hayama, but now it seemed he was utterly bewildered and didn't know what to make of it.
Surely his long-held understanding hadn't been wrong all along!
That Yumiko had not the slightest fondness for Hayama.
"Let's go!"
With that, Hayama left, and Tobe followed; the two of them departed Sobu High one after the other.
And Lin Ye strode into the Service Club classroom.
In that instant,
the gazes of all three converged on Lin Ye.
"Senpai, Senpai, you actually didn't see Miura-senpai home?"
The one who spoke up was, of course, Isshiki Iroha.
The little junior came scurrying up to Lin Ye,
"No, I walked her to the school gate."
"Wa-hehe, I got it right! Miura-senpai telling Senpai to leave was definitely to deal with the looks and talk from the Sobu High students. With today's confession, if Senpai didn't see Miura-senpai off, people would surely think there was some kind of problem between Miura-senpai and Senpai,"
Isshiki Iroha was very clever, immediately grasping the purpose behind Miura Yumiko calling Lin Ye away.
"Senpai, did I get it right?"
"Right, but only half right!"
"Ah! Then what's the other half!"
Isshiki Iroha immediately asked, her eyes brimming with interest, greatly anticipating what Lin Ye would say next.
"It's a secret."
"Don't be like that! Senpai, don't keep us in suspense on purpose,"
Isshiki Iroha immediately came to Lin Ye's side, shaking his arm. "Yuigahama-senpai and Yukinoshita-senpai are both curious. You can't treat us like this."
She at once turned to ask Yui Yuigahama, and the pink dumpling nodded vigorously,
Yui Yuigahama was very curious—she even thought that if Lin Ye wouldn't tell, she'd ask again when she got home tonight, wanting to find out exactly what had happened.
"Yukinoshita-senpai is curious too!"
But Yukinoshita maintained her cool aloofness and didn't give any response like Yui Yuigahama did; still, the glance she cast toward Lin Ye served as the best proof.
Yukino Yukinoshita was curious too,
she wanted to know as well.
"You really want to know?"
"Of course,"
Isshiki Iroha said at once, "If Senpai is willing to tell, it's not as if we can't agree to some requests. Of course! Inappropriate things are off-limits—like lewd stuff. Lewd stuff is absolutely forbidden."
"Ngh..."
Because she was within range of Lin Ye's palm, Isshiki Iroha's head once again suffered a sharp rap from Lin Ye.
Isshiki Iroha held her head, staring at Lin Ye with resentment.
Every time, every time it was she who got hurt.
Senpai just loved bullying her.
Detestable, truly too detestable.
"No matter who I'd get lewd with, there's no way I'd get lewd with you,"
"Ngh,"
Isshiki Iroha looked up with a resentful expression. "Senpai actually wants to get lewd with Yuigahama-senpai—how terrifying! Yuigahama-senpai, run, hurry and run!"
She urged Yui Yuigahama on,
but Yui Yuigahama stayed put, dumbly, not responding at all, which infuriated Isshiki Iroha.
How could this be—why couldn't she get a rise out of her!
So detestable, so unbearable.
The whole world was against her, and as for Yukinoshita-senpai, it was even more impossible to get any reaction.
"Student Lin,"
A cool, clear voice—it was Yukino Yukinoshita's voice.
She had spoken,
and just a single name was enough to express her wish.
As Lin Ye looked over, he spoke as well, "Miura asked me whether I like you, Yukinoshita,"
As his words fell,
the looks of anticipation turned to astonishment.
Isshiki Iroha and Yui Yuigahama reacted most strongly.
That's way too direct!
For a moment the two of them thought Lin Ye was merely using this to express his feelings of affection to Yukinoshita, wanting to launch another charge of confession at Yukinoshita.
But the party concerned, Yukino Yukinoshita, knew what Lin Ye said was the truth; as things stood between the two of them, there was no need at all for Lin Ye to say such a thing.
"So what's your answer!"
"Can I answer that I don't like you?"
Shouldn't it be that you like her?
Isshiki Iroha couldn't help but think.
At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita became the focal point of all gazes.
She found that whether she answered "yes" or "no," there was a problem either way.
Therefore, she couldn't follow Lin Ye's line of thinking, couldn't fall into Lin Ye's rhythm.
"Suit yourself; it has nothing to do with me,"
"Sigh, so that's what you think,"
"..."
This fellow was dead set on making her give an answer in front of those two outsiders, Isshiki Iroha and Yui Yuigahama, wasn't he!
Yukino Yukinoshita was very angry; the consequences would be severe.
But she didn't blow up; instead she held it in, waiting until it was just her and Lin Ye alone, then she'd thoroughly take her revenge on Lin Ye and make him pay the price for his behavior at this moment.
"You may think so."
With that, Yukino Yukinoshita withdrew her gaze and once again turned her attention to the anthology on the desk,
she flipped through it with her fingers, as if she were no longer concerned with Lin Ye's affairs.
Only,
now and then, if you observed carefully, you could still tell that the girl's mind wasn't on the anthology before her.
"Senpai, Senpai, what was your answer at the time!"
Yukinoshita had wrapped up, but Isshiki Iroha jumped in; this matter couldn't just end like that—Isshiki Iroha was desperate to know the result.
"It's a secret,"
"Wawa, no! I'm begging you. Satisfy my curiosity!"
"You can go ask Miura-san,"
At once, Isshiki Iroha got a knot in her stomach; having to face Miura Yumiko directly was no small pressure.
She remained quite hesitant, but getting the answer from Lin Ye seemed to be impossible.
In that case,
perhaps this was the only way left for her.
Isshiki Iroha's gaze fell upon Yui Yuigahama.
Yui Yuigahama grew awkward. "Um, I, this..."
She didn't want to agree,
"Senpai, Yuigahama-senpai, I'm counting on you. You and Miura-senpai are on such good terms; you'll definitely be able to get the answer. Please."
After several rounds of this, Yui Yuigahama could only helplessly accept—though this was also because she herself was interested and curious.
"I got it,"
"Long live Senpai! Compared to Senpai, Senpai just can't compare at all,"
She praised Yui Yuigahama, while throwing in a jab at Lin Ye on the side.
Lin Ye didn't mind.
About twenty minutes later, the club activity time came to an end.
Today they had completed Miura Yumiko's commission from last month, which meant Yukinoshita could finally set down a commission that had been weighing on her mind but which she hadn't known how to handle.
At the tram station by the school gate,
the four of them parted ways.
Only, Lin Ye quickly turned and rejoined Yukinoshita.
With perfect tacit understanding, the two of them kept silent, holding no telling conversation; in the eyes of the tram's passengers, they were simply Sobu High students who happened to be heading the same way.
'Clack-clack, clack-clack...'
The sound of the rails went on without pause,
soon,
the two of them got off the tram and left the station,
the same apartment,
the same elevator.
The two of them were used to it by now,
'Click...'
The apartment door opened,
and Lin Ye followed the girl inside.
"Make yourself at home; I'll go boil some water,"
With that, Yukino Yukinoshita, having changed into slippers, headed for the kitchen, while Lin Ye sat down on the living room sofa. Watching the girl's figure in the kitchen, he always felt a faint sense of warmth in his heart.
The feeling of home?
Well,
perhaps it really was!
"Here,"
Yukino Yukinoshita set the water down in front of Lin Ye.
"Thanks,"
"Out with it! What did Miura Yumiko say to you, and how did you answer her."
"So Yukino is curious after all,"
Lin Ye immediately drew a cold glare from Yukinoshita,
"Fine!"
He told her,
over the course of a few minutes, Lin Ye gave a brief account of their conversation.
After listening, Yukino Yukinoshita in the end only offered an "Mm" by way of comment.
That seemed to carry a sense of dissatisfaction.
"Does Yukino wish I'd said we're already lovers?"
"Decide that for yourself,"
"A girl's heart really is hard to guess."
Lin Ye sighed. "By the way, Yukino, I completed this commission for the Service Club—completed a commission that had you in a bind. As the club president, shouldn't you reward me?"
"Of course,"
Lin Ye was stunned, somewhat unable to believe it. Yukinoshita was actually willing to give a reward? You're kidding!
"Didn't you already drink it?"
She pointed at the water cup Lin Ye had taken a sip from. "The plain boiled water I poured is my reward to you."
Lin Ye looked at the clear, transparent boiled water giving off its wisps of steam, his feelings complicated.
"That works too!"
Yukinoshita was surprised by Lin Ye's behavior of accepting it readily, but this was a good thing for her—she'd been afraid Lin Ye would be unsatisfied and then make another request.
Yukinoshita sat down on the sofa; Lin Ye drew near, the girl shifted away, and Lin Ye kept going.
"Lin Ye, don't sit too close to me,"
"Fine,"
Lin Ye obligingly moved aside, keeping a distance of thirty centimeters,
"Your hand..."
He held out his hand,
"This is something you yourself agreed to, Yukinoshita. Or shall we hold hands again tomorrow on the way to school."
The girl with long black hair helplessly placed her hand in Lin Ye's,
in the instant of skin-to-skin contact,
the girl's heart trembled; gradually, she went from her initial nervous discomfort to her present accustomedness,
until Lin Ye tickled the palm of her hand, at which she couldn't help making a sound, "That's enough."
Lin Ye didn't continue.
Half an hour later, he took his leave,
which once again surprised Yukino Yukinoshita—she'd genuinely thought Lin Ye intended to request to stay the night.
"I have something to do tonight; I'll come stay over another time,"
"Refused,"
She turned him down with a straight face.
Lin Ye didn't take it to heart.
Tonight, he was going to go check on Sora Kasugano's side; perhaps there'd be some new discovery.
...
...
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