"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."
At this point Iroha Isshiki spoke up. "Actually, I think it's entirely possible. A boy who could make Mai Sakurajima fall for him—there's no telling that Yukinoshita-senpai wouldn't fall for him too. Keep in mind, that's Mai Sakurajima we're talking about, currently the hottest, most popular superstar around."
Iroha Isshiki had raised a different point of view.
This was her genuine opinion, and at the same time a little test of hers—she wanted to see whether Lin Ye would have any reaction.
Didn't Senpai like Mai Sakurajima, and like Yukinoshita-senpai?
Now that a boy had appeared whom both Senpai and Mai Sakurajima liked, let's see how Senpai would handle it.
Would Senpai desperately deny it?
Probably!
That was what she thought.
But before long, she found that her prediction seemed to be a tiny bit off.
Senpai's reaction wasn't much, but Yukinoshita-senpai's expression did change ever so slightly—as if she'd received some kind of stimulus, only to force herself to hold it back in the end.
What on earth was going on?
Iroha Isshiki couldn't quite figure it out.
"Indeed, Iroha, what you said is entirely possible."
This time, the one chiming in was Lin Ye, not Yui Yuigahama.
"Student Yukinoshita really might just fall for a boy that Mai Sakurajima likes. What do you think of my guess? Yukinoshita."
Facing the smiling Lin Ye, a surge of stifled irritation rose up in Yukinoshita's heart.
This guy was using this very topic to mock and laugh at her with veiled sarcasm.
Yukinoshita was furious, thoroughly displeased,
but a direct outburst wouldn't be appropriate either.
She recalled what had happened during her earlier conversation with Miura Yumiko.
It was precisely because she'd said something unnecessary that Miura Yumiko had come to that idea.
It was uncomfortable,
but the good part was that the golden-haired young girl had spoken up to say she hoped they could be friends—something even she herself had never imagined possible.
Even recalling it now, she had a sense of unreality.
But this was definitely something that had already happened.
"Yukinoshita, could it possibly be that..."
Facing Lin Ye's further offensive, Yukinoshita finally opened her mouth to answer. "If that's what you think, then think it!"
She had the full air of someone who didn't want to exchange another word with him. To her, saying even one more sentence to Lin Ye about this topic felt superfluous.
Yui Yuigahama's heart trembled at hearing this—wouldn't this, in Lin Ye's eyes, be tantamount to tacit admission?
Surely Lin Ye wasn't about to break down and cry from heartbreak!
Yui Yuigahama couldn't bear it. Right now she felt it might have been better if she hadn't brought this topic up.
Wait—this topic wasn't raised by her, it was raised by Iroha, so it really didn't have that... that big of a connection to her!
"Senpai, Senpai, don't be sad. Your most, most, most adorable little junior is guarding right by your side. Heh heh heh!"
Iroha Isshiki immediately made a gesture, smiling as she flashed Lin Ye an OK sign.
That smile was far too sincere—it really was as if she were comforting Lin Ye.
Lin Ye let out a sigh.
Honestly, toward a proactive girl like Iroha, though he felt annoyed and worn out, he genuinely didn't feel any disgust.
It was just... that he didn't like her.
That was all.
Lin Ye also knew that if it were any other boy facing such a proactive girl, and such a cute one at that, he'd probably have already fallen for her long ago—there'd be no way he'd keep rejecting her time and again!
"Senpai, after school today, my treat—milk tea and dessert. I just got my allowance today."
Iroha Isshiki once again proactively extended an invitation.
This dogged, persistent attitude of hers even earned Lin Ye's admiration.
And Yui Yuigahama felt the same—that even Yukinoshita would think the same way.
At the very least, she herself could never do such a thing.
Of course, she was also well aware that she didn't need to do such a thing at all. As long as she released the signal that she wanted romance, that she wanted a boyfriend, there'd be plenty of boys being proactive and passionate. Of course, toward those men, Yukinoshita felt only disdain—she didn't care in the slightest.
In fact, she believed Iroha Isshiki was qualified too. Even from a woman's perspective, she recognized that Iroha Isshiki's cute appearance was the type boys liked.
Though she didn't know whether Iroha Isshiki had ever been confessed to up to now, if Iroha Isshiki were also to express that she wanted a boyfriend, then whether it was a first-year classmate or an upperclassman from the second or third year—
there'd be plenty of boys willing,
among them no shortage of handsome ones, no lack of top students with high grades, and even second-generation rich kids from good families.
Only, quite obviously, Iroha Isshiki had no interest. She'd fixed her sights on Lin Ye, she liked Lin Ye, with the mindset of never giving up until she'd won him.
She just couldn't understand why Iroha Isshiki was so devoted to Lin Ye.
Could it be...
Suddenly, Yukinoshita thought of something.
Could it be that Iroha Isshiki also knew of Lin Ye's specialness, also knew of those special abilities of his, and had even experienced a Strange event, which was why she was so devoted to Lin Ye?
Because she'd been saved by Lin Ye, because of her yearning for the mysterious and strange—that was why, no matter how Lin Ye treated her, she kept on pursuing him like this, with the mindset of never giving up until she succeeded.
The more Yukinoshita thought about it, the more possible it seemed. She decided to ask Lin Ye about it later and see what his answer would be.
If it were true, she felt she'd have to question him properly.
Keeping such a thing hidden from her, his girlfriend—Yukinoshita declared herself unhappy about it.
"Senpai, Senpai, if you stay silent I'll take it as a yes. Mm-hmm, yes, you've agreed."
Iroha Isshiki once again displayed her tenacious, persistent, thick-skinned attitude.
"No, I have something to do after school. I have plans."
"Huh, Senpai, you're not joking, not tricking me, are you? Besides me, who else could possibly make plans with you?"
Iroha Isshiki refused to believe it.
Lin Ye's gaze landed on Yukinoshita.
In the span of a single second, Yukino Yukinoshita felt the piercing gazes of all three people in the room converge upon her.
When did you and I ever make plans?
No matter how Yukino Yukinoshita thought about it, she couldn't recall any such arrangement.
"Yukinon, did you—did you make plans with Student Lin?"
Yui Yuigahama's hesitant voice rang out.
Secretly making plans?
Could they already be dating?
"He didn't make plans with me," Yukinoshita said.
And Lin Ye immediately spoke up right after. "It was Yukinoshita who made plans with me."
In an instant, the atmosphere grew even stranger.
For Lin Ye to make plans with Yukinoshita would be perfectly normal, because Lin Ye liked Yukinoshita and had feelings for her—
though, of course, in Iroha Isshiki's eyes even that possibility wasn't great.
But the other way around—Yukinoshita making plans with Lin Ye to go shopping and eat together after school—now that was an utterly inconceivable thing.
Yukinoshita wouldn't even make plans with other girls, so how could she, for no reason at all, make plans with a male—and one who had feelings for her and liked her, no less.
Could it be...
Did Yukino have feelings for Lin Ye? Did she want to spend time together with him?
The two girls couldn't help but think this in their hearts.
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