This was clearly much better than accepting it outright — at least it gave people the impression that she was furious, angry, and just waiting for a chance to get her revenge.
Of course,
the fact that she hadn't exploded on the spot still left many of the onlooking students with the faint sense that Miura Yumiko had backed down, that she'd become the defeated blonde.
Compared to Yukino Yukinoshita, Miura Yumiko had lost after all.
She'd confessed to Lin Ye first, and Lin Ye had accepted, and they'd gotten together.
But Lin Ye's heart had apparently never stopped longing for Yukino Yukinoshita — he liked her so much he couldn't let go — and in the end he chose to break up with Miura and keep pursuing Yukino instead.
Speculation about how the relationship between the three of them had shifted was already spreading through everyone's minds.
And in the end, Miura Yumiko had lost.
Such a beautiful girlfriend, a girlfriend he'd already won over, and he still didn't treasure her — countless boys were groaning inwardly at the thought.
How could he possibly break up with her!
If it were them, no matter how much they liked Yukino Yukinoshita in their hearts, they'd never bring themselves to break up with Miura Yumiko!
One was an untouchable ice beauty — pursue her as hard as you like, you probably still wouldn't get a happy ending. The other was already, successfully, his girlfriend. And yet he still didn't treasure her, still broke up with her outright.
Surely something must have happened that they didn't know about!
A few of the boys started speculating, wondering if maybe Lin Ye had tried something intimate with Miura Yumiko, and she'd refused, and that was why Lin Ye chose to break up with her.
But if that were the case, shouldn't Miura Yumiko have agreed to the breakup right away?
Surely it wasn't a case of Miura Yumiko being unwilling, yet unable to bear letting Lin Ye go?
Caught in that contradictory state of mind?
The onlooking students were baffled, hesitant, unsure of what would happen next.
They were curious about the truth, and even more eager for Miura Yumiko's possible retaliation — but they also knew there was no chance of watching that show unfold now.
They weren't satisfied. It had already been two days, and yet they still hadn't seen the whole thing through — only the opening act. That clearly wasn't enough to satisfy the onlooking students' cravings.
They wanted more.
"Miura's backing down!"
"I thought she was going to get her revenge!"
"So much for the 'Blond Queen of Sobu High.'"
Once someone couldn't help mocking and needling her out loud, the others started reacting too.
Their words weren't loud, but in the near-silent atmosphere, plenty of people could hear them clearly.
Lin Ye and Yukinoshita, of course, heard it too.
A flicker of irritation crossed Yukino Yukinoshita's face and vanished. Things had finally settled down smoothly, and Lin Ye had gone quiet again — but she hadn't expected the Sobu High students to start fanning the flames, stirring up more trouble.
Yesterday they hadn't had the nerve. Today, one after another, they were suddenly running their mouths. She was getting angrier by the moment.
The whole crowd's attention turned once more to Miura Yumiko.
The golden-haired girl, standing proud and tall, stopped in her tracks.
That figure, which should have looked defeated, now shifted back into her usual cold, commanding presence.
More than a few people instinctively held their breath, hearts in their throats, waiting for whatever outburst Miura Yumiko might unleash.
And the girl who'd spoken first — the one who'd started it all — was trembling inside now, shaking.
She was terrified.
She'd assumed Miura Yumiko would keep walking, defeated, straight back through the school gates. Who would have guessed Miura Yumiko wouldn't do that at all — instead she stopped dead and turned to face them directly.
"Eek!"
Facing Miura Yumiko's direct gaze, the girl shuddered on the spot, her legs trembling so badly she nearly couldn't stand.
So terrifying.
Was this the intimidating power of Sobu High's golden-haired campus queen?
Miura Yumiko fixed her eyes on the girl who'd spoken first and set the tone, staring at her for a long moment — then swept a cold glance over the rest of the students there.
At that moment, the whole crowd fell silent, everyone holding their breath, not daring to exhale too loudly.
A moment later, Miura Yumiko withdrew her gaze, turned, and walked straight through the gates of Sobu High.
Once her figure had vanished, the students slowly began to recover.
"That presence was terrifying!"
"I really thought Miura was about to explode and start yelling."
"I have no idea what the rest of us are supposed to do now."
"That intimidating aura is probably exactly what scared Lin Ye off, huh!"
"Who'd want their girlfriend to be a tigress!"
"Hahaha! Speaking of which, where'd Lin Ye and Student Yukinoshita go!"
...
It was only then that everyone realized Lin Ye and Yukino Yukinoshita had already gone into Sobu High — they weren't even at the scene anymore.
When had they left?
No one had noticed a thing.
News of what had happened spread rapidly online as students messaged each other privately.
Lin Ye had formally broken up with Miura Yumiko because of Yukino Yukinoshita.
Quite a few people joked that Yukino Yukinoshita had become the other woman.
After all, this finally gave them a reason to tease Sobu High's resident cold beauty.
During break, a few students whispered quietly here and there.
But Yukino Yukinoshita ignored it entirely, the whole time.
As for Lin Ye — he cared even less. He felt it didn't matter, and had no strong feelings about it whatsoever.
At this point, if even Yukino barely reacted, there was even less reason for him to care.
Still,
when Shizuka Hiratsuka heard the news, she got a headache.
This little troublemaker really did give her something new to deal with every single day.
She decided she'd have another talk with Lin Ye today — a heart-to-heart — and settle both yesterday's matter and today's, principal and interest together.
"Hina came and pleaded on your behalf, but I'm not letting you off the hook."
That morning, Hina Tachibana had apologized on Lin Ye's behalf for his conduct the day before, and asked Shizuka to go easy on him and not hold it against him anymore.
Shizuka Hiratsuka hadn't agreed. Dealing with mischievous students required the iron fist of a teacher — a firm, harsh punishment.
Only that could effectively curb Lin Ye's rebellious streak and set him back on the right path.
At noon, as usual, the other students filed out of the classroom first.
Lin Ye and Yukino Yukinoshita were always the last to leave.
Today's lunch had been made by Lin Ye himself.
Yukino Yukinoshita was more than a little curious about how it would taste.
"Let's go."
Lin Ye said, picking up the bento and heading for the classroom door.
But before they'd even left the room, a figure appeared in the doorway.
A familiar figure.
Rui Tachibana — Hina-sensei's younger sister.
"Lin-kun,"
Rui Tachibana's big eyes fixed on Lin Ye as she greeted him first.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Yukino Yukinoshita standing behind him, lingering for two seconds before returning to Lin Ye.
"Student Tachibana, good afternoon,"
Lin Ye greeted her back.
His tone was perfectly normal.
Yukino Yukinoshita noticed the large bento Rui Tachibana was carrying.
That size was clearly too much for one person's appetite.
Which meant it could only be something Rui Tachibana had prepared for Lin Ye.
She couldn't help but think so.
"Hi. This is the bento I made for you."
As she spoke, Rui Tachibana held the bento out to Lin Ye. Her expression was calm, but a trace of nervousness still lingered in her eyes.
Yes —
Rui Tachibana was still worried about being turned down.
Even though she'd mentally prepared herself for rejection, the worry lingered.
If she really got rejected, it would be too embarrassing, too humiliating.
Lin Ye didn't accept it right away.
Rui Tachibana noticed his hesitation and spoke the line she'd already rehearsed: "I'm your girlfriend. This is only natural. No need to be so polite."
Yes —
she was Lin Ye's girlfriend now.
His official girlfriend.
Especially since that morning, she'd heard that Lin Ye had broken up with Miura Yumiko.
To her, that was wonderful news — the best kind of good news.
That meant she was now Lin Ye's one and only girlfriend.
She'd been hoping for exactly this.
She embraced that singular status, and now that Lin Ye had made it happen, it was exactly what she wanted.
"Student Tachibana, I already have a bento."
Lin Ye lifted his own bento, showing it to Rui Tachibana.
"Did you prepare a bento today? I thought Student Yukinoshita might not have made one again, like yesterday."
That remark —
carried a hint of reproach.
A hint of comparison.
Yukino Yukinoshita caught the faint edge of hostility. But of course, the other girl was Lin Ye's girlfriend, and naturally held considerable hostility toward her, a rival.
Still... this was all her sister's fault.
Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but shoot Lin Ye a glare, signaling him to hurry up and find some excuse to decline.
"I made a bento today,"
But Rui Tachibana still held her hand out toward Lin Ye and continued, "Boys eat more, so you should eat plenty."
This was hardly just 'plenty' — this portion looked like it was worth two servings.
"You can share it with your friends from the club — I definitely can't finish this much by myself. I woke up early to make it. I'm sure you'll like the taste."
With Rui Tachibana going this far, Lin Ye didn't refuse anymore. He chose to accept.
What else could he do?
Given how things stood, he had no choice but to accept.
"Thank you,"
Lin Ye took the bento.
"Right, do you have time after school? Let's grab a meal together!"
Rui Tachibana was inviting him — actively inviting him — and doing it right in front of Yukino Yukinoshita.
Yukino Yukinoshita felt, inexplicably, as if she'd just been cuckolded.
And what's more, there was nothing she could say, nothing she could do.
Let alone speak up as his girlfriend and stake her claim in front of Rui Tachibana.
Lin Ye felt awkward.
How to put it —
if he hadn't taken the bento, he could have kept declining Rui Tachibana's invitation. But now that he'd accepted it, what could he say? You can't badmouth the hand that feeds you.
He'd have to agree.
Of course, Lin Ye also thought he could use this chance to have a clear talk with Rui Tachibana — this was an opportunity, after all.
"Sure,"
Lin Ye agreed.
Rui Tachibana was thrilled instantly.
She'd braced herself for rejection, and never expected Lin Ye would actually accept.
It seemed this girlfriend status really had changed how Lin Ye treated her.
Rui Tachibana was looking forward to this afternoon after school even more now.
"Mm-hm, great. I'll wait for you at the school gate after school."
Once their plans were set, Rui Tachibana said goodbye and left.
Even from behind, her joy was obvious.
"Off on a date with your girlfriend this afternoon."
Once Rui Tachibana had gone, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but remark — her tone calm, but unable to hide the resentment underneath.
"What can I say, I'm just that popular. Can't help it. I'm too popular for my own good."
That shamelessly narcissistic attitude made Yukino Yukinoshita's mouth twitch.
She'd seen shameless people before, but compared to Lin Ye, they were nothing.
"What are you planning to do?"
That was what Yukino Yukinoshita most wanted to know.
"What else could it be? Boy and girl, alone together after school — what do you think we'd be doing? Something intimate, obviously."
"Be serious."
Yukino Yukinoshita said, very earnestly.
She meant it.
"Tell her clearly, end this thing between you two. Whatever mess your sister caused, I'll clean it up."
Lin Ye snorted, and Yukino Yukinoshita looked a little embarrassed.
It really was her sister's doing, after all.
"You should hold your sister accountable — punish her properly."
"Good idea. Next time I see Haruno, I'll tell her Yukino wants me to punish her."
Yukino Yukinoshita: ???
Fine.
She decided she didn't want to argue with him about this anymore.
"Your sister really loves causing trouble. If this keeps happening, I'll have no choice but to make you, her little sister, pay the compensation instead."
Yukino Yukinoshita stayed silent and didn't respond.
After all, Lin Ye was already coming after her for compensation — it wasn't like she could refuse anyway.
Lin Ye and Yukino Yukinoshita made their way to the Service Club.
In the Service Club, two figures were already there.
"Senpai, senpai, good afternoon!"
Iroha Isshiki was the most cheerful of all.
The moment she saw Lin Ye, she greeted him right away.
"Whoa, Senpai's bento is huge today! Did someone give you a bento?"
The wrapping style was completely different from usual.
"Student Tachibana gave it to me."
"Rui Tachibana-senpai, huh!"
Iroha Isshiki blinked and went on, "As expected of you, Senpai — hooking another pretty senpai. No wonder you're the man I've got my eye on."
By this point, Iroha Isshiki had stopped holding back her words at all.
"Why don't you eat first?"
"Mm-hm, but before we eat, I have something to say."
Iroha Isshiki stood up straight and declared, "Senpai, today you broke up with Miura-senpai for my sake — I'm so happy, so, so happy, so glad, so glad."
Even Lin Ye was stunned by the content of that statement.
This cute little junior really had a talent for twisting everything to be about herself.
"So, Senpai, to show my gratitude, I've decided — after school today, let's go on a date. Me and Yuigahama-senpai together — the two of us on a three-person date with you."
This time, it was Yui Yuigahama's turn to freeze.
She'd never heard anything about this.
Iroha Isshiki hadn't said a single word about it beforehand.
She certainly hadn't agreed to it!
...
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