Haruno had indeed been very busy recently. She even felt that her university studies had become the least important thing on her plate.
Of course, this didn't mean she had grown tired of studying; her academic performance was still excellent. Since junior high school, she had been slowly cultivating her ability to handle multiple tasks at once. From a young age, an idea had been instilled in her: she would become the future head of the Yukinoshita family.
She had originally thought that after entering Chiba University, her family work and university studies would take up about forty and sixty percent of her energy, respectively. Even with the new responsibility of being the financial officer for Hachiman Studio, she had thought it would just be an easy part-time job.
However, she was totally wrong. Yukinoshita Haruno was surprised to find that managing the accounts for Hikigaya Hachiman was an incredibly tedious task. There was a constant variety of income, and accounting was a job that could not be sloppy at all. Especially considering that her employer was her dear junior, Haruno took it all the more seriously.
Therefore, the proportion of her time dedicated to family work would not change. To make way for her junior's financial affairs, she had to significantly reduce the time she spent on her university studies.
"Ah... I've been so busy lately, Hikigaya-kun..." Yukinoshita Haruno complained in a coquettish tone, sprawled unceremoniously on the bed in her room. Hikigaya Hachiman was leaning against the bed, and her hand was playfully toying with his ahoge.
"In that case, I, as your boss, will mercifully give you a raise. By the way, the salary you get as a part-time finance employee is already higher than what many full-time employees make," Hachiman replied casually, his eyes on a recently published mystery novel. As a writer, he couldn't just bury his head in his own work; it was also necessary for him to pay attention to the works of others from time to time.
"If you think you can get rid of me with just money, aren't you overthinking things?" Haruno said with a hint of anger. "And just who is it that's reading a book while sharing a room with his senior?" Although she could earn a lot of money working for Hachiman, her main purpose was to spend more time with her junior.
Yukinoshita Haruno analyzed the information she had collected from various sources and could only come to one conclusion: her sister, Yukinoshita Yukino, was catching up to Hachiman at a crazy speed. She even suspected that Yukino would soon give up her own apartment and simply move into the one next door. The only difference from the current situation would be where she slept.
"So what do you want to do, Senior? In that case, I won't read anymore. I'll just look at you," Hachiman said. He closed the novel, turned around, and started a fierce staring contest with Haruno. Just as the two of them were gazing at each other and the atmosphere was gradually heating up, Yukinoshita Yukino's ghost-like voice came from outside the door.
"You two inside, no matter what you're doing right now, I am just here to relay my mother's notice. Lunch is ready. Please go to the dining room as soon as possible."
As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of her footsteps faded away without any hesitation.
A long time ago, Hikigaya Hachiman had always assumed the Yukinoshita family ate at the formal table in their main hall. It wasn't until he stayed for a meal that he realized they had a proper dining room, complete with a dining table and chairs.
By now, Hachiman was very familiar with the Yukinoshita family's dining room and even had a reserved seat at the table.
One of the family rules set by Mrs. Yukinoshita was that one could not talk while eating. She had always taken the lead in enforcing this rule, so the family was always very quiet during meals. But whenever Hachiman came to visit, Mrs. Yukinoshita would take the initiative to break this rule. After all, she was the one who made the rules, and her privileges did not extend to others.
"Hikigaya-kun, how has the studio been running lately?" Mrs. Yukinoshita asked, looking at him kindly. They were sitting far apart; otherwise, she would have been putting food into his bowl.
"Thanks to your and Haruno's help, everything is going smoothly," Hachiman answered after swallowing his food. "My own work pressure has been greatly relieved, and I can concentrate more on my creation in the future." Considering the order of seniority, he mentioned Mrs. Yukinoshita before Haruno in his reply. This was normal, but Haruno, who was sitting opposite him and was exhausted from the studio's accounts, didn't think so.
She felt very unbalanced, but she didn't dare to speak at the table, especially while her mother was having such a pleasant conversation with Hachiman. If she interrupted rashly, she would probably be forced to leave the table and go eat in the kitchen.
However, doing nothing was not in Haruno's character. She decided to use her flexible long legs to engage in some under-the-table construction on Hachiman. She gently raised her right leg and stretched her delicate foot, clad in white socks, in his direction...
Why is this Yukino's foot?!
Haruno was shocked. Even through the layer of her sock, her toes could clearly feel the texture of black stockings. Hachiman certainly wouldn't be wearing black stockings. There was only one possibility left: her sister Yukino had the same idea.
At that moment, Yukinoshita Yukino was also in a very confused state. She had wanted to use her feet, wrapped in black stockings, to stimulate Hachiman from under the table, but she hadn't expected to be intercepted by her own sister first.
The two looked at each other expressionlessly, put away their mischievous thoughts, and continued to eat in silence, no longer paying attention to the conversation between their mother and Hachiman.
"That's good," Mrs. Yukinoshita was saying sincerely, with a hint of being willing to sacrifice her own family for the sake of justice. "Now, many successful people like you, Hikigaya-kun, are choosing to set up their own studios. Only by properly delegating can one do their job better. If Haruno does anything that isn't up to standard, you can always tell me."
"No, Mrs. Yukinoshita," Hachiman quickly replied, not daring to take her up on the offer. "My senior has done a great job in every aspect. My accounts are very complicated, but she still manages them in an orderly manner. I have no dissatisfaction at all."
Finally, the lunch ended successfully, with two people enjoying themselves and three remaining in silence.
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