In the end, after everyone's persuasion, Eriri finally gave up on the idea of getting a driver's license.
At worst, she could just have her mom drive her in the future, or hitch a ride with Yukino and Ichin, and if that didn't work, there was always a taxi.
After all, she was a little rich girl—she wasn't short on money for things like that.
Soon after, the university officially began, and classes started.
At first, Yukino and Eriri's schedules were quite tight. Yukino handled it fine, but Eriri had to cut back on the time she spent at the company.
Fortunately, with the company's staff growing, Eriri's work could easily be shared out to Aoba, Momoji, and Hifumi, so there was no need to worry about delays.
As for Ichin, now entering his sophomore year, his major courses did become a bit more difficult, but still well within his ability to manage—he could handle it easily.
One afternoon, after finishing a class, Ichin told Utaha something briefly and then headed off on his own.
Utaha, meanwhile, packed up after her class and went over to the Law Department, where she met up with Yukino, who had also just finished, and the two went together to the library.
Whenever she had more than two consecutive free periods, Yukino almost always spent them in the library studying.
After picking up two thick textbooks and returning to her desk, she saw that Utaha had also found what she needed and was already reading.
Noticing the thickness of Yukino's books, Utaha asked curiously,
"Are your major courses really tough?"
"They're manageable," Yukino replied calmly. "It's just that there's a lot to memorize and understand, so at the beginning it feels a little overwhelming."
Even as she said that, there wasn't the slightest trace of frustration on her face.
That was simply Yukino's nature—she wasn't the type to shrink back from difficulty. On the contrary, she only grew more determined when faced with challenges, let alone when it came to basic coursework like this.
Watching Yukino study so earnestly, Utaha said softly,
"But don't overwork yourself. If there's something you don't understand, don't just get stuck on it alone. Ask the professors when you need to. Or you can even ask Nene. Even though her current job isn't related to her major, she's never let go of her legal expertise. Ichin told me she still helps out with the company's legal matters."
Yukino nodded.
"Yes, I know. If I run into something, I'll definitely ask."
Yukino was very familiar with Sakura Nene. Though she looked small, with a round, cute face, she was a true academic ace. To not only complete her Law degree flawlessly, but also participate in game development—and even create her own engine—that was impressive.
Even Yukino herself couldn't guarantee she could surpass such talent.
That afternoon, both Utaha and Yukino buried themselves in study at the library until about five-thirty, when they finally packed up and left. Yukino then drove to the restaurant Ichin had reserved, where they met him, Haruno, and Eriri for dinner.
The moment Yukino stepped into the private room, before she could even set her bag down, her older sister swept her into a tight embrace.
"Yukino~~~"
Finding herself in a warm hug, Yukino said helplessly,
"Sis, can you let me go first? I need to put my bag down. It's heavy with books."
"Hehe, alright."
After letting go, Haruno thoughtfully helped her set the bag aside, then pulled her to sit down by her side.
"Yukino, is collagework tiring?"
Yukino shook her head.
"Not really. It feels pretty nice to be learning new things."
"That's good."
Haruno felt a bit relieved. She'd been quite busy these days, and today she had finally managed to carve out time to meet her little sister.
Haruno poured Yukino a glass of juice and said,
"Yukino, I'm staying over at your place tonight, okay!"
Yukino's hand holding the cup paused for a moment, but she didn't object.
She knew her sister was far busier than herself. With how little free time Haruno had, Yukino didn't want to let her down over something so trivial.
Seeing no resistance, Haruno's mood immediately brightened several levels. She happily grabbed the menu, handed it to Yukino, and then called the waiter over.
"Come on, Yukino, order some dishes! Make sure you pick more of the ones you like!"
Yukino gave her sister a helpless look, ordered two dishes, and then passed the menu to Ichin.
"Senpai, you order the rest."
"Sure, I'll do it."
Ichin accepted the menu with a smile and rattled off several dishes without hesitation. He and Utaha had been to this restaurant a few times already—he knew exactly which dishes were worth getting.
After ordering, Ichin smiled at Haruno.
"Haruno-nee, are you really that busy lately?"
"Yeah, I really am."
Taking a sip of her cola, Haruno explained,
"Mother's handed me a lot of the company's matters to manage. How could I not be busy? The fact that I even squeezed out time to have dinner with you all today is thanks to me grinding away during the day. Luckily, tomorrow's Friday, so I'll have the weekend to finally relax a bit."
"Then… are the blind dates still going?"
Hearing that, Haruno immediately shot a glare at Eriri.
"Don't stir up trouble, brat! Do I look like someone who needs to go on endless blind dates? I'm not Shizuka."
Would you dare say that in front of Shizuka Hiratsuka?
Knowing Haruno's personality, she probably would. But if she did, the two of them would definitely bicker for a while afterward.
Still, since the topic was brought up, Haruno didn't bother dodging it.
"As for blind dates, they won't be arranging any for me, at least for now. You all know how dull the last one was. His personality and way of handling things weren't my type at all. Afterward, I told Mother about it, and she agreed not to arrange any more for me this year."
"This year, huh?"
So after this year, it might not be so certain…
Utaha asked curiously,
"Haruno-nee, have you really never considered finding someone on your own that you like?"
"How could I not?" Haruno spread her hands.
"I've been thinking about that since high school. But after three years of high school and four years of university, do I look like I found anyone? That's why I've left it to fate now. Besides, I'm still young. Even Shizuka hasn't found anyone yet, so what's the rush?"
At that very moment, Shizuka Hiratsuka—driving home from work—sneezed out of nowhere.
"Haruno! She's definitely badmouthing me behind my back!"
And with that, she immediately called.
Seeing the caller ID, Haruno's eyes lit up, and she happily picked up.
"Shizuka! Did you guess I just mentioned you?"
"So it was you! Only you would gossip about me behind my back!"
"Hehe~~ Looks like we really are connected at heart, huh? You could even sense it!" Haruno laughed, completely unbothered by Shizuka's angry tone. "Want to come join us? We just ordered the food!"
Shizuka went quiet for a moment, asked who was there, and then promptly turned her car around toward the restaurant.
*
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