After returning home, Haru did a bit of cleaning and waited for Yukino to come back.
Utaha and Megumi were waiting too. They needed Yukino home so the three of them could discuss Jelly's upcoming audition.
The moment Haru mentioned that Jelly had learned some new commands, the two girls instantly perked up. Phones were whipped out, cameras activated, and they began instructing the chubby cat to roll over and sit.
Dragging its increasingly round body, Jelly lazily stood up and followed the commands.
Of course, the only reason the cat was cooperating was because it'd spotted snacks in the girls' hands.
"It's so fat, but it can still do a backflip?"
After a surprisingly smooth mid-air rotation and a soft landing, Utaha stared in disbelief.
Megumi kept her eyes fixed on the screen, holding her phone steady."Looks like Yukinoshita was right to insist on having Jelly audition properly. With this level of obedience, it's got a good shot at passing."
Utaha circled the cat, snapping photos nonstop.
"Not bad. Cats usually aren't nearly as obedient as dogs. I looked it up—apparently, the two most troublesome things for any director to shoot are animals and…"
"And what's the other one?" Megumi asked, curious.
Sitting behind them and watching their little cat filming session, Haru interjected,
"Children."
Megumi nodded in understanding.
"Makes sense. Filming with kids is always tricky, especially babies—they're impossible to control."
As the three of them chatted, a sound came from outside.
Haru stood up. "Yukino's back."
"Perfect timing. I've got a bone to pick with her," Utaha said, putting down her phone and walking off—faster than Haru expected.
Seeing her hurried pace, Haru raised an eyebrow.
"What's got her so worked up?"
Megumi thought for a moment, then replied calmly,
"She probably wants to speak to Yukinoshita before you do. After all… she did pull a little stunt today."
Right as she said that—Utaha's annoyed voice rang out:
"Yukino, let go of me right now!"
Startled, Haru picked up the pace. Megumi followed close behind, still holding her phone up.
When the two reached the hallway, the scene that greeted them was… very familiar.
Utaha was once again pinned to the ground by Yukino.
The corners of Megumi's lips twitched upwards—but she quickly straightened her expression and focused the camera seriously.
"I said let go! Didn't you hear me?!" Utaha growled through clenched teeth.
Now that Haru and Megumi had arrived and were clearly watching, her beautiful face turned bright red with a mix of fury and embarrassment.
Humiliated was too mild a word for what she felt.
And just as Megumi had guessed—Utaha had rushed over to smooth things over with Yukino before Haru could say anything.
She was well aware that her little "move" earlier might come to light—if not from Haru, then certainly from Megumi.
Before her "crimes" could be exposed, Utaha wanted to have a calm and rational conversation with Yukino. She planned to use her wit to subtly shift Yukino's attention toward Megumi.
She originally thought the plan was solid—and even had a fairly high success rate.
What she didn't expect was that the moment Yukino stepped through the door, before Utaha could even say a word, Yukino calmly and elegantly said,
"Wait until I change my shoes."
So Utaha waited patiently.
But as soon as Yukino finished changing her shoes and set down the bag she was carrying—one that held a canister of expensive tea—she immediately tackled Utaha to the ground and pinned her down.
For Utaha, the experience was downright humiliating. Not only had her plan been thwarted before it even began, but what frustrated her most was how decisively Yukino acted. It was obvious Yukino had already made up her mind on the way home to teach her a lesson.
Yukino also noticed Megumi was filming them, but she didn't seem to mind. She smiled lightly and said,"Haru, take this bag inside. It's tea from Hiratsuka-sensei. It looks expensive."
Haru nodded, picking up the bag.
"How long are you two going to keep this up?" he asked.
Yukino's smile seemed gentle, but there was a chilling edge to it.
"I'm going to have a serious talk with senpai—until she gives in."
Haru instantly understood.
By "serious talk," she clearly meant something very physical.
He could also tell that Yukino was in an unusually good mood. She must have had an uplifting experience with Miss Hiratsuka earlier.
Megumi, satisfied with her footage, finally lowered her phone.
"Need me to help?" she asked.
Her words made all three others freeze for a moment.
Because none of them were sure what she meant by "help."
Did she mean helping Haru carry the tea?
Or... helping Yukino pin Utaha down?
Or something else entirely?
"Who exactly are you offering to help?" Yukino asked.
Utaha's face turned red, her teeth clenched as she bit her lower lip. She looked like she was struggling to break free—but it was all in vain.
Yukino looked over too, clearly curious about what Megumi meant.
Is she trying to get back at senpai while she's down? Or is she testing the waters—trying to earn my favor?
Yukino could see through Megumi's little schemes. The moment Megumi spoke, her mind kicked into overdrive.
"I was just asking if there was anything I could do to help," Megumi replied softly.
How cautious, both Yukino and Utaha sneered internally.
Presented with a golden opportunity to take advantage of the situation, and yet she still played it safe, passing the decision back to them.
Utaha didn't regret her earlier schemes—she was just annoyed that her physical ability didn't match Yukino's. Otherwise, she wouldn't be getting pinned to the floor so often.
Still, just because she couldn't win with force didn't mean she didn't have other cards to play.
She suddenly recalled a game that had been popular among their classmates recently. Gritting her teeth, she said,
"Yukinoshita, since everyone's here, how about you let go of me first? Let's settle this in a different way."
Before Yukino could answer, she quickly added,
"I promise—it's something you'll like."
"Oh?"
Yukino didn't let go immediately. She stared at Utaha for a few seconds, confirming that she wasn't bluffing. Only then did she release her grip.
Utaha rubbed her sore arm and got up from the floor, looking a little disheveled.
"So? What's your proposal?" Yukino asked, clearly intrigued.
Haru decided not to carry the tea just yet. He stood at the back, quietly observing.
Straightening her long hair, Utaha replied coolly:"King's Game."
Yukino and Megumi both froze.
Haru's eyelid twitched.
Wait. King's Game? Like... THAT kind of King's Game?That game usually only showed up in R-rated movies…
He looked at Utaha's calm yet determined expression and realized: she was going all-in, even if it meant dragging everyone down with her.
Utaha wants to challenge Yukino to a King's Game to turn the tide.
"What's the King's Game?" Yukino asked, tilting her head.
She had very little knowledge of things like this. Even the adult games Haru had on his computer—she'd only glanced at the menus and never touched them.
As for those paid movies? Not interested in the slightest.
~~~~~~~~~~
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