"So what you're hoping to see… is a Yukinoshita Yukino who stands alone in a snowy field like a snowman in the dead of winter?"
Kyousuke rubbed his temples, exasperated.
"What's wrong with that?" Haruno replied coolly. "Heavy snow that can crush awnings only makes the snowman grow larger.
The howling wind merely packs the snow on her body tighter.
The bitter cold that others can't stand only makes her stronger. Isn't that kind of presence breathtakingly beautiful?" Her voice remained icy as ever.
"Only someone from the Yukinoshita family would find that impressive. And then what?
That proud snowman standing tall in the freezing cold—what happens when she meets the sun? Can she handle it…?"
As he voiced the question, a sudden realization hit Kyousuke.
Of course.
That's exactly why Haruno kicks away anyone who tries to act like the sunlight—anyone who tries to help Yukino.
Realizing this only gave him a bigger headache.
What kind of mother, what kind of household, could raise such a pair of twisted sisters?
"The only one who can comfort her… the only one she can depend on… is you, huh?" he muttered.
"(o゜▽゜)o☆[BINGO!]" Haruno beamed.
Her tone finally gained some color and liveliness now that Kyousuke had caught on.
"You tease her just so you can be the one to comfort her. Like you're doing it on purpose, just to enjoy how helpless she looks when she clings to you afterward. That's downright evil."
While saying this, Kyousuke couldn't help but imagine it—Yukino, usually so composed, looking utterly lost, her voice trembling:
'Hojou-kun… please help me…'
'…Damn. Why does that sound kind of amazing?'
If even seeing Yukino yield to Haruno was this impactful, then if she were to yield to him…?
"You were just thinking how good that would feel, weren't you?" Haruno teased, her voice laced with amusement.
"Like hell I was! I'm not a hopeless siscon like you!"
Kyousuke prided himself on being a man above base desires.
But he had Haruno figured out now. Beneath that façade of lies and manipulation beat the heart of a full-blown siscon.
She clearly wanted to toss anyone who came near Yukino into a barrel of acid.
And Kyousuke?
He had known Haruno before Yukino, but ever since meeting Yukino, Haruno's calls had increased drastically.
The frequency was suspicious, to say the least.
Just like now—this whole conversation sounded like it belonged to two liars and degenerates conspiring over a girl.
If someone without a sister overheard this, they'd probably get chills.
Luckily, Kyousuke did have a sister.
In fact, right now he was seriously tempted to send Haruno an album of pictures of Kasuko.
'Here's Kasuko's first time falling over.'
'Here's the first time she called me 'Onii-chan.''
'Here she is seeing Momotarou for the first time.'
'Angry Kasuko.'
'Happy Kasuko…'
'Cough. No, no! What the hell am I doing slipping into the role of a siscon!?'
Haruno's influence is terrifying. She's the ultimate pervert.
And it wasn't just him—Haruno was even close with Sakura.
They talked more often than she did with him.
Add in Hiratsuka-sensei acting like some kind of human surveillance camera, and Yukino might as well have a tracker on her at all times.
'That's your sister, not a national treasure!'
Kyousuke was almost embarrassed on Haruno's behalf. If Yukino ever got married, Haruno would probably spontaneously combust.
"So, what'd you call for? If it's nothing important, I'm going to bed."
Even Kyousuke felt awkward fantasizing about Yukino in front of her overly attached sister.
"I just wanted to say thanks," Haruno said softly.
"Thanks? You came to celebrate with me. I should be thanking you."
"Well, I know that too."
"You're seriously…"
"I meant the gift you gave to Yukino-chan."
"Wow… You're really not even trying to hide your siscon anymore."
"She was really happy, you know."
Haruno ignored his jab, her voice suddenly as gentle as dappled sunlight filtering through the trees.
"…I see." Kyousuke let out a sigh.
This woman—even something like this, she had to call and thank him directly.
Her siscon level was off the charts.
But Yukino's reaction surprised him too.
She had shown no emotion at all in the car.
Who would've thought she was so happy in private? In the end, Haruno really did understand her sister best.
Then again, maybe it wasn't so strange.
After all, most people only gave gifts to those close to them—family, friends. And in Yukino's case…
Her family was a warzone. As for friends…
"If you know a gift can make her that happy, then why don't you give her one?"
"No way~~ If I do that, Yukino-chan will grow even more attached to me~ She won't be able to live without me~"
"Isn't that exactly what you want?"
"Hehe~~ Kyousuke, you naughty boy, don't go reading a girl's heart like that. You'll ruin the fun."
"…Good night."
"Good night. And thanks for my gift too. I was really happy."
Hearing the lightness in her voice, Kyousuke turned over in bed and glanced at the photo on his phone—a picture of that tall girl with red-tinted hair ends.
"…Thanks for liking it."
'She's probably lonely too, huh? A girl who lies about everything—how could she have real friends?'
The only person she truly trusted was Yukino, who never lied.
Maybe Kyousuke too, this "honest scumbag."
'No, screw that. I'm not a scumbag.'
"I'm going to drink the whole thing now. This time I'll really get drunk. Wanna join me?"
"I have class tomorrow. I'm going to sleep."
———————————————————————
As the screen dimmed, Haruno held the phone to her chest and took a deep breath.
Then she started kicking the couch cushions like she was swimming.
Her loose shorts rode even higher, revealing more smooth, snow-white skin—unlike the slender frame of her sister, she was voluptuous.
"Ahh… We really are a good match."
She let out a moan-like sigh, then stood up and cradled the bottle of sake from the table in her arms, carefully placing it in a dedicated cabinet.
This apartment hadn't been bought for Yukino—it had always been Haruno's place.
That's why it came fully furnished and stocked.
Through the brown glass cabinet, she stared at the sake labeled Beautiful Kamogawa and broke into a toothy smile.
'That last line was a lie too!'
'There's no way I'd drink such a perfect gift so casually.'
Turning off the living room light, she was about to head into her room when she noticed a sliver of light escaping from under Yukino's door.
'Still awake?'
Without hesitation, she twisted the knob.
"If you don't knock, a door loses half of its purpose," came Yukino's tired, exasperated voice.
"So cold, Yukino~ I just came to say goodnight~" Haruno replied, feigning hurt.
Yukino stiffened, already exhausted.
She knew Haruno was only acting to make her feel guilty—and damn it, it was working.
"…Sorry."
She stood up from her chair and turned around.
Sure enough, her sister was smiling brightly, not even a hint of the 'hurt feelings' she just claimed to have.
She was already busy nosily examining the room with great interest.
Noticing her sister's presence, Yukino subtly shifted her hips closer to the desk, trying to block what was on top of it from view.
"Good night, dear sister," she said in an unusually soft and sweet tone that she would never use under normal circumstances.
"Is Yukino-chan too excited to sleep after attending a fancy party for the first time?" Haruno teased, stepping forward to hug her. "If that's the case, how about your big sister sleeps with you tonight?"
Yukino backed away again. "No need."
"Don't be shy, Yukino. Want to play the silent game with your sister?" Haruno leaned in, clearly enjoying herself.
"You're drunk, Go to bed already. If you keep drinking that much and don't get proper rest, your classmates will realize you're just a drunkard come Monday."
While speaking, Yukino stepped forward and pushed Haruno toward the door, trying to usher her out.
"That won't happen. My makeup skills are top tier, you know!"
Haruno let herself be pushed out without resistance, yelling dramatically the whole way.
'Bang.'
The door shut, and Yukino frowned, thinking back—had her sister seen what was on her desk?
She had covered it up pretty well, but that mischievous glint in Haruno's eyes before she left still bothered her.
Leaning against the door, Yukino glanced at her desk.
It was clean and tidy.
On the surface were a special edition of The Devotion of Suspect X from the Bookstore Grand Prize, a mechanical pencil engraved with Hojou Kyousuke's signature using laser etching, an eraser, and a blue-covered planner—all carefully arranged in a straight line.
She told herself firmly:
'She's drunk. Her attention span is terrible when she's like that.'
'There's no way she noticed.'
Trying to reassure herself, Yukino walked back to the desk, sat down, and rested her arms on the surface, laying her head down.
Her eyes lowered again to the items before her.
She'd been sitting like this for a while before Haruno had entered.
The desk lamp cast a bright white light over the paper bag bearing the Bookstore Grand Prize logo, making it look especially refined.
Brown kraft paper. A golden crown.
She slid her right hand out from under her chin and gently ran her fingers over the blue planner.
'I have to return the favor properly,' she thought.
———————————————————————
The next morning, Yukino left the apartment while her sister was still sleeping. Her goal: to buy a gift.
But for her, that was a monumental task.
With her sister's help, it would've been much easier—but if Haruno found out, she would absolutely think Yukino was following her advice obediently and would tease her mercilessly for it.
So, no. This was something Yukino had to do on her own.
'It's just picking out a gift. I've never done it before, but how hard can it be?'
She had stayed up three hours reading gift-picking guides.
She wasn't relying on just the blog from that social media expert M-kun she always read; this time she also read advice from a blogger who owned three cats.
She was fully prepared.
Step one: Analyze the recipient's preferences.
Hmm… He likes pretty girls. That was undeniable. Obvious, even. No further thought required.
But unfortunately, you couldn't just buy a pretty girl in a shopping mall.
If he were an otaku, maybe she could get him two tickets for a date with an underground idol or something.
But sadly, Yukino didn't know much about underground idols, had zero confidence she could find one prettier than the girls already around him, and besides… it felt like a betrayal of their friendship.
Pass.
Next step…
Yukino stood in the first-floor atrium of the mall, staring at the dazzling, luxurious stores all around her.
'Is Hojou Kyousuke really the kind of guy who has no hobbies besides liking beautiful girls?'
Could someone like that truly exist?
'Unbelievable…'
She stared, wide-eyed.
Even when he wasn't physically present, Hojou was still managing to make her life harder.
How infuriating.
Even she, after falling in love with the book Panda's Garden, naturally became fond of Disney's virtual character Johnny the Panda, who was based on the novel.
And after falling for Johnny, it was only natural she developed a liking for real pandas… and then chinchilla cats, lion cats, ragdolls, Bengal tigers, Siberian forest cats, Asiatic lions, tabby cats, snow leopards…
Liking one thing should lead to others.
That was how hobbies worked.
Who in the world obsessed over just one thing and nothing else?
Wait. Kyousuke also seemed to really like money, didn't he?
If not, with his lazy personality, he wouldn't bother writing novels or drawing manga.
Should she just give him a debit card?
Yukino looked down at her white purse.
Determined to pick the perfect gift for Hojou, she had brought all the cash she owned—and even the bank card her father had secretly slipped her.
She had no idea how much was on it, considering she never even managed to spend her regular allowance from her mother.
Still… directly giving him money?
That felt a little too much like Hayama Hayato casually plucking a yellow flower and handing it to her.
It completely stripped away the meaning of a gift.
The perfectionist in her was now caught in a dilemma.
Yukino knew herself well—she was the kind of person who should just ask for help.
But her narrow social circle left her with only two potential candidates: Yamauchi Sakura and Nishimiya Shouko.
And even she, dense as she could be sometimes, instinctively felt that asking either of them to help her choose a gift for Hojou was… not a good idea.
She couldn't explain why, but her gut told her it was absolutely the wrong move.
Wearing a blue dress and a white sunhat with a round brim, Yukino held a small, minimalist bag with no decoration beyond the brand logo.
With her petite height and serious expression, the mall staff nearly mistook her for a lost child.
In fact, her helpless demeanor attracted one of the employees.
"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" a staff member in a red uniform asked politely.
Yukino's lips moved, tempted to accept the help.
But then Haruno's voice echoed in her mind: "Make sure you return the favor."
So, she resisted the urge to take the shortcut and politely declined.
"If you need anything, the information desk is right over there," the staff member said with a concerned smile.
Yukino bowed again in thanks.
'Alright. If I can't decide based on his preferences, I need to look at this from another angle:'
What does he need?
What does Hojou Kyousuke need?
Beautiful girls. No doubt. That guy's appetite seemed endless.
Ugh. She was going in circles.
Maybe… she should just give him her sister?
Beautiful, fashionable, brilliant, athletic, multi-talented, bold and dependable… a woman so perfect that everyone who met her had to praise her.
Surely even Hojou couldn't turn that down, right?
And maybe if those two annoying people ended up together, it would at least set Sakura free.
Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
Her face clearly showed excitement—as if she'd just discovered a brilliant idea.
'Isn't this kind of like buying handshake tickets for underground idols?'
"Yukino-chan?"
A sudden voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up, startled, and saw Sakura standing in front of her.
"What a coincidence! I didn't think I'd run into you while shopping," Sakura said cheerfully.
"…What kind of image do you have of me?" Yukinoshita replied flatly. "I have daily needs too, you know. And it's not really a coincidence.
Tobu Department Store isn't just the biggest mall in Tokyo—it's also the closest one to both my home and the Dorm.
Of course I'd come here on a weekend. Sure, there's also a Seibu store next door, but that only reduces the probability of me coming here from a hundred percent to, say, fifty."
She explained with clinical precision, voice cool and composed.
For someone who had no clue what to buy, department stores were the obvious go-to.
Large-scale, nearby, convenient—why waste mental energy?
"Ah, Yukino, that's so mean! You make me sound like an idiot," Sakura pouted.
"Of course not."
Her tone was cold, but the words were oddly kind—comforting even.
Her gaze was steady and sincere.
"Yukino~!" Sakura instantly brightened, delighted to be recognized as not-a-dummy.
"You are an idiot. It's not that you just seem like one." Yukinoshita's tone remained icy, and this time the words matched.
"So mean! I got a perfect score on my last math test, you know! Just two questions fewer than you!"
Why even have tests? Why do airheads like her get perfect scores?
'Why couldn't I get 101 points?'
As Yukinoshita mulled over these questions, Sakura grabbed her arm and started shaking it excitedly.
The dizziness that followed didn't bother her much—she was just relieved Sakura wasn't reaching into her pocket.
The last thing she wanted to see was that greasy, fingerprint-smudged perfect score sheet again.
'Oh right… Shouko covered the grease with stickers.'
'Whew…'
'No wait—definitely not whew!'
Why are there so many people here!?
It was only then that Yukinoshita noticed the large group standing behind Sakura.
Every single woman who had been at last night's celebration banquet was here—except her sister and in her place, Kato had shown up.
'Am I just hallucinating from Sakura's arm-shaking?'
Gulp.
Yukinoshita swallowed hard.
She had thought about inviting Sakura and Shouko to help her pick a gift for Hojou Kyousuke.
That much was true.
But… this many girls—every one of them close to Hojou Kyousuke and all of them showing up together?
Just imagining having to explain, in front of Kyousuke's mother, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Mitsuha Miyamizu, that she came to the mall to buy him a present was enough to make her hyperventilate.
Still, she managed a polite smile and greeted everyone.
"Yukino, what are you here to buy?"
Here it comes—the exact question she didn't want to answer.
Yamauchi Sakura really was her sister's friend for a reason.
"I, um…" Yukinoshita hesitated.
Should she just say she didn't find what she was looking for and was about to leave?
"I saw you standing here for a while," Sakura added.
"…You saw me standing here for a while?" Yukinoshita repeated, stunned and a bit exasperated.
"Yeah. I thought it was some kind of performance art, so I told Shouko and Sakura not to bother you," came a voice from the back—Kasumigaoka Utaha, arms crossed beneath her chest in a way that made her figure look even more pronounced.
First she had to deal with Eri the chaos-bringer, and now it was Yukinoshita the chaos magnet.
What a fun day.
"..."
Yukinoshita swallowed hard again.
For the first time, she started to question her own choices.
'Maybe I should've just made my sister the gift and called it a day…'
These girls weren't normal.
For most girls, the joy of mall trips came from shopping or browsing.
But these girls came here for entertainment—and their favorite amusement was each other.
"Ah! I get it now. You're trying to buy something… private, right? Sorry, sorry, we didn't mean to intrude." Utaha covered her mouth in mock apology, voice drenched in playful mischief.
Hearing that Yukinoshita shot her a frigid glare.
———————————————————————
Daily Uploads!
Unlock bonus chapters by reaching specific milestones with [Power Stone] votes!
Go to p-atreon.com/InsomniaTL to access more than 50 advanced chapters.