At the far end of a narrow viewing terrace so cramped it felt more like a hallway there were usually only a few potted plants, and hardly anyone ever came here.
Yukinoshita and the girl standing opposite her locked eyes in silence.
The cold wind brushed their cheeks, but what stung even more than the chill was the awkward tension between them.
Back at the banquet just moments ago, Yukinoshita had overheard this very daughter of the Shijō family boldly declare with the conviction of someone swearing an oath that there was absolutely no way she could ever like Tanuma Tsubasa.
She'd even gone out of her way to tear into him with a sharp tongue, saying she'd sooner fall for a dog than for him.
At the time, Yukinoshita had genuinely wondered how this Shijō girl had even ended up on the list of "victims." Whoever compiled that thing must've been completely unhinged.
Then again who did make that cursed list???
Not only was it circulating on Sōbu High's forums, but it had spread across other school boards and even popped up in forums dedicated to upper-class gossip. The list was so expansive and its details so disturbingly specific that it left people speechless.
Once the list was made public, curious onlookers flooded in. Some even took it upon themselves to create a "Sea King Map" for Yukinoshita.
To the delight of the masses, it was discovered that the people Yukinoshita had "cheated on" spanned from Hokkaido to Honshu, from Shikoku to Kyushu, and all the way to Tokyo her so-called dominion as a Sea King practically blanketing the entire country.
At first, the various forums erupted in outrage, condemning her despicable behavior. But over time, as the gossip about Yukinoshita continued to pile up, the tone shifted dramatically.
When is Yukinoshita releasing her memoir? I'll preorder ten copies!
When will Yukinoshita's green conquest extend overseas?
Who did Yukinoshita cheat on today?
Rumor has it Yukinoshita stepped down from her Sea King throne does that mean no more drama for us???
Among the sea of posts, discussions about Shijō Maki remained one of the hottest topics.
After all, she was the only person on the victim list who had publicly denied her so-called "victim" status. She had loudly proclaimed that she'd rather fall for a hammer than for Tanuma Tsubasa.
She said, "What does Yukinoshita cheating on people have to do with me?"
She said, "Stop talking about this stupid gossip in front of me."
She said, "Tanuma Tsubasa is a total idiot!"
It was said that after hearing her comments, Tanuma Tsubasa nearly burst into tears. Even after he later started dating Shijō Maki's best friend, Kashiwagi Nagisa, he kept a respectful distance from her.
Tanuma Tsubasa: QAQ
And now, just moments ago, Yukinoshita had overheard that same high-society princess sobbing softly in this secluded corner, murmuring
"I… I really do like Tanuma-kun…"
Yukinoshita: "..."
What was she even supposed to say to that?
She'd come here hoping to cool her head, her chest tight with unspoken frustration, but instead she stumbled into this mess of a scene. She instinctively turned to leave.
Her movement shattered the frozen atmosphere between them.
Shijō Maki's face flushed bright red, and she blurted out, "I don't like Tanuma Tsubasa!!"
[System suggests optimal line to improve public image: Say 'Tanuma Tsubasa? Who's that?']
Yukinoshita: "…Tanuma Tsubasa? Who's that?"
System, are you serious? That sounds absolutely useless!
Saying that as his ex-girlfriend? Wouldn't that just come across as smug, sarcastic, and full of spite?
Shijō Maki would probably leap up and start a fight right here on the spot!
But instead, the girl just stared at her blankly. She'd already been crouched down with her face buried in her arms, and after letting out a hiccupping sob, she lowered her head again.
This time, however, her tears were silent, broken only by the occasional sniffle.
The wild storm of conflicting emotions that had gripped her earlier almost like some form of emotional whiplash gradually began to settle.
Her voice was muffled. "I don't need your sympathy, Yukinoshita."
Who's sympathizing with you???
If it weren't for the system prompting her to score points with Shijō Maki, Yukinoshita would've walked away the moment she saw her.
She had her own emotional turmoil to deal with!
Shijō Maki tilted her tear-streaked face slightly toward Yukinoshita. The moonlight glinted off the wetness in her eyes.
"I really hate you, Yukinoshita."
Yukinoshita let out a breath of relief. Finally, the conversation had returned to a territory she was well-versed in.
She nodded calmly. "A lot of people do."
Aside from Yukinoshita Haruno, who couldn't even recognize her, no amount of hate, curses, or resentment could faze Yukinoshita. She was the kind of person who could accept other people's animosity with cool indifference.
If it weren't for the need to protect the alliance between the Shijō and Yukinoshita families not to mention the point-earning mission she would've ignored Shijō Maki's hatred entirely.
Shijō's voice was soft, like a breeze on the verge of vanishing.
"Tanuma-kun said… you actually knew he liked Nagisa, and the day you started dating him, all you did was teach him how to chase after her."
Wait blonde Yukinoshita pulled that kind of move just to make her confession work?
But then again, if Shijō Maki knew about blonde Yukinoshita's tactics, shouldn't she not hate her? After all, Yukinoshita was more like a dating coach than a real girlfriend to Tanuma.
…Oh. Actually, maybe not. Blonde Yukinoshita did end up helping Tanuma get with Kashiwagi Nagisa. So in the end, Shijō Maki got cut out of the picture entirely.
Yeah, makes sense. The blame would fall on blonde Yukinoshita.
No point in denying it. Time to beat the corpse.
Yukinoshita tried to locate the emotional keywords she could use to earn points from Shijō. "You really liked Tanuma Tsubasa?"
Shijō turned her face away without replying.
Under this moonlit night with no one else around, the usually guarded Shijō Maki was surprisingly vulnerable.
Yukinoshita pressed on, "If you want, I can be your dating coach now help you win Tanuma-kun back?"
Shijō whispered, "He's already dating Nagisa. As Nagisa's best friend, and as the daughter of the Shijō family… I can't do that."
"Not even if it's a fair competition?"
"No."
Though her voice was subdued, there wasn't a trace of hesitation in it.
When it came to love, this girl had never even considered competing with her friend.
She was, in the truest sense, too honorable.
The pain she carried wasn't something imposed on her by others it came from the moral code she imposed on herself.
Yukinoshita sighed softly, smoothed her dress, and crouched down beside her.
Seeing Shijō Maki cry so heartbreakingly struck a chord. Yukinoshita had her own burdens, after all it was hard not to feel a shared sense of sorrow.
"…Then maybe you could try liking someone else?"
"I can't…"
Shijō Maki gently rubbed at her eyes. Her voice trembled with the remnants of tears.
"I've liked Tanuma-kun since elementary school. I can't just… like someone else."
Ah…
So she really was stuck in a tragic, inescapable dead end.
How truly pitiful, this Shijō Maki.
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