After the weekend, Yukinoshita once again returned to her rented apartment for the week.
She had expected that her return would result in a storm of passive-aggressive resentment from the golden-haired Yukinoshita—after all, someone so wild and free-spirited would never take kindly to being ignored. Yukinoshita had even braced herself for the possibility of having her credit card frozen as a warning.
She had long since learned to prepare for the worst.
But surprisingly, when she arrived home, the two of them—mother and daughter—actually shared a rare dinner together.
Granted, there was a third wheel: Haruno.
And after dinner, her mother had immediately boarded a flight back to Tokyo, as busy as ever.
Staring out the car window at the landscape rushing by, Yukinoshita sat in silence, cloaked in solitude.
From time to time, she found herself wondering what kind of person the golden-haired Yukinoshita really was. Why did her mother and Haruno behave so strangely around her?
The Line account previously used by the golden-haired Yukinoshita had contact lists categorized into various groups: victims of her philandering, those already blocked, and those yet to be blocked.
Haruno Yukinoshita, however, was the sole exception—listed outside all the categories, marked only as [Terrible Woman].
If she truly disliked someone, if she genuinely didn't want to deal with them, then based on her personality, she would've blocked them without hesitation.
So why had she come to this world? Why was she doing all this? What kind of person was she, really?
For someone who had taken over more than a year of her life, Yukinoshita realized she knew absolutely nothing.
When she got home, Yukinoshita took out the bento boxes she had just bought from the convenience store, placed one on the dining table in the living room, and put the rest into the fridge.
Kasumigaoka, apparently still full of energy after school, sent over a barrage of photos.
Kasumigaoka: She thinks my finger is her mom…
The tiny kitten in the photo was dozing off, barely awake, and had latched onto Kasumigaoka's finger with a dazed look in its eyes.
Kasumigaoka: She's got a good appetite. Doesn't do much during the day, but at night she just won't sleep and keeps meowing like crazy.
Yukinoshita stared at the photo for a few seconds and replied, Has she had her vaccines yet?
Kasumigaoka: Not yet. Planning to take her to the pet hospital sometime this week.
This week?
Kasumigaoka was a model honor student, and with her schedule, weekdays must be packed.
So if she planned to go, it had to be on the weekend.
Yukinoshita paused and typed: Are you going this weekend?
Kasumigaoka: This weekend I'm supposed to be tutoring you, remember?!
Yukinoshita couldn't tell if she was imagining things, but the reply seemed oddly... anxious?
Yukinoshita: I don't really need tutoring anymore.
Kasumigaoka: ...That's true, I guess.
Yukinoshita might not be the most socially aware person, but she wasn't stupid.
It felt like Kasumigaoka's mood had suddenly taken a nosedive.
The socially inept Yukinoshita fell into a moment of deep reflection.
What was going on?
At times like this, there was only one place to turn for answers: the all-knowing system.
-Kasumigaoka and light novels?
No keyword match. No response.
-Kasumigaoka and diet pills?
Still nothing.
-Kasumigaoka and otome games?
Wrong again.
-Kasumigaoka and Love Metronome?
No dice.
What on earth had triggered this emotional drop?
What were Kasumigaoka's emotional keywords, anyway?
Ugh. At this rate, she was going to turn into a full-time detective.
She always said she treated Kasumigaoka as nothing more than a cold, calculating grade-boosting machine—but in reality, Yukinoshita was just being stubborn.
The first time they met, Kasumigaoka had acted cold and arrogant, but she was the type who couldn't even go through with a prank on her romantic rival, only to miss the chance and actually feel relieved when she got caught.
A sharp tongue, soft heart. That was Kasumigaoka.
Back then, she had just gone through a failed crush. The new book from the author she liked wasn't doing well either.
Kasumigaoka kept insisting she and Kasushiko-sensei were just friends, that Love Metronome was "just okay"—but the moment she saw a negative comment about Kasushiko-sensei on Twitter, that rare expression of helpless pain appeared on her face.
And Yukinoshita Yukino, devout Kasushiko-sensei fangirl—probably began to feel a strange sense of kinship with her at that very moment.
Thinking about all this, Yukinoshita scrolled back through the cat pictures and tried again.
-Kasumigaoka and cats?
This time, the system responded.
[System has selected optimal option to reverse negative impression: "Pet hospital? I'll come with you this weekend."]
That couldn't be it. Kasumigaoka had just been talking about cats. Why would she be in a bad mood because of cats?
Who could possibly feel bad while looking at cats?
Yukinoshita: Pet hospital? I'll come with you this weekend.
The reply came almost instantly.
Kasumigaoka: Great! It's a promise, then!
Yukinoshita could practically see her mood improving through the screen.
Wait, seriously???
That was really the correct answer???
Kasumigaoka, were you actually upset with the kitten?
You're hereby disqualified from being a cat owner.
At Sōbu High, after the disciplinary committee meeting, the chairperson went around giving feedback on each class's behavior and conduct.
Miura Yumiko, the vice chair and the likely next committee head thanks to her high task completion rate, received special praise from Musashi-senpai.
"Class 1-D's Ikeda. I've heard about your class's issues from two whole buildings away," Musashi said after finishing his praise for Yukinoshita. He closed his sturdy clipboard and looked up sternly at Natsuki Ikeda.
Ikeda hung his head in shame. "I'm very sorry. I've let you down, senpai."
"The real issue isn't letting me down. It's that things this serious shouldn't be happening in any class."
Musashi paused, then turned to Miura. "I know it's a sensitive situation, and you're in a better position to understand than he is. You talk with Ikeda, and report back to me with the details."
Miura nodded without hesitation. This kind of task was right up her alley.
Musashi might've looked like a burly jock, but his attention to detail could be surprisingly delicate.
By the time the meeting ended, it was already past school hours. Miura had messaged her friends earlier, telling them to head home without her.
"Miura-senpai, the new transfer student joined our class just over a week ago," Ikeda explained as they walked out of the school building together.
"At first, I just thought she was having trouble adjusting… until yesterday."
Ikeda let out a heavy sigh.
"Yesterday, she was completely isolated."
Miura paused mid-note and fell silent for a moment. "...What's the name of the student being bullied?"
"It's Nishimiya," Ikeda said quietly.
"Senpai, her name is Shouko Nishimiya."
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