Even someone as socially inept as Yukinoshita had heard about what happened with the first-years.
Yesterday, she saw Miura leave with a troubled expression, and casually asked Junko Kamizawa one of Miura's close friends about it.
Then today during lunch break, while dropping off some graded papers at the office, Yukinoshita found Miss Hiratsuka rubbing her temples in frustration.
"If you frown any harder, Miss Hiratsuka, you'll age faster."
Miss Hiratsuka didn't even have time to scold her.
"Shoo, shoo. I'm busy."
Yukinoshita didn't leave. She lightly knocked on Miss Hiratsuka's desk. Only when the teacher looked up at her with a helpless expression did she clear her throat and speak.
"Actually, Miss Hiratsuka, I'd like to ask a favor."
Miura had just returned from the Service Club, intending to find Yukinoshita herself only for Yukinoshita to find her first.
Standing next to her was Miss Hiratsuka.
With a cheerful smile, Hiratsuka patted Miura on the head. "That's right. I'm giving you and Yukinoshita special permission to take the day off from classes to investigate or resolve the issue with Nishimiya."
She stretched lazily and turned to leave, waving behind her as she walked away. "If you run into trouble, don't forget to come to me."
Hey, hey, isn't now exactly when we're running into trouble?
Yukinoshita, holding her laptop as always, looked calm. "If a teacher gets directly involved, not only will it fail to resolve the problem it'll provoke backlash from the entire class and make things even worse."
Miura scratched her head. "But why are you suddenly dragged into this, Yukinoshita?"
"Because I know sign language."
"Huh?" Miura was stunned. "...When did you learn that?"
She already knew Yukinoshita was a prodigy graceful, talented, both brainy and athletic but this seemed excessive.
Do rich girls need to know this too??
Yukinoshita walked ahead, eyes forward. "A long time ago. But now I only remember a little."
That was a lie.
In truth, it was only last night that she'd burned the midnight oil, cramming some basic and commonly used signs from videos in a last-minute effort.
Yukinoshita had always been quick to learn, able to grasp and master new things effortlessly. But because achieving proficiency had always come too easily, and surpassing Haruno was impossible, she had rarely stuck with anything for long.
Yet ever since her growth spurt and stat boosts so to speak even Yukinoshita herself didn't know just how much her memory had improved.
She hadn't slept much the night before. She couldn't claim fluency in sign language, but she felt confident enough in the basics to communicate effectively.
Miura exhaled softly. "Miss Hiratsuka really didn't hesitate to dump this on you. Isn't this interfering with your study time?"
She knew better than anyone how determined Yukinoshita was to come first in the next mock exam.
More importantly, she didn't want Yukinoshita involved in this. She was afraid it might stir up old, painful memories.
Yukinoshita nodded, expression severe. "Exactly. Miss Hiratsuka really overstepped this time."
And once again, that was a lie.
Yukinoshita had gone to Hiratsuka-sensei that morning specifically to ask to be involved.
She'd already had the idea yesterday, when she saw Miura troubled and frowning all day.
Wasn't this what friends were supposed to do help each other out?
But of course, someone as tsundere as her would never say that to Miura directly.
When she approached Miss Hiratsuka, her reasoning had been solemn and justified: having once been a victim of bullying, she couldn't allow such things to happen again under her watch.
Her righteous indignation had almost moved Hiratsuka to tears on the spot.
Yukinoshita thought for a moment. "Any leads on the missing wallet?"
"None. There weren't any cameras either."
Drawing on her experience as a veteran of anti-bullying strategies, Yukinoshita spoke calmly, "The most important thing right now is to stop the rumors and suspicions from spreading further in Class 1-D. Even if the truth comes out eventually, unchecked malice will keep growing under its own momentum."
Miura nodded. "Someone from that class also made a request to the Service Club. Hikigaya-kun gave some suggestions, but…"
Yukinoshita turned to look at her. "He's trying to throw himself under the bus again?"
Miura nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "...That's right."
Hikigaya Hachiman's motto might as well be: If someone has to get hurt, why can't it be me?
He thought of himself as someone who could take on pain without complaint not necessarily because he was kind. Well, okay, maybe he was a soft-hearted guy who never admitted it.
But more than anything, he believed that if his suffering could bring peace to others, then maybe that was enough.
His plan this time was no different: he'd asked Miura to spread a rumor that he was collecting protection money at school. After all, his reputation as a delinquent was already in the gutter.
And the missing wallet? The rumor would go: someone in Class 1-D, desperate and in tears, had stolen it under pressure to pay his so-called fee.
Then, Hikigaya the ultimate villain would appear and shift all of the class's anger and suspicion away from Nishimiya and onto himself.
"As long as they have a common enemy," Hachiman had said, "people are surprisingly quick to bury the hatchet and unite. They might even start protecting Nishimiya Shouko."
Nice. A perfect world where no one gets hurt except Hikigaya.
He had chosen Miura because she held sway over student opinion and happened to be the moderator of Sōbu High's school forum, making it easy to manipulate the narrative.
"I turned down his plan."
Miura added, "I'll never accept peace that comes from sacrificing someone."
Yukinoshita stared at her for a long moment so long that Miura started to feel awkward.
She averted her eyes, a bit flustered. "W-Why are you looking at me like that…"
Then Yukinoshita raised her hand and signed something her left hand extended with fingers together and thumb pointing toward her temple, while her right hand formed a fist and tapped the same spot.
Miura blinked. "...What does that mean?"
Yukinoshita, suddenly stern again, walked ahead and replied, "It means you're an idiot."
She didn't let Miura see the faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I've already got a plan, so stop looking so miserable."
Miura noticed Yukinoshita's awkward signing, the exhaustion in her expression today, and the faint shadows under her eyes.
These scattered fragments pieced together to reveal the truth.
She rubbed at her suddenly stinging eyes.
Honestly...
Yukinoshita was the biggest idiot of them all.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Already hooked? Let me know what caught your attention—your review fuels the adventure ahead!
The season is shifting. Dive into OneJourney and stay a step ahead of the pack.
[email protected]/yanxx
Change @ to a.