Monday marked the start of a new week, a new chapter in the journey of learning and striving toward the future.
Yet even after the weekend had come and gone, even after forcing herself not to dwell on it, Yumiko Miura still felt as though the world was spinning out of control.
This is mutual affection. It has to be.
The voice of that blonde, foreign beauty from the other day still echoed vividly in her ears.
Mutual affection…
Affection…
Mutual…
Feeling…
Yumiko buried her head in her desk, unable to look at Yukinoshita sitting beside her, her face burning with heat.
She was a young girl, after all. Just imagining a boy her age doing something slightly bold would be enough to make her heart race and cheeks flush so this, being in mutual love with a girl? No wonder she was a mess.
Despite the overwhelming shyness and the quiet fear creeping in, when she really thought about it if it was with Yukinoshita then everything she'd been feeling lately, all the strange, unnameable emotions she'd never experienced before, suddenly made perfect sense.
The way her heart pounded when she saw her. The way her thoughts drifted to Yukinoshita's soft, pale neck when her hair was swept aside. The way she couldn't help but pay attention to every little thing about her.
The way Yukinoshita's sadness made her sad, and her joy brought her joy.
It wasn't just friendship anymore. Somewhere along the way, that sincere bond had… changed.
They were in love.
Ugh, so embarrassing…
So scary…
But if it was Yukinoshita, then so happy, so happy.
What would her friends think? Would they understand? Or would they reject her?
And what about her parents would they try to tear them apart?
What if she and Yukinoshita went out holding hands one day and got laughed at by some jerks?
And then, what if what if Yukinoshita wanted kids someday?
But science had come a long way. Maybe having children together wasn't impossible!
Yumiko's brain kicked into overdrive. In that moment, she even started planning what they'd name the baby and what kind of material they'd choose for matching urns.
And Yukinoshita… she'd probably been in love with her for even longer. She must have been so afraid, hiding those feelings all this time.
Thinking that, Yumiko summoned her courage and gave the girl beside her a supportive smile.
Don't be afraid. I'm here for you.
Yukinoshita: "?"
Yukinoshita responded with a question mark written all over her face.
Did this girl not get enough sleep?
Yumiko's thoughts were such a chaotic whirlwind that it wasn't until the end of first period that she finally pulled a pink envelope from her desk, its front decorated with a row of tiny hearts.
The moment it slid into view, several heads turned her way, and a chorus of excited voices erupted across the classroom.
After all, in high school, even the tiniest bit of gossip could spread like wildfire. And Yumiko Miura wasn't just anyone she was a queen bee, one of the most iconic figures in the whole school.
"Whoa! Yumiko got a love letter!"
"Who's bold enough to try that?!"
"Who's it from, Yumiko?"
"What does it say? I'm dying to know!"
With her good looks, top-tier grades, athletic talent, and well-off family, Yumiko had always had a long line of admirers. But because of her rumored connection with Hayama, most boys had never dared to make a move who could compete with someone like him?
Back then, Yumiko had been far more focused on her duties as a member of the disciplinary committee than romance anyway.
That said, in the past even if others had gotten the wrong idea Yumiko herself had genuinely thought she liked Hayama.
Ono snatched the letter from her hands and let out an exaggerated chuckle. "It's from a first-year boy, Ishida Akikazu…"
Yui leaned over Ono's shoulder, bursting into giggles the moment she read the first line.
"God, that's so cheesy!"
The atmosphere in the class grew even livelier.
"Ishida Akikazu? I've heard of him he's like, the ultimate pretty boy!"
"Loads of first-year girls have a crush on him."
"Not just the underclassmen, even some upperclassmen too…"
"So, Yumiko do you feel even a little tempted?"
Yumiko didn't feel even a little tempted!
She was just about to clarify that when another thought struck her and she suddenly beamed.
If Yukinoshita liked her so much had liked her for so long then seeing someone else give her a love letter must have made her absolutely green with jealousy!
She'd probably be fuming with envy right now, right?
Yukinoshita must be the type who was impossible to soothe when she got jealous!
But that was just how adorable she was, clinging to Yumiko like that.
Ah, what a headache… teehee.
Caught up in the excitement of the class, Yumiko stole a glance at Yukinoshita only to find her calmly reviewing a test paper, as if none of the chaos around them had anything to do with her.
Yukinoshita looked up at Yumiko's puzzled expression with mild confusion.
"…Is there something on my face?"
Yumiko collapsed dramatically back onto her desk, ignoring the teasing remarks from Saika, Yui, and the others.
This girl this girl! saw someone else give her a love letter and didn't even flinch?!
Couldn't she show a little jealousy at least?
Come on, I'm a really hard catch, you know!
Yukinoshita: "......"
No, seriously, did she not sleep last night?
Barely one period later, Yui bounded back over to Yukinoshita's desk, practically glowing with joy as she handed her a test paper.
"I passed my math makeup exam!"
Yukinoshita took the paper and glanced at it, only to feel her eyes burn at the sight.
In Japanese school grading, a checkmark often indicated a wrong answer, while a circle meant it was correct.
Yui's paper had so many checkmarks it looked like an abstract painting. Yukinoshita figured even if she turned off half her brain, she still wouldn't score that low.
Still, learning should be encouraged.
She nodded slightly. "For just one week of cramming, this is impressive."
Yui had barely begun her celebratory cheer when Yukinoshita added, "From now on, I'll be giving you weekly practice sets. Hand them in every weekend."
Yui's soul visibly left her body.
Yukinoshita continued examining the test paper. "You can cram for some subjects and still pass, but not math. Math requires constant practice."
"Come here. Didn't I go over this problem type with you before? Why did you miss it again?"
Still sprawled on her desk, Yumiko peeked at the two of them with a puzzled frown.
Since when were Yukinoshita and Yui that close?
Then suddenly like a thunderbolt realization struck her.
I see now!
Yukinoshita was jealous!
She was getting close to Yui just to make her jealous!
She really does like me! Ahhhh~
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