"But his home is a villa in the city."
Hearing Haruno's serious tone, Yukino already believed her for the most part—but she still wanted to dig deeper.
Because after Haruno mentioned the name Yami Tsukishiro, her sister's usual teasing demeanor had vanished.
"I looked into it. He's actually very wealthy… how should I put it? His assets even exceed those of the Yukinoshita family."
"...?"
Yukino frowned.
If his assets surpassed the Yukinoshita family's, then didn't that contradict what had been said before?
Before she could question it, Haruno continued on her own.
"It's just that all of his wealth was made by investing his parents' assets."
She let out a small laugh. "To be honest, even I admire him. To achieve so much at such a young age… And despite making that fortune, he decisively liquidated everything, cut off all investments, and walked away completely. That kind of resolve is rare."
Haruno compared it to herself. If it were her, she would have wanted to keep expanding, to grow even bigger.
Not just her—almost anyone would.
Even Yukino was quietly shaken. If what her sister said was true, then it really did make sense. The courage to make such a choice… it was on a level she couldn't imagine.
"So, did Mother take a liking to his youth and potential?"
Even as she asked, Yukino herself felt "young and promising" wasn't enough to describe Yami Tsukishiro.
He had already achieved success. He couldn't be "more successful" than he already was.
If marriage was truly what their mother was considering, then wasn't she the one unworthy of him?
The thought made her falter. Could it be… that their mother wanted her to be the one to reach out?
"You're overthinking it, Yukino-chan. I can't explain the details, but I can tell you this much—Yami Tsukishiro is special."
Haruno's voice grew uncharacteristically gentle. "There's nothing wrong with getting close to him. If I weren't in a position where I couldn't interfere, I might have wanted to take your place myself, Yukino."
"..."
Yukino hadn't expected those words from her sister.
"By the way, Yukino-chan," Haruno suddenly teased, her tone snapping back to its usual playfulness, "you asking me about Yami Tsukishiro all of a sudden… don't tell me you care about him?"
"…No. Goodnight."
Yukino hung up immediately, her voice as cold as she could make it.
Yukino lingered on that last word her sister had spoken
"Special."
She recalled the image of Yami Tsukishiro.
Special? She didn't understand what Haruno meant by that… yet the impression he left on her wasn't a bad one.
...
"Oh~ Yukino-chan, how will you choose?"
On the other end of the line, Haruno smiled faintly at her phone.
From what she knew of her younger sister, Yukino would never call so late at night unless she truly cared about the matter.
...
And so the days passed in quiet calm.
For a while, it was peaceful.
At school, Yami Tsukishiro had gained two more "guardians."
Between classes, Eriri and Utaha would always stick around him.
And because of their competitive jealousy, Yami would occasionally find himself receiving "benefits" from one or the other—whether it was a packed lunch, an extra book, or simply more attention than he asked for.
To him, it was nothing but enjoyment. He didn't mind their rivalry in the slightest.
Outside of that, most of his remaining time was spent in the dungeon.
But peace never lasts long—not in a world that could erupt into chaos at any moment.
...
Saturday.
Eriri and Utaha had arranged to go out together.
Though calling it an "outing" might not do it justice. It was… well, a date. A three-person date still counted as a date, after all.
"Yami-kun!"
In front of the mall entrance, Eriri waved enthusiastically, her red short-sleeved shirt and black skirt giving off a lively, eye-catching vibe.
"Utaha isn't here yet?" Yami asked as he walked up to her.
"Oh? Could it be that you can't wait even a moment to see me, Yami-kun?"
A teasing voice chimed in as Utaha approached.
She wore a white dress with a matching headband, her long black stockings drawing more than a few curious gazes from passersby.
A faint fragrance drifted in the breeze as she brushed back her hair with effortless elegance.
"You're so narcissistic! He just doesn't like that you're late!"
Eriri bared her little fangs, bristling with hostility.
"Narcissistic?" Utaha chuckled softly, puffing out her chest ever so slightly. "At least I have the capital for it. What about you?"
Eriri's eyes sharpened immediately.
"Ahhhh! Don't you have anything else to say? You attack me with this every single time!"
Eriri was so furious she looked ready to jump on the spot.
Because this was the one thing she couldn't fight back against.
Facts spoke louder than words.
She had even once asked her mother for breast enlargement methods. Papaya milk and the like… utterly useless.
"Don't make a scene when we're out to play."
Yami Tsukishiro sighed. If there was any benefit to be had, it should be his alone. Two girls bickering around him just made it a headache.
So without hesitation, he took both of their hands and started walking toward the mall.
"Eh—!"
Being pulled along so openly in public, Eriri shrank her head, her cheeks burning bright red.
Utaha, however, simply rolled her eyes, released Yami's hand, circled around to Eriri's other side, and took her hand instead.
"What are you doing?"
Eriri blinked at her in confusion. Was this supposed to be an apology?
But Utaha's lips curled upward, her eyes glinting with amusement. Definitely not an apology.
"Mr. Yami-kun" she asked sweetly, "don't we look like a family of three?"
"..."
Yami gave no reply.
But from an outsider's point of view, with Eriri's petite figure creating a natural height difference, it really did look like a couple bringing their daughter out for the day.
The instant Eriri realized what Utaha meant, her face went bright red. She yanked her hand free and darted to Yami's other side, glaring furiously at Utaha.
"Yami-kun, you see it, right?! She's always taking advantage of me!"
Her voice cracked with frustration.
Her lips trembled, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked utterly aggrieved.
Yami let out a small cough, finally stepping in. "Ahem… Utaha, don't tease her too much."
"Okay, okay."
The moment he said it, Utaha actually backed down, lifting her hands in surrender with a playful smirk.
[Author Note]📢
Hey everyone!
Just a quick update — I've started a new Naruto novel:
Naruto: I'm Atomic
It's a fresh project with cleaner writing and a steadier release pace.
If you enjoyed my previous stories, feel free to check it out!
Thanks for the support 🗣️
— Arthorain