When Yuigahama Yui heard this, she reached out and gently held Yukinoshita Yukino's hand.
Yukino froze, her gaze fixed on Yui in surprise.
"When Akira-kun and Yukino get married in the future, you won't need to feel envious anymore," Yui said softly.
"There's still a long time before that happens," Yukino replied in a low voice, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Once my cooking skills are recognized by Yukino, I'll apply to work as a chef at your house and help take care of the children too," Yui said, her tone full of longing.
"Yuigahama-san, I'm sorry," Yukino murmured, lowering her head.
"I'm the one who should say sorry. Akira-kun likes Yukino more, and I don't want to leave him, so it turned out like this," Yui said with a gentle shake of her head.
"...It's not your fault, Yuigahama-san. It's all his," Yukino replied after a moment's thought.
Yui smiled softly at her words.While, Yukino sighed helplessly.
They both understood that Akira wasn't at fault—or rather, that the blame wasn't solely his.
"Yuigahama-san… three years. After we get married, please give me three years," Yukino said, still looking down.
"No problem. Three years is fine," Yui replied with a soft smile.
"...What happens after that?" Yukino asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Yukino, I have a feeling that one day, a girl will appear that Akira-kun won't be able to refuse," Yui said seriously.
"You… you mean…" Yukino's voice faltered.
"Yukino-chan, I'll let you make the choice," Yui said firmly.
.....
In Yukinoshita Haruno's bedroom,
Akira Fujimiya lay awake, silently observing the situation. He didn't know exactly what the two girls were discussing, but he could easily guess.
Both of them were gentle and thoughtful; they would naturally examine themselves first. Yukino would propose a three-year agreement, and Yui would accept it without hesitation.
Akira had anticipated this outcome when Yui first brought up the topic. Their conversation would then inevitably turn to what might happen if other girls appeared in the future.
Considering Yui's personality, she would most likely leave the choice to Yukino.
Yukino had already attempted to test this scenario once, and Akira had answered in two different ways. Yukino didn't dwell on the subject, choosing instead to ignore it.
Of course, this didn't mean she agreed fully; the matter simply hadn't occurred, so she had no reason to confront Akira.
The implication was clear: should Akira meet a girl he genuinely couldn't refuse, Yukino would be the only obstacle.
Akira turned his head and looked out the window.
A girl he couldn't refuse? What kind of girl would that be?
Whether it was Saki Kawasaki or Yumiko Miura, he had already rejected them both.
Even if a girl matched Yukino's level of appearance, he was confident in his ability to refuse her.
He wasn't a man swayed by appearances alone. What mattered more was…
"A girl who can make me like her from the bottom of my heart," he concluded.
Such a girl might exist—or she might not.
As he pondered, Akira closed his eyes.
...
Time passed,
Akira woke to a familiar perfume, then realized he wasn't alone. He turned to see Yukinoshita Haruno beside him, hugging his arm.
The weight pressed down on him, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
"Okay, can you let go now, Miss Yukinoshita, who is pretending to be asleep?" Akira said lightly.
Haruno didn't respond; her breathing remained steady.
Frowning, he attempted to free his arm, but she held it tightly. Akira reached for his cell phone, checked the time, and turned on the camera.
Click.
The sound of the shutter captured a clear photo of them lying together. Yet, Haruno remained asleep—or at least pretended to.
Helpless, Akira put down his phone and closed his eyes.
Though he was no longer sleepy, with Miss Yukinoshita unwilling to release him, he had no choice but to stay in this stalemate.
Even if she was genuinely asleep, Akira had no intention of taking advantage. If he did, she might wake and force him into a compromise. That was a situation he refused to enter.
Time crept by. Dawn was approaching.
Finally, Haruno opened her eyes.
Their gazes met, locking for a brief moment.
Haruno was stunned, then smiled, letting go of Akira's arm as she sat up.
"I thought you might do something strange when you woke and saw me holding your arm… but not only did you not think that, you were very careful," she said.
"You intended to pretend to sleep to see my reaction but fell asleep yourself, right?" Akira said calmly.
"Yes… I accidentally fell asleep and missed my chance," Haruno admitted, glancing at him.
"Not necessarily," Akira said, taking out his phone to show her the photo.
Haruno's eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to do that.
"Don't misunderstand. I won't use this photo for anything. I just wanted to see your surprised expression," he said, deleting it immediately.
"You missed the chance again, Akira-kun," Haruno said after a pause, her eyes locking on his.
"I don't need that kind of chance," Akira replied, standing to put on his clothes and leaving the room.
Haruno remained by the closed door, staring blankly for a long while.
.....
Morning run complete,
Akira returned to Yukinoshita Yukino's apartment. The extra pair of shoes at the entrance had disappeared—Haruno had already left.
He approached Yukino's door and opened it gently. The two girls were still asleep.
They must have talked late into the night.
Akira closed the door quietly and went to Haruno's bedroom to retrieve a set of clothes.
The clothes Yukino had bought for him were temporarily kept in Haruno's closet, which originally contained very few items.
Half an hour later, he emerged from the bathroom and entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them.
Despite the meal being ready, the girls had not come out.
So, Akira went to check on them, entering Yukino's bedroom.
Yukino's sleeping face was breathtaking, like a scene from a fairy tale. Yuigahama Yui, on the other hand, slept curled up in a little ball, hugging Yukino gently.
Akira couldn't help smiling.
Leaning over, he lightly kissed Yui on the forehead.
Just as he was about to wake the Sleeping Beauty, Yukino's eyes opened, meeting his gaze.
"Yukino, you woke up on your own? I haven't kissed you yet," Akira said with mock seriousness.
"Aren't you going to kiss Yuigahama-san?" Yukino replied, snorting coldly.
"Yui's sleeping face is adorable...so I only kissed her forehead. But Yukino, you're like Sleeping Beauty. I planned to wake you the fairy tale way," Akira said with a smile.
"I'm awake now. You can go out. I still need to change," Yukino said, turning her head.
Akira stood, smiled, and approached her slowly. Yukino glared at him but didn't resist, closing her eyes.
Seizing the moment, Akira kissed her gently.
After a long pause, he stood, glanced at Yui, and left Yukino's bedroom.
Yukino's face burned as the door clicked shut.
"I really envy Yukino," Yui said softly.
Yukino turned and looked at her, then quickly buried her face in the quilt.
...
Breakfast time arrived—
Akira waited more than ten minutes while the girls dressed and finished washing up. Yui emerged with a smile, and Yukino's cheeks were faintly pink.
"Yukino, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Did Yui bully you?" Akira asked curiously.
"It's all your fault!" Yukino said, glaring at him as she sat down.
...
If you'd like to support me and read chapters in advance, feel free to check out my:
Patr**on.com/Zero0000683
Discord.gg/fF384utk
.....
Bonus chapters:-
4 bonus chapter at 50 powerstone
6 bonus chapter at 100 powerstone