Genichi left.
In the living room with the huge hole blasted through it, he declined Mrs. Yukinoshita's invitation to stay the night and simply vanished into thin air with Apparition.
That left the Yukinoshita mother and daughters facing the mess scattered across the floor—and that alarming hole in the wall.
Yukino stood in the corner, looked at the hole, then at her sister, then at her mother. In the end, she decided to head upstairs and return to her room first.
Too much had happened tonight.
She needed time to process it.
Only Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno remained in the living room.
Moonlight spilled in through the hole, casting a pillar of pale light across the floor.
The night breeze blew through, carrying the scent of the plants in the garden, mixed with the dusty smell of shattered brick and stone.
Mrs. Yukinoshita walked to the sofa and slowly sat down.
She looked at the hole, then at Haruno standing by the window. After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"Haruno."
"What do you think we should do to maximize our benefits?"
Her voice was soft, yet it carried the calm calculation unique to someone used to the business world.
Haruno turned around and looked at her mother, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint smile.
"Nothing."
Her answer was clear and concise.
Mrs. Yukinoshita could not help frowning.
Nothing?
That was not her style.
As the head of the Yukinoshita family, she was used to taking the initiative, seizing every opportunity, and utilizing every resource to its utmost limit.
Now, an opportunity capable of changing the family's fate had appeared before them, yet her daughter was telling her to do nothing?
"Mother."
Haruno walked over and sat across from her, looking at her with serious eyes.
"Being too impatient isn't a good thing."
She raised her hand and mimed firing a gun.
"Especially when you're not planning to point a gun at Genichi right now, are you?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita's pupils contracted slightly.
She understood.
Her frown gradually loosened.
She looked at her daughter, a trace of relief flashing through her eyes.
This daughter of hers was indeed calmer and more clearheaded than she had imagined.
"If you already have a plan, then I won't say anything more."
She paused, and her tone turned serious.
"But I hope you don't forget that you're the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family."
Haruno smiled.
There was a touch of playfulness in that smile, a touch of seriousness, and something else that was difficult to put into words.
"Don't worry, my dear Mother."
She leaned back against the sofa, crossing her legs with elegant composure.
"Besides, compared to all those boring things, don't you think what I should focus on more is firmly capturing that little man's heart?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at her eldest daughter, complicated emotions flickering in her eyes.
Although she understood Haruno's little thoughts perfectly well, she did not say anything.
Because Haruno was right.
Compared to calculating benefits, capturing Genichi's heart was far more important.
If Haruno could truly win Genichi over, then the Yukinoshita family would not have simply picked up a piece of gold.
They would have dug up an entire gold mine.
An inexhaustible gold mine.
Mrs. Yukinoshita's mind began to stir.
She imagined what kind of assistance the Yukinoshita family would gain if Haruno truly ended up with Genichi.
That supernatural power.
If they could form a connection with him, the Yukinoshita family's future would be limitless.
But just then, Haruno lightly drove the knife in deeper.
"Say, if you hadn't stopped us back then, wouldn't that little man already be your son-in-law by now?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita's expression instantly stiffened.
She looked at her daughter's teasing smile, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
Back then.
Yes, back then.
She had indeed warned Genichi not to entertain any improper thoughts toward Haruno.
At the time, she had simply believed that an orphan was unworthy of her daughter.
But now?
The orphan she had looked down on had become someone she needed to look up to.
If she had not stopped him back then, if she had tacitly allowed Haruno to keep interacting with that boy, would the current situation be completely different?
Perhaps that boy would have been with Haruno long ago.
Perhaps he would already have become the Yukinoshita family's son-in-law.
Perhaps everything now would not have needed to be so troublesome.
Mrs. Yukinoshita's face darkened, but she could not refute it.
Because Haruno was telling the truth.
She had indeed misjudged him.
She had indeed missed the best opportunity.
"Mother, don't think too much about it."
Haruno looked at her mother's defeated expression and could not help laughing.
"What's past is past. What matters now is how we seize the opportunities ahead."
Mrs. Yukinoshita took a deep breath and nodded.
"You're right."
She looked at Haruno with seriousness in her eyes.
"Then what do you plan to do?"
Haruno thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"I don't know."
Mrs. Yukinoshita froze.
She did not know?
"I really don't know."
Haruno spread her hands. "That little man is different from ordinary people. I don't fully understand his thoughts, his ideas, or his bottom line. If I act rashly, it'll only backfire."
She paused, a glint flashing through her eyes.
"So I plan to take it slow. First, I'll build trust with him. Then I'll gradually get closer to him, make him get used to my presence, and make it so he can't be without me."
Mrs. Yukinoshita listened thoughtfully.
"That will take time."
"I know."
Haruno nodded. "But I have plenty of time."
She stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the night.
"And besides, Mother, don't you think the process itself sounds interesting?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita said nothing.
She merely looked at her daughter's back as complicated emotions rose in her heart.
This daughter of hers had been smart, independent, and strong-willed ever since she was little.
But at this moment, for the first time, Mrs. Yukinoshita saw a radiance in her daughter that she had never seen before.
It was the radiance of a girl in love.
It was also the radiance of a hunter aiming at her prey.
Mrs. Yukinoshita did not know what kind of result those two lights would produce when mixed together.
But she knew that from this moment on, Haruno's life had become completely different.
"All right, Mother. Get some rest."
Haruno turned around and walked toward the stairs.
"You'll still have to find someone to fix the wall tomorrow. Remember to deduct it from my allowance."
Her voice was light, tinged with teasing.
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at her back and could not help smiling.
"I know."
Haruno waved and disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Only Mrs. Yukinoshita remained in the living room.
She sat on the sofa, staring at the hole blasted through the wall for a long time without speaking.
Moonlight fell across the room, mottled and pale.
A faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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