In the dim light of night, a skyscraper stood tall amidst the city. The lights from within the building illuminated the surrounding night sky. Below, the traffic was dense, like a bustling marketplace. Looking up from the bottom gave one an indescribable sense of smallness. This building, constructed of steel and concrete, exuded the aura of the capitalist class.
"We're here. Where are you guys?" Mori Shinra held his phone, looking around.
Because [Angel's Ladder] required formal attire, Shinra had dug out a casual suit his parents had bought for him during the summer vacation after his middle school graduation. It was meant to be worn for his high school entrance ceremony, but in the end, they never got to see it.
Fortunately, it was a relatively loose-fitting casual suit, so it still fit well enough after a year.
"Look, are those two them?" Yukinoshita's gaze locked onto two girls standing at the hotel entrance, one with pink hair and the other with blonde.
"Judging by the hair color, that's probably them."
Just as Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita were about to move to meet up with them, Miura Yumiko also noticed them.
Completely ignoring Shinra, she fixed her gaze firmly on Yukinoshita Yukino.
Today, Yukinoshita was wearing a black dress. The fabric was soft and lustrous, clearly a high-quality item. Paired with her skin, as white and pure as fresh snow, she looked exceptionally dazzling. The ruffled skirt, ending above the knee, enveloped a pair of long, fair legs. On her feet were a pair of black pointed-toe stiletto heels. Dressed like this, she no longer had a trace of a high school student, but rather looked like a wealthy young lady about to attend a ball, composed and noble.
I've lost...
The moment Miura Yumiko saw Yukinoshita, she knew she had lost. She had lost in terms of aura.
Although she had specially dressed up for the occasion today, and in terms of makeup and appearance, she was in no way inferior to Yukinoshita, she was missing that unique and ineffable aura.
It wasn't obvious just by looking, but if the two of them stood together, the difference would become quite apparent, making Yumiko feel as if she were invisibly a head shorter than her.
At the side, Yuigahama didn't think too much about it. The moment she saw Yukinoshita, her eyes lit up, and words of praise poured out as if they were free.
Seeing this, Mori Shinra couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. Praise was fine, but you had to be mindful of the occasion. Didn't you see the strange look on Miura Yumiko's face next to you?
It was well known that Miura and Yukinoshita did not get along. Although she hadn't said why she was tagging along tonight, Shinra could guess with his butt that she definitely wanted to use this opportunity to dress up and try to outshine Yukinoshita.
But unfortunately, she had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it. Not only was she reduced to being Yukinoshita's foil, but she also had to provide convenience for their mission later.
And if that wasn't enough, Yuigahama, who was supposed to be on her team, had switched sides and was now praising Yukinoshita.
From Miura Yumiko's perspective, this was no different from being taunted right to her face.
Ouch, that's gotta hurt.
"Good evening." Towards Miura, who had taken the initiative to help, Yukinoshita rarely sheathed her sharp edges and greeted her first.
Miura hadn't expected Yukinoshita to greet her proactively. The words she had wanted to say got stuck in her throat, and she stammered, "G-good evening."
With that, Yumiko looked at Mori Shinra, a strange light flashing in her eyes. She had been so focused on her competition with Yukinoshita that she had ignored him at the side. Now, looking at him, even she had to admit that this guy had a handsome face.
What surprised her even more was that when he stood next to Yukinoshita, they didn't look out of place at all. Whether in terms of appearance or aura, he didn't lose out in the slightest.
Was this really that inconspicuous guy from school?
Miura's impression of Mori Shinra was limited to him having good grades and a good relationship with Yukinoshita. Nothing more.
Now she could add another line: he was decent-looking.
"Let's go inside. It seems Hikki is already in there," Yuigahama said, as if just realizing Yumiko was still there. She quickly linked arms with her.
Making amends? Interesting.
But you had to admit, Miura Yumiko fell for this. Seeing that Yuigahama had finally remembered her, she just pinched her cheek irritably and then entered the hotel with her.
"Follow me."
As if entering her home turf, Miura Yumiko held her head high like a proud swan and walked forward.
Waving off the staff who offered to lead the way, she expertly found her way to the elevator. Along the way, she also picked up Hikigaya, whose eyes had been captivated by capitalism.
As the glass elevator ascended, the entire Tokyo Bay was reflected before them. The city's skyscrapers sparkled with lights, and the traffic below was a neat, flowing pattern. The bustling prosperity of the night was presented to this group of newly-adult high school students for the first time.
The hotel's elevator was fast. After a brief feeling of weightlessness, they arrived at the top floor.
The elevator doors opened, and they were greeted by the sight of the softly lit bar. The light was dim, like candlelight, with only the bar counter being relatively brighter, but only to a limited extent.
Next to the bar was a stage with a piano, from which beautiful music flowed. There was even a live pianist.
The edge of the bar was enclosed by countless floor-to-ceiling windows, through which one could see the bustling night view of the city. A few people sat by the windows, their low conversations occasionally drifting over.
"Hey... have we accidentally walked onto the set of some urban drama?" The scene before him gave Hikigaya a small shock of capitalism.
All the organs in his body were sending him a warning—he did not belong here.
"Straighten up. Don't embarrass us," Shinra said, patting his shoulder. He then scanned the surroundings and locked his gaze on the bar.
It wasn't that he intended to order a drink, but he had discovered that a female bartender had a conspicuous blue request above her head.
Just as he took a step, Shinra felt a hand rest on the crook of his arm. He turned his head, and as expected, the hand belonged to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"It's just proper etiquette," she said, noticing his gaze.
'A bar isn't a banquet, there aren't so many rules, you don't need to link arms.' Shinra really wanted to remind her of this. But then he thought, it's not like I'm losing out by having such a beautiful girl on my arm, and he swallowed his words.
Passing through the bar's entrance, a male waiter immediately came up to them. He didn't ask questions like 'how many people' or 'smoking or non-smoking.' After seeing the golden membership card presented by Miura Yumiko, he led them towards a booth by the window.
"Wait a moment. Could we change our seats to somewhere near the bar?" Shinra interjected, interrupting the waiter.
The waiter glanced at the gold card holder, Miura. Seeing that she had no objection, he smoothly changed direction and seated them at a table near the bar.
"That should be Kawasaki-san, right?" Hearing Shinra suddenly request a change of seats, Yukinoshita's gaze also shifted towards the bar, and she too discovered the blind spot.