She had an almost obsessive trust in her own intuition.
That special attention lingering around Reina, different from ordinary friendliness or curiosity—she would never mistake it.
Misaki was an unshielded blazing sun, passionate and direct, her intentions written in every brilliant smile and straightforward remark.
Shiori was a lingering spring rain, dependent and timid, advancing by retreating, weaving a gentle net with a pitiful posture.
Sakurano was a deep ancient pool, calm and elegant on the surface but with inscrutable thoughts within, every seemingly accidental approach carrying a damp chill and calculations hard to trace.
And this Rin...
Her gaze fell back onto the other's face.
That face was too calm, like a meticulously painted mask that someone had forgotten to give an expression.
Those eyes were too clear, so clear that one could seemingly see to the bottom at a glance, yet because they were so clear, it made one wonder if there was truly nothing beneath.
Was she disguised so well that not even a sliver of emotion leaked out?
Or was she... truly as simple-minded as a blank sheet of paper?
If it were anyone else, having reached this point and considering their friendship as classmates or Reina's perspective, they might have stopped questioning and quit while they were ahead.
But Yui was not anyone else.
She disliked this feeling of uncertainty.
The desire for control burned in her chest. She needed a clearer answer, she needed to draw a line, she needed to make this potential threat controllable.
Or, eliminate it entirely.
Her lips parted again; she intended to go a step further and ask that core question in a more direct yet still polite manner: What kind of thoughts do you actually harbor toward Reina?
However, at the very instant those carefully crafted words were about to slip past her teeth.
"Why,"
Rin's voice rang out faster than hers.
It was still a tone lacking in ups and downs, but it subtly carried a hint of curiosity that seemed newly born.
"Would Shimizu-san suddenly come to ask me about Reina?"
Her azure eyes were no longer just passively enduring scrutiny, but actively looking straight back into the depths of Yui's pupils, her gaze as clean as an unpolluted sky.
"Are you warning me?"
All of Yui's thoughts and the questions she was about to utter were choked back into her throat by this overly direct counter-question.
She... saw through it?
Yui's heart uncontrollably skipped a beat, but no obvious panic showed on her face.
On the contrary, her tightly wound emotions actually loosened slightly because of the other's directness.
True.
She had indeed been acting a bit too obviously.
From seeking her out specifically, to opening with Reina, to that pressuring questioning stance... as long as the other person wasn't hopelessly dense, it was almost inevitable they would notice this unusual attention and exclusion.
But that couldn't be helped.
Whenever she thought about so many people surrounding Reina, all those various eyes with their different motives...
Those thieves who tried to share, steal, or even monopolize that thing called "attention" which Yui had already marked as her own...
The emotions mixed with anxiety, displeasure, and possessiveness in her heart could not be perfectly suppressed and restrained as she usually did with other matters.
She took a deep breath.
The cool air in the corridor filled her lungs, bringing a clear sense of composure and slightly cooling those churning emotions.
Whatever.
If she saw through it, then she saw through it.
Anyway, there was no need to deliberately hide this love that belonged exclusively to her and allowed no one else to touch or covet it.
The things Yui wanted, she never deigned to hide in the shadows; what she wanted was open and honorable possession.
"You could understand it that way."
Thus, she slightly raised her elegantly lined chin, a movement that made her neck appear even longer and brought out her innate pride, along with an unquestionable declaration.
"Reina," her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear as it fell in the quiet corridor.
"To me, is special."
[Whoa—!!!]
[The Main Wife declaration! It's the Main Wife declaration!]
[Eldest Miss Shimizu is going all in! She's really... I'm crying!]
[All in on the Yua-Reina ship! Yui is the best match!]
[Teacher, teacher, I have a question! Why is our Reina always on the bottom?]
[Isn't that obvious? Her name is already 0-na, isn't she a 0?]
[Wrong, actually Reina is a 1.]
[What do you mean?]
[Cos (because) 0=1, so 0-na is actually a 1!]
[¿]
[What are you guys babbling about, I just want to see blood flow like a river!]
[Which 'xue'?]
[? That's too extreme, don't get our show canceled!]
What were these guys talking about?
The corner of Rin's mouth twitched slightly at an angle Yui couldn't see, and she tried hard to look away from those chaotic bullet chat messages.
Abstract, too abstract.
The internet culture of the other world seemed to be no less chaotic than what she had known in her previous life.
However, she had captured the core emotions: excitement, a love for chaos, the thrill of a "First Wife Declaration" dramatic scene, and a strong anticipation for even more direct conflicts to break out next.
The audience held an extremely high level of viewing passion for the current confrontation between her and Yui.
What they wanted to see was the sparks flying between two love rivals, the verbal sparring, and even more intense scenes.
Want to see a fight? Want to see a confrontation? Want to see her, Rin, overwhelmed by Yui's aura, or fighting back unwillingly?
Unfortunately, I cannot let you have your way.
It is not yet time to tear off the mask.
Moreover, from the most realistic perspective, she absolutely did not want to be the "tallest nail" that gets hammered down first in this place and at this time.
Think about it; her only stable source of screen time right now was Reina, which was already a narrow path. If she clashed head-on with Yui now, even if she didn't lose the verbal battle or even won a small victory with an unexpected response...
What about after that?