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The sun had fully sunk below the horizon, and the city's neon lights took over the night.
Near Sobu High, a sleek black luxury car sat quietly by the roadside.
Yukino Yukinoshita opened the door and slipped into the passenger seat with practiced ease.
In the driver's seat, Haruno Yukinoshita wore a beige trench coat, her hands resting casually on the steering wheel. Seeing her sister get in, her face, so similar to Yukino's yet softened with a mature charm, lit up with a bright, teasing smile.
"Oh my, our little Yukino, who's always kept to herself and never gets close to anyone, actually spent the night at a classmate's place?"
She started the car, her tone dripping with amusement. "When I heard the news, I was so touched I almost cried. So, which exceptionally outstanding female classmate managed to take in our ice queen?"
Yukino didn't react in the slightest. Her beautiful profile remained calm as she watched the city lights drift past outside the window.
"Just an ordinary classmate. We stayed up too late discussing a project, so I borrowed a place to sleep. It's not as dramatic as you're making it sound."
Her cool, composed reply neatly shut down any further probing.
"Is that so?"
Haruno smiled, unconvinced. While waiting at a red light, her sharp gaze swept over Yukino's outfit.
"By the way, that dress looks nice. Good taste. But if I remember correctly, you left the house yesterday in your Sobu High uniform, right? Why the change?"
Yukino's heart skipped a beat.
Where did the uniform go? Torn to shreds during last night's loss of control, reduced to scraps too embarrassing to even think about… probably still sitting in that man's trash can.
Despite the turmoil inside her, her mind worked with machine-like precision, producing the perfect answer in an instant.
"I spilled juice on it at my classmate's house last night. It got dirty, and it hasn't dried after washing. To avoid affecting today's classes, I ordered a casual outfit online and had it delivered."
She turned her head, meeting Haruno's eyes without a flicker of hesitation.
"Is there a problem, big sister?"
"None at all. Just asking."
Haruno lightly pressed the accelerator, the car gliding forward again. Then, as if recalling something amusing, her lips curved into a radiant smile.
"Oh, right, Yukino. I stopped by your school today and met your new homeroom teacher… Lucian."
The moment that name left her sister's lips, Yukino's hands, folded on her lap, tightened subtly around the fabric of her dress. Even her breathing grew lighter without her noticing.
"I have to say, after all these years, that genius underclassman who made waves at Tokyo University has become even more charming."
Haruno continued casually, unaware of Yukino's reaction, her tone unusually direct with admiration.
"He's handsome, composed, and there's this sense of mystery about him that's far beyond people his age. Honestly, I quite like him."
She tilted her head slightly, her smile playful.
"If he weren't your teacher, I'd have already dragged him into the Yukinoshita family as your future husband. But… if you're not interested, maybe I should go after him myself. Sounds like a pretty good idea, don't you think?"
Yukino's heart dropped.
A sharp sense of crisis, mixed with something sour and unnameable, spread through her chest.
Earlier today, Miss Hiratsuka had jokingly talked about pursuing Lucian. And now even her own sister was interested in him?
Even if Haruno was probably joking, the irritation rising inside Yukino was very real.
That shameless, attention-attracting idiot.
"Please stop your ridiculous fantasies, Onee-san. Lucian is just my homeroom teacher. I have no interest in his personal life. And someone like him…"
She bit her lip lightly, forcing out a cold snort that went completely against her true feelings.
"His personality is terrible, he's unbelievably dense, and aside from his face, he has nothing going for him. If you like him, feel free to try."
"Oh? Such a low evaluation?" Haruno laughed softly. "Looks like our Yukino really isn't interested. That's a relief."
The black car cruised steadily through the night before stopping in front of a high-end apartment building.
Haruno didn't get out. She rolled down the window and looked at her sister standing under the streetlight. The teasing expression faded, replaced by something more serious, with a hint of concern.
"Yukino, living alone means you need to be careful at night. If you're not going back to your apartment, let me know, alright?"
"I will. Drive safely."
Yukino gave a small nod and watched the car disappear down the street before turning and heading inside.
She took the elevator up, unlocked her door, and pushed it open.
Click.
The entryway lights came on.
What greeted her was a spacious, immaculate… and utterly lifeless apartment.
No one was in the kitchen cooking eggs. No mouthwatering aroma of food filled the air. No noisy girl banging on the door with a hairpin, threatening to pick the lock at any moment.
The silence was so complete she could hear her own breathing.
She had always lived like this.
But after last night, that chaotic, lively, almost warm kind of chaos… this empty space suddenly felt unbearably cold.
Exhaustion hit her all at once. She walked to the living room and collapsed onto the soft, wide sofa, as if all strength had left her body.
After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, the ever-disciplined honor student forced herself back up. She went to the balcony, carefully ironing the Sobu High uniform she would wear tomorrow and hanging it neatly aside.
Then her gaze fell on the dress she was wearing.
This dress had witnessed a day that was nothing short of absurd.
She slipped it off slowly, her fingers lingering on the soft fabric.
In her mind, unbidden, surfaced the image of Lucian handing her that still-warm set of underwear.
A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
After a long pause, she didn't toss the dress into the washing machine. Instead, she folded it carefully, opened her wardrobe, and tucked it away deep inside, in a hidden corner.
Only then did she change into her pajamas and lie down on the bed.
She picked up her phone from the bedside, unlocked it smoothly, and opened LINE.
At the very top of the chat list was Lucian's profile.
But the conversation window was completely empty.
Since they parted after school, that utterly irresponsible homeroom teacher hadn't even sent a basic message like "Did you get home safely?"
"…That hopelessly dense idiot."
…
At the same time, Lucian's home was a completely different scene.
Crunch. Crunch.
At the dining table, Kasugano Sora was holding half a papaya nearly as big as her face, scooping out the flesh with a metal spoon and stuffing it into her mouth with fierce determination.
Beside her sat a large steaming cup of milk.
To gain a decisive advantage in this "little sister territory defense battle," she was clearly going all out.
Meanwhile, Lucian stood in the kitchen, wearing an apron, skillfully preparing fresh ingredients he had just bought.
Marbled beef sliced thin. Silky tofu cut into cubes. Shiitake mushrooms scored with neat cross-cuts. Green onions and konnyaku noodles laid out neatly.
As the broth simmered, the rich, irresistible aroma of sukiyaki quickly filled the cozy room.
"Don't overdo it with the papaya," Lucian said helplessly, setting the pot onto the induction stove. "You won't have room for the beef later."
"Hmph! Mind your own business! This is a crucial step on my path to becoming a mature woman!"
Ding-dong—
Just as he was about to add the beef, the doorbell rang abruptly.
"At this hour?"
Wiping his hands, Lucian walked to the entrance and casually opened the door.
Two familiar figures stood outside.
One was a cool, mature woman with short black hair, dressed in sharp professional attire, holding a plate of perfectly fried chicken.
The other was a girl in Sobu High's uniform, wearing a striking white eyepatch over her right eye, currently striking an exaggerated battle pose.
"Explode, reality! Shatter, spirit! Be banished, this world!"
"....."