After returning home, Yukinoshita Yukino found that her older sister was already there.
And she was currently taking a bath.
Yukino's mood immediately became complicated.
She quietly placed her schoolbag aside, sat on the sofa, and waited.
Waited.
The sound of soft footsteps echoed through the room.
A gentle, floral fragrance filled the air before Yukino suddenly felt something soft pressing against her back.
"Ara, Yukino~ Did you miss your onee-sama?"
A teasing voice purred beside her ear.
"You hardly ever send me messages anymore, so I thought I'd come visit you instead. Aren't you happy?"
Yukinoshita Haruno wrapped her arms around her younger sister's shoulders from behind, her tone playful.
Yukino, however, remained still, her expression clouded. She showed no signs of being "happy" at all.
"Onee-sama… I don't agree."
She finally spoke.
"Hmm? Don't agree with what?"
Haruno tilted her head, looking amused.
"The engagement!"
Yukino turned around and met her sister's gaze head-on, determination in her eyes. "It's ridiculous to be engaged after only meeting a few times."
Haruno sighed softly, as if she had expected this reaction.
"Yukino, what's the point of refusing? You know Shiina Mahiru, don't you? Her parents were forced into marriage because of their family's interests."
"That's why she grew up without experiencing much parental love."
Yukino flinched slightly at the comparison.
"Compared to Shiina-chan, we're actually much luckier."
Yukino clenched her fists. "But… our mother is too overbearing! She's even trying to arrange our marriages now. Do we not have any say in our own lives?"
Haruno chuckled before reaching out to poke her sister's cheek.
"That's some strong spirit, Yukino. If only you could say that in front of Mother, maybe you'd have a fighting chance."
"She might be overbearing, but she's still our mother. If you stand your ground, she might actually listen."
Yukino's cheeks reddened slightly. "Are you saying I'm a coward? That I can't stand up to Mother?"
Haruno simply gave her a knowing smile. "Isn't that the truth? If it weren't for Father helping you, do you really think you'd have been able to move out on your own?"
Yukino lowered her gaze, feeling frustrated.
"Is there really no way to refuse this engagement?"
Haruno watched her younger sister closely, her smile softening.
"You seem awfully concerned about my engagement, Yukino."
She gently pulled her into a light embrace.
"Nozomi-kun is actually quite easy to talk to. Did he not mention this to you? Or… could it be that you dislike him that much?"
Yukino immediately refuted, "There are plenty of reasons! First of all, we've only met a few times, we don't know each other well enough."
"Secondly, it's not that I dislike him… but that doesn't mean I'm willing to be engaged to him either!"
"Third, he already has a close relationship with Shiina."
Haruno smiled knowingly. "Ara~ So you're worried about Shiina-chan?"
"That's not what I meant!" Yukino protested, her face heating up.
Her sister giggled, patting her head gently. "You don't have to worry. Since Mother made this decision, and I agreed, it means she's done a thorough background check."
"Have you heard about the recent fall of Takayama, the city councilor?"
Yukino blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. "I have. Wasn't he and his son involved in numerous scandals? They abused their political influence to cover up crimes, and there were rumors that several young women fell victim to them… they were nothing short of monsters."
Haruno nodded. "Then did you know that Nozomi-kun was involved?"
Yukino's breath hitched. "What do you mean?"
Her sister's smile widened. "It seems you already have a hunch. The official report said their deaths were an 'accident,' but have you seen the surveillance footage circulating online?"
Yukino hesitated. "I… I haven't watched the videos, but I did hear some ridiculous rumors. People were saying that a cat killed them."
"How absurd is that? Cats are adorable, how could they possibly kill people?"
She paused as she noticed Haruno's serious expression.
A strange chill ran down her spine. "…Onee-sama, don't tell me… it's true?"
Haruno nodded without hesitation. "It's true. When Takayama fell from power, our family used the opportunity to have Father take his place as the new councilor."
"I was fortunate enough to see the real footage. That cat—Nozomi-kun's cat—attacked both father and son, and in front of dozens of witnesses, they vanished into nothingness."
Yukino's lips parted slightly, her brain struggling to process this revelation.
Haruno chuckled. "You're probably wondering how this connects to Nozomi-kun, right?"
Yukino furrowed her brows. "But… he's just a high school student. How could he possibly—"
Her voice trailed off as a realization struck her.
Nozomi's cat…
That cat always followed him everywhere. Every time he walked near the school, it would come running, as if drawn to him. As if responding to his will.
It wasn't just coincidence.
Her body tensed. Was he… manipulating it?
Haruno smirked. "Looks like you figured it out."
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I'll tell you one more thing. On the same day Takayama and his son met their 'accidental' end, Takayama Toshihiko had arranged for several criminals to corner Shiina and her friends. He was planning to 'have some fun' with them."
Yukino's hands clenched into fists.
"Nozomi-kun was the one who stopped them. He single-handedly took down those criminals and turned them over to the police."
"And then, that very evening, Takayama and his son vanished into thin air."
Yukino was speechless. The timing was far too precise to be a coincidence.
A heavy silence settled between the two sisters before Haruno suddenly giggled.
"Oh my, Yukino. Your face is turning red."
Yukino flinched. "It's not!"
Haruno gave her a mischievous smile. "Ara, ara~ You're not thinking that Nozomi-kun deliberately sent his cat to you every day, just to get your attention… are you?"
Yukino's breath hitched as her face flushed a deep shade of pink. "…T-That's ridiculous!"
Haruno only laughed, thoroughly enjoying her sister's flustered state.
==========================
Nozomi, that guy, had been scheming all along!
Letting that cat wander in front of her so often... was it really just a coincidence? No, it was a deliberate setup! A perfectly executed chance encounter!
Yukinoshita Yukino clenched her fists.
Kuso...! She had thought he was a quiet and gentle person, but it turned out he was a calculating, cunning man!
For her sake, he had gone to such lengths?
A complicated mix of emotions swirled inside her.
"But even so, we can't just assume he's responsible..." she muttered, her voice uncertain.
Yukinoshita Haruno, sitting beside her, suddenly reached out and pinched Yukino's cheek, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Yukino, you've been too sheltered. You've never had to see the darkness of this world, have you?" She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "In the world of chaebols, if you're not allies, you're opponents. There is no in-between."
Yukino frowned but remained silent. She knew better than to interrupt her sister when she was in one of her storytelling moods.
"That scumbag, Councillor Takayama, was a key member of a rival faction, which is why the Yukinoshita family could never gain a foothold in politics. Now that he's gone, Father has taken his seat." Haruno's smile remained, but there was something sharp behind her gaze. "Now, whether or not it was Nozomi-kun who orchestrated his downfall isn't the point. The fact that he got away with it—unscathed—proves just how powerful he is."
Yukino bit her lip. "But..."
"Besides, before all this happened, Takayama and his degenerate son were plotting against Nozomi-kun. They even planned to kidnap Shiina to—well, let's just say they weren't going to treat her kindly." Haruno's voice grew cold for a moment before she smiled again. "Yet before they could even make their move, the two of them vanished. And who, may I ask, is known for being unusually close with that cat?"
Yukino stiffened.
That cat...
It always seemed to be near Nozomi. Even at school, it would show up as if drawn to him. Could he really control it?
If so... had he intentionally brought it near her from the beginning?
Her cheeks flushed.
If he had set all of this up just to get close to her, that meant...
"It seems you've realized something, Yukino~" Haruno teased, poking her younger sister's cheek. "I'll tell you one more thing. On the night the Takayama family met their downfall, Takayama Toshihiko had bribed a bunch of criminals to corner Shiina and her friends. Nozomi-kun arrived in time, dealt with the thugs, and handed Toshihiko over to the police himself. That same evening, Takayama and his son disappeared."
Yukino's breath hitched.
There was no mistaking it now.
Hozuki Nozomi had planned everything.
From the beginning, he had his eyes on her.
And now...
"So the engagement... there's no way to refuse it, is there?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
Haruno leaned back, stretching. "Nope. The formal meeting is set for the end of the month. After that, it's pretty much official."
Yukino's heart sank.
"Don't look so glum," Haruno chuckled, ruffling her sister's hair. "Nozomi-kun is a good catch, you know? Well... aside from being a bit of a playboy."
Yukino shot her an incredulous look. "'A bit' is an understatement! He and Shiina are ridiculously close, and there's even another girl living at his place!"
Haruno smirked. "And? Isn't it natural for a strong man to have many admirers?"
"That's not the point!"
"Oh, but it is. Father may seem loyal now, but do you really think he'd have only had one woman if Mother wasn't so terrifying? In our world, marriage is rarely about love. It's about power and alliances." She winked. "Besides, I wouldn't agree to this if I thought Nozomi-kun wasn't worthy. He's far better than Hayato, that's for sure."
At the mention of Hayama Hayato, Yukino's expression soured instantly.
Haruno chuckled. "Oops, I forgot. Yukino-chan despises Hayato-kun, doesn't she?"
"I don't care about him anymore," Yukino muttered, crossing her arms. "But I'm curious—why don't you like him either? Aren't you two basically the same?"
Haruno dramatically clutched her chest. "That hurts! If I'm just like Hayato-kun, does that mean Yukino-chan hates me too?"
"You're annoying."
"Oh? Then why haven't you pulled away from my embrace?"
"You're hugging me too tightly, idiot."
Haruno giggled. "You're just being tsun-tsun, Yukino-chan~ But trust me, Nozomi-kun isn't so bad. You should give him a chance."
Yukino exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples. "I'll... think about it."
Later that night, back in her room, Yukino let out another sigh.
Even her sister approved of him. That meant there was no escaping this engagement. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to be bound to Hozuki Nozomi.
But at the very least...
She wasn't about to give up on her future just yet. If she had to go through with this, then she would fight for her own freedom first.
She would at least go to university before marriage.
Yes. That was something worth negotiating.
Little did she know...
Thanks to Haruno's well-intended meddling, she had already half-accepted an engagement that didn't even exist.
And the funniest part?
Nozomi had no idea any of this was happening.
**********************
T/N: I'm confused; didn't Nozomi use an actual stray cat to take care of the Councillor, also, is that reason enough for the Yukinoshita family to consider marriage?
This feels like lazy writing. I advise you to turn off your brain, if you haven't already, throw logic out your window!!!