Yukino flinch—
She looked at her sister.
Yukinoshita Haruno smiled faintly, then turned and walked toward the sofa in the living room.
Yukino sigh and followed helplessly.
The two sat down on the sofa — Haruno positioned herself in front, and Yukino sat slightly to the side.
"When Akira and I first met, he was very cold toward me. You could even say he kind of disliked me."
"He also knew that Hayama's feeling for me immediately and he assumed it would never be recipocrated."
"He said I am the sun and you are the moon. Honestly, that metaphor feels a bit much—as if anyone who gets close to me will get burned."
Haruno said this while pouring black tea into their cups.
Yukino didn't respond, just listened quietly.
This was indeed Akira's style.
"The second time we met was when I went to Sakurasou to celebrate Nanako's move. Unexpectedly, the landlord of Sakurasou was actually Akira."
"The barbecue that day was delicious, and Nanako and I drank quite a bit of beer."
"Nanako can't handle alcohol well and got drunk quickly, but I pretended to be drunk to see Akira's reaction."
Haruno said this with a soft smile. Yukino stared at her sister silently, frowning a little.
"Akira first helped Nanako to her room, then came to my side. Just in case, I turned on the recording on my phone."
".....do you want to hear it?"
Haruno took out her phone and smiled at Yukino.
Yukino nodded after some hesitation.
"Then I'll let you listen." Haruno found the recording and pressed play.
"Honestly, I don't dislike you. I know you're concerned about your sister. She needs someone who can help break down her inner walls. I originally wanted to try being that person, but I couldn't—or maybe I don't understand her well enough.
I know she needs friends, and I'll help her find them so she can experience more friendship in her life.
As for other things, I can't guarantee anything. Maybe I can change her, but I don't want to force change."
After listening, Yukino remained in a daze for a long while.
"Akira actually said those words intentionally. He guessed that I would think about Yukino, so he spoke them. However, it seems he doesn't know me well enough yet," Haruno said, smiling.
Yukino didn't speak, lowering her head as she pondered Akira's words. Her face complicated.
"Akira had already noticed some of Yukino's issues back then and wanted to help her... I'm a little envious of Yukino," Haruno continued.
Yukino lifted her head and glanced at her sister.
"Akira asked me to dinner because of Yukino, but... he's a little greedy," Haruno added, looking at Yukino.
Yukino's face stiffened.
She seemed to understand what her sister meant and turned her head away.
"Yukino, it seems you know about this. If you know, why are you still so close to Akira? Is that kind of man worthy of your love?" Haruno's expression became serious.
"I… I just—" Yukino began, but faltered.
"I'll tell Mother about this," Haruno said lightly.
Yukino's face turned pale.
"If Mother knew, Akira's animation and manga projects would probably be stopped. I hope he learns a lesson from this…"
"Sister, please don't tell Mother. I'll break up with him and stay away," Yukino said, eyes full of reluctance, clenching her hands tightly.
Haruno looked at her sister and could see the tears forming. She knew Yukino had fallen in love with Akira—not just a casual fondness.
If it weren't for family expectations, they might have been together already. Haruno sighed softly.
"Don't worry. I'm just testing you. I have no intention of telling Mother. Even if I did, she'd only be curious about what kind of person Akira is...If he were willing to change his surname for your sake, Mother would never ask if he has other girlfriends."
Yukino was stunned at Haruno's words.
"You're just the second daughter. No matter who you marry, it won't affect the Yukinoshita family's standing. Mother only cares about the eldest daughter's marriage. You don't need to worry so much about her opinion...As for Father, if you take Akira to see him, he'd probably be happy," Haruno said, standing.
"I…" Yukino began, but was speechless.
"As long as you don't care, it's normal for Akira to have other girlfriends outside. The same goes for my future husband. I don't care how many women he has; I only care about his value," Haruno continued.
Yukino stared in disbelief.
"If you still can't accept Akira, I wouldn't mind making him be mine. I believe Akira wouldn't refuse," Haruno smile, then turned and left.
Yukino sat in the sofa, staring blankly at her sister's back.
...
Early on a weekend morning, in Yuigahama Yui's room:
"Yui, it's time to get up."
"Let me sleep for five more minutes…"
"Fujimiya-kun is in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for you."
"Huh? Akira-kun is here?"
Instantly awake, Yui sat up and looked at Yuigahama Asuna, who was smiling.
"Fujimiya-kun came early, saying he wanted to go on a date with you. Knowing you were still asleep, he went to prepare breakfast."
"Mom...help me get dressed," Yui said shyly.
"Do you want me to help with makeup too?" Asuna smiled, helping her get ready.
"...I don't want to make Akira wait any longer," Yui said after a brief hesitation.
"Will you come back tonight?" Asuna's smile was slightly teasing.
"M-Mom…!" Yui blushed as she exclaim shyly.
Asuna giggles as stopped teasing and simply gave instructions before leaving.
Yui looked at the closed door, her face growing warm. She quickly changed and checked herself in the mirror before leaving the room.
As she stepped out, the aroma of breakfast reached her from the kitchen.
She paused to savor it before heading to the bathroom.
After washing up, Yui returned to the kitchen and saw—
Akira emerged from the kitchen carrying breakfast. Yui's face brightened at the sight of him.
Akira sat at the dining table with her, seat down and gentle pick up the spoon full of omelet near her lips.
"Akira-kun…" Yui blushed at his actions.
"I worked all day yesterday and couldn't be with you. This is my little compensation," Akira said softly.
Yui paused briefly, warmth filling her chest as she accepted the omelet.
Breakfast ended. Yui hadn't eaten much on her own; Akira had fed her the whole time.
The sense of loss she felt yesterday completely vanished.
.....
When leaving, Yui held Akira's arm.
She wore a white short-sleeved blouse with a knee-length skirt, looking cute and elegant.
"Where do you want to go?" Akira asked.
"The zoo," Yui said immediately.
"The zoo? Why?" he asked, slightly puzzled.
"I want to see giant pandas," she said, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Giant pandas are cute?" Akira asked.
"Well, I watched videos before and thought they were adorable. What about you? Tigers?"
"I like cats and dogs," he replied.
"Akira-kun, there aren't cats or dogs at the zoo," Yui said with a laugh.
They chatted as they arrived at the station. After a thirty-minute drive and a ten-minute walk, they reached the zoo.
Yui purchased tickets. Instead of heading straight to the giant pandas, she wandered the park with Akira, stopping at every exhibit. Whenever she saw something cute, she asked him to take photos.
Naturally, he obliged — His only goal today was to make her happy.
After walking for some time, they finally reached the giant panda area. There were many visitors; giant pandas were indeed very popular.
One panda seemed curious about humans and crawled closer, surprising onlookers. Yui took the opportunity to snap a photo.
"Akira-kun, do you want a photo with the panda?"
"No, I'm not really into giant pand—" He paused.
Then he thought of Yukino. She liked cats, but she also ordinary or giant pandas, right?
"Okay," he said, after thinking about it.
Yui smiled and took a photo of Akira with the panda.
With that, the zoo trip was about 90% complete. The last 10% was the gift shop.
Inside, they found not just ordinary plush dolls, but finely crafted animal figures, accessories, and badges.
"Akira-kun, what kind of gift do you think Yukino would like?" Yui asked softly.
...
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