"Hahaha, it's the first time I've seen Yukino out with another boy, so of course, I'd assume he's her boyfriend. It's youth, you have to enjoy it properly."
On this point, Uchiha Ryo nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. So, senpai, have you enjoyed your youth?"
Yukinoshita Haruno fell silent.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, driving in the front, felt an arrow pierce her chest.
"Hmph, I'm only twenty! I'm still a university student. I have plenty of time, okay!"
Shizuka-cute, who had long since graduated from university and was nearing thirty, felt another arrow pierce her chest.
"Indeed, Yukinoshita-senpai is still young, and Hiratsuka-sensei is very young too. You're just always too busy with your careers."
[Hiratsuka Shizuka's affinity has increased—G-Points +30]
This person! She seems very easy to handle...
Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled lightly. "She certainly looks young. You probably don't know her actual age."
"Yukinoshita Haruno!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka gritted her teeth and shouted Haruno's name, and even the car began to speed up. Is this woman trying to race? Hey, we're still in the middle of the city!
Haruno tactfully stopped discussing Hiratsuka Shizuka's age and looked at Uchiha Ryo with curiosity.
"How old do you consider to be young, Ryo-kohai?"
Uchiha Ryo pretended to ponder for a moment, then said seriously, "Young... under thirty, I'd say."
[Hiratsuka Shizuka's affinity has increased—G-Points +20]
"Wow, don't tell me Ryo-chan would even accept a woman in her thirties?"
Uchiha Ryo smiled. "I just simply feel that women between twenty and thirty are the most intelligent and mature."
[Hiratsuka Shizuka's affinity has increased—G-Points +20]
[Yukinoshita Haruno's affinity has slightly increased—G-Points +1]
Inside a ramen shop in Tokyo, Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand and ordered three large bowls of ramen.
"You're Uchiha, right? I never expected it to run into you and Yukinoshita together outside of school."
Yukinoshita Haruno sat on the other side, sandwiching Uchiha Ryo between them. "I'd also like to know why Ryo-chan came out with Yukino!"
Uchiha Ryo scratched his head. "Yukinoshita-san learned that I'm raising a cat, but I don't know how to do it. So I asked her to go with me to the pet store on the third floor of the shopping center to pick out pet supplies."
"Is that all?"
"Indeed."
Yukinoshita Haruno's expression remained unchanged, but in her heart, she was already thinking about how to investigate this boy. She wouldn't believe Uchiha Ryo's side of the story. Of course, she would have to get Shizu-chan to keep a close eye on Yukino as well.
"By the way, Ryo-kohai, I think I heard just now that your goal is to surpass that Shinomiya girl and take the number one spot in your year, right?"
"What!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped what she was doing. As a homeroom teacher at the school, she was very aware of Shinomiya Kaguya's academic prowess. This was also why she was confident in her bet with Yokoshima-sensei from Class B.
"Shinomiya Kaguya is not that easy to surpass."
Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled. "If you really surpass that Shinomiya girl in your studies, I can even help you win Yukino's heart."
Uchiha Ryo just smiled without saying a word.
"Hey, hey, so what does your family do, Ryo-kohai?"
.....
The meal was eaten very slowly. For most of the time, it was Haruno who was finding opportunities to chat with Uchiha Ryo.
To an outsider, the two, who could talk about anything, might seem like good friends. But Uchiha Ryo knew that Haruno's affinity for him hadn't increased at all. This person was just using the conversation to investigate him.
"Yukinoshita-senpai, I enjoyed this meal very much. If there's a chance, let's meet again next time. I have to go back first."
Hiratsuka Shizuka let out a burp, glanced at Uchiha Ryo's retreating back, and then turned to Yukinoshita Haruno.
"I have a good feeling about this kid. What are you going to do next? Use your family's power to investigate him thoroughly?"
Yukinoshita Haruno stood up. "If I use my family's connections to investigate, Mother will definitely find out too. So I'd better go myself. I'll follow him first and see where my dear junior lives."
Downstairs from the high-end apartment building, Uchiha Ryo suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Although Yukinoshita Haruno's tracking skills were good, Uchiha Ryo had discovered her long ago. He hadn't pointed it out, but now she had followed him all the way home... She won't follow me up, will she?
Oh well. Does Yukinoshita Haruno dare to follow him upstairs? Once she's on my turf, one Sharingan genjutsu and you'll become my plaything.
Uchiha Ryo went upstairs. Yukinoshita Haruno, however, was frozen in place in absolute shock.
Why didn't he go to his own home, but... came to find Yukino instead? Could it be that those two are already!
In that instant, Yukinoshita Haruno's mind filled in many blanks.
And Yukino, who had returned home long ago, was currently sitting on the sofa, looking at the Mr. Pan plushie in her arms with a complicated expression.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door, making Yukino frown. Who would be looking for her at this hour? It couldn't be him...
Yukino glanced at the plushie, then walked over and opened the door.
"Mhm! What are you doing here?"
.....
Meanwhile, Haruno, standing downstairs from the apartment building, was in turmoil. Her adorable little sister was only a first-year in high school. The thought of Yukino happily playing with that seemingly decent Uchiha Ryo... made her blood boil.
"No way, Yukino has definitely been tricked!"
Yukinoshita Haruno gritted her teeth. Her sister was still so innocent, she absolutely could not!
But what should she do now? The self-proclaimed clever Haruno was in a state of inner conflict. She desperately wanted to rush upstairs, burst into Yukino's room, and drag that boy out.
But if she did that, her relationship with her sister would probably deteriorate even further. It was already nearing its freezing point. If her sister started to hate her...
No wonder! No wonder Yukino wanted to move out and live alone. Yukinoshita Haruno seemed to have figured everything out. But should she go up now or not?
If she went up and walked in on something unpleasant, it would be awkward for both parties. Being discovered by her older sister while playing with her boyfriend at home, with Yukino's personality, who knows what extreme things she might do.
Like officially running away from home, eloping, or something...
"Then... I'll just wait. I'll wait for that brat to come down, and I'll question him thoroughly!"
Yukinoshita Haruno didn't dare to take the risk. She chose to wait.
And Uchiha Ryo at this time? He was playing online games with Enyun-chan in his own home.
"You lost again, Enyun. Is that all you've got?"
Enyun-chan got angry. "It's hard to swipe the screen with cat paws! This round doesn't count, let's go again!"
Uchiha Ryo laughed and lay down on the bed. "In any case, you lost. Go get some drinks from the fridge. Oh right, has that woman downstairs left yet?"
Enyun impatiently jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, returning a moment later dragging two bottles of cola.
"That woman is still outside. She's not coming up, but she's not leaving either."
Uchiha Ryo took the cola and looked out the window. "Let's just ignore her. She's probably here for Yukino. It has nothing to do with me anyway."
Two hours later....
Yukinoshita Haruno, who had been sitting outside, finally stood up impatiently.
"What's with that kid? He went upstairs two hours ago and still hasn't come down! Can Yukino handle it? He really doesn't know how to be gentle with a lady!"
Another half hour passed.
Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't take it anymore. She was going upstairs to check on Yukino right now!
"This bastard junior just looks gentle on the surface. If you dare to bully Yukino, I'll never forgive you!"