Yes, the golden-haired Yukinoshita was nothing less than a full-on, 100% certified idiot.
There was no doubt about it.
Yukinoshita had never considered the golden-haired version of herself to be her real self, so berating her came with zero psychological burden.
When Kasumigaoka heard this, her pupils visibly shook.
Did this wayward woman actually gain that much self-awareness?
She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, closed it again, then finally muttered awkwardly, "You don't have to... go that far..."
If Yukinoshita had said this in the past, Kasumigaoka would have rolled her eyes and scoffed.
But now... now she wasn't so sure.
Because over the past two weeks, Yukinoshita had used her actions however awkward and misguided to prove that maybe, just maybe, she really was starting to mend her ways.
Compared to that, Kasumigaoka still trapped in the muck of her own grudges, still carrying around pepper spray and mustard in her bag felt downright villainous.
Wait a minute!
Even with rose-colored glasses, Yukinoshita's past behavior had been utterly trash, right?
Kasumigaoka, get a grip! Stop falling for her looks! Get mad again. Hate her!
Yukinoshita had to be plotting something again. No one changes that easily.
There had to be a more twisted scheme behind her temporary withdrawal.
After mentally psyching herself up, Kasumigaoka managed to regain her composure.
Yukinoshita tilted her head slightly, studying Kasumigaoka's shifting expressions with calm curiosity.
"Kasumigaoka-sensei," she asked, her voice even, "you still hate me, don't you?"
Looking at this big-chested, beautiful upperclassman, it wasn't hard to guess that she must be a high-ranking favorite among the readers.
But if that's the case, why couldn't Yukinoshita get any quest triggers from her?
Was it possible... that Kasumigaoka didn't hate her enough?
No, that couldn't be.
Kasumigaoka, come on. Get angry already. Hate me more!
Yukinoshita had become practically obsessed with triggering quest options constantly trying to find a way to get herself out of the victim list to avoid being possessed again.
She had to figure out Kasumigaoka's keywords. What did she hate? What did she like?
Asking directly wouldn't work. Kasumigaoka would either snap or dodge the question.
What to do...?
Kasumigaoka raised an eyebrow like Yukinoshita had just cracked a joke. She shot her a sidelong glance. "Of course I hate you. Isn't that just obvious?"
The irritation in her tone was unmistakably genuine.
Yukinoshita finally let out a breath of relief. "That's perfect. Now I can use the shampoo with mustard and pepper water in peace tonight."
The living room fell silent.
Yukinoshita, her expression blank as usual, added, "Thank you so much. At least you didn't put in anything like hair remover or glue."
Kasumigaoka stared at her. "...You figured it out?"
"Ever since elementary school, I've had people pour weird stuff into my water bottle, so my nose is pretty sharp."
Silence.
Then Kasumigaoka said quietly, "You've got enough proof. You could go to the police, Yukinoshita."
Saying it out loud brought an unexpected sense of relief.
Doing something like that however petty and impulsive only proved how vile and idiotic she had been.
The moment she stooped to that level to retaliate against Yukinoshita, she had become even worse than the person she claimed to despise.
Wrongdoing carries consequences. Yukinoshita had learned that before. Now it was Kasumigaoka's turn.
Yukinoshita looked at her for a moment, then turned her head away and calmly began organizing her notebook.
"Forget it. You didn't succeed anyway… and honestly, I've long been used to being hated."
It was a perfectly ordinary sentence.
But to Kasumigaoka, it sounded oddly lonely.
Yukinoshita said, "Now it's my turn to ask a question."
Even though she'd been the victim, she brushed the incident aside like it was nothing.
She had just been forgiven by someone she once couldn't stand completely and unreservedly forgiven.
Yukinoshita sat with perfect posture, hands neatly folded on her lap. Her eyes, gentle like melting snow, fell on Kasumigaoka.
Kasumigaoka swallowed, just barely audibly. "...I'm warning you, if the question's too over-the-line, I'm not answering."
Was Yukinoshita's whole "I like girls" thing real?
And if it was who was the girl she liked?
Could it be…?
"So then, Kasumigaoka-senpai," Yukinoshita asked, "what is it that you like?"
"I don't like-!"
Kasumigaoka's face heated up. She was about to loudly blurt, It's not like I like you or anything!, when she suddenly realized what Yukinoshita had actually asked.
"…Huh?"
She sat upright, a little flustered. "That's such a broad question. I really have to think about it."
"Anything's fine. As long as you really like it."
After a moment of thought, she tested a response. "Coffee?"
"Liar."
Sure, she drank a lot of coffee while rushing to meet deadlines…
"It's not my favorite, but calling it a lie is a bit much… Fine. Sleep?"
Kasumigaoka was the kind of genius student who stayed up all night writing and slept through every class, yet still aced every single school exam.
Yukinoshita's eyes narrowed.
Kasumigaoka laughed. "Okay, okay. Let me think… Oh, right."
She lightly patted her cheek. "Light novels."
She did love reading light novels but what she loved even more was writing them.
By day, Kasumigaoka was one of the two top beauties at Funo'oki Academy, the pride of the Literature Club, and the school's perpetual valedictorian.
But secretly, she had another identity: a breakout light novel author.
Her debut series Love Metronome, published under Fantastique Press, had released five volumes and sold over 500,000 copies a remarkable feat for any newcomer.
[System: Optimal method to reverse negative image identified Have Kasumigaoka give you a light novel.]
Sure enough, a quest had been triggered.
Congratulations, Yukinoshita. You've finally learned to game the system.
Yukinoshita said, "If you're feeling guilty about what happened, why not give me one of your favorite light novels? We can consider that the end of our old grudge."
Still thinking of the one who wronged her?
This reformed Yukinoshita was being way too soft-hearted!
Kasumigaoka slumped over the table, resting her chin in one hand, and gave Yukinoshita a strange look. "Love Metronome. How about that one?"
So Kasumigaoka liked that series too, huh?
Yukinoshita's expression softened. She nodded. "I don't have volume five yet."
"Great. Next time, I'll give you a signed set volumes one through five."
"No need to bluff. The author of that series is famously reclusive. I heard after the first three volumes, he never did any more signing events. So a full signed set is impossible."
For some reason, Kasumigaoka's smile only deepened when her bluff was exposed.
She rested her chin on her hand, grinning wider.
____________________
NEXT CHAPTER : I Won't Admit That's My Sister
(As Yukino begins to change, the ripple effect reaches home where Haruno, the perfect elder daughter, is ordered to bring her "disgraced" sister back into the fold. But Haruno refuses to acknowledge her as family. Meanwhile, at school, Yukinoshita is stunned when Miura the girl she once fought with quietly gifts her a full set of study notes. A quiet exchange of cream puffs follows… and maybe, just maybe, something's starting to thaw.
Next up: Family snakes, flustered tsunderes, and a storm on the horizon.)
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