Living in the Heart of Tokyo

"Wahahaha~~!"

Yamauchi Sakura froze for a moment, then burst into her signature hearty laugh. It was bold, carefree, and childlike in its innocence.

"You'll see soon enough, Yukino."

"Alright."

Yukinoshita Yukino gave a slight nod and followed her down into the courtyard.

Ahead of them, near a few display boards Yukino had noticed earlier, stood Katou and Eriri.

Eriri's crisp, proud voice rang through the garden.

It was the kind of sound that made anyone who heard it smile instinctively.

Why? Because the whole scene was just like a kindergarten kid rushing home to show off the kanji they had just learned.

"Now, with this, no one will ever mix up the names of the fish again!"

"Mhm~ It's very clear now~~"

Katou Megumi stood beside her with her hands clasped behind her back.

Her tone was as calm and flat as always, but her eyes never left the display boards, studying them with an unusual intensity.

Yukino stepped down from the veranda and looked at Sakura, who had already kicked off her slippers and was barefoot on the grass.

After a brief hesitation, she took off her own slippers and white cotton socks and stepped onto the lawn.

In front of the veranda stretched a patch of grass, around seven or eight square meters.

Beyond it ran a pebble path that split the lawn and led toward the pond, flanked by a garden and a tool shed.

One end of the pond extended toward the wall, where well water flowed in, and the other end connected to an underground drain.

In the center stood a rust-brown rock formation, covered in moss and dotted with carefully pruned pine trees and a few small signboards.

Beneath it was the pond itself, wide and full of koi swimming lazily about.

At the moment, thanks to the fish food Eriri had scattered, the koi were all gathered excitedly at the edge.

As Yukino slowly approached, the fish showed no fear of her presence and continued fighting over the food.

"Look, look, Megumi! That super aggressive one right there—that's 'Commander Bubbles!'" Eriri crouched at the pond's edge, looking as though she might roll up her sleeves and scoop the fish up just to compare it to her drawing.

"Mhm~ I see it~" Megumi nodded, though she privately thought the fish looked more like a "submarine helicopter."

Before she could get a better look, her gaze landed on the approaching figure of Yukinoshita Hira—Yukinoshita Yukino.

She stepped aside a little, feeling a bit embarrassed.

It wasn't that she had meant to mess up the name earlier—it was just that senior Kasumigaoka's version had rolled off her tongue too smoothly.

Yukino nodded back politely, then finally got a good look at the images and text on the display boards.

[Commander Bubbles]

The four characters were written in bold, unruly brushstrokes, exuding a wild energy that practically jumped off the board.

Below them was a hyper-realistic illustration of a koi.

It was impressively detailed, but far from commanding—it looked rather dopey, if anything.

But if that was all there was to it, Eriri wouldn't be so proud, nor would this whimsical world of Ruyi Dormitory have felt quite so magical to Yukino.

Alongside Commander Bubbles was a tiny, cartoonish blonde girl with twin-tails riding on the fish's head.

Her crescent-moon smile and bright blue eyes radiated madness.

She gripped a scale in one hand and raised the other high in a triumphant pose.

Her wild look fit right in with the titles printed boldly on either side:

[The Supreme Storm-Koi King!]

[The Peerless Overlord of the Waters!]

And clearly, riding the koi wasn't all that made the little blonde so pleased—because Commander Bubbles also had someone in his mouth.

A tiny figure, with black hair, white shirt, black pants—featureless, generic.

An arrow pointed at him, with the label: [Supreme Idiot: Hojo Kyousuke.]

Yukino, who had a deep appreciation for art, immediately recognized both the illustration and calligraphy as Eriri's.

Though different from the previous drawings of Sakura, the intense personal style was unmistakable.

Beneath the picture was a more formal printed note:

————————————————————————

Commander Bubbles: coloration is 4:3 red to white, division begins at the pectoral fin, total length 25 cm.

————————————————————————

A handwritten update followed:

————————————————————————

Commander Bubbles has grown; now measures 26 cm as of yesterday.

————————————————————————

That's when Yukino realized—the printed-style handwriting belonged to Hojou Kyousuke.

She reached out and gently touched the board.

A thin, hard coating covered the surface—waterproof, clearly.

Two steps to the right stood another display board: [Master of the Waterweeds.]

This one had no blonde girl, no Hojou Kyousuke.

Instead, a Q-style Nishimiya Shouko held a pointer, presenting the features of the fish like a teacher.

Each board differed in shape and height.

From afar, they looked like no-swimming signs you might see at a riverbank—but up close, they were astonishing.

Yukino turned toward Hojou Kyousuke, who was arranging plates beneath the cherry blossom tree.

Emotions began to stir in her chest—twisting, building into something too complex to define.

She had thought that Kyousuke supporting the reckless Yamauchi Sakura during the school's kendo club elections was already the height of irrational indulgence.

But now, these little signboards brought a whole new kind of shock.

"The names were chosen by Eriri, but the only one who can match each fish to its name is Kyousuke," Sakura said, walking up beside her.

Nearby, Eriri's animated voice rang out as she excitedly explained the koi names to Megumi.

"What's the point of all this?" Yukino asked.

Just from Eriri's chatter over the past minute, she could tell Eriri still couldn't reliably identify each fish by name.

And even if she could—fish weren't like cats; they'd never recognize their own names.

"Hey, Yukino. Have you ever heard this saying?" Sakura asked.

"What is it?"

"A name is the shortest form of a spell."

"No matter if it's me or you, this dorm or Commander Bubbles—a name doesn't just help you remember something. It carries all the feelings someone has for that thing."

"The name your parents gave you carried their hopes for you."

"After that, every experience you've had, every word you've spoken, every path you've walked—it all gets wrapped into that name."

"When I think of your name, Yukino, everything we've been through together comes rushing back all at once."

Yukinoshita Yukino's lips parted slightly, surprised.

She had expected Sakura to say something like, "With names, you won't accidentally eat the wrong fish," the kind of thing Kyousuke's sister would say about naming cows before dinner.

That would've been so Sakura.

Instead, something warm bloomed in Yukino's heart.

She had always hated—no, disliked—her own name. "Yukino."

Sakura had said many times it suited her, that she was as beautiful as snow beneath the sky.

But in truth, the name was only given because it had been snowing on the day she was born.

From the moment of her birth, she had felt overlooked.

She had always told herself that a name was just a label, a way to differentiate people.

If necessary, she'd have accepted being called something like "3972" without protest.

But now, Sakura—who always seemed thoughtless, carefree—had said that Yukino's name was more than a code.

It was a symbol of their friendship, of…

"When I die, and you see the name Yamauchi Sakura on my tombstone, you'll cry and suffer, regretting why you didn't give me a hug right now."

"..."

'This girl…' As expected, there's something wrong with her head.

Yukinoshita mentally added a "magical nonsense" label to her.

"Wahahaha, I'm just kidding, just kidding. There's no deeper meaning behind it. Kyousuke only did all this because doing things like this makes Eriri happy."

Sakura laughed cheerfully.

Yes, that kind of reckless warmth from Hojou is what turns this dorm into a world that feels almost magical.

It fit perfectly with the impression she had of him.

She turned her head toward Eriri.

The blonde girl was standing by the grass, gently tossing cherry blossom petals into the pond.

The joy on her face was so obvious even a blind person could see it.

Clearly, being able to show off Kyousuke's affection for her to others made her absolutely thrilled.

As she watched the koi occasionally poke their mouths above the surface to nibble on the petals, a line floated into Yukinoshita's mind:

'When I love you, even the fish in the water will call your name with their bubbles.'

It was a beauty so pure, even someone like her, who had never been in love, could feel it.

But...

Yukinoshita walked over to Yamauchi Sakura and leaned in to whisper:

"Doesn't it bother you… watching Hojou do all this for another girl?"

Even if you're okay with it… you'd still feel jealous, right?

'If it were me, I'd make that scumbag Hojou Kyousuke cut ties with every other girl in his life.'

"Eh?"

Sakura's eyes sparkled as if she'd just discovered a new species, staring at Yukinoshita's face.

Yukinoshita met her gaze with equal intensity.

"That's why love is still a little too advanced for you, Yukino. There are just some things you can't understand yet."

"Too advanced?"

"To you, Kyousuke probably just looks like a womanizer, right?" Her voice was cheerful and breezy, like spring water flowing down a rock garden, clear and bright like the sound of silverware clinking.

"No, he's a complete scumbag." Yukinoshita responded without hesitation.

She'd thought he was just entangled with Nishimiya and Sakura… but now?

'How many girls is this guy involved with?!'

Even someone as sharp as her was starting to lose count.

"Ahahahaha~~!" Sakura burst into hearty laughter, as if she was actually pleased to hear Kyousuke being insulted.

The smirk on her face was practically dripping with mischief.

"That's why you've still got a long way to go, Yukino. You can't stay so narrow-minded like this."

"I think love should be something selfish."

But Sakura waved her off and continued.

"Kyousuke's love isn't divided among many people. It's multiplied many times over~"

As she spoke, the sunlight hit her golden eyes, making them sparkle brilliantly.

"Mul… multiplied?! Do you even hear yourself right now, Yamauchi Sakura?!"

Yukinoshita's eyes widened in shock.

Her voice was loud enough that even Eriri and Megumi looked over in surprise.

But she didn't care.

She grabbed Sakura's arm tightly, shaking it.

"Hahaha, Yukino, you're surprisingly weak."

"I think you seriously need to get your brain checked!" Yukinoshita snapped.

She always thought this girl was a little off, but this was another level.

Who the hell says things like that?

No one's said anything this ridiculous in the past three centuries.

"That's why I said love is too advanced for you. You've still got a lot to learn," Sakura said with a sunny smile, turning to give Eriri a reassuring smile to let her know everything was fine.

"Do you think if you change a 10,000 yen bill into ten 1,000 yen bills, your money somehow multiplies tenfold?! That's a scam even a first-grader wouldn't fall for!"

Seeing Sakura's bright, radiant smile only made Yukinoshita angrier.

"Wait—did you just swear, Yukino?! What a discovery! I'm so happy right now!"

"Get serious! 'Scam' doesn't even count as swearing!"

"Hahaha, life's already hard enough. Why not laugh more, Yukino?"

"I can't laugh! And I don't see how your life is hard at all… sigh… Okay, maybe you have the right to say that, but this time your twisted logic is just too much. This isn't 'advanced'—this isn't even human logic anymore!"

Yukinoshita rubbed her forehead and sighed.

She just couldn't stay mad at this girl.

"Hey, Yukino, do you know why cherry blossoms bloom in the spring?"

Sakura squatted down, picked up a petal, and placed it in her palm.

Then she stood and gently blew on it, sending the petal twirling into the air.

"It's because the temperature, humidity, and sunlight in spring are optimal for blooming," Yukinoshita replied flatly, not expecting Sakura to be using her own name in a metaphor.

"See, that's what I mean. Being too serious all the time takes all the fun out of life, Yukino."

Sakura wagged a finger like a teacher scolding a student.

"I told Kyousuke once—cherry blossoms choose when to bloom. That's why they open in spring. It's their own decision."

'Isn't that exactly what I just said?' Yukinoshita thought.

But when she saw Sakura's gentle expression, she couldn't say a word.

That look was filled with pure love for someone else.

"Even you probably didn't know this, Yukino. About three months after cherry blossoms fall, their next buds already begin to form."

"But they go dormant, waiting for the warmth of spring before blooming all at once. In other words, they wait for the right moment. Isn't that amazing?"

Sakura beamed.

That wasn't something Kyousuke told her—it was something someone named Sakura was supposed to know.

'Still sounds exactly like what I said…' Yukinoshita thought, but didn't say it.

Because she knew what always came after Sakura's lovely explanations—absurd, otherworldly logic.

"But you know why cherry blossoms choose to bloom in spring, right?"

Yukinoshita clenched her jaw. Of course I do—temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc…

"Because that's when I met Kyousuke." Her voice and smile were light and cheerful—just like a cherry blossom.

'Deduct points for wordplay. Do the people in this dorm need to turn everything into some kind of metaphor?!'

Yukinoshita Yukino was genuinely exasperated.

Whether it was Yamauchi Sakura's springlike joy or remembering Kasumigaoka Utaha from earlier, she didn't know.

But one thing was clear.

This place shouldn't be called Ruyi Dorm.

It should be called Yukinoshita Yukino's House of Suffering.

"Because of Kyousuke, Sakura became this Sakura, able to smile like this. And because of Kyousuke, Shouko became beautiful—no longer a fragile piece of glass. The same with Eriri. Even Kasumigaoka-senpai."

"Kyousuke… he's spring itself~"

With a bright, musical voice, Sakura twirled lightly and looked at Yukinoshita, her amber-yellow eyes gleaming like aurora light.

"Tell me, Yukino—when spring arrives, do cherry blossoms get jealous that lilies receive more love?

Aren't we all blooming together in the same spring breeze?"

　　...

　　...

　　...

The flat-chested girl with black hair stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly open.

At this point, even if that red-eyed weirdo stood right in front of her and kept provoking her, she wouldn't respond.

Her mind was buzzing, Yamauchi Sakura's words replaying over and over again like a tangled ball of yarn, looping and knotting itself in her thoughts.

'Inhale—exhale—inhale—exhale—'

Taking a deep breath, Yukinoshita turned to look beneath the cherry blossom tree and said:

"Aren't we eating yet? I'm starving."

The goddess of absolute justice chose—shamelessly—to retreat.

But hey, she was still a normal person after all. And as everyone knows, normal people can't beat abnormal ones.

And Yamauchi Sakura was, without a doubt, the most abnormal person in this house—not physically, but mentally.

Yukinoshita had thought Sakura's twisted logic was already outrageous enough.

But now... wait, hadn't she already thought that exact sentence earlier?

The phrasing sounded all too familiar.

Ah, yes.

Those childhood friends kept pushing the boundaries of what she thought she understood about the world, constantly shaking her core values and worldview.

'Too much. Way too much.'

Just like Sakura said—they were too far ahead. And Yukinoshita? She was far, far behind.

Which, honestly, was a relief. If Sakura ever praised her as "understanding," then she'd really be in trouble.

Better to just eat. After all, the kanji for "meal" (食) has the character for "person" (人) on top of "good" (良)—to remain good, a person needs to eat.

'Yes. Food. Now.'

Idle chatter during meals leads to disaster.

"Don't talk while eating or sleeping" really is an ancient truth.

Not only does it prevent food from flying out of your mouth, it also saves you from hearing all this insane nonsense.

"Wahahahaha~~~!"

Yukinoshita flinched as Yamauchi Sakura burst into laughter again.

"Stop laughing already..." Yukinoshita muttered, her temples pounding in pain.

"Hahahahahahaha~~~~~!"

Sakura's laughter grew even louder, and it turned contagious.

Laughter echoed beneath the cherry blossom tree—one large, one small.

Yukinoshita turned her head. It was Hojou Kyousuke and Nishimiya Shouko.

'Are they idiots or something? What's so funny?'

Finally, after what felt like forever, the irritating laughter died down.

Sakura didn't continue her bizarre sermon either, instead raising her face and calling out:

"Kyousuke, can we eat now?"

"Just need to finish the fish," Kyousuke replied.

At his feet, Momotarou the dog was already full and sprawled out lazily.

"Okay, I'll go get Utaha-senpai. Yukino, go find Shouko yourself," Sakura instructed.

"Yeah, I'm not a kid." Yukinoshita responded grumpily.

Her temples were still throbbing.

"Hehehe~" Sakura giggled inwardly.

Yeah right.

This is your first time visiting a friend's house.

'If I hadn't said anything, I wouldn't be surprised if you just stood in place like a statue.'

Once Sakura's figure vanished into the living room, Yukinoshita slowly walked toward the cherry blossom tree.

Her bare feet stepped across the smooth, polished stones, feeling oddly pleasant beneath her.

She slowed down, pausing to take a closer look at the sign by the pond.

Each sign had been recently updated—not just with Kyousuke's annotations, but with Eriri's doodles too.

She added cute chibi characters, mischievously drew a grill under the fish, and even a little white puppy chasing the tail.

She also left cheeky comments on Kyousuke's notes, even complimenting his "menial work" as a valuable effort.

Sakura, Eriri, Shouko…

Spring, huh…

Yukinoshita's pale feet tread over the red and blue stones.

Her eyes, however, stayed fixed on the boy sitting at the table, surrounded by girls.

He really does feel like spring.

She didn't know what he'd been through with them, but they all looked like blooming flowers meeting the spring breeze—faces full of genuine happiness.

Despite her tangled thoughts and slow steps, Yukinoshita eventually made her way to the table.

It was a special hotpot table, natural wood in color, with a silver yin-yang pot in the center.

Both the spicy and clear broths were bubbling away, releasing fragrant steam that made you blush and sweat just from the smell.

On the spicy side, only Kyousuke was seated.

The others—Shouko, Eriri, and… oh no.

Her brain was still a mess thanks to Sakura, and now she couldn't even recall that girl's name!

Embarrassed and flustered, Yukinoshita scolded herself.

Come on, remembering people's names is like, the most basic social rule!

Despite her earlier claim that she wasn't a child, seeing the four of them laughing and chatting so naturally left Yukinoshita feeling a bit… left out.

"Yukinoshita-san, come sit here. The steam will drift to that side soon," Kyousuke called out.

"Oh, okay."

She quickly sat down next to Shouko and slid an empty chair closer—intending to save it for Yamauchi Sakura.

Just as she was wracking her brain for something to say to Shouko, a voice came from across the table.

"Yukinoshita, what do you think?"

It was Eriri.

Apparently showing off to Megumi wasn't enough—now she had to drag Yukinoshita into it.

'Sigh...'

Was this girl really an upperclassman? A noble's daughter?

She didn't carry even a hint of the fake grace or pompousness seen in other rich girls at school. Instead, she was practically radiating pure, silly sincerity.

"Mm, it's really well done. You can tell which fish is which at a glance."

But… the sadness between people is never the same.

'I can understand you wanting to relive the happiness you felt blooming in Hojou's spring breeze through showing off, but me, I...'

"Ahahahaha! Told you! Even that Kyousuke—cough cough—had a part in it!"

Eriri beamed with pride.

She decided right then to rename Kyousuke's note:

[April 11th Lucky Star.]

This was easily her second luckiest day ever.

She hadn't stopped smiling since she got home—first seeing Kasumigaoka take a loss, then discovering the depth of her own feelings.

And now making new friends like Megumi and Yukinoshita… and she was about to watch one of Kyousuke's rare performances.

Today is just the best!

'Someone save me…' Yukinoshita cried out internally.

Even Eriri's laughter was starting to resemble Yamauchi Sakura's!

Less than three minutes later, Sakura returned with Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was still in her school uniform—probably because two others hadn't changed yet either.

That kind of subtle consideration was so very onee-san-like of her.

Before Yukinoshita could say anything, she saw Sakura drag Utaha over to sit next to Eriri.

Wait—does that mean Kyousuke's going to sit next to me?!

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

"Hurry up, Kyousuke!" Eriri called out.

The sea bream had been her contribution—a perfect specimen worthy of appearing on the Sushi Sage's table. Mr. Spencer had made several calls just to find it.

"Yes, yes, yes~~" Kyousuke replied lazily.

Yukinoshita blinked in surprise.

'Wait… he doesn't just talk to me like that? That might actually be one of his catchphrases…'

Two meters from the hotpot table, a side table had been set up, and the beautiful pink sea bream was laid out upon it.

The blood had already been carefully removed with special techniques—it only needed to be sliced.