Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

Although Miura had boldly declared to her best friend that she would absolutely stop meddling in Yukinoshita's affairs and wouldn't even acknowledge her existence again, she broke that promise the very next day.

Because Yukinoshita gave her a can of cola.

"Ugh, Yukinoshita is such a hassle…"

Despite the fact that her face was flushed with embarrassment and quiet joy, she quickly feigned indifference. "What's the point of giving me this? I don't even like this sugary stuff."

That, of course, was a lie.

In truth, Miura loved soda. But such an otaku-like fondness for something so unhealthy didn't suit her image especially since it could make her gain weight. And it certainly didn't match her commanding, queen-like persona. So out of embarrassment, she never admitted it to anyone.

Privately, though, she would occasionally calculate calories and allow herself a tiny sip here and there torn between guilt and delight.

Kamizawa Junko gave a bright, teasing smile. "If Yumiko doesn't want it, then I'll take care of it for her… I'm super curious what something from Yukinoshita-sama tastes like."

Onozawa Kana nodded eagerly, like a pecking chicken. "Me too, me too!"

Miura's expression immediately changed as she snatched the can of cola back and snapped at them like she was swatting away flies. "Get lost, get lost! It's just cola you've had it before!"

"Yumiko, you're so stingy!"

Yeah, stingy!

Still… come to think of it, Yukinoshita had never given anyone gifts not even the people she confessed to.

Sure, that might seem a bit shady, but the thought made Miura feel as if her entire body were glowing with joy.

She nearly marched right over to drink the cola in front of Hayama or Hikigaya just to make a point. But in the end, she restrained herself because she wanted to preserve the can.

Yuigahama watched them with a soft smile, occasionally adding a few diplomatic words to keep things pleasant.

Miura, face flushed red, mumbled with a mixture of shyness and confusion, "I still don't get it… Why would Yukinoshita like me…"

Onozawa Kana answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because you're pretty, Yumiko."

And she wasn't wrong. Miura was a natural beauty. Add to that her perfectly maintained hair, skin, eyes, and hands, and she practically radiated elegance like even her hair strands sparkled with vitality. It was a bright, striking kind of beauty.

 That really was a good reason.

Miura opened her compact mirror and examined her very persuasive-looking reflection. To cover up her growing blush, she cleared her throat and nodded with confidence.

Yuigahama almost lost control of her customer-service smile.

No way… are these two serious?

At Sōbu High, Yukinoshita was practically the Grim Reaper of high school romance. The number of boys she had "crushed" was uncountable, and several of the girls left heartbroken by her had been just as attractive as Miura.

Surely Yukinoshita couldn't be secretly in love with that many girls at once?

Meanwhile, Onozawa Kana and Miura Yumiko had already launched into a full analysis, coming to a very compelling conclusion.

Yukinoshita Yukino had been watching Yumiko since their very first encounter at the start of the school year.

Her feelings were so deep, it was enough to move someone to tears. Sniff sniff.

"So Yumiko, are you going to date Yukinoshita?"

Miura rejected the idea immediately. "Who would date Yukinoshita? At most… we could just be friends, right?!"

No matter how you looked at it, dating Yukinoshita someone she'd only been classmates with for less than two weeks was just way too over-the-top.

Kamizawa Junko let out a sigh. "With Yumiko's personality, she's probably gonna stay single forever. I can't even picture her managing to chase Yukinoshita down."

Onozawa Kana nodded solemnly in agreement. "No wonder Yukinoshita's been secretly crushing on her for so long without saying anything Yumiko's just way too difficult."

Then she nudged Yuigahama with her shoulder, smiling playfully. "What do you think, Yuigahama?"

Yuigahama tapped her chin thoughtfully. "With Yumiko? I really can't picture her trying to pursue anyone."

Miura's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean I'd chase Yukinoshita?! She's the one who's crushing on me! If anything, she should be the one chasing me, got it?!"

Despite her stubborn denial, Miura was genuinely starting to worry.

Yukinoshita clearly liked her but she'd never even tried to confess. Was it because Miura was a bad choice for a partner? Was she just someone to be admired from afar, not someone you actually wanted to get close to?

This was bad. What if Yukinoshita stopped liking her?

…

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita herself was happily exploring new functions on her system.

The system, heartless as ever, had made her trudge through pouring rain just to finish a task. She'd been soaked to the bone by the time she reached her private car, still wearing her blazer and using a textbook as an umbrella.

Sōbu High had strict rules no private vehicles for students or even parents allowed inside campus grounds. That day, Yukinoshita had looked like a drowned cat by the time she made it to the curb.

Cruel or not, the system was undeniably effective.

Just over two weeks ago, Yukinoshita had arrived in this frustrating timeline in a frustrating state of affairs. But after relentless task-grinding, she'd managed to raise her reputation in Class 2-F from open hostility to cool indifference.

At the very least, when someone showed up trying to pick a fight, she no longer had to worry about being attacked from all sides.

Even so, Miura's behavior today had taken her by surprise.

This was the first time Yukinoshita had genuinely felt protected by someone outside of her family.

[Give Miura Sprite?]

No response from the system.

[Give Miura designer sneakers?]

Still no response.

Her system was notoriously dumb utterly useless unless triggered by the right keywords. But Yukinoshita had figured out a workaround: using a mix of brute-force and elimination methods to test different combinations.

For example, after suggesting nearly every object she could think of, she'd discovered that "Miura + cola" finally triggered a task.

Cola. To Yukinoshita, the associations were things like youth, relaxation, refreshing taste…

She tried dozens of variations in hopes of finding a new task, but nothing else worked.

This wasn't just about completing tasks anymore. Yukinoshita genuinely wanted to understand what Miura liked.

She wasn't the type to leave debts unpaid.

She'd spent too much of her life navigating the darkness alone. So much so that even when someone shone a light in her direction, she couldn't help but worry would that light eventually burn her instead?

[Give Miura dessert?]

Finally, the cold, dead system responded.

[System has selected the optimal item: Give Miura Yumiko a cream puff.]

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