Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

It was the weekend again, and as promised, the raven-haired private tutor Sawamura Eriri arrived at the door.

"Yui-chan, I'll be in your care again today~"

Yukinoshita, who had been focused on her textbook, only then lifted her gaze to glance at Sawamura Eriri.

"Honestly, are we still going to keep calling each other by these ridiculous fake names?"

The two of them had history, to say the least, and when they reunited under these odd circumstances, both had reported false names.

One called herself Sawamura Eriri, the other Yui Yuigahama.

Truth be told, both of them were as petty and sharp-tongued as ever.

Kasumigaoka chimed in with a soft smile. "Of course we are."

Her smile was, admittedly, quite lovely, but the expression was so dripping with sarcasm that it made you want to argue with her on the spot.

"After all, there's no way the great Kasumigaoka Utaha would be doing something as stupid as tutoring her ex-love rival."

She smiled politely, but it was obvious the pen in her hand was dangerously close to snapping under pressure.

"I'm more surprised that you actually showed up again today," Yukinoshita said.

The malice she harbored toward her was practically seeping through the walls, and yet here she was, managing to suppress her disgust and still show up.

Was she planning to finish what she couldn't last time? Here to commit murder now that she was more prepared?

Kasumigaoka tilted her head slightly. "I was more surprised that your door was left ajar today… You're really that unguarded with me?"

She leaned in across the coffee table, resting her chin on her hands, her eyes glittering with mischief. "I heard yesterday you told everyone at Sōbu High that you liked girls."

Yukinoshita didn't look up from her textbook, not even a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes. Her voice remained cold.

"A stupid comment like that whether it was sleep-talking or drunken nonsense suits you perfectly."

Kasumigaoka straightened up. "If that were actually true, that'd be great. But if you seriously liked someone like me, someone so gross and detestable, I'd really have to do some soul-searching."

She added casually, "Hold on, I'll go get you a plate of spicy hangover pills."

Blonde-era Yukinoshita may not have been the same person as she was now, but that version of her had still hurt others under her name. For the sake of the "mission," enduring a bit of malice from Kasumigaoka was manageable.

Yukinoshita had been surrounded by cruelty since childhood; this level of verbal abuse wasn't even enough to crack her armor.

In fact, she could reflect it all right back.

Despite their biting words, both of them knew when to stop. As soon as the tutoring began, a silent truce was called.

Kasumigaoka quizzed her on a few knowledge points from last time. Unsurprisingly, Yukinoshita answered them all correctly.

Then came the new material. Yukinoshita had likely already reviewed it in advance. She was smart to begin with, and as Kasumigaoka explained the content, Yukinoshita was already working through the connections herself.

It was as if she was getting smarter by the day.

Yukinoshita had a sharp mind and natural academic talent. Rumor had it she entered Sōbu High with the highest entrance exam score in her year.

Yet, no one knew why soon after starting high school this elegant, well-bred rich girl seemed to crash and burn. She dyed her hair blonde, wore heavy makeup and dark eyeliner, painted her nails in vibrant colors, and wore her uniform sloppily. She had completely transformed into a flashy delinquent.

Kasumigaoka had once seen photos of Yukinoshita in her gyaru phase on the school's online forum. Even in that loud, Shibuya-style visual kei aesthetic, her beauty had shone through.

She was stunning. As a blonde, she burned bright. With black hair, she was serene as water.

No wonder, Kasumigaoka thought. No wonder Aki-kun had chosen her back then.

"Yukinoshita."

Halfway through reviewing a problem, Kasumigaoka suddenly paused. She called out Yukinoshita's name while still holding her pen.

Yukinoshita turned to her with mild curiosity, unconsciously straightening her posture.

Even at home, where she should be at ease, her back remained straight and her neck arched with elegant precision, like a dancer poised to take the stage.

Even when facing an old rival who clearly still resented her, Yukinoshita instinctively offered her full attention and respect.

How could someone raised with such poise and courtesy down to her very bones really be the same kind of person who had repeatedly interfered with other people's relationships?

Kasumigaoka paused again, then suddenly smiled.

"Do you have any strawberry milk at home? I'm a bit thirsty."

Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid I'll poison it?"

"If it sends you to prison, I wouldn't mind a little food poisoning."

Yukinoshita seemed a little surprised, but stood up anyway. She sighed.

"I don't have much in the way of drinks here. I'll head to the convenience store downstairs. Just wait here for a bit."

She slipped on a coat at the entrance.

"Do you prefer Morinaga, Meiji, or Kyodo brand?"

Kasumigaoka answered, "Anything's fine."

Then she asked, "Isn't your driver usually waiting downstairs except at night?"

Yukinoshita gave her a look. "Mr. Itō is a driver, not a butler."

She crouched at the genkan to put on her shoes, muttering softly, "Even if he were a butler, he'd be the Yukinoshita family's butler, not mine."

The door closed gently behind her, and with it, the subtle warmth of her presence disappeared from the apartment.

Now only Kasumigaoka remained in the room.

The apartment where Yukinoshita was staying was a one-bedroom unit with a palette of cool whites, grays, and blues. It was sparsely furnished, almost devoid of decorations.

Everything was neat and in its proper place, without a hint of disorder.

Even her home reflected restraint and discipline. Was someone like this truly the kind of reckless, fickle woman people claimed she was?

What was she really thinking at this moment?

Kasumigaoka had left her own house today with a plan determined to get back at Yukinoshita. She'd thought of everything: mixing chili oil into her shampoo, sneaking wasabi into her toothpaste.

It was only natural to retaliate against someone who had stolen from her, someone so detestable.

And Yukinoshita, showing this much vulnerability, was practically begging to be taken advantage of.

Come on, Yukinoshita. Let's tear each other apart.

That had been the plan.

But now, the chili oil and wasabi hidden in her bag suddenly felt scorching hot. She couldn't bring herself to touch them.

How could someone have absolutely no guard up… against an ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-love rival?

Yukinoshita, are you an idiot?

Kasumigaoka slumped back against the sofa and let out a long, conflicted sigh.

____________________

NEXT CHAPTER : Death to Deadline Slackers (Except Me)

(In this sharp, dialogue-driven chapter, Utaha Kasumigaoka juggles a desperate LINE thread with fellow creator Eriri who's spiraling under deadline pressure and an increasingly complex tutoring session with the enigmatic Yukino Yukinoshita. Between Eriri's absurd modeling requests and Yukino's oddly formal phone call to her mother (who only just learned she transferred classes two weeks ago), Kasumigaoka suspects something deeper is going on.

What starts as a casual study session quickly turns into a subtle interrogation, as Kasumigaoka prods Yukino for answers about her mysterious past with Aki Tomoya the boy both she and Eriri once loved. But Yukino dodges, deflects, and finally admits:

"Because Yukinoshita... is an idiot.")

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