Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

It was a perfectly good weekend morning, and Yui was still groggy with sleep when her phone, resting by her pillow, buzzed again and again with incoming messages.

Half-awake, she fumbled to shut it off without opening her eyes, pulled the blanket over her head, and went back to sleep. She had no idea how much time had passed before sounds from the living room and kitchen drifted into her room.

"Yui, time for breakfast~"

Mrs. Yuigahama called through the door, knocking gently.

"Just let me sleep a little longer, Mom…"

"You shouldn't stay in bed too long, even on weekends. It's already nine, Yui."

"Yeah, yeah…"

Yawning, Yui finally got up, scratched at her messy hair, shuffled to the bathroom to wash up, and then sluggishly sat down at the dining table.

"Where's Dad?"

"He had to work today too. Ate breakfast earlier and rushed off."

Her mother glanced back from the kitchen with a smile. "He said he'll be on a business trip to the next city this weekend. Apparently there's a famous store for cute plushies there. He asked if there's anything you want."

"No need! I'm already this old. Seriously, he still treats me like a kid."

"Right, right. Yui's all grown up now. Grown-up tastes and all."

Her mother chuckled. "Aren't you going out with Yumiko, Junko, and Zeka today?"

Yui had always been part of the popular girls in class warm, sweet, well-liked. Her weekends were usually fully booked: shopping with Yumiko, Junko, or Zeka, or out with other classmates.

Seeing her daughter sleep in for once was unusual enough to surprise Mrs. Yuigahama.

"Junko and Zeka have stuff to do today. Yumiko has a… date. Besides, I really wanted to catch up on sleep."

"Oho, a date? Yumiko's got a boyfriend? What an adorable age to be~"

"What are you even saying?" Yui replied calmly. "She's going out with a girl who just transferred into our class. As the class rep, Yumiko's just helping her get to know everyone."

But at that moment, she couldn't help but recall what Junko had said offhandedly the other day.

"When Yukinoshita first transferred into our class, everyone was watching her. I guess you didn't notice what Yumiko looked like back then."

Her mother commented casually, "Class reps handle stuff like that too? Yumiko really is enthusiastic."

Exactly. Even Mom finds such an excuse questionable yet Yukinoshita didn't question it at all.

Whether it was because Yukinoshita had plans regarding Yumiko, or because Yumiko meant something special to her… Either way, Yui couldn't shake the unfamiliar, almost suffocating feeling swelling in her chest.

After helping her mom clear the dishes, Yui returned to her room and powered her phone back on. As expected, there were already tons of messages.

The "Safe and Rich" LINE group was especially lively today, with Yumiko going on a rampage since 4 a.m.

With her phone on vibrate next to her pillow, Yui had dreamed of endless buzzing like a cloud of mosquitoes whining in her ear all night.

Even now, Yumiko was still hyped up, full of energy like she'd overdosed on caffeine.

Yumiko:

So, I thought long and hard and figured the aquarium was a pretty good choice. No hidden meanings or anything.

Yumiko:

Zeka was mixing things up yesterday and saying nonsense. Just because it's a popular date spot doesn't mean it can't be for normal friends too!

Yumiko:

Besides, Yukinoshita didn't act weird about it at all. She was totally calm. Obviously, it didn't mean anything to her!

Junko:

lmao

Zeka:

lmao

Yui casually copied and pasted another lmao underneath theirs.

Zeka:

Should I just send Yukinoshita that ranking list of "Top Date Spots for Lesbian Couples"?

Zeka always had a wicked sense of humor and loved teasing Yumiko whenever she got flustered.

Yumiko:

lmaoooo maybe I should send everyone the photo I took of Yukinoshita at the aquarium. She looked so different from usual!

Junko:

Whoa, candid photos now? Yumiko, you're turning into a total creep…

Yumiko:

Hey hey hey! Do you want to see it or not?!

Yumiko's attempt at misdirection was painfully obvious but of course they wanted to see it. This was the new and improved Yukinoshita, after all.

She sent over a photo. In the image, Yukinoshita stood with one hand lightly resting against the glass of an underwater tunnel, gazing intently through the transparent barrier at the aquatic world beyond.

Light refracted through the tunnel bathed her face in surreal, shifting hues strange, vivid, and dreamlike, with the shadowy allure of the deep sea.

Even her usually serene and reserved expression seemed softened by the light, casting a gentle glow over her refined features.

That cold, distant girl when her expression softened like that, the effect was absolutely devastating.

Junko:

OMG Yukinoshita's face just KILLED me

Junko:

Who would've guessed the school's Ice Queen could look this soft and cute?!

Zeka:

I'm confessing to her right now

Zeka:

With a face like that, I could eat five bowls of rice a day!

Yumiko:

Back off! Yukinoshita is… is our class's precious study prodigy! She's focused on her grades, okay? You all better not distract her!

Yui couldn't remember what else they said after that. She vaguely replied a few times, but her eyes were still fixed on the photo Yumiko had sent.

She had always known Yukinoshita was beautiful.

When her hair was dyed blond, she was radiant like blooming peach blossoms. With black hair, she had the calm elegance of a lotus pure, graceful, and quietly breathtaking.

"By the way, Yui…" her mother said while pulling some meat from the fridge to marinate. "What happened to that pretty friend of yours, Yukinoshita? Haven't seen her around lately."

Yui forced a smile. "She's been busy with cram school lately…"

She drifted back to her room like a sleepwalker, pulled out a cardboard box from under the bed, and retrieved a photo frame from it. Gently, she wiped the dust from the glass.

In the picture, a blond-haired girl and a pink-haired girl beamed at the camera, flashing silly peace signs with wide, happy grins.

That Yui bright, innocent, full of joy had truly believed that a promise of friendship would last forever.

Now she just stared at the photo, the gentle smile she usually wore long gone.

"…Why did it have to be Yumiko?"

"Even if we were just friends… even if I was being used… it was still me first."