Yukinoshita-san is definitely secretly in love with me.

Mr. Yukinoshita was still in America negotiating contracts and hadn't returned that evening.

From lunch through dinner, only Haruno kept chatting away, while Mrs. Yukinoshita responded now and then with a word or two.

Yukino turned on the TV embedded in the living room wall with practiced ease, trying to make herself seem less out of place.

She didn't feel especially affected by this atmosphere of isolation. After all, from as far back as she could remember, she'd always played the role of the quiet, overlooked one in this household.

If silence and coldness were water, then Yukino was a fish long accustomed to swimming freely in the deep sea.

To be honest, she was already relieved that things hadn't turned ugly during this return trip.

She had fully expected her mother to start popping blood pressure pills the moment she walked in the door.

But as it turned out thankfully not this time.

Mrs. Yukinoshita's gaze kept drifting toward her second daughter.

Though it had only been a little over a month since they last saw each other, Yukino now seemed more distant than ever like they were separated by a chasm that couldn't be crossed.

Back in elementary school, Yukino would come home only once every few months. Later, she went abroad for middle school.

Then, just as she was about to enter high school, Mrs. Yukinoshita had learned from her husband that Yukino intended to move out and live on her own.

They were mother and daughter, so how had they grown so unfamiliar?

Though she never admitted it out loud, Mrs. Yukinoshita did feel a twinge of guilt toward her younger daughter.

That was why even though Yukino had been nothing short of a disgrace over the past year she brushed it off as nothing more than a typical adolescent phase of rebellion.

And now? Maybe that phase had passed?

"Yukino, there's a banquet tomorrow evening. You should come," Mrs. Yukinoshita said.

Her words were like a fishing net cast into the depths. Yukino, swimming quietly in the sea, was suddenly pulled to the surface.

She looked a little surprised but still nodded. "Okay."

After all, as the daughter of the Yukinoshita family, she had attended her share of high-society events in the past.

Just then, the ever-chatty Haruno paused.

She smiled brightly. "I'll go with Yukino tomorrow."

Mrs. Yukinoshita gave her a glance. "Suit yourself. Just don't make trouble."

"Mom, that's so mean. When have I ever caused trouble?" Haruno pouted playfully.

She always had a natural ease when it came to teasing and charming their parents.

Later that night, as they were heading upstairs to rest, Haruno turned to Yukino with a mischievous smile. "You'd better be careful at that banquet tomorrow. That Shijō girl will be there too."

Shijō?

The name triggered something in Yukino's mind like a badly designed system recognizing a cursed keyword.

It was a name far too familiar.

The Shijō family was a powerful branch of the Shigūmi Conglomerate, one of the four major financial groups that practically ran Japan's economy.

Unlike the more locally influential Yukinoshita family, the Shijōs wielded substantial power on a national scale.

Of course, there was no shortage of rich heirs and socialites in the country. The reason Yukino remembered the name so clearly was because of Maki Shijō the heiress who happened to appear on a very particular list.

Specifically, she was one of the unfortunate souls who had been two-timed by the golden retriever Yukinoshita.

Yes, her too.

Yukino could practically feel her soul leaving her body.

Seriously? What, had he been on a nationwide tour, leaving behind a trail of betrayed women wherever he went?

And worst of all, her sister had front-row seats to this whole humiliating mess.

Yukino had always been proud and stubborn especially in front of Haruno. It was precisely because of that pride that she'd refused to reach out first, even after they'd grown apart.

And now she had to suffer this epic disgrace, right in front of her.

How mortifying.

Yukino forced a straight face. "I'll handle it."

Haruno raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"I'll speak with Miss Shijō and clear up any misunderstanding."

Without skipping a beat, Yukino added, "Your company's business negotiations haven't been going so well lately, have they?"

Haruno internally scoffed.

Not going well was an understatement it was like hitting a wall at every turn.

Not that she considered it a big deal. She had weathered worse.

Still, she kept her smile bright. "You've got the wrong idea. Miss Shijō might be difficult, but she's never let personal emotions affect the relationship between our families."

Yukino replied calmly, "Miss Shijō might not, but there are always those eager to curry favor with her people who would go much further than she ever would."

"If we allow this kind of provocation and harassment to continue unchecked, it's only a matter of time before it causes real trouble for the Yukinoshita family."

Haruno was momentarily speechless.

When had Yukino become this sharp?

Back in the day whether it was the original Yukino or the blonde version she had never cared for things like this.

Had she… grown up?

Haruno's eyes darkened slightly, though her smile grew even sweeter. "My, my. Aren't you clever, Yukino? Do your best~"

But that sugary tone carried no real trace of trust, and Yukino nearly ground her teeth in frustration.

As the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, Haruno had long been admired for her beauty and her ability. Even years ago, she had begun shouldering the family's responsibilities.

She had entered a small, unremarkable subsidiary of Yukinoshita Corporation as a so-called "observer" a title that carried no real weight or recognition.

At the time, she was still a teenager, barely out of high school, and visibly youthful.

The old guard in the company had mocked her as nothing more than a pretty face.

But within just a few months, those same senior employees who once sneered at her were now wishing they could crawl on their knees just to escape her polished smile.

While her peers were still stressing over grades and retakes, Haruno was already making seasoned professionals tremble.

Her social finesse, ability to command subordinates, and even her business acumen were all beyond reproach.

Back then, Yukino had believed that no matter what, she would never be able to surpass her sister.

But now things were different.

Now, she had a cheat code! [places hands on hips, self-righteously]

"Just you watch," Yukino said, arms crossed.

She didn't even realize how childish and stubborn she looked at that moment.

"I'll accomplish what you couldn't."

With that, she turned and marched back to her room, leaving Haruno standing frozen on the landing.

She stared after her little sister so full of pride she practically looked like a little bird about to spread its wings and for a moment, she thought she was seeing the old Yukino again: proud, stubborn, unyielding.

Idiot.

She mocked herself silently.

But the moment Haruno closed her bedroom door behind her, the sweet smile vanished from her face.

Her expression turned cold ghastly, even.

She had known this for a long time.

That version of Yukino she had loved and cherished… was never coming back.

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