Taking off her brown loafers, Yumiko opened her shoe locker and was about to take her indoor slippers, but stopped when she saw someone walking toward her.
Tobe.
Even though the two of them weren't that close, many things happened between them lately. While Yumiko felt that they were close, it was also hard to say that they had an amiable relationship, especially when she knew that Tobe was dating Yukinoshita, that girl, who could only be looked up to by everyone.
Unexpectedly, the girl that everyone longed for was given to him.
Still, as their gaze met, Tobe greeted her first.
"Good morning, Yumiko."
Yumiko felt conflicted when she faced him, but she returned his greeting. "Um... good morning." Yet, his response made her a bit annoyed as she saw him smiling. "Why are you laughing at me?"
Tobe didn't get angry since he knew well that this girl was still in her period, and at the same time, she had this delusion where she thought that she was being belittled as if she was the victim when the truth was that she was the one who caused the problem.
When he thought about this, he somehow understood why Hayama never thought to close the deal with Yumiko despite how beautiful she was.
With long, slender legs like those of a model, a graceful yet womanly body, long, beautiful hair that was carefully arranged with curls at the tip, and lastly, that face that made her the most beautiful girl in the class.
As for the school, naturally, the most beautiful was taken by his girlfriend, Yukinoshita.
Yet, this also made him think that it was rare to meet someone who was both beautiful and had a good personality. A woman like Shiori was rare as she had their own beliefs, and could be social with many so naturally.
Instead, the most common personality of a girl was Yumiko, who was overconfident in herself and quite mean, or Yuigahama Yui, the follower of Yumiko, who was as obedient as a sheep, following the flock.
As for Yukinoshita and Ebina, the two entered the third category, which was those who were isolated and mostly stayed alone.
So, if Yumiko was an alpha, Yui was beta, then Shiori would be sigma.
As for Yukinoshita and Ebina, despite how beautiful they were, they were like those wolves, horses, or certain animals that stayed in the group, yet left behind as they angered the leader of the pack.
Still, while Ebina could hold on, Yumiko also wasn't such a cruel leader, and never thought of Ebina as a threat; she took care of her carefully.
Except for her, Yumiko wouldn't allow anyone to bully her group, but then again, if she met those whom she felt were better than her, she would quickly lose her confidence.
As for Yukinoshita, if she were good at communication, she wouldn't be alone in that room.
Frankly, at this moment, Tobe felt like he was a counselor, so he wouldn't get angry at Yumiko's sudden outburst. "No, it's just I never thought that you would greet me back." Looking at Yumiko with a gentle smile, he said, "I thought that you would ignore me."
"...I am not so small-minded."
"Well, that's true. You are not that bad."
"...do you think I am that bad?"
"Let's go to class."
"Oi, are you ignoring me?!"
"I am not."
"You are."
"More importantly, are you confident in doing the exam?"
Tobe felt a bit tired inwardly, facing Yumiko, but he knew well that as a guy, he shouldn't lose his calm.
A woman is like an ocean; sometimes, she is gentle and calm, but at other times, she has fierce waves that cause a lot of trouble.
Meanwhile, a man should be like a coral reef, firm and stable despite facing the fierce waves.
Then again, sometimes, Tobe had to say, he was quite jealous of a woman who could show their weakness and be expressive with their emotions, when a man could only silently endure everything, either by smoking, staring at the distance blankly before they got up.
Facing his calmness, Yumiko also started to waver, feeling she was childish, and also wondered why she couldn't stay calm by his side. She often tried to make a mess, causing him trouble.
Did she want him to leave her and never talk?
Strangely enough, Yumiko could imagine that Tobe would just ignore her, and it wouldn't affect his life, as he had his own happiness, yet for her, she could imagine that it made her so uncomfortable.
Still, unlike him, her love was as good as gone, and she knew well that no matter the struggle, it was meaningless when the other party had no way to show an interest.
"Say.. how did you get Yukinoshita-san's heart?"
"..."
Instead of asking him about the question of the exam, Yumiko asked him about his love life, which made him speechless, thinking that the high school was sure quite free since they didn't think about the future of this country, which was as good as falling into the deepest despair, especially with the weakened yen, decline birth rate, and many others.
Sighing inwardly, he said, "Being handsome."
"Narcissistic!"
"Then, how did you think I could get her heart?"
"..." Yumiko.
If Tobe weren't so handsome, he wouldn't have gotten Yukinoshita.
"That girl is so shallow." Shaking her head, Yumiko felt that Yukinoshita was too shallow to fall for Tobe's face.
"Aren't you the same?"
Still, Yukinoshita was his girlfriend, so how could he let this woman badmouth her?
"..." Yumiko.
Yes, they were the same, similar to Yukinoshita, who fell for Tobe's face; wasn't Yumiko also drawn to Hayama's face?
"If Hayato-kun is ugly, will you fall for him?"
When Yumiko was about to argue, Tobe gave her a checkmate.
"..." Yumiko.
"T-Then, what about the emotions? If you are being kind, gentle, patient, and show care toward that person, won't that person fall for you?"
"Isn't that the same as having an ulterior motive?"
"...." Yumiko.
"How do you feel being approached by someone who has an ulterior motive?"
"...." Yumiko.
They wanted to get close because they wanted to date that person.
Tobe couldn't say that it was wrong since most people did that and also had an expectation that something could be born between them, but what was wrong was that they expected the other party to give them the same feeling that they had given them.
A feeling can't be forced, after all.
If one loves others, then they will love them, but if not, then it will be hard, no matter how hard one tries.
Even the most devoted fans couldn't capture the heart of the one they supported, despite giving them so much money, time, effort, and everything.
"Well, there is no need to be in a hurry."
Patting Yumiko's shoulder softly, Tobe said, "You are beautiful. I am sure that you will find someone who can love you sincerely."
"...why do you sound like you are better than me?"
"Because I have a girlfriend."
'Two at that,' Tobe thought inwardly.
"Bastard!"
Yumiko got angry and wanted to refute him, but she couldn't, so in the end, she could only glare at him, and somehow used her physical strength, yet in the end, she held it and just lightly bumped into him.
"If you snap your fingers, those boys will become your slaves. You don't have to worry about guys at all."
Even if Yumiko's personality was like this, as long as she quieted down and was in the normal, many would become her simps, giving her their everything, like she was the queen.
"Who wants those losers?!"
Still, as they talked, Hayama Hayato, who saw them and was about to greet them, stopped and stared at them thoughtfully.