Right now, at Sobu High, his girlfriend in name was Miura Yumiko.
He and Miura Yumiko still carried the label of a couple at Sobu High.
That relationship hadn't ended yet — it was still technically in effect!
If he and Yukino went public as a couple without first officially breaking things off with Miura, that would only invite even bigger problems.
And then the students of Sobu High would grow far more curious, far more eager to gossip.
Yukino could endure that. But that didn't mean Miura Yumiko could.
As for that blonde girl, if he was honest, Lin Ye didn't have much confidence — didn't have much ground to stand on.
She looked tough on the outside, proud and untouchable, but underneath she was soft and fragile.
If rumors of a love triangle ever caught fire, with Miura Yumiko and Yukino thrust into the spotlight and picked apart by endless discussion, Miura's composure would eventually crack.
Yukino could take it, but Lin Ye worried she'd still be affected somehow.
So for now, it was better to keep things quiet.
Holding hands and the rest — that could wait for later.
"Yukino," Lin Ye began, "I do have a girlfriend in name at Sobu High, so..."
His tone alone told Yukino exactly what he meant.
But that vague approach wasn't going to fly. She wanted him to admit it plainly — that he didn't dare go public with their relationship.
"I don't actually mind. Let the students of Sobu High find out you've got both of the school's two prettiest girls to yourself, Lin-kun. Just imagine how many boys would envy you."
As she said this, the corner of Yukino's mouth curled upward.
The boys of Sobu High wouldn't just envy him — they'd hate him, want to tear him limb from limb.
One girlfriend was already enough to be envied for. Two — and both the school's prettiest flowers besides — that was enough to make half the male population resentful.
If glances and resentment alone could kill,
Yukino was certain Lin Ye would have died a thousand deaths already, dead beyond dying.
"Oh, and Isshiki has plenty of admirers at Sobu High too, and Yui Yuigahama's pretty popular with the boys as well. So why not just go public with all of us together?"
This time it was Yukino who started the teasing.
She knew Lin Ye had nothing going on with Yui Yuigahama or Iroha Isshiki, but that didn't mean she couldn't use it as an excuse to make him squirm a little.
"Yukino, let's leave the joke there."
"I'm not joking. I'm completely serious. If you're willing, I have no objection at all."
"Honestly, if I had to pick between Isshiki and Yuigahama, I'd rather just go with Ryou."
Lin Ye's offhand remark made Yukino Yukinoshita's expression shift slightly.
She fixed her eyes on him. "You have feelings for Miss Fujibayashi?"
"Who doesn't like a pretty nurse? Of course I do — unless some girl is willing to put on a nurse's uniform for me."
Lin Ye stared at Yukino, unable to stop the grin tugging at his mouth.
What he said was true, though he'd left out part of the truth.
"Dream on," Yukino shot back without mercy. She wasn't about to give in to every one of his demands.
She'd already agreed to the police uniform last night — if she agreed to the nurse's uniform today, what would he ask for next?
She didn't dare imagine.
She really couldn't picture what costume he'd request tomorrow.
Yukino shook her head and decided not to think about it any further.
Right then, Lin Ye spoke up. "If Yukino won't wear it, then I'll just have to ask Ryou. And if Ryou doesn't have time, I'll ask one of her coworkers — a hospital has plenty of nurses, and surely some of them are pretty."
Every word dripped with his fondness and longing for pretty women.
It was him showing off that lecherous side of his fully.
He was also laying groundwork, letting a certain girl mentally prepare herself.
Beyond Ryou Fujibayashi, there was also Ren Nanase.
Not that Lin Ye had any particular designs on Ren — that wasn't it at all.
But necessary preparations still had to be made.
And he knew how Ren felt about him. If she let herself go unchecked, things could get complicated fast.
If Ryou could happen, why not Ren? Lin Ye worried Ren might start thinking exactly that.
So, he figured it was best to prepare ahead of time — to let this girl, his girlfriend and fiancée both, get mentally ready in advance.
Looking at the girl in front of him now, what Lin Ye saw was contempt and disdain.
Bald-faced contempt, not hidden in the slightest.
"Nurses, nurses — how much do you even like nurses?" Yukino couldn't help but ask.
"If Yukino wore the nurse's uniform, I'd be satisfied too."
Lin Ye answered right away, shifting the blame onto Yukino's refusal — making it seem like it was her own reluctance driving all of this, and that he was simply trying every means to get her into the uniform, deflecting from the real point.
In this quiet, roundabout way, he fed Yukino information piece by piece.
"No," Yukino refused to bend. If she gave in on this, what would happen after?
She didn't dare think about it.
One more concession, and who knew how many costumes would follow.
Her apartment would end up stocked with every kind of sexy uniform imaginable — nurse, stewardess, soldier, you name it, there'd be far too many.
Yukino had no intention of letting that happen. No, she wasn't ready to go that far.
"Yukino, I'm begging you here," Lin Ye said, switching to pleading — of course, this was only to build up his credibility, to make Yukino believe he genuinely loved nurse uniforms and wasn't just after the nurse herself.
"Begging won't help." Yukino's tone was firm; she held her ground and kept refusing.
"Really won't it?"
The counter-question made Yukino hesitate for a moment, but she still held onto her stance. She couldn't loosen up — absolutely couldn't.
If she gave an inch now, what would the future look like?
"It won't help."
"Fine, I won't push you then. I'll just have to ask Ryou for help. Yeah, I'll go see her tonight."
That was even more outrageous.
Yukino Yukinoshita gritted her teeth, half wanting to lunge at him and bite down hard on his shoulder.
But she held herself back — she couldn't let herself explode, and it wasn't in her nature to make such an unladylike scene anyway.
"Suit yourself," she said, though the words carried plenty of displeasure.
Lin Ye pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward Yukino. "Ryou says we should all have dinner together tonight, if our schedules line up."
Yukino was caught off guard.
It was an invitation from Ryou Fujibayashi. But last night...
"The hospital made some last-minute schedule changes, so she's free tonight. She wants to invite us both to dinner. Are you coming? If not, I guess I'll just go enjoy Ryou in her nurse's uniform all by myself."
The teasing remark didn't do much for Yukino's mood.
But it was still an improvement, all things considered.
Lin Ye was, in effect, finding a roundabout way to bring up tonight's dinner invitation.
This was clearly deliberate — he wanted to see her get annoyed, wanted to enjoy that reaction.
Realizing this only made Yukino more irritated and upset.
This man... he was up to no good.
"Maybe it's better if Yukino doesn't come. If I go alone, I could get Ryou to wear it while we eat together. Oh, and I could get her to bring a colleague along too — one on each arm. Now that would be pure bliss."
Yukino Yukinoshita's face darkened; she thought Lin Ye had truly gone too far this time.
Facing his shameless declaration, she struck back firmly. "Keep dreaming. I'm coming, so drop that idea entirely."
She would go. She absolutely would go. She wouldn't give Lin Ye a single opening to exploit.
Even setting aside the fact that the invitation came from Ryou Fujibayashi herself, Yukino Yukinoshita could never let Lin Ye go meet her alone — especially with the possibility of yet another nurse joining in.
Just hearing about it left her unable to relax.
So, Yukino Yukinoshita was absolutely going, even if Lin Ye tried to refuse her. She'd tag along regardless, and might even contact Ryou Fujibayashi herself to settle on a meeting place.
"Yukino, why don't you wear a nurse's uniform too? You and Ryou both in nurse's uniforms, sitting one on each side of me..."
That earned him a withering look from Yukino Yukinoshita.
There was no way she'd agree to such an unreasonable demand from Lin Ye — not even if he begged.
"Stop dreaming."
"If dreaming could make it happen..."
"Enough."
Yukino Yukinoshita cut the conversation off there.
If this kept going, there was no telling what topic they'd end up on.
When it came to Lin Ye, she had to know when to stop things — otherwise, it would go on forever.
Yukino had no intention of letting that happen.
"Since Yukino's put it that way, I'll drop it here."
Lin Ye accepted the terms.
He straightened his clothes and headed for the apartment door.
Yukino finished her last preparations before heading out and followed after him.
They took the elevator down and out of the building, then headed for the nearest train station.
Sometimes a car from the Yukinoshita family would come to see her off, but other times Yukino would take the train alone.
There was no fixed pattern to it.
Yukino was fine either way.
Some people might worry that being driven around in a private car would draw too much attention, but with the Yukinoshita name and her looks, she stood out in any crowd regardless — she was simply the most striking presence wherever she went.
So being picked up by a private car really wasn't much of an issue.
She barely gave it a thought. Compared to people her age, she was, in some ways, more mature — though that maturity only applied to certain things.
In most other respects, Yukino wasn't all that different from an ordinary teenage girl.
'Rattle-clack, rattle-clack...'
The train rolled onward.
"Next stop, next stop..."
The announcement played over the speakers.
Lin Ye tapped Yukino's shoulder to remind her. "We get off at the next stop."
"I know."
She hadn't been asleep, and she didn't really need the reminder, but since Lin Ye had bothered to say it, she didn't comment further.
In the end, it was just his way of showing he cared about her.
She could accept that. She could accept it completely.
She even saw it as a way of building intimacy and communication between them.
She didn't mind it at all.
The train arrived at the station.
The two of them got off, one after the other.
There were quite a few other Sobu High students on the train as well.
Because of Yukino's presence, many students' eyes kept drifting toward her and Lin Ye.
The two of them were both well-known figures at Sobu High.
Yukino Yukinoshita went without saying — her looks alone had made her famous at Sobu High from the moment she enrolled.
As for Lin Ye, he'd become known at Sobu High after Miura Yumiko confessed to him and they started dating, and these days the only person whose fame rivaled his was Hayama.
There had long been rumors that Miura Yumiko and Hayama were an item, but now that Miura Yumiko was with Lin Ye instead, plenty of people felt Lin Ye had outdone Hayama.
Hayama himself couldn't care less about such rumors — he simply ignored them entirely.
Lin Ye and Yukino walked side by side toward Sobu High. Facing the occasional curious glance thrown their way, both of them chose, without discussing it, to ignore it.
There was no need to worry about it now — ignoring it was the best approach.
Once the students got used to seeing them together, they'd stop paying attention.
"Why is Lin Ye walking so close with Yukino Yukinoshita today?"
"They've done this before."
"Lin Ye's already dating Student Miura — why is he walking so close to Student Yukinoshita?"
"Isn't he worried Student Miura will get the wrong idea?"
"If I were Student Miura, I'd give Lin Ye a good talking-to, teach him what proper social distance between a man and a woman looks like."
The murmured discussion kept going, quiet but perfectly audible to Lin Ye.
What concerned him more was the girl's reaction. Seeing that she showed no reaction at all, her gaze calmly fixed straight ahead, unruffled, he relaxed at once, feeling he'd worried for nothing.
Why would Yukino care about something like this? Why would she care what other people gossiped about?
He'd been overly worried about her.
But then Lin Ye reconsidered — wasn't that worry itself proof of how much he cared about and cherished her?
Wasn't that exactly what it was?
Realizing this, Lin Ye couldn't help but laugh.
"What is it?"
Though Yukino hadn't seemed to care about the glances around them, part of her attention had stayed on Lin Ye the whole time — she still paid close attention to his subtle reactions.
"Just thought of something."
"What?"
"I was worried Yukino might care what other people think — doesn't that prove how much I care about you?"
Lin Ye said it quietly, but the words landed clearly in the girl's ears.
For a moment, Yukino Yukinoshita wondered if she'd misheard — otherwise, how could Lin Ye possibly say something so blunt and affectionate?
Her ears turned a little red; she felt embarrassed.
A few other students caught this change and let out startled gasps.
The cold beauty Yukino Yukinoshita, blushing? Was that even real?
They thought it had to be fake, but the evidence right in front of them left them no choice but to believe it.
Yukino didn't know how to respond.
Should she admit it? Or deny it?
Either way felt wrong, so in the end, the best approach was to simply ignore it and say nothing at all.
And with all the strange looks from people around them, staying silent felt like the safest choice — keeping her composure and calm demeanor was the wisest move.
Yukino Yukinoshita waited it out calmly, returning to her usual cool composure.
"Senpai, Senpai, Senpai..."
Up ahead—
A voice called out.
It was Iroha Isshiki. The junior had spotted Lin Ye from far away and was waving enthusiastically to greet him.
'Thump, thump, thump...' A moment later, footsteps sounded, and Iroha Isshiki appeared in front of Lin Ye.
"Oh, Senpai's here too!" she said to Yukino.
She said it as though she'd only just noticed Yukino Yukinoshita was there.
That was obviously impossible — it could only mean she was doing it on purpose.
But the pretense wasn't obvious enough to matter.
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't mind at all.
This junior had been eyeing her boyfriend and fiancé for a while now, and she'd gotten used to it. If Iroha Isshiki ever stopped doing this kind of thing, Yukino would probably find it strange and start wondering what was wrong.
"Good morning, Isshiki-san."
"Good morning, good morning, Senpai and Senpai! Did you two come together today?"
She looked between the two of them with curiosity.
This wasn't the first time the two of them had shown up together, but every time it happened, Iroha Isshiki couldn't help but get curious — curious enough now to ask outright.
"Yes."
"So last night..." Isshiki pressed on, not the least bit shy about it.
"Last night? Last night I was obviously in Tokyo, and I rushed back afterward."
Lin Ye didn't mention that he'd been with Yukino.
If it had just been Iroha Isshiki as an outsider in a private setting, he might have said it plainly.
But out here, with plenty of people around and loose tongues, saying something like that risked being misheard and blown wildly out of proportion.
So, to avoid that, Lin Ye kept it vague.
"Senpai went to Tokyo over the weekend, huh?"
"I remember... I sent you a message about it, right?"
"Uh!"
Iroha Isshiki did recall it now, though she was also fond of exaggerating a bit to steer the conversation to whatever topic she wanted.
"Well, Senpai sent it so early, and then didn't share anything fun about Tokyo with me afterward, so naturally I forgot. It's your fault, really."
By the end, Iroha Isshiki was outright blaming Lin Ye.
He was used to this by now — it didn't stir anything in him at all.
"You don't need to memorize it. It just means I'm not on your mind."
Iroha Isshiki: ???
Even Yukino Yukinoshita was startled — that Lin Ye would say something so suggestive to Iroha Isshiki.
"So, from now on, keep your distance from me. I don't have a junior like you."
Lin Ye had finally shown his hand.
His ultimate goal was to get Iroha Isshiki to back off and keep some distance.
But that plan was never going to work.
Iroha Isshiki was already stuck to Lin Ye like a leech, giving him no chance whatsoever to escape.
In doing this, Iroha Isshiki had trapped herself just as much as she'd trapped Lin Ye, making it impossible for him to fully extricate himself from this tangled relationship.
And in Iroha Isshiki's mind, the final victory would surely be hers.
She was determined to win Lin Ye over, no matter how many trials and hardships stood in her way.
That was her expectation, and her resolve.
"Senpai, how can you say that!"
Iroha Isshiki's distinctively cute voice rang out.
"Senpai, could you really bear to push away such an adorable junior as me? You couldn't, could you? Admit it."
"I have a girlfriend."
This line from Lin Ye startled Yukino Yukinoshita first.
Was he planning to reveal it now?
But then, quickly, Yukino Yukinoshita realized who exactly he meant.
Miura Yumiko. Both she and Iroha Isshiki knew that Miura Yumiko wasn't really Lin Ye's girlfriend — but to the outside world, Miura Yumiko was his girlfriend, and everyone knew it.
So, out here in public, with so many people watching, Lin Ye saying this meant he was deliberately using Miura Yumiko to reject Iroha Isshiki.
If he was already dating someone and Iroha Isshiki kept pursuing him anyway, that would make her the other woman — something to be scorned and looked down on.
Iroha Isshiki naturally guessed Lin Ye's cunning intentions and knew exactly what he was up to.
But that only made her more determined to break the rules.
"I've already talked it over with Miura-senpai!"
That line instantly drew everyone's attention.
What exactly had Miura Yumiko and Iroha Isshiki discussed?
Nobody wasn't curious.
"Senpai already agreed to let me be with you, Senpai. She doesn't mind me getting close to you and pursuing you, so Senpai doesn't need to worry about Miura-senpai getting upset or angry."
Was that true?
Even Yukino Yukinoshita found it hard to believe.
Never mind Lin Ye.
As for the other students, they found it even more unbelievable.
This sort of thing — it wasn't normal, surely it couldn't be true!
"It's true, truer than real gold. You can go ask Miura-senpai later if you want. Hehe, Senpai's really generous and open-minded. I'm genuinely touched."
Iroha Isshiki's expression suddenly shifted to one of touched emotion.
Then, Yukino returned to her calm state.
Seeing this, Iroha Isshiki didn't think much more of it.
She didn't believe there was anything intimate between Lin Ye and Senpai Yukinoshita. If there really were something between them, given Yukinoshita-senpai's personality, she'd never let herself get away with acting so freely, wouldn't be so close to Senpai like this.
So, she could keep going, do whatever she wanted.
Senpai was still single, after all.
She still had plenty of chances.
"If you're making this up, you know there'll be consequences."
"How would I dare make it up? And besides, Senpai, isn't this actually good for you? You already have a girlfriend, and now you've got a junior working hard to pursue you, wanting to be with you, and your girlfriend's given her blessing. In the future, Senpai, you might even get to experience the joy and happiness of having two girlfriends at once."
At that,
everyone's eyes went wide with shock.
Was such a thing — having the best of both worlds — even possible?
No way, no way, that's absolutely impossible.
How could Lin Ye possibly enjoy something like that?
"And besides, there's actually three!"
At this, Iroha Isshiki lowered her voice, not spelling it out too clearly. Yui Yuigahama now counted as Iroha Isshiki's girlfriend too.
Counting Yui Yuigahama in, that made the three people Iroha Isshiki was referring to.
Yukino Yukinoshita, who hadn't immediately caught on to this, flinched for a moment, briefly fearing that Iroha Isshiki had somehow figured out her relationship with Lin Ye.
"You've forgotten about Student Yuigahama's feelings again," Lin Ye said, noticing Yukino's odd reaction and bringing up Yui Yuigahama.
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita relaxed, finally understanding what Iroha Isshiki's comment had actually meant.
"Senpai is my girlfriend, so I get the final say. Hahaha."
Iroha Isshiki glanced around but didn't spot Yui Yuigahama anywhere, so she set that worry aside for the moment.
Not long after,
another familiar face showed up.
Iroha Isshiki waved and called out immediately. "Miura-senpai, over here, over here!"
In an instant,
the attention of many nearby students shifted to Miura Yumiko, who was approaching from the direction of the station.
The tall blonde girl, faced with everyone's gaze in that moment, instinctively felt a flicker of nervousness and unease.
Normally, she truly wouldn't have cared at all — this sort of attention was nothing unusual for her. But now, because of her feelings for Lin Ye tangled into the mix,
Miura Yumiko felt, for once, that distinctly female sense of embarrassment.
She was afraid of the gossip now, afraid of what the other students might say about her.
"It's Student Miura."
"She actually came, wow, wow, the show's about to start."
"Getting to watch a scene like this before class even starts — totally worth it, so worth it."
Many of the students grew excited.
What came next, they figured, had to be the real girlfriend confronting the little homewrecker.
The only question was whether the target would be Yukino Yukinoshita or Iroha Isshiki.
They figured it'd probably be that junior, Iroha Isshiki.
Most of the students at Sobu High knew about Yukino Yukinoshita's family background. If she clashed with Yukino Yukinoshita, ordinary Miura Yumiko wouldn't be able to handle it — that much they could judge.
So the one about to suffer the consequences was probably that junior who didn't know how deep the water ran.
Iroha Isshiki was in for it.
And then, how would Yukino Yukinoshita react to all this?
The more they thought about it, the more excited they got, the more entertaining they found the whole situation.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Yukino Yukinoshita watched as Miura Yumiko approached and came to stand before her.
At that moment,
three beautiful girls stood together, a faint sense of confrontation hanging in the air.
This scene—
was a rare sight.
The onlookers held their breath, wanting nothing more than to see how the three of them would handle this.
Lin Ye, meanwhile, was practically forgotten.
As the only man there, he should by rights have been the center of attention, but in this moment his presence had been unconsciously erased by everyone entirely.
Lin Ye carefully took a step back, putting a little distance between himself and the group.
And it was precisely because of that small step—
that the faint sound of his footsteps broke the tense balance the three girls had maintained.
"Miura-senpai, Miura-senpai, I did say you agreed to let me pursue your boyfriend, Senpai Lin Ye, didn't I? I definitely wasn't lying — you promised me this, remember?"
As she spoke, Iroha Isshiki hugged Miura Yumiko's arm, swaying it gently to express her hope and goodwill.
This attitude suggested that even if Miura Yumiko hadn't agreed before, Iroha Isshiki hoped she'd agree now, admit it now, play along now.
Miura Yumiko stared at Iroha Isshiki for several seconds before speaking. "No, I didn't."
Iroha Isshiki's expectant look crumbled instantly.
Rejected. She'd been flatly rejected.
Miura Yumiko had shot her down directly, without a shred of cooperation.
She felt awful.
The story she'd woven was about to be exposed as a lie.
Iroha Isshiki didn't care about Lin Ye's reaction one way or another — his opinion never mattered to her. But the other students' opinions and gossip, that was another matter.
She had a feeling there was going to be some fallout after this.
Iroha Isshiki could already sense what kind of talk she'd be facing for a while.
"Anyone can go after Lin Ye if they want. I don't mind, I don't care," Miura Yumiko said.
But her next line changed everything again.
The curious onlooking students finally understood what Miura Yumiko meant.
But wait, that wasn't normal either, was it?
Why would Miura Yumiko say something like that? Wasn't she afraid of losing Lin Ye to some other woman?
Shouldn't a girlfriend keep her man close, fiercely fending off other women?
A declaration like Miura Yumiko's basically gave permission to any girl who secretly had feelings for Lin Ye but had been too bound by convention to act on them.
If the official girlfriend herself was saying this, what did those girls have left to hesitate over? Couldn't they just go after him directly now?
As for how many such girls there actually were,
they didn't think there were many, but at the very least, it was clear that this junior, Iroha Isshiki, had feelings for Lin Ye and clearly wanted something to happen between them.
Otherwise, she'd never have said something like that in public, knowing full well Lin Ye already had a girlfriend.
An ordinary girl would never do such a thing.
And if Miura Yumiko had been any other kind of woman, she'd probably be cursing Iroha Isshiki out right now, telling her to mind her manners.
At that moment,
everyone's eyes were fixed on Miura Yumiko.
Facing everyone's gaze, Miura Yumiko slowly continued, "I don't think any other woman could actually succeed in seducing Lin Ye."
Yes,
this time Miura Yumiko had used the word 'seduce' directly.
It was a rather cutting word to use.
Most ordinary girls wouldn't dare make a move after hearing that.
And besides, Miura Yumiko was gorgeous and had a great figure — most of the girls at Sobu High didn't have the nerve to challenge someone like her.
Let alone Lin Ye, who wasn't exactly outstanding himself, and wasn't the type to draw much female attention anyway.
At Sobu High, the most popular figure was still Hayama — Hayama Hayato was number one at Sobu High.
"Go ahead and try, if you've got the guts," Miura Yumiko said, then turned to Lin Ye. "If you dare go flirting around, I'll make you regret it."
She clenched her fist to make her stance clear,
then, finally, drew everyone's gaze downward, letting it linger on a certain part of his body for a moment.
The meaning was crystal clear.
A bald-faced threat,
an open, unmistakable threat.
Lin Ye almost thought this was Miura Yumiko's true nature showing through.
But then he remembered how Haruno had bullied and manipulated Miura Yumiko before, and it clicked — this girl was just putting up a front, just trying to save face, to bluster her way through.
She just wanted to hold onto a little bit of dignity here.
She only wanted to preserve this last shred of pride.
Lin Ye didn't call her out on it. "If a girl throws herself at me, of course I won't refuse. Go ahead and try me."
He didn't back down, didn't show any weakness either. "Worst case, we break up. I could live with that."
This was also laying the groundwork for their eventual public breakup.
This relationship couldn't go on forever.
When the right moment came, they'd break up, and the students and staff of Sobu High would learn the two of them had split.
"You think you get to decide when we break up? I'm telling you, that's not happening. If anyone's ending this, it'll be me, Miura Yumiko — not you, Lin Ye."
She spoke with plenty of force, refusing to give Lin Ye any chance to be the one walking away, dumping her.
Miura Yumiko had her pride — even if things ended, she wanted to leave with her dignity intact, not just walk off like that.
Lin Ye let out a soft chuckle, quiet, but it still got a reaction out of Miura Yumiko.
A flicker of fear at being threatened by Lin Ye began to surface.
In that moment, a hint of pleading appeared in her eyes as she looked at him, hoping he'd go easy on her, give her a little face here, play along.
"Fine, I'll wait for you to bring it up," Lin Ye said with a shrug, sounding indifferent.
This time, he was giving her some face — and given what Haruno had done with his body to Miura Yumiko the week before, he still felt he owed her some kind of compensation.
Giving her this bit of dignity now, letting her save face, wasn't really a big deal.
"Hmph, you just wait," Miura Yumiko said.
Seeing Lin Ye play along instead of calling her bluff, the tension in her chest finally eased.
Grateful for his cooperation, she even started thinking about repaying him somehow.
Since Lin Ye had gone along with it, maybe she should do something in return.
No — actually, even if she didn't, that jerk would probably demand some kind of compensation in private anyway. Better to offer it herself first.
That way, she could earn a little more goodwill from him too.
That's what Miura Yumiko told herself.
"Senpai, I want to throw myself at Senpai Lin Ye!" Iroha Isshiki declared, reaching out to make her stance known.
This was her best chance to go public now — if she let this moment slip by, she might never get a better one.
"You..."
"Come on, come on! I really want to know which of us is more capable of enchanting Senpai — you or me. If I manage to steal him away, that'll mean Senpai's not as charming as me when it comes to appeal. Hehehe, I can't wait to see that day come."
This was a different tactic.
Iroha Isshiki avoided outright saying she liked Lin Ye.
With so many people watching, if she admitted to liking him, she'd inevitably be branded the other woman.
But framing it as a contest of charm — even though the actions involved would be much the same — gave off a completely different impression.
"That's not happening," Miura Yumiko said.
"You're not in his league. If it were Yukinoshita, now, there might be a chance."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression shifted slightly.
She had no idea why Miura Yumiko was suddenly dragging her into this, out of nowhere.
But since Miura Yumiko had brought it up, she couldn't just ignore it.
Staying silent now would only make her look afraid.
Yukino Yukinoshita thought to herself.
"I have no interest in this," she said.
"Scared?"
Losing to Iroha Isshiki and having to bow out — Miura Yumiko would never accept that.
A proper, reasonable excuse for the breakup — that was the understanding between her and Lin Ye, using this opportunity to make a graceful exit made sense.
And Miura Yumiko was definitely going to be picky about her rival.
Losing publicly to someone beneath her — Miura Yumiko couldn't accept that.
And Iroha Isshiki, in her eyes, fell squarely into that category.
"Scared? Are you joking with me, Miura Yumiko?" Yukino's face hardened at once.
She was sharp enough to read exactly what Miura Yumiko was getting at.
This woman — even if she wanted to lose, she wanted to lose to someone impressive.
Choosing Yukino was an acknowledgment of her strength and charm, but dragging her into this — the nerve of this woman.
Still, compared to Iroha Isshiki, Yukino really was the better choice.
Yukino Yukinoshita found herself with some opinions on this decision of Miura Yumiko's.
"A joke? I never joke. I'm always serious. If you, Student Yukinoshita, actually made a move, I don't think even my boyfriend could resist your charm — isn't that right, Lin Ye?"
In an instant,
under the suffocating tension,
everyone's attention finally turned to the man who had nearly become invisible.
Countless eyes bore down on Lin Ye, the intensity of it making him flinch.
"I've always liked Yukinoshita. I confessed to her once before. Of course I can't resist her charm."
Because of that past confession, the watching students didn't have much to say about it.
They could accept that much, at least.
"So you're saying if Yukino Yukinoshita told you she loved you, you'd just fall for her right then and there?"
That counter-question hit a nerve, making Lin Ye's whole body tense.
Miura Yumiko narrowed her eyes — she needed to keep up her composure and presence now, not let anything slip.
In this public setting, she needed to maintain the image she'd built for herself.
"If that ever happened, I'd fall for her without hesitation, no question about it," Lin Ye said plainly.
This left Miura Yumiko speechless with disbelief.
Couldn't you at least soften that a little, hesitate for a moment? Just how much do you like Yukino Yukinoshita, exactly?
I know you like Yukinoshita, but I'm still your girlfriend, at least in name — you could show a little more tact, phrase things a bit more gently.
But Lin Ye was completely unrepentant, showing no consideration at all.
Yukino was quite pleased to hear it.
She knew Lin Ye would say something like that regardless, but hearing it out loud still made all the difference.
"Keep dreaming. If that ever happened, I would never let you and Yukinoshita be together."
"That's not really up to you, Student Miura."
In everyone's minds,
Lin Ye's image had already shifted — he was starting to look like a real player, a cad.
Even though Lin Ye clearly liked Yukino Yukinoshita more, abandoning his girlfriend Miura Yumiko outright for her didn't sit right with the usual standards of decency.
But Lin Ye had gone ahead and said it anyway, so of course there was pushback in people's minds.
Still, they could only murmur it quietly among themselves — no one dared say too much out loud.
"You just admitted it yourself — if Yukinoshita confessed to me, I'd accept her without hesitation. That's just reality. I suggest you let go sooner rather than later."
"Not a chance. I don't want to break up, so we're absolutely not breaking up."
Her tone was just as firm.
A little performance was still necessary, to keep this relationship from ending too abruptly and looking suspicious.
For now,
the groundwork had been laid.
All that was left was to let things simmer a while longer, until the day came for the two of them to officially announce their breakup to the world.
That was exactly what Miura Yumiko was thinking in that moment.
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