Kyousuke munched on a skewer of grilled beef belly, enjoying the show as Shouko faced off against Haruno.
But it was obvious—Shouko was completely on the back foot.
She was being overwhelmed.
Then again, that was just how softhearted she was.
If it had been Mitsuha instead, she would've already taken a swing at Haruno for that "concerned but clearly provocative" tone she used when listening.
Even now, Mitsuha could only watch helplessly as her adorable classmate got bullied by their senpai.
Shouko's words were met with full approval from Haruno, which by all appearances meant she'd won.
But strangely, all Shouko felt was stifled and frustrated.
No one understood that feeling better than Eriri.
It was the same whenever she talked with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Even if it seemed like you'd clearly come out on top, that discomfort would only grow with time, like there was some invisible trap lying in wait beneath the surface.
Haruno didn't say anything else.
She simply kept smiling, watching her younger sister and the brave little girl who stood up for her.
Occasionally, she would lift her glass for a dainty sip.
From the start until now, she had done only one thing—drive away anyone who tried to help her sister.
She was truly living out her beliefs.
Through her actions, she was telling Yukino that no matter when, where, or who it was, any helping hand offered to her could disappear at any moment—or worse, drag her down into the abyss.
The only person you can ever truly rely on is yourself. That's the cruel truth of this world.
'Yukino-chan... when will you finally understand that?'
Haruno tilted her head to take another sip of her drink, stealing a glance at Kyousuke sitting across from her.
When their eyes met, she gave him a playful wink.
It wasn't meant to imply anything.
She didn't expect Kyousuke to understand what she was doing, nor did she want him to step in and help Yukino again.
She just wanted to tease the adorable blonde sitting next to him—the one who'd burst into tears from just a few harsh words.
She knew that even a meaningless gesture like that would be grossly overanalyzed by Eriri.
Kyousuke lowered his gaze and sighed, noticing Eriri's small hand digging hard into his thigh.
Unlike Utaha, who at least knew when to hold back, Haruno made no such effort.
For her, Eriri—simple-minded and empathetic to a fault—was the perfect toy.
When Kyousuke looked up again, he found Shouko staring at him with those big, sparkling eyes.
She wasn't like Yukino, who had been under Haruno's thumb for years and was trained to never ask for help.
Shouko was not afraid to rely on Kyousuke-kun.
In fact, as Sakura would put it: "Kyousuke is me, and I am Kyousuke!"
Kyousuke glanced from Eriri to Shouko, and the strange feeling in his chest only grew.
'So it's not enough that she bullies her own sister—now she's having fun picking on the girls around me too?'
He wasn't the only one feeling conflicted.
Yukino was also quietly unsettled.
Everything her sister had said earlier was technically correct.
Not just Yukino—Haruno had also grown strong through countless setbacks and failures.
That was why she had become so accomplished.
Yukino didn't want to follow in her sister's footsteps—but she did acknowledge the efficiency of this kind of growth.
Just like when she taught Kyousuke to dance.
She didn't have the experienced members step aside while she trained him alone.
No, she made sure every practice session happened in front of the entire performance team.
Part of her intent was exactly what Haruno said: to let Kyousuke embarrass himself in front of everyone.
That kind of painful, humiliating memory would stick in his mind—and force his body and brain to never repeat that mistake again.
Yes, Yukino fully understood her sister's actions.
She even understood the motives of Sakura, Kyousuke, and Shouko.
Though she was upset that others were getting dragged into this, she didn't think this style of education was inherently wrong.
Unfortunately, Kyousuke had no sense of what it meant to be a leader.
Even when he stumbled and was teased by his teammates, he shamelessly turned it into a chance to compliment them instead.
If it were her, she would push herself to the limit—sleepless nights if needed—just to prove herself the next time.
Just like she was doing now with math.
But right now, watching Shouko nervously muster her courage, standing between her and Haruno and speaking up in her soft voice—Yukino couldn't help but feel her heart soften.
She reached out and placed a hand gently on Shouko's shoulder, about to tell her, "You don't have to push yourself. I'll handle my sister."
But before she could say anything, the same girl who'd been staring down Haruno just moments ago… had already turned and sent a clear signal for help—to Kyousuke.
'Huh?'
'Wasn't this supposed to be a debate between you and my sister?'
'Weren't you trying to get her to understand your point through your own strength?'
That question popped into Yukino's mind.
That was also the reason she had deliberately stayed out of their conversation until now.
She had no real reason to help Shouko.
And then she saw Kyousuke raise a hand and gesture her over.
Shouko stood up obediently without even fixing her clothes, trotting over in quick, tiny steps to sit beside him.
Yukino's pale blue eyes followed Shouko the whole way… until they finally landed on her sister.
"You envy that, don't you?" Haruno said at last, her smile disappearing for once. "That feeling of being able to rely on someone, whenever you want?"
Yukino instinctively wanted to deny it.
'There's no way I'd ever envy something like that.'
But knowing her sister, she immediately sensed there was more to the question than met the eye.
"…No."
The answer came firm and clear.
"It's that so~ That's my Yukino! Your big sister's so proud~" Haruno only managed to keep a serious face for about two seconds before slipping back into her usual cheerful tone.
'Yukino… you haven't changed at all,' Haruno thought.
'Still trying to mimic me like a fool, still charging straight down the path Mother laid out for you, even though you have so many more choices…'
She let out a sigh, almost like a whisper of regret.
'But oh well. Little sisters are cuter when they just trail behind their big sisters.'
'That way, when you get hurt, you can just cry and run into my arms.'
'I'll pat your head and make it all better~'
Now seated between Kyousuke and Eriri, Shouko waited.
Kyousuke didn't immediately bring up Haruno again.
Instead, he turned to her with a quiet chuckle and asked:
"Were you surprised to see Aunt Yaeko?"
"Mm! For a second, I thought I was back in Suimon City, and Mom and Yuzuru had come to pick me up together!"
Shouko tilted her head up, nodding enthusiastically.
Then, realizing she'd spoken a little too loudly, she turned quickly to check on her mother.
Seeing that she was still happily chatting with Aunt Mikiko, Shouko turned back to Kyousuke, her smile warm and relaxed.
"By the way, what about your grandma? Is she okay being home alone?" Kyousuke asked with concern.
"It's fine. She went out today with her gateball club for a match," Shouko replied.
Hearing Kyousuke affectionately call her grandmother "Grandma," Shouko's big eyes curved even softer, like a gentle smile in themselves.
"Good to hear," Kyousuke nodded. "When I heard you speak earlier, Shouko, I was really surprised."
"Heh... hehe~ Me too~" Shouko lowered her head, giggling softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.
To hear her clearly, Kyousuke leaned in again.
"But... someone like Haruno isn't the kind of person you're good at handling. You don't need to get upset over what she said."
Shouko could feel his breath brushing against her cheek, and her head shrank even lower like she wanted to hide inside her own collar.
"But... I just couldn't help it," she murmured. "Because... even beautiful memories can help someone grow..."
Her voice became so faint that Kyousuke had to lean in even closer to catch her words.
And with the distance closing, she curled in even more from embarrassment.
Until—
'Smack!'
Just as expected, he was suddenly attacked.
It was a small foot in a white cotton sock.
"Hmph!!"
The blonde princess let out a loud huff, as if unloading all the pent-up frustration from her parents not being able to attend the izakaya party in Kyoto.
Hmph! So annoying!
It's all this guy's fault! If he hadn't won that award, there wouldn't be a banquet.
If there wasn't a banquet, Shouko and Mitsuha's families wouldn't have shown up.
And if they didn't show up, she wouldn't have gotten so worked up by her dumb mom and dad!
Ugh! Seriously, so annoying!
Kyousuke straightened up like nothing had happened, resisting the urge to brush off his pants.
Instead, he looked across the table at Haruno.
He wasn't one for arguing, but for Shouko's sake—and with Aunt Yaeko sitting right beside him—it felt necessary to at least try.
"If your body's on fire, isn't it only natural to put the flames out? Would you really think it shameful to use your own two hands?"
He didn't talk about tragedy or comedy. He went straight for the heart of Haruno's argument—and struck back.
Haruno didn't respond right away, but Yukino frowned.
Here it comes—Kyousuke's classic sophistry.
While others played word games, this guy took it a step further—straight into logical fallacies.
Haruno blinked once, then set down her glass and raised both hands, palms facing Kyousuke.
She spread her fingers, then closed them again as if grasping something invisible.
"Hahaha~ You mean hands like these? Wouldn't it be such a waste to use them to put out a fire?"
Her tone was playful, seductive in a way that was difficult to describe.
If anyone else had made that motion, it might've looked lewd or creepy.
But her—those hands—were different.
Slender fingers, graceful joints, nails perfectly polished in rich crimson.
Hands like that were made to be admired, whether held gently or interlaced on a quiet walk down the street.
For a split second, Kyousuke almost nodded in agreement.
Luckily, the persistent little hand on his thigh was still digging in, keeping him grounded.
Besides, there was something more in Haruno's gesture than simple teasing.
That "grasping" motion—it wasn't flirtation. It was control.
Just like what she'd done to Yukino earlier.
How heartwarming—true sisterly affection at its finest.
Looking at Haruno's playful face, Kyousuke felt a dull headache coming on.
Just like he'd told Shouko, Haruno was not the kind of person you could win against easily.
She had a way of pulling people into her rhythm, making it hard to speak or act the way you wanted.
The best counter?
What Mitsuha did when facing Utaha in the dressing room—overwhelming strength.
Crush her with sheer dominance so she can't play any of her usual tricks.
If this were a different setting—just the two of them—Kyousuke might've had a shot.
Wait a minute…
A strange sense of déjà vu hit Kyousuke.
Wasn't it the same when Yukari first arrived at his house?
No… even before she moved into the dorm, she'd already clashed with Shouko.
Then the moment she walked through the door—bam, a fierce battle with Utaha.
Then Mitsuha.
Then him.
They really were sisters, cut from the exact same mold.
"Stop talking and drink already!" Kyousuke finally snapped, picking up the massive sake bottle.
This was an izakaya.
Why so much talking? Just drink and be done with it!
"Oya~ The man of the hour himself is pouring me a drink? I'm so touched~~" Haruno squealed with delight, showing no trace of their earlier confrontation.
She slipped effortlessly back into party mode.
Seeing her act like a boozy goofball, Yukari and Miki could only shake their heads with tired smiles.
But before long, Haruno had shoved their soft drinks aside and roped them into drinking too.
Seeing things finally settle down, Kyousuke let out a breath of relief.
"Next time you're around Haruno," he leaned in and whispered to Shouko, "if she starts talking, just start pouring her drinks. Works like a charm."
"Mm!"
Shouko nodded with surprising intensity, her eyes shining.
She was clearly taking the advice to heart.
In fact, she was already imagining future scenarios to use it!
Every time she went out for dinner with senior colleagues at the agency, no matter what the conversation started with, it always ended up being about Kyousuke-kun.
Well, she couldn't help it.
Whenever she sat there, she'd wonder what Kyousuke-kun was doing.
If she ate something delicious, she'd want to pack some to take home for him.
On the way back, she'd imagine where they'd go together.
So of course, she'd bring him up in conversation—and that's when her seniors would swarm, squeezing her in the middle and teasing her with all kinds of embarrassing questions.
Usually, she'd just look at the more serious seniors with her big watery eyes, silently pleading for help—but that rarely worked.
They were just as curious about Kyousuke-kun and wanted the gossip too.
So Shouko would sit there, red-faced and shrinking into her collar like a turtle.
But now?
Even someone as formidable as Yukino's sister could be defeated by alcohol.
Next time there's a gathering?
She'd bring a bottle of sake.
If anyone tried to pry into her and Kyousuke-kun's relationship again—she'd pour them a full cup!
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