Inside Yukinoshita Yukino's room.
Once the lights were off, the room fell into silence.
Yuigahama Yui was carefully thinking about how to bring up that topic.
Yukino, too, knew that Yui probably wanted to discuss it with her.
After a long pause—
"Yuigahama-san…"
"Yukino…"
They spoke at almost the same time, then exchanged a smile.
"You go first, Yukino," Yui said, facing her.
"I can agree to your proposal. But your family… you and Su Yu-kun will have to endure a lot of pressure, especially Su Yu-kun," Yukino said, looking into Yui's eyes.
"I know, but I believe Su Yu-kun will handle it well. If my parents don't agree… I'll do whatever it takes—"
"Yuigahama-san, don't do anything reckless. There's always a solution," Yukino interrupted firmly.
"Yukino, I wasn't thinking of anything extreme. My parents would never let it go that far. At most, I'd just go on a hunger strike or refuse to leave my room," Yui admitted sheepishly.
"Sometimes, I envy the relationship you have with your family," Yukino murmured, her gaze dimming slightly.
Hearing this, Yui reached out and gently held Yukino's hand.
Yukino was momentarily stunned and looked at her.
"One day, when Su Yu-kun and you get married, you won't need to feel that way anymore," Yui said softly.
"Marriage is still a long way off," Yukino replied, blushing.
"Once my cooking skills are up to your standards, I'll apply to be your family's personal chef. I'll even help take care of your kids," Yui said dreamily.
"Yuigahama-san… I'm sorry," Yukino said apologetically.
"The one who should be apologizing is me. Su Yu-kun likes you more, but I didn't want to leave him, so… this happened," Yui shook her head.
"It's all his fault. You did nothing wrong—it's all because of him," Yukino muttered after a moment of thought.
Yui chuckled softly.
Yukino let out a helpless sigh.
They both knew that, in reality, Su Yu wasn't solely to blame.
Or rather, in their hearts, neither of them thought this situation was entirely his fault.
"Yuigahama-san… give me three years. After marriage, I need three years," Yukino said, lowering her gaze.
"Of course. I only need three years as well," Yui agreed with a smile.
"…And after that?" Yukino froze.
"Yukino, I have a feeling that someday, a girl will appear that Su Yu-kun won't be able to refuse," Yui said seriously.
"You… You mean…"
"Yukino, I leave that choice to you."
Inside Yukinoshita Haruno's old bedroom.
Su Yu had no idea what the two girls were discussing.
But he could guess.
They were both kind-hearted girls—so naturally, their first instinct would be to look for faults within themselves.
Yukino would probably propose the three-year agreement, and Yui would accept it without hesitation.
Su Yu had already predicted this outcome when Yui first brought up the idea.
And after that, they would likely discuss what to do if another girl appeared in the future…
Considering Yui's personality, she would probably give the final decision to Yukino.
As for Yukino, she had already tested Su Yu about this before, and he had given her two possible answers.
Yukino chose to ignore the issue at the time.
That didn't mean she was okay with it—just that nothing had happened yet, and she wasn't going to get upset over something that didn't exist.
Which meant…
If Su Yu ever encountered a girl he truly couldn't refuse, the only obstacle would be Yukino's approval.
Su Yu turned to look out the window.
A girl he couldn't refuse?
What kind of girl would that even be?
Whether it was Kawasaki Saki or Miura Yumiko, he had already rejected both.
In terms of looks, even if someone appeared on the same level as Yukino, Su Yu was confident he could turn her down.
He wasn't the type to be swayed by appearances.
What really mattered was—
"Would it have to be someone I genuinely fall for?"
Su Yu arrived at a strange conclusion.
Such a person might exist… or might not.
As he pondered this, he closed his eyes.
Sometime later.
Su Yu woke up to a familiar scent.
Perfume.
A scent he knew all too well.
Startled, he immediately turned his head—
And saw Yukinoshita Haruno.
She was lying beside him.
And clinging tightly to his arm.
Su Yu felt a sudden wave of pressure—yet also a strange sense of relief.
"Alright, that's enough. You can let go now, pretending-to-be-asleep Miss Yukinoshita."
No response.
Her breathing was steady.
Su Yu frowned and tried to pull his arm away, but Haruno only tightened her grip.
Glancing at his phone, he checked the time.
Then, he opened the camera app.
Click.
The shutter sound echoed softly in the room.
A perfectly clear photo of them lying together.
And yet, Haruno still didn't wake up.
Su Yu sighed, put his phone down, and closed his eyes again.
He wasn't even remotely sleepy anymore, but if Haruno refused to let go, he had no choice but to endure this situation.
Even if she was asleep, he wouldn't dare make a move.
Because the moment he did, she would definitely turn the tables on him—and he'd end up owing her a favor.
He wasn't about to let that happen.
As time passed…
Just before dawn, Haruno finally opened her eyes.
And the first thing she saw was Su Yu staring straight at her.
Their gazes locked.
For a brief moment, she looked surprised.
Then, she let go of his arm and sat up, smiling.
"I honestly thought that if Su Yu-kun woke up and saw me holding onto his arm, he'd do something fun to me. But instead, you were just on high alert the whole time?"
"You wanted to fake-sleep and observe my reaction… but you ended up actually falling asleep, didn't you?" Su Yu said calmly.
Haruno turned to look at him.
"…Yeah. I accidentally fell asleep. Su Yu-kun, you missed a perfect opportunity, you know?"
"Not necessarily, Miss Yukinoshita," Su Yu replied.
Then, he casually pulled out his phone and showed her the photo.
Haruno's expression froze.
She definitely hadn't expected that.
"Relax, I'm not going to use this photo against you. I just wanted to see your shocked reaction," Su Yu said as he deleted the image.
Haruno fell silent for a moment before grinning.
"Su Yu-kun, you missed another opportunity."
"I don't need that kind of opportunity," Su Yu replied as he got up, put on his clothes, and left the room.
Haruno sat there, staring at the closed door for a long time.