Saori was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
"Maybe Mom wouldn't understand; it's just my personal feeling."
Haruno straightened up, poured herself another glass of champagne, and said while sipping: "Even though I was so happy during our dates, in the quiet of the night, I still felt anxious and scared, until I couldn't take it anymore and wanted to end it quickly and decisively."
Her eyes were calm, gazing at the ripples in her glass.
The sound of rain in her ears felt so vivid, as if it were falling on her heart.
"Like you said before, if I hesitate too long, sooner or later he'll leave me… But I've only just found someone I like—how could I let him go so easily?"
"So, foolish or reckless as it may be, I don't regret doing it at all. This is my way of taking the initiative."
Her words ended with a calm and resolute tone, quiet like a drizzle.
The black tea slowly cooled, its sweetness turning slightly bitter.
"…Is dating this complicated for young people nowadays?"
As if at a loss for words, Saori couldn't help but sigh.
Tucking both hands into her kimono sleeves, she raised her brows, looking at her daughter with resignation: "Since you've gone this far, you must be prepared to succeed or crash and burn, right?"
Her tone was no longer lecturing but soft, indulgent, and warm, as she usually was when giving advice.
"Don't worry, Mom, your daughter is at least grown-up enough to know what she needs to know~"
Haruno waved casually, then downed half her champagne glass again. A tipsy smile spread across her face, and she said lightly:
"Oh, by the way, Mom, can you promise me something?"
Seeing her daughter return to her usual relaxed demeanor, Saori unconsciously relaxed too, smiling faintly: "Oh? Tell me."
"Even if I really have a boyfriend, don't let Yukino-chan take my place in business or matchmaking matters. She's not suited for it."
Muttering softly as if in a dream, Haruno's attitude was serious.
"Let her live the life she wants. I'm sure she and I can make the Yukinoshita family even stronger… At most, we'll have two kids with different last names."
"…"
Pausing briefly, Saori looked at her with an expression that said, Is that all? "You're already thinking that far ahead?"
Haruno huffed proudly: "I'm someone who's used to preparing for the unexpected~ Otherwise, why did you give birth to me so clever?"
"Fair point. Alright, you still have some credibility in my eyes."
Saori shrugged, then suddenly raised her brows, smiling as she said: "If Yukino heard you say that, she might soften her attitude toward you a bit."
"Wanting a better sisterly bond? A harmonious Yukinoshita family."
"Ugh!"
The cheerful voice echoed clearly in the living room, but Haruno couldn't help shuddering, cold sweat dampening her back, nearly dropping her wine glass.
Slowly turning, as if trying to corner her prey into despair, her mother gazed at her with a restless look, her eyes gleaming with clear mockery and teasing.
She's not young anymore, yet still loves teasing people like a kid!
Cursing inwardly, Haruno hurriedly stood, grabbing her wine glass, the half-empty champagne bottle, and the envelope with the tickets she'd put back inside:
"No need for the hassle, I'm going upstairs to rest! Don't schedule any work for me on the 24th—other days are up to you."
"I see…" With slightly puffed cheeks, Saori sighed regretfully, "Well, I'm looking forward to your good news."
"Mhm."
Replying indifferently, Haruno said no more and rushed upstairs to her room.
Locking the door, setting the wine glass and champagne on the table, Haruno threw herself onto the soft bed.
Lying on her back, she took out the envelope. Besides the amusement park tickets, there was actually a letter inside—she just didn't want her mother to see it.
The letter contained a brief message:
[Short greetings.
There's so much I want to say to you, but after thinking about it, a single letter doesn't seem enough, and I won't have time to write a book for you.
So, how are you?
I hope at our next date, your smile is still as beautiful.
Two days without seeing you feels like losing six autumns, and I have to wait until the 24th to meet you—time feels so slow.
Is it because I was too weak and not decisive enough that you suddenly vanished from my life?
It's my first time dating too, and I don't know much… If so, this summer, I won't hesitate anymore.
Haruno, let's go on a date!
On August 24, at 5 p.m., in front of the amusement park gate you wanted to visit.
We'll watch the night parade, ride the most beautiful Ferris wheel at night, and together enjoy Tokyo's grandest nighttime view.
You'll come, right?
If you don't, how can I be your hero?]
"Hehe…"
Reading each word and sentence carefully, a joyful smile unconsciously bloomed on her lips.
Like fireworks bursting in her heart, she finally couldn't hold back, covering her face with a pillow and giggling.
Her chest felt warmly ablaze, her whole body as if sinking into a pool of happiness, unwilling to surface even if her nose and mouth were submerged.
After a long while, Haruno tossed the pillow aside, her face flushed from breathless gasps, muttering to the letter:
"Yuu-chan, I knew… you wouldn't let my hopes down."
Yes, she, who resorted to such a terrible plan, was so foolish, so hypocritical, truly the number-one villainess in the world.
But even a Haruno like that, Yuu still loved endlessly, willing to be her hero.
Though their relationship was full of calculations, though it was once fake—
As long as there was someone who could accept her flawed and silly self, that, without a doubt, was the most perfect "real thing" for her!
If it was only about calculating, then calculate everything; list all the answers, eliminate them one by one, and what remains is the answer that belongs only to her.
Thinking, struggling, gasping in worry…
If she hadn't gone this far, Haruno wouldn't have found something real.
"Hehe, I'm so looking forward to the 24th."
Outside the window, a drizzle fell; noon was nearing dusk, and soon it would be dinnertime.
But Haruno didn't care.
She closed her eyes, wanting to sleep in this happiness.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The wind mixed with rain, the typhoon sweeping the city, but not too strongly, giving the impression of weak, incomplete relief.
Yuu stood on the balcony, extending his hand to catch the drizzle beyond the railing.
The action was meaningless. But speaking of meaning, wasn't human existence itself a grand issue?
Letting the rain wet his palm, forming a small puddle, Yuu looked down, muttering softly:
"That letter, she must have seen it, right?"
It was a letter he'd personally slipped into the Yukinoshita family's mailbox.
To ensure Haruno saw it, he'd have to check again tomorrow. If someone else took it, he'd slide it through her door's crack.
If he still didn't meet her on the 24th, he'd go straight to her house, whether to mess around or explain everything on the spot—it didn't matter. Yuu had already planned the next steps, quite foolproof.
"But that 'boyfriend status correction' the system mentioned—what's the method, and how far will it be corrected?"
Thinking about this, he shook the rainwater off his hand and walked back inside, soaked.
As his feet touched the bedroom floor, the excess water instantly evaporated from his body. Looking refreshed, he sat at the computer.
The beaded bracelet was nearing completion. Yuu picked up the elastic string, following the video tutorial, tying knots while thinking distractedly about other things.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Time felt agonizingly slow, like a century.
August 22…
August 23…
August 24, 5 a.m…
Finally, August 24, 4:50 p.m. arrived.
Wearing the casual clothes he'd worn when meeting at the Hachiko statue, Yuu arrived early at Disneyland's gate, waiting for the person he'd promised.
The typhoon had passed quickly, bringing a slight coolness to late August's weather.
He unconsciously looked up, gazing at the distant twilight sky, remarkably clear without clouds, with faint twinkling stars in the distance.
Staring at it, Yuu couldn't help but smile:
"Perfect weather for a date."