Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly pulled out a photo. The professional crew immediately turned their cameras toward it. In the slightly yellowed picture, three small children were squeezed together under a tree in a courtyard: little Kiyono was holding up a drawing with a brilliant smile, Yukinoshita Yukino wore a helpless expression, and Haruno herself was making a V-sign at the camera.
"At that time, we were playing a literary game. My sister said, 'Seven days of cherry blossoms are too short,' so Kiyono drew cherry blossoms in his notebook, smiling as he said, 'Then I'll draw the cherry blossoms into a painting so they won't ever wither.' He even wrote a waka on the spot!"
The short-haired girl gave a bright smile. Beneath that perfect aura was a touch of very down-to-earth big-sister warmth.
"As an older sister, how do you see Kiyono's existence?"
Mm. Yukinoshita Haruno's clear eyes flickered slightly, and in her words there was a sentiment that was hard to put into simple terms.
"Well, as a sister—when everyone else is focused on my smile, this idiot is always the only one who remembers that I hate black coffee…"
She flashed a mischievous smile at the camera.
"As for seeing him as a member of the opposite sex—that's a secret for now."
"So in conclusion, this guy is the most dangerous presence in our family. He says he'll 'support from behind,' but secretly he's the one taking the initiative in people's hearts. That's the scheming of a truly cunning literati!"
[—16:12]
"Going to university, debating with great scholars…"
[—18:20]
The setting sun draped gorgeous colors over the courtyard. A kimono-clad beauty sat kneeling on the tatami. When she lifted her head, the swing of her sleeve made the hem of her kimono ripple, like deep snow sliding soundlessly down a mountain gorge.
Two books lay on the low table in front of her.
"As a mother who has raised three excellent children, you are truly remarkable. However, since Kiyono is your adopted son, the question of the family's future heir is unavoidable. Do you have any plans for Kiyono to start his own independent branch of the family?"
"This child grew up with us. He will always be a member of the Yukinoshita family."
Yukinoshita's mother's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"In other words, are you planning to have Kiyono marry into the family? Which heir do you want him to support?"
The difficult question finally arrived.
She understood very well that what the interviewer cared about was not the Yukinoshita family itself, but rather Kiyono's choice—or more accurately, his personal life.
Yukinoshita Haruno's gaze remained fixed ahead, and that was also the stance Yukinoshita's mother wanted to project.
Yukinoshita's mother answered lightly, like tea:
"Kiyono's current focus should be on his studies and his writing. As for the heir, we have yet to make a decision."
…Strange?
The camera could not capture the shadowed look from the side.
Why is Mother unwilling to acknowledge my status in front of the public?
Could it be that she's serious?
Until now, Haruno had always been able to console herself: Mother only wanted to leave space for Yukino to grow, and in her heart she still acknowledged her as the heir. After all, hadn't their relationship always been like that?
She, the excellent elder sister, went ahead to clear the path. Yukino chased after her, growing freely, becoming better and better. It had always been this way.
Yukinoshita Haruno's lips trembled slightly. She tried to put on her usual smile, to curve them elegantly, the way she had practiced a thousand times like a mask. But the corners of her lips suddenly faltered, and she felt something flowing through her body.
Something that was not blood flowed from her heart, spreading through her limbs. It was dark, sticky, stained with corrupted emotion, accumulating like heavy sludge at the bottom of the lake in her heart.
Those feelings she had nearly forgotten—feelings she had deliberately suppressed—were struggling upward from the lakebed.
Her thoughts scattered; her breathing grew shallow.
Don't think about it.
Mother must have her reasons. After all, they were recording a program, and Mother had to consider things from the family's standpoint—this involved Kiyono as well.
If it were her, she might do the same.
Mother wasn't favoring Yukino. It wasn't that she saw Yukino working harder and decided to snatch away the only important thing she had.
She probably came up with a dozen such reasons for herself.
Because if she didn't, if she didn't think that way, she wouldn't be able to hold herself together.
Just lock it away, like always, she told herself quietly.
It would be best to lock away even the colors of sadness, anger, and sorrow in that box.
Yukinoshita Haruno smiled, her eyes dyed in the pinkish-purple of the sunset.
That was a scene the cameras did not record—only Kiyono saw it.
With a click, the screen went dark.
Eriri tossed the remote aside. In the television's black reflection, a stunned pretty face stared back at her.
This is…
What is this?!
The heroine here is obviously supposed to be the Sawamura family! If only she hadn't given him eel rice back then, but a warm home—she would be winning effortlessly right now! Give me another chance!
The blonde girl clutched her head and wailed.
"Ugh—ugh-gah—ugh-gah—ugh-gah!"
The next moment.
She froze in place, her whole body turning into a gray-and-white statue.
The losing dog died.
---
The endlessly shifting gradient of the sunset painted her vision. Yukinoshita Yukino narrowed her eyes, watching her mother framed under the studio lights.
She had no objections to her mother's words. Even the single opportunity she had now had been granted by her mother. Just as her mother had given, she could also take away. At this stage, Yukino had no right to choose.
It was just that—Yukino suddenly noticed her sister's profile, that distant expression on her face, as if in the next moment she might melt into the dusk and the evening breeze like a falling leaf.
What is Big Sister thinking right now?
And what should the time in this "simulation" be counted as?
Recently, Yukino Yukinoshita had occasionally found herself pondering this.
From elementary school to now, nearly ten years had passed.
Ten years.
Long enough for a child to grow into a teenager, and for an adult to step into middle age.
Yet she felt none of that crushing sense of passing time, none of its reality. Was it because she was merely re-walking the path of her childhood, or was it simply that at her age, one's perception of time was still hazy, illusory?
Perhaps in another ten years, or the ten after that, she would truly feel it.
But right now, the relationship between her, Kiyono, and her sister—the time they had spent together, a tangle of countless threads—was actually full of countless small, gentle happinesses.
Without realizing it, she had been immersed in it.
Would this braided rope ever snap someday?
Would they make a choice?
She lowered her lashes.
---
After the TV program aired, Kiyono and the Yukinoshita family's popularity quietly climbed to a new level. Even the search tag "Beauty Yukinoshita Haruno" spent a while on the trending list.
On the surface, Yukinoshita Yukino's life did not change. Every day, she quietly read in that abandoned classroom, occasionally lifting her gaze to the window: watching the spring's cherry blossoms, the clouds of summer, the leaves of autumn, and the seasons as they passed. And every time, she would think of one person.
Then, heavy winter snow began to fall.
It was snowing.
Crystalline flakes danced in the air as the wind whistled. Snow piled thickly on the tree branches. Every so often, a thin branch, unable to bear the weight, would shiver, and a clump of snow would rustle down.
The clean, biting chill made one tremble.
The boy stood by the window of the abandoned classroom, breathed lightly against the glass, and stared at the fogging patch of white. He spoke.
"It's snowing again."
"There's a teabag in the third drawer of the tea cabinet. Go make yourself some tea."
Rustle—the sound of a page being slowly turned.
After several seconds, the dignified ice princess finally lifted her gaze.
"How do you have time to come here?"
"Because it's snowing." The boy looked up at the leaden clouds, his voice low.
"Meaningless," the girl criticized mercilessly.
"When it snows, I think of your name," Kiyono added.
"That's disgusting. Are you some second male lead in an idol drama?"
"The snow has long since fallen in my heart."
"Zero points. If I saw lines like that the first time I opened one of your books, I'd block you on the spot."
You're impossible. With that thought lodged in her chest, Yukino reluctantly laid her book down on the table. Then she got up to boil water, scald the cups, scoop in the leaves, brew the tea, and with visible reluctance handed him a cup.
Kiyono accepted it, blew gently on the rising steam, and sat down at the table.
"Time really passes quickly," he said lazily.
…Yes. Yukinoshita Yukino almost echoed him out loud, then hurriedly pressed her lips together.
But she felt the same.
In the blink of an eye, their second year of high school was almost over—yet none of the "high school life" she'd once imagined had actually happened.
School festivals, class trips, summer fireworks… it was as if someone had carefully cut all the beautiful pieces of youth out with scissors and discarded them, leaving only a string of crucial choices behind.
Maybe that's the gods' kindness, Yukino thought. If she lived through everything in a simulated life first, then the experiences of the real world would lose much of their emotion and excitement.
And in one more year, her and her sister's futures—and where they each belonged—would be formally decided. What choices would they make then?
If possible—
Yukinoshita Yukino's clear, glass-like eyes quietly watched the boy next to her.
She wanted to experience a real youth with this person once more.
"Hey, Yukino." Kiyono suddenly produced two slightly curled tickets from his pocket, coughed, and said, "My editor gave me these, told me to go to an amusement park for 'research'…"
"So?" Yukino looked at him with teasing eyes.
"Want to go play tomorrow night?" Kiyono chose the most straightforward way.
"But cram school has an important mock exam, and it's supposed to snow again tomorrow. What if I catch a cold…?" She pretended to frown.
"Then I'll compensate you with one of Mr. Pan's scarves."
Yukino sighed and, as if reluctantly, agreed.
---
After securing the Second Young Lady's attendance, Kiyono took out his phone and sent a message to a certain young lady.
To a certain young lady who refuses to admit her little brother is handsome: Amusement Park Couple Tickets.jpg
Alright. Time to try doing something.
---
Tokyo Disneyland in Chiba Prefecture, built in 1982, has been loved by locals and tourists for many years. It's one of the must-visit attractions in Chiba. Though a long-established park, it is regularly expanded and renovated, with new rides and themed areas constantly added, so its charm has never faded.
It is one of the classic romantic settings. Whether it's the Ferris wheel overlooking the city, or the heart-thumping haunted house, both can create a relaxed, thrilling, and passionate atmosphere, ideal for confessing one's feelings and getting an answer.
When it comes to expressing emotions, a direct confession can sometimes spoil the delicate mood. What's needed is the right amount of space, eye contact, and body language, where both people tacitly understand each other—that is what's truly romantic.
—Provided there are only two people, one man and one woman.
—And provided it isn't snowing.