I hope Big Sister finds happiness ten years from now.
— —
Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly looked up, and in each other's eyes they saw their own reflected figures.
It was like two mirrors facing one another.
Vaguely, she sensed the feelings Yukino wanted to convey.
Yukino… she thought. Her expression must look terribly complicated in her little sister's eyes right now.
Yukino didn't speak, and of course she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
In this world, it was true that no one wished harder than she did for Yukino to be happy. But…
Yukino's happiness had always been built on her. Ever since they were little, whenever Yukino wanted something, she would give it to her. She cherished her, protected her, and even if it meant choosing between her own life and her sister's, she would give it to Yukino.
So why… why did it have to be this thing?
For the first time, there was something she didn't want to hand over. Something she couldn't honestly bless and let go of. On the contrary, her feelings were running in the opposite direction, because this was her one and only.
Yukinoshita Haruno was annoyed by her own jealousy.
Indeed, she was an incurable wicked queen.
The more beautiful and pure the Snow, the more it accentuated her own ugliness.
Even so—
"I hope…" she whispered,
"I hope that ten years from now, we can still drink together like this."
After eating their fill, Kiyono resolutely pulled out his wallet to pay. Yukinoshita Yukino, apparently quite taken with the handmade sweets here, trailed behind him, intending to buy some to take home.
"Thank you for your patronage."
Behind the counter, the white-haired old granny smiled kindly.
She looked at the three of them and grinned.
"Oh, by the way, our shop is running a little event. Every customer gets one free fortune draw. You two pretty young ladies, and this handsome young man—would you like to give it a try?"
Kiyono raised an eyebrow. This izakaya was truly something else: not only did it sell sweets, it even did fortune-telling on the side?
He and Yukino weren't particularly interested, but Haruno eagerly squeezed into the middle.
"I wanna try, I wanna try! Granny, what kind of fortunes are these?"
"Hmm… just some ordinary little fortunes I wrote when I had nothing better to do," the old granny said lightly.
"Then I'll go first!"
With great enthusiasm, Yukinoshita Haruno reached into the box and pulled out a small slip of paper rolled into a tight cylinder.
Under the gaze of Kiyono and Yukino beside her, she unrolled it.
"Oh! It's Great Luck!"
Haruno beamed, and the three of them continued reading.
People chase your illusion; you appear flawless, but in truth you have nothing.
To keep a man's heart, you can only do so by revealing your true self.
"Are you sure this isn't just straight-up criticism?"
The corner of Haruno's mouth twitched. In her heart, the kindly old granny was instantly downgraded to a hateful old crone. Beneath the main text was a short explanation.
The bond between people is written together, hand in hand, over and over.
Perhaps you could try accepting the warmth of others.
"Big Sister, what does it say?" Yukino asked, curious, seeing Haruno fold the slip at lightning speed with an expressionless face.
"It says I'll be super lucky. You should give it a try too, Little Yukino," Haruno coaxed smoothly.
Is that so…?
Yukinoshita Yukino, still suspicious, reached in and drew the next slip.
"—I got Great Luck as well."
Haruno leaned toward her. For some reason, Yukino had absolutely no desire to show this to her big sister. She took a step away and quietly peeked at it.
Admiration and understanding forge a unique bond,
but if you rely only on past achievements, defeat will one day arrive.
"…Oh?"
Yukino's eyes grew cold.
Dependence will satisfy a man,
but it will also keep you stagnant for life.
Their gazes simultaneously slid over to Kiyono, full of layered meaning.
"I've traveled through time, protected human history, fought side by side with heroes, defied history and battled fate. No matter what kind of fortune it is, I can overcome it with ease!"
Unshaken, Kiyono reached in with great composure, drew his slip, and opened it with a flourish.
You are highly educated, brilliant in your career,
have many wives and concubines, and wealth rivaling a nation.
"…Huh?"
There's a fortune this good?
Kiyono slowly looked toward the final line.
But you die young. Cause of death: torn into several pieces.
In an instant, he crumpled the slip and tossed it onto the floor. It was a miracle this izakaya was still in business.
Perhaps sensing something from their expressions, the old granny sheepishly scratched the side of her head and said soothingly:
"When you get old, you end up writing a lot of nonsense. Don't take it too seriously. Here, draw again—this one's on the house."
—Are you telling us to take it seriously or not!?
For once, all three complained in perfect harmony.
Even so, the two Yukinos blinked in unison. The fortunes were certainly… pointed, but if you asked whether they wanted to keep drawing… they absolutely did.
Three hands dipped back into the box, one after another.
This time, they opened their slips much more cautiously.
Haruno fell silent, thinking.
The bond between siblings runs as deep as snow;
true feelings surface as jealousy melts.
A heaven-sent match is no myth—
a red thread has long tied the destined pair.
Yukino frowned slightly.
Why hide the clear light when admiring the moon?
The Big Dipper hangs above, guiding shadows home.
Do not lament walking the frosty path alone;
a lifetime of candlelight will warm the cold fragrance.
Once again, their gazes dropped to their fortunes, then lifted to meet in midair. Different, yet strangely alike.
Kiyono smiled faintly, folded his own slip, and tucked it away with a calm expression.
His fortune contained only a single line:
A thousand pounds of grace and righteousness entrusted to sun and moon—
two clear hearts, free from dust.
And then, just like that—
They became third-years in high school.