Seeing each other's actions, both Kotoko and Yukino immediately understood the reason behind them.
Yukino's face turned cold as she silently cursed in her heart, Hoshimi, you truly are an unrepentant beast!
Doing this to me is one thing, but you even did this to Iwanaga Kotoko, who has the figure of a grade-schooler! What a scoundrel!
At the same time, Iwanaga Kotoko's expression became subtly complicated.
She leaned forward, looked past Hoshimi at Yukino, and with a sneering smile, said, "Yukinoshita-senpai, so this is what you call 'reserved'? Well, you're really something."
"..."
Listening to Iwanaga Kotoko's sarcastic tone, Yukino's expression grew even colder.
She stared icily at Iwanaga Kotoko and retorted, "Iwanaga-san, aren't you the same? What right do you have to say anything about me?"
"Oh?" Kotoko's smile became playful as she ran a finger across her chin, teasingly saying, "Yukinoshita-senpai, we are not the same. I've never claimed to be 'reserved.' I'm consistent inside and out, unlike you…"
"Heh~," Kotoko chuckled lightly, not finishing her sentence, but her meaning was clear.
"..."
Yukino's face darkened, like a storm brewing on the horizon.
She wanted to argue back, but Kotoko had spoken the truth, and she couldn't find a good excuse. All she could do was continue glaring at Iwanaga Kotoko with icy eyes.
The eerie purple eyes of Kotoko and the cold blue eyes of Yukino met, and within seconds, the atmosphere in the clubroom dropped to freezing point.
Suddenly, both Kotoko and Yukino sensed that something was off.
Almost simultaneously, they shifted some of their attention, searching for what felt wrong.
The next moment, both of them froze.
Where was Hoshimi? That big guy Hoshimi?
He had just been standing between them, but now he had vanished in the blink of an eye!
As the tension between them eased, they both started looking around for Hoshimi.
Their gazes shifted, and soon, Hoshimi's figure appeared within their line of sight.
At that moment, Hoshimi was squished into a single-seater sofa with Yuigahama. The injured Hoshimi had buried his head into Yuigahama's chest, while Yuigahama, looking somewhat guilty, was gently stroking his hair, seemingly comforting him.
Seeing this, both Yukino and Kotoko's expressions turned icy at the same time.
"..."
Yukino remained silent, casting a cold and unusual gaze toward Yuigahama.
Kotoko crossed her arms, watching Yuigahama's increasingly tender expression with a nearly indifferent attitude.
"?"
Feeling a sudden chill, Yuigahama instinctively looked up.
"?!!"
The moment she noticed the piercing gazes from Yukino and Kotoko, her breath caught, and her heartbeat skipped a beat.
She hurriedly pushed Hoshimi away, raising her hands in a pleading gesture, "Yukinon, you've misunderstood me! I didn't mean it that way."
"..."
Yukino didn't respond, but Kotoko rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "When a suspect is caught, their first instinct seems to be to make excuses..."
"..."
Yuigahama's face stiffened, tears becoming more apparent in her eyes as she raised her hands pitifully toward Yukino, "Yukinon, I really didn't mean it like that. How could I possibly try to steal him from you..."
"Alright, Yuigahama-san, I believe you. You don't need to explain anymore." Yukino raised her hand, cutting off Yuigahama's explanation.
Yukino knew all too well why Yuigahama was comforting the 'injured' Hoshimi. After all, it was Yuigahama who had handed the banana to Hoshimi, leading to his 'injury.' Yuigahama's gentle nature made her feel compelled to console him afterward—it all made sense.
There was also another reason she didn't want Yuigahama to continue explaining—it might reveal the real reason she had given the banana to Hoshimi in the first place...
Yes, Yuigahama had been following Yukino's instructions when she gave Hoshimi the banana. Otherwise, why would Yuigahama, who had been avoiding Hoshimi, suddenly approach him?
Yukino also had a suspicion that Hoshimi sought Yuigahama's comfort in an attempt to figure out where the banana had come from.
So, Yukino had to stop Yuigahama from explaining further, or she might find herself in trouble...
Hoshimi, that petty grudge-holder, would undoubtedly cause her grief if he discovered that everything was her idea.
"Hmph~ As long as you believe me, Yukinon," Yuigahama sighed in relief, and the tears in her eyes began to fade.
"Heh~" At that moment, Kotoko chuckled with hidden meaning, "Yukinoshita-senpai, you are so naive..."
Yukino ignored Kotoko's deliberate attempt to stir things up. She shifted her gaze toward Hoshimi and said coldly, "Hoshimi, why are you still squeezing in there? Don't you realize that's a single-seater sofa?"
Yukino had no other intent with her words; she simply wanted Hoshimi to stop bothering Yuigahama and come back.
But while the speaker had no hidden meaning, the listeners couldn't help but interpret it differently.
The words "single-seater sofa" hit both Hachiman and Yuigahama like a knife to the heart.
Single... alone... Was Yukino secretly mocking something else?
The invisible Hachiman and the recently guilty Yuigahama both silently complained in their hearts...
"Oh~" The root of all evil, Hoshimi, responded casually and quickly moved back to sit between Yukino and Kotoko.
Yukino glanced at Hoshimi, too tired to say anything more. She didn't want to continue bickering with Kotoko in the clubroom, so she got up, took a book from the shelf at the back of the classroom, and sat down next to Hoshimi, focusing on her reading.
Kotoko, seeing Yukino withdraw from the argument, also chose not to provoke further conflict. She leaned on Hoshimi's side and started a meaningless conversation with him about trivial things—like exam questions, what they had for lunch, what they would eat for dinner, and other utterly pointless topics.
Conversations between lovers often lack purpose. Most of the time, it's just about hearing each other's voice, deepening their bond, or passing the time.
As they talked, Kotoko suddenly sensed that something was off.
She looked at Hoshimi, then at Yukino reading quietly, and Yuigahama spacing out on the single-seater sofa, narrowing her eyes. Suspicion began to rise in her mind.
Why had Yuigahama, who had been avoiding Hoshimi, suddenly handed him a banana?
After Hoshimi got 'hurt,' why did he go to Yuigahama for comfort? Didn't he realize what kind of trouble that would cause?
And why was Yuigahama comforting Hoshimi with such a guilty expression?
Also, wasn't Yukino giving in a little too quickly? Her behavior was almost as swift as France surrendering—this didn't quite align with Yukino's usual character...
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