What is the relationship between Hoshimi and Yukinoshita?
Through a morning of tracking and observation, Yukinoshita Haruno had reached her conclusion.
First, it was certainly not the romantic relationship that Hiratsuka Shizuka had hinted at. Currently, Yukino and Hoshimi hadn't even reached the minimum threshold for dating.
However, they were definitely friends, and not just ordinary friends.
From Yukino's attitude, it seemed that something unusual had happened between her and Hoshimi before, which easily angered Yukino.
Haruno knew her sister well; while Yukino was indeed easily provoked, she wasn't the type to get angry easily.
When faced with someone's provocation, Yukino would usually retaliate with cold and sharp words rather than resorting to physical violence.
Clearly, Hoshimi must have seriously irritated Yukino before. Otherwise, with Yukino's nature, she wouldn't have resorted to physical action.
The relationship between Hoshimi and Yukino seemed to be in a delicate balance in Haruno's eyes.
Yukino, who had been angered by Hoshimi before, was undoubtedly looking for a chance to get back at him, but her methods of revenge weren't too intense. Whether this was because Hoshimi held some 'blackmail' material over her or for another reason was unclear.
On Hoshimi's side, he seemed to have an intention to ease the tension but often couldn't resist teasing Yukino to see her interesting reactions.
In this state, to some uninformed outsiders, they might indeed look like they were getting along well, or even dating.
Especially Yukino, who, for the most part, did things her own way, without caring about others' opinions or explaining anything deliberately. Over time, misunderstandings deepened almost inevitably.
Hoshimi, on the other hand, seemed to welcome such misunderstandings and didn't bother to explain, which led to the current situation where outsiders perceived them as a couple.
Summarizing it, Haruno concluded that her sister Yukino was wary of Hoshimi and looking for opportunities to get back at him, but in the process, they had become friends who could be called 'frenemies'.
Hoshimi, on the other hand, might have some feelings for her sister, thus indulging her revenge while consciously teasing her.
With her conclusion made, Haruno wasn't too worried.
Considering Yukino's 'defensive strength' and 'denseness', Hoshimi would need at least three to five months, or even one to two years, to break through her psychological defenses.
Of course, this didn't account for Haruno's potential interference.
But how could she sit back and watch her sister be taken away by a man who might change his surname to 'Arisugawa'?
So, she decided to find an appropriate opportunity to meet Hoshimi and see what this guy was really thinking.
"An opportunity..." Haruno murmured to herself.
At the end of April to early May each year, Sobu High held a 'Sports Festival'. That seemed like a good opportunity.
She could use the Sports Festival as a pretext to visit her sister at Sobu High and meet Hoshimi Kiyokawa.
This idea was good. She would call Shizuka later to find out the date for this year's Sports Festival so she could come and cheer for Yukino.
Having made her decision, Haruno looked at the distant figures of Yukino and Hoshimi with a smile and turned to leave.
...
On the other side, unaware of being followed, Yukino and Hoshimi returned to their apartment to shower and change into their school uniforms before heading to school.
The day's classes quickly ended, and it was soon time for the afternoon dismissal.
"Ring, ring~~~"
As the dismissal bell rang, the slightly sore-legged Hoshimi picked up his bag and was about to slip away.
But the quick-eyed Yukinoshita grabbed the hem of his shirt, "Hoshimi, where are you going?"
"I'm going home." Hoshimi blinked innocently.
"Come learn tennis with me, got it?" Yukinoshita smiled sweetly.
"Sigh~" Hoshimi sighed and gave up struggling.
The downside of maintaining a certain persona was evident now. When Yukinoshita was determined to drag him down, he really had no choice but to go along to avoid ruining his established image.
However, this wasn't an unsolvable problem, it just needed some time to plan.
For now, he would go along with Yukinoshita and engage in hand-to-hand combat in the water.
Besides, he could exact revenge tenfold in tonight's dream, and Yukinoshita would surely be prepared for that.
"Heh~"
Seeing Hoshimi give up struggling, Yukinoshita sneered.
Finally, this jerk would understand what it meant to hoist himself with his own petard, but this was just the beginning; she would continue her revenge.
"Hoshimi, let's go." Yukinoshita threw the tennis bag to Hoshimi and walked ahead.
"Alright." Hoshimi slung the tennis bag over his shoulder and leisurely followed Yukinoshita.
After walking a few steps, Yukinoshita suddenly stopped. She turned to look at Hoshimi and said coldly, "Why are you walking behind me? Come to the front."
Hoshimi raised an eyebrow and said nothing, silently moving to walk beside Yukinoshita.
He suddenly realized that Yukinoshita Yukino might lack a bit of self-awareness about her figure.
Did she think he would keep staring from behind? What a joke! He'd only glance a few times at most!
Yukinoshita glanced sideways at Hoshimi, who was a head taller than her, and continued walking without a word.
Having just napped for an afternoon, Hoshimi wasn't in the mood for talking either, so they walked side by side in silence.
After walking for a while, Hoshimi suddenly sensed something was off. He turned to Yukinoshita and asked,
"Yukinoshita, aren't we supposed to go to the tennis court? This seems like the wrong way."
"It's not wrong. We're going to the Service Club first. I have something to handle. After that, we'll go to the tennis court," Yukinoshita explained coldly.
Hoshimi felt a bit tempted and asked tentatively, "You have something to handle? How about I go to the tennis court and wait for you?"
"..." Yukinoshita glanced at Hoshimi from the corner of her eye and ruthlessly exposed his intention, "You just want to slip away alone, right? Don't even think about it."
"Huh?" Hoshimi looked at Yukinoshita in surprise, "Yukinoshita, you've gotten smarter."
"Heh~ You call this smart? Your meager thoughts, I can figure them out with my toes," Yukinoshita mocked Hoshimi sharply, seizing the opportunity.
"Oh? Really? Then do you know what I'm thinking right now?" Hoshimi asked with a sly smile.
"..."
Seeing Yukinoshita's silence, Hoshimi's smile deepened. He glanced up and down at Yukinoshita and said with a smile, "I'm thinking about when you'll change from 'L' to 'S'."
It took Yukinoshita a moment to understand what Hoshimi meant.
Gritting her teeth, she immediately elbowed Hoshimi's side.
This time, prepared, Hoshimi easily dodged her attack and even took advantage of the opening to poke her side.
"Ugh~"
Feeling the pain, Yukinoshita glared angrily at Hoshimi.
Seeing Hoshimi's smug look, Yukinoshita became even more enraged.
She stepped forward, grabbed Hoshimi's collar with one hand, and held his arm with the other, intending to throw him over her shoulder to teach him the price of talking without thinking!
Yukinoshita's throwing technique was excellent, perfectly using her small size to counter his strength, putting Hoshimi in a dangerous position.
But Hoshimi reacted quickly. As he lost his balance and was about to fall, he grabbed Yukinoshita's waist, disrupting her balance.
The two of them ended up falling to the ground together. However, Yukinoshita had some training and adjusted her position as she fell, landing on Hoshimi, using him as a cushion, so she wasn't hurt much.
Hoshimi, who bore the weight of both of them, only felt some pain in his back and buttocks. Fortunately, Yukinoshita's throw was incomplete due to his interference, and he just fell sideways.
But then, Yukinoshita, not wanting to let him off easily, quickly reacted, sat on Hoshimi's abdomen, and prepared to attack him with both hands.
Hoshimi, not wanting to be hit, quickly grabbed Yukinoshita's wrists.
Angry, Yukinoshita pressed down with her hands while Hoshimi held up, and they ended up in a stalemate.
"Yukinoshita, we..."
Just as Hoshimi was about to suggest a truce, someone appeared around the corner.
Both Hoshimi and Yukinoshita were startled, simultaneously turning to look.
"Yukinon..."
Around the corner, Yui Yuigahama stood in a daze, staring at the two in a very compromising position.
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already 30 extra chapters available.