Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yukinoshita Yukino stood at the entrance of her apartment, her expression cold.
Yesterday, under pressure from Yukino, Hoshimi had reluctantly agreed to morning exercises at 6 a.m. in front of their female classmates.
It was now 5:55, and Yukino was waiting at the apartment entrance for Hoshimi to come down.
If Hoshimi didn't show up by 6:00, Yukino could go ahead with her planned exercise route alone.
In her planned route, she would definitely encounter their female classmates, who would undoubtedly wonder why Hoshimi wasn't there. Then, she could take the opportunity to reveal some of Hoshimi's false facade, bit by bit.
Through these small revelations, she would gradually expose Hoshimi's vile nature to the public!
As for what happened in last night's dream, she didn't care anymore! She had completely forgotten it! Not a single bit remained in her memory!
Thus hypnotizing herself, Yukino's small fists gradually clenched, the veins at her temples faintly visible.
...
Not far from the apartment entrance, hidden in the greenery, Yukinoshita Haruno stood behind a tree, secretly observing Yukino.
How strange. Why was Yukino up so early, and wearing sportswear too? Was she going for a morning jog? But Yukino usually didn't have the habit of morning exercise. Why the sudden change today?
What could be the reason? Could it be related to that boy, Hoshimi Kiyokawa?
Haruno's eyes narrowed as she continued to observe Yukino more intently.
Yesterday, after checking the surveillance footage, she had fallen asleep, waking up in the middle of the night. After hastily eating something, she had booked a room in a nearby hotel to keep an eye on Yukino's apartment.
She chose a hotel room from which she could see the apartment entrance with binoculars. This way, she could know when Yukino left and follow her to see if she would meet with Hoshimi Kiyokawa in the morning.
Originally, she planned to sleep a little and get up around 7 a.m. to start keeping watch, as Yukino usually got up at 7 a.m. But unexpectedly, Yukino was up so early today.
Luckily, Haruno had drunk a lot of water last night and got up around six to use the bathroom. She glanced out the window with her binoculars and saw Yukino already at the apartment entrance.
Surprised, she woke up instantly, hurriedly got dressed without even washing her face, and left the hotel to follow Yukino.
Initially, Haruno intended to wait along the route Yukino usually took to school, expecting Yukino to pass by.
After waiting for a minute with no sign of Yukino, Haruno realized something was off. Given Yukino's walking speed, she should have arrived by now.
Feeling uneasy, she cautiously returned to the apartment entrance and found Yukino still there.
"..."
Watching Yukino standing there for several minutes, Haruno's eyes narrowed.
Was Yukino waiting for someone? Could it be Hoshimi Kiyokawa?
Waiting at the apartment entrance? Could Hoshimi Kiyokawa live nearby?
Or maybe he lived in the same building as Yukino?
Haruno furrowed her brow. This apartment building was built by their Yukinoshita family. While they owned several floors, they weren't the developers and didn't have records of all residents.
But...
Haruno looked up at the top of the building.
She remembered hearing that the 27th and 28th floors were rare luxury duplex apartments, home to significant figures her family couldn't afford to offend.
When she first heard this, she asked her mother who lived there.
But she had just started high school then, and her mother had only given a vague answer: "Haruno, you'll know when you're older."
She had wanted to investigate further but got caught up in her interesting high school life and forgot about it.
Now, it seemed the significant figure in this apartment might be the person she was interested in today...
Haruno squinted, smiling like a fox, waiting patiently.
At 5:59, a handsome boy in sportswear came out of the apartment.
The boy had rare white hair and red eyes, with a gentle yet lazy smile on his beautiful face. At first glance, he made people unconsciously lower their guard and feel a sense of goodwill.
Haruno watched as the white-haired, red-eyed boy stopped beside her sister Yukino. One was smiling, the other had a cold expression, and their lips moved as they started talking.
Haruno strained her ears, trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Hoshimi, I thought you wouldn't come," Yukino said coldly.
"Well, since we agreed, I wouldn't stand you up. You know me, I'm a rule follower," Hoshimi replied with a smile, his gaze drifting down.
Yukino's expression turned colder as she stared at Hoshimi, "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Hoshimi's smile was subtle as he looked at Yukino's delicate face, teasing, "Yukinoshita, didn't I play the Ansai waist drum well? I saw you were quite into it at the end. In the future..."
[A/N: Ansai waist drum dance is a Chinese cultural dance of vigorous steps and leaps accompanied by frenetic drumming.]
"Shut up!" Yukino, enraged, kicked Hoshimi's shin.
Glaring at him, she said sharply, "Hoshimi! Mention that again and only one of us will leave here alive today!"
"Alright, I give up," Hoshimi raised his hands in surrender with a smile.
"Hmph!" Yukino snorted, turning away from Hoshimi and starting to jog.
Hoshimi chuckled silently, stepping forward and jogging behind Yukino, feeling quite pleased.
Watching Yukino jog ahead, Hoshimi's gaze subtly shifted downward again.
"..."
Sensing something, Yukino stopped and glared at Hoshimi, "Hoshimi, you run in front."
"Huh?" Hoshimi tilted his head slightly, "Yukinoshita, I don't know the route. You want me to lead?"
This wasn't a lie. After spending a year in seclusion, it was unrealistic to expect him to know the way.
"..." Yukino's expression turned cold as she glared at Hoshimi, "Then run beside me. Don't run behind me."
"Fine," Hoshimi didn't argue, stepping up to run beside Yukino.
As they ran, Hoshimi muttered softly, "With no meat on your butt, who'd want to look..."
"What did you say?" Yukino's sharp ears caught a keyword.
"Nothing..." Hoshimi shrugged, his face impassive.
"Hmph! Pervert!" Yukino didn't bother to care what Hoshimi said, knowing it wasn't anything good.
She elbowed him in the side.
"Ow, damn it." Hoshimi winced in pain.
He glanced at Yukino, then without hesitation, poked her side with his fingers.
"Ha! Naive!" Yukino dodged nimbly, slapping his hand away.
Undeterred, Hoshimi tried to poke her side again. But in reality, Yukino was more agile, easily deflecting his hand and sometimes countering with an elbow.
Soon, their initially steady breaths turned ragged and rapid.
...
Not far away, Haruno's smile faded.
It seemed Yukino and Hoshimi Kiyokawa's relationship was quite special. She had never seen Yukino playing around with anyone like this. How did Hoshimi Kiyokawa manage that?
Also, what did "Ansai waist drum" mean?
Why did Yukino's mood swing so much when Hoshimi Kiyokawa mentioned it?
Yukinoshita Haruno was confused...
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