"Ding-dong~~ ding-dong~~ ding-dong~~"
At Yukino's apartment, the doorbell rings.
Standing silently behind the door, Yukino expressionlessly watches the closed door. Without needing to check the electronic peephole, she knows it's Hoshimi outside just by the rhythm of the doorbell.
Ever since Hoshimi left with Iwanaga Kotoko, she has been waiting behind the door because she knows he will come back.
Just one door apart.
Inside is Yukino, waiting for a long time, standing still like a peony in the dimly lit hallway, silently gazing at the closed door.
Outside is Hoshimi, just returned, his tall figure quietly waiting in the brightly lit corridor for the door to open.
Separated by a door, neither speaks, both silently waiting for the other's voice.
After a while, Hoshimi raises his hand and rings the doorbell again.
"Ding-dong~~ ding-dong~~ ding-dong~~"
Still three times, still the same intervals and rhythm as before.
"..." Yukino remains silent, staring at the cold door. After about ten seconds, she steps forward and opens the door.
"Click—"
The door slowly opens, and the bright light from the corridor pours into the dim hallway.
"..." Yukino still says nothing. She retreats back into the darkness, arms crossed, coldly watching Hoshimi standing in the bright light.
"..." Hoshimi finds Yukino's attitude hard to read. He doesn't speak recklessly but silently steps into Yukino's home.
"Click—"
He closes the door behind him, cutting off the bright light from the corridor.
"Yukino..." he gently calls out, trying to say something.
But Yukino suddenly turns without a word and heads toward the living room.
"..." Watching Yukino's cold back, Hoshimi's eyes twitch. He closes his mouth and quietly puts on slippers from the shoe cabinet.
First, it's clear that Yukino is angry.
Second, Yukino is giving him a chance to explain, which is evident from her opening the door and letting him in.
Lastly, and most importantly, Yukino has learned to be manipulative; she no longer speaks so straightforwardly. She has actually learned to use silent treatment!!
Hoshimi feels a bit awkward. After changing into slippers, he treads softly, silently entering the living room.
Seeing Yukino sitting on the sofa, he becomes even more cautious.
He quietly sits next to Yukino without making a sound.
"Yukino?" he gently calls, his tone as soft as possible.
"..." Yukino remains silent, her arms crossed, expressionless as she stares ahead, as if she doesn't see Hoshimi or hear his call.
"Yukino~~" Hoshimi elongates her name, calling her again.
"..." Yukino still doesn't respond, cold as an ice sculpture.
"Yukino-chan~~" Hoshimi tries a different nickname, drawing it out as he inches closer to her.
"..." Yukino doesn't react, maintaining her gaze ahead.
"Yukino-chan~~" Hoshimi gets closer, his right arm subtly wrapping around Yukino's slim waist, while his left hand silently rests on her leg.
In her home, Yukino wears comfortable loungewear—loose long sleeves and pants.
So at this moment, there's just a layer of fabric between Hoshimi's hand and Yukino's leg, but that simple layer can't block the heat transfer.
Feeling Yukino's warmth, Hoshimi continues to call softly.
"Yukino-chan~~ Yukino-chan~~ Second Miss~~"
The first two names get no reaction from Yukino, but when he calls her the third name, she glances at him coldly.
That glance is devoid of any warmth...
Noticing the chill, Hoshimi naturally refrains from poking at her pain points and continues to hold her waist, moving even closer.
"Yukino~~" he continues to call softly, but his hands begin to misbehave.
"Yukino~~ Yukino~~"
"Yukino-chan~~ Yuki-nyan-chan~~ Nya-kino~"
"Yukino-meow~~"
With each call, Hoshimi's hands stray further, and he gets even closer to Yukino.
Finally, just as Hoshimi is about to kiss Yukino's cheek, she can no longer hold back.
She grabs his wandering hands, turns to stare at him, gritting her teeth as she says, "Hoshimi Kiyokawa! Can't you even apologize properly?!"
Hoshimi blinks and immediately looks down, "Yukino~ I was wrong."
"Hmph!" Yukino huffs coldly, pushing his hands away and crossing her arms again.
She turns back to face forward, coldly saying, "Hoshimi, you didn't make a mistake. How could you be wrong? You're always right."
Hearing Yukino's sarcastic tone, Hoshimi feels a bit relieved. He wraps his arms around her waist again, affectionately sticking close as he admits his fault.
"Yukino~ it's all my fault~ I shouldn't have brought Kotoko over, I shouldn't have colluded with her, I shouldn't have rummaged around your house, I shouldn't have... "
As he speaks, Hoshimi steals a glance at the coffee table.
The table is now empty, indicating that Yukino has disposed of the evidence.
Somewhat confused, Hoshimi pulls his attention back and continues to apologize while holding Yukino, "Yukino~ I was wrong~ I shouldn't have gone out with Kotoko, I shouldn't have bullied you before, I shouldn't have slept naked in your bed, I shouldn't have used your towel..."
"Alright! Stop talking!" Yukino interrupts him irritably as he begins to dig up old grievances.
What happened before is in the past, and she's not petty enough to bring up old issues just because she's angry today.
Besides, those past events were just internal disputes between her and Hoshimi; they are fundamentally different from today's incident.
Using past mistakes to apologize for today's is simply shameless!
"Yukino, do you forgive me now?" Hoshimi leans close to her face, tentatively asking.
"Sigh~" Yukino sighs softly.
What else can I do? Of course, I forgive you.
However, while she thinks this in her heart, her words are another story.
"Hmph!" she coldly snorts, saying icily, "Don't even think about it!"
"Eh?"
Seeing Yukino's softened expression, Hoshimi roughly guesses her inner thoughts. But to save face for her, he chooses to continue playing along.
He first pretends to be taken aback by Yukino's words, then tightens his hold around her waist, softly continuing to apologize.
"Yukino~ I'm sorry~ please forgive me~ I'll do anything."
"Hmph!" Yukino turns her head, coldly snorting again, seeming too lazy to bother with Hoshimi.
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