Marin was about to say something, but her words were drowned out by the lively conversations around her.
Watching her friends gossip as if no one else was present, Kitagawa could only sigh helplessly.
"You guys aren't even listening to me."
"I haven't said a word, yet you've already imagined some dramatic love triangle in your heads!"
Forget it.
Unable to refute them, Marin sat back down, letting her friends continue their enthusiastic discussions.
In truth, her recent changes in behavior really were because of Ryuji.
After witnessing everything that had happened that day, Marin had wanted to find Ryuji at school and ask him about the cursed spirit.
But when she got to school the next day, she realized something important.
Although they attended the same school, she didn't know him. They weren't friends, so why would he answer her questions?
And besides, his attitude toward her had been pretty cold that day.
"This is so confusing!"
She wanted to approach him, but she was also a little scared.
Though, even Marin herself didn't fully understand what she was afraid of.
Was it that Ryuji might ignore her again? Or was it something else entirely?
Unable to figure it out, Kitagawa's expression grew even more troubled.
"Sigh…"
She let out a quiet sigh.
Ryuji, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on in Marin's mind. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't care.
The weekend soon arrived. Ryuji had promised Yumiko earlier in the week that they would go on a date, so he politely declined the invitations from Utaha and the others.
There was plenty of time to hang out with them in the future, but since he had promised Miura first, he intended to keep that promise.
He was confident in his decision.
"Hurry up and help me pick a dress! How do you think this one looks?"
The usually confident and assertive Yumiko was a little flustered now. She had invited her best friends, Yui and Hina, over to her house to help her pick an outfit for tomorrow's date. Holding up a dress for them to see, Hina examined it closely and gave her opinion.
"How about going with a school uniform look? You've got a great figure, Yumiko. It'll suit you perfectly. I'm sure Ryuji will love it too!"
"Really?"
Yumiko didn't think much about it.
She had a variety of styles in her wardrobe, and after hearing Hina's suggestion, she quickly grabbed a school uniform outfit and changed into it.
"How's this?"
"You look gorgeous!"
Seeing Yumiko in her new outfit, Hina nodded in approval.
No wonder Ryuji seemed to like Yumiko the most out of their group. There was definitely a reason for that.
"What do you think, Yui?"
Yui, who had been daydreaming, snapped out of her thoughts when her name was called. She quickly nodded.
"You look beautiful! Ryuji will definitely love this look on you!"
"Really? Haha!"
Yumiko was thrilled by the compliments from her friends and couldn't help but laugh in delight.
Watching Yumiko so happy, Yui's face fell slightly. "How great would it be if I were the one going on a date with Ryuji?" she thought.
Hina, noticing Yui's change in mood, said nothing but made a mental note of it.
"Ryuji mentioned not to stay out after dark, so you can both sleep over here tonight," Yumiko offered, glancing at the darkening sky outside.
"Okay!"
Neither of them objected.
They had already let their parents know they'd be staying over, and it wasn't the first time they had spent the night at Yumiko's house after staying out too late.
"There's only one guest room set up at the moment, so I'll go clean up another one."
Yumiko's family was well-off, and their house was big enough to accommodate guests. However, they only kept one guest room prepared at a time, so Miura started getting ready to clean a second room for Yui and Hina.
"It's fine!" Yui quickly stood up, seeing Yumiko about to get up as well.
"I'll clean it up myself—" she began to say.
But Hina interrupted with a grin. "Why don't Yui and I just share a room?"
"Huh???"
Both Yumiko and Yui were taken aback by the suggestion.
"I'm feeling a little spooked about sleeping alone these days. It'd be better if Yui could keep me company. You don't mind, do you, Yui?"
Hina's tone was casual and natural, leaving no room to argue.
"No, I don't mind at all!"
Yui was naturally a bit shy, and she didn't see a problem with it either. After all, they were both girls, and it was only for one night. Yui quickly agreed.
"Alright then, let's get ready for bed!"
Later that night, they lay down in the room. It wasn't a typical bedroom setup, but rather two futons laid out on the floor, spaced far apart from each other.
Yui tried her best to fall asleep, but every time she closed her eyes, her mind filled with thoughts of Yumiko and Ryuji on their date tomorrow. She couldn't stop picturing them together, looking happy.
She tossed and turned, unable to relax.
"Are you jealous?" Hina's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"???"
Yui jolted, startled by Hina's sudden question.
"You're still awake?"
"Yeah, just like you, I'm a little jealous," Hina replied honestly.
"I-I'm not jealous!"
Yui's voice was muffled, clearly defensive.
"There are only the two of us here. It's okay to be honest."
"..."
Feeling exposed, Yui finally gave in.
"I guess I am a little jealous of Ryuji-kun," she admitted quietly.
Yui had no idea Hina was thinking the same thing.
"What's so strange about that?"
Hina's tone was casual, as if there was nothing unusual about having feelings for the same person as their friend.
Yui felt herself letting her guard down.
"But Ryuji-kun is already going to be with Yumiko."
It was pointless to keep liking him, wasn't it? Yui couldn't imagine herself ever doing something like trying to steal her friend's love.
"So what?"
"???"
Yui was stunned by Hina's straightforward response.
She turned to look at her, eyes wide with disbelief.
"How bold!"
She had never realized that Hina was this kind of person.
"But wouldn't that be wrong?" Yui stammered. "Yumiko's our friend. I don't want to ruin our friendship."
"What are you even talking about?"
Hina rolled her eyes at Yui.
"Do you really think I'm that much of a villain?"
"Well...!"
Yui was hesitant to fully trust her, but before she could voice her concerns, Hina cut in.
"I'm not talking about ruining anything. Do you really think one Yumiko is enough for someone like Ryuji?"
"What do you mean?"
Yui was confused.
Hina smirked. "I overheard Ryuji once. He's planning to 'expand the family.' You know, like a legacy."
"Expand the family?"
Yui didn't find the idea strange. In Japan, family inheritance and legacies were important, especially for people with unique abilities like Ryuji. But she wasn't sure what Hina meant by it in this context.
"What do you mean by 'expand'?"
It took Yui a moment, but then it hit her.
"Wait… you mean—?"
"That's right!"
Hina smirked, watching Yui slowly piece it together.
"If Ryuji wants to expand his family, one Yumiko isn't enough. And if we have kids with him first, our positions in his family would be higher."
"K-Kids?!"
Yui panicked at the thought, her mind racing as she imagined having children with Ryuji. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became, her face turning bright red.
"..."
Hina was amused by Yui's reaction, even though she wasn't entirely sure what to say.
"Th-That!" Yui quickly tried to compose herself. "Why are you telling me this?!"
"Because I like Ryuji-kun too," Hina said, without any hesitation.
"..."
That wasn't exactly what Yui had been asking. "If you like him, that's fine. But why tell me?" she thought.
Hina must have picked up on Yui's confusion because she explained further.
"It's not a secret. But honestly, I don't think I stand much of a chance if I'm on my own."
Though Hina was pretty, she was also realistic. She knew Ryuji had plenty of admirers, and she wasn't the only one.
"So, I thought we could team up."
"Team up?"
Yui was dumbfounded.
Her reasoning wasn't wrong. Hina had chosen Yui because she was pretty, but also because she wasn't cunning. Hina, with her high emotional intelligence, didn't want to constantly compete with more manipulative girls. Yui was trustworthy, at least.
"But I don't think I can do this!" Yui admitted, lacking confidence.
She had always been a bit insecure. She wasn't as beautiful as Yumiko, nor as clever as Hina. She didn't believe she had any real chance.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You have your strengths over Yumiko too."
"Huh? I do surpass Yumiko in some way? What do you mean?"
Yui looked down at herself, not understanding what Hina was getting at.
"Of course!" Hina nodded confidently, her eyes subtly lowering to Yui's chest.
"You've got something that Yumiko doesn't."
"…!!"
Yui realized what Hina was talking about and quickly crossed her arms over her chest, her face turning crimson.
Hina couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction.
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal. Everyone has something special, and yours just happens to stand out a bit more."
Yui, still flustered, didn't know how to respond. All she could manage was a weak, "But..."
"So, do you want to team up with me or not? Think about it carefully, this is your future we're talking about. Do you really want to just stand by and watch while someone else gets everything? Are you okay with never having a chance with Ryuji for the rest of your life?"
"My... whole life…"
Yui fell silent, considering Hina's words.
The thought of spending the rest of her life watching from the sidelines, smiling through her disappointment while Ryuji and Yumiko were happy together... It was unbearable.
"I... I agree!"
At last, Yui nodded, her face flushed but resolute.
"Perfect! I knew you'd come around!" Hina smiled triumphantly.
"So, what should we do now?" Yui asked, still unsure of what came next.
"Well, for now, we don't need to do anything. Just wait for the right moment."
"Wait for an opportunity?"
Before Yui could ask more, Hina had already laid back down, getting comfortable on her futon.
"Don't worry, we're still young. There will be plenty of opportunities. Just remember, when the time comes, don't be afraid to go for it!"
Yui's face flushed again at the thought. "Go for it?" Could she really be bold enough when the time came?
"I'll... I'll try my best!"
She nodded to herself, as if convincing herself more than anyone else.
***
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