The Hikigaya couple's youthful love story is definitely not a problem.

Silently standing up, Hachiman glanced at Isshiki. This time, Isshiki's role as a persuader had once again proven effective, though this was merely a choice Hachiman made subconsciously. (If/If storyline)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Haruno's Pleasure

When Hachiman Hisashi walked out of the apartment where Yukino used to live, the sky had already turned dark. In December, although the chance of snow was very small, it was not impossible.

At this moment, the sky seemed to be able to sense Hachiman's somewhat dejected mood—as if preparing to respond to the boy in its own way. Hachiman came here today, naturally because of Akino. After Yukino left Kogoro, this apartment that was originally taken down by the head of the family could not be abandoned, so it was given to Yo73 for no reason.

In just half an hour, Haruno only chatted with Hachiman for a while before learning the boy's purpose in coming here.

He sighed silently.

Hachiman didn't know whether his arrival here was a success or a failure.

Half an hour ago, as agreed, Hachiman arrived at the building where Yukino's apartment used to be located.

Hachiman was already very familiar with the procedures for entering the building. He even had the access card that Yukino had given him, so that he wouldn't have to ask Yukino to open the door for him every time.

Therefore, Hachiman doesn't need to contact Haruno down there today; he can simply wait for the door to open.

While inside the elevator, Hachiman stared blankly as he saw his own reflection in the smooth, light-reflecting surface.

Perhaps it's because I've been too busy lately, working all day except for my regular routine, that the bloodshot eyes are quite alarming.

He knocked on the door first, and when no one answered, Hachiman opened it. But after so much time had passed, the boy couldn't help but wonder if Haruno had replaced everything in the room.

However, with the easy insertion and rotation of the key, the previously tightly closed movements of the boy's body were opened.

Having not visited for over a year, Hachiman was surprised to find that none of the cloth ration coupons in the room had changed. Unfortunately, when he inhaled the air, he noticed a completely different smell compared to when Yukino lived there.

He walked slowly and cautiously into the living room. When Hachiman finally opened the door, the room was deathly silent, as if no one was there.

Wearing a light purple kimono with a few flowers printed on the lower part and flame patterns below, Yang 73, who seemed to have a mysterious charm, was quietly leaning her head on the sofa, as if she was too tired to think about anything.

Why is Hachiman like this? As the New Year approaches, the Yukinoshita family, as a local powerful clan, always has various social occasions to attend. As the only one remaining in Japan and the successor of the Yukinoshita family, Hachiman has to travel back and forth between various places.

You know what? Even the most unwilling person would be bothered by such a direct gaze.

He opened his eyes, and unlike his usual calm and intelligent self, Yang Wan now looked like he had just finished riding a horse, and his whole body still showed a weak aura.

Last night, I was deliberately forced to drink again. How come those men have no sense of manners at all? They kept coming over to drink. And I don't know what the organizers were thinking. They didn't even prepare a spittoon for the wine tasting. Is this some kind of murder plot?

Regardless of Hachiman's presence, Haruno clutched his forehead, looking as if his head was about to split open.

Hey you over there, go get me some milk, my stomach's about to burst from drinking so much.

She didn't even bother to call him by name; Yang Nai simply shouted it out casually and started ordering Hachiman around.

873 As long as she doesn't make any excessive demands, Hachiman will obediently do as she says.

After all, today's situation is different from the past because I have something to ask her.

Although she was mentally prepared to give Shao Yu a positive response and agree to his requests over the past period of time, she still had to do it to help her favorite girl and Shang-qi.

Or perhaps 8 was just trying to make things difficult for Hachiman, as Haruno still treated Hachiman with disrespect.

Yukino's thoughts, as the older sister, are known to her. Although she lost her chastity because of Hachiman, and her best friend Minami found out about it, Yukino never harbored any resentment towards Hachiman from the bottom of the mountain.

This incident wasn't solely one person's fault; both individuals bear some degree of responsibility.

All of them acted impulsively because of their deep love for each other, which caused another rift to appear in their already close relationship.

For the sake of Hachiman, who made the choice, and Yui, who was chosen by Hachiman, Yukino voluntarily withdrew from all the disputes, in order to let the two of them calm down and ease their relationship, so that Yui could share in the benefits.

Live a good life with Hachiman.

Although it was a last resort, Yukino couldn't find any other way.

People are inherently selfish; even the best of friends can't share their love with another person.

Therefore, as long as Yukino exists in the world of the other two, she will continue to create indescribable wounds.

But in 87's eyes, Xi Liao's sacrifice was immense. She had to escape from the friendship and love she had finally found, and come to a new place where she was unfamiliar with everyone. She had no relatives or friends, and because of personal reasons, she could not continue her schooling. She spent her days alone in the house. When Yang 7 saw the indescribable loneliness on her sister's face, her heart almost broke.

Watching Hachiman's departing figure, Yoichi smiled, a smile that concealed great malice.

Now that the time is ripe, she can begin her revenge against Hachiman.

Yukino has moved on from the past and started a new life inspired by some new things, but Furuo feels that Hachiman shouldn't be given such a good deal.

Having been observing and analyzing Hachiman all along, Yono already knew exactly what method should be used to inflict the greatest psychological trauma on the mouth.

It's really unlovable of me to think that I did this before, and I guess it's my fault for doing it, since I was already entrusted with this task and given the opportunity to take care of her.

With a calm expression, between being blamed by her sister and the satisfaction of getting revenge, Haruno would undoubtedly choose the latter.

However, Yukino felt that if she didn't tell Yukino, there was no way Yukino would know about this. After all, the current girl was completely clueless about the situation on Kaneba's side.

Under Yang Wan's control, as long as certain people, those who might interact with Yukino in the future, believe that Hachiman has indeed received her care, then she is invincible.

Moreover, even if Hachiman suffered retaliation from Yonofusa, he would almost never tell anyone.

What Yang Wan was taking advantage of was Hachiman's one of the few advantages he had: his sense of guilt.

Haruno took the milk from Hachiman, drank only a little, and then placed it on the table.

"You neglect your sister and have nothing better to do than come here all day with your girlfriend, Shiro Eiyu. What are you trying to do? You leave your sister unattended and instead waste my time. What on earth are you thinking?" Junxiao's eyes, which had been bright with anger, were now filled with displeasure, his gaze as if he wanted to cut pieces of flesh from Hachiman's body.

Is it because of your worthless, useless, and utterly self-righteous guilt? Do you really think Yukino needs your sympathy? In the past two years, under the loving care of me and my parents, she has lived a much better life than when she was with you.

Laughing, 873 had no effect on her lack of loyalty to Hachiman.

The woman was talking to a frog that was ignorant of its own limitations and thought it was a celestial being.

Originally, I thought that Yuki had nothing to do with you anymore. After all, no one in the Yuki family could shake her resolve, and leaving you was my sister's own choice.

As it turns out, Yukino really didn't give up on you at all, and quickly recovered her spirits and started a new life of her own.

He spends his days tending to the flower box, and a smile has gradually returned to his face. Even his weight has increased slightly.

After a pause, Yang Nai seemed afraid that Hachiman wouldn't believe her.

I didn't want you to see Yukino's current state because I felt you weren't worthy and had no right to care whether Yukino was happy or not.

Whether one is in good health or not.

But I'm fed up with your constant pestering, so I've decided to show you this so you can finally give up.

While explaining the situation in this way, Yang took out an item.

Hachiman immediately recognized that the photo Haruno was holding was definitely taken in the last few months.

To Hachiman's surprise, he had originally thought that Yukino's condition should be very bad, that she had gradually lost weight and her spirits had been affected by her longing for him.

But in this photo, the solemn temple and the blue sky are nowhere to be seen in the background. The girl is holding a string of prayer beads and is smiling, as if she doesn't care about the solemnity of Buddhism at all.

Hachiman was suddenly struck by a realization. He had always thought that only he could see such a happy smile on Yukino's face, and that the girl would only show such an expression when he was by her side.

However, now, Yukino's sudden, wonderful feeling, which Hachiman felt was not just a sudden burst of joy, but also a sudden realization that Yukino had accumulated all the good things over the past twenty-odd years and was now radiating the light of her own life.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that Yukino has gained a second life, as if she has completely abandoned everything from her past life. There's absolutely no sign of remembrance on her beautiful face.

As Masaru 87 said, even though it was just a photo, Yukino's cheeks had become fuller, which Hachiman could still tell.

How could this be... While frowning and rubbing Yukino's face, Hachiman found himself strangely questioning why Yukino was so different from the image he had in his subconscious, and an inexplicable feeling arose within him.

Hachiman began to suspect that he did not truly love Yukino, and that his long-cherished feelings for her were merely a way to prove that he could control his feelings for her.

Why is 7 so silly? 7, do you think Yukino is having a good time? It's a bit unexpected for you. Do you feel that without you, my lovely Yukino can only cry all day long? With a sigh of relief, Haruno had actually been comforting herself for a long time.

Don't be fooled by how happy Yukino looks in the photo she's holding now. In the beginning, the girl was indeed as she said, constantly in a daze, unable to muster even the slightest bit of strength.

Yukino finally managed to regain her spirits, but ultimately, thanks to Haruno's meticulous care and the appearance of new things to occupy her thoughts,

With a slight murmur, Hachiman instinctively wanted to deny Yowan's words, but the boy suddenly felt that what the person in front of him, dressed in a kimono and with legs like burning beautiful flames, said was not wrong.

After confirming that Yukino wasn't dwelling on the past but was instead starting a new life, Hachiman felt a deep emptiness inside, instead of any feelings for her.

Like a candle whose fuse has been pulled, Hachiman originally intended to burn himself to warm others, but ultimately discovered that they lived in a bright and dazzling city and didn't need a candle to warm themselves. Although he was relieved that he no longer needed to burn himself, he felt extremely sad that he hadn't been able to fulfill his responsibility.

And Hachiman couldn't find any flaws at all. A person's mental state may be the best time to arrange the changes in weight, but these are things that cannot be controlled.

If Yukino were truly unhappy, why would she have altered her already thin and gaunt appearance?

Judging from this, Yukino's mental state has improved significantly, and her stomach condition is probably not bad either.

If you're not satisfied, here's a video I filmed when I went on a business trip with her.

From now on, please don't think that my sister can't live without you.

Compared to you, she has something else in common.

The milk was casually given to Hachiman. At this moment, Nono felt that all the time she had spent in the district over the years had not been as satisfying as seeing that dead man's expression.

if line

Chapter Twenty-Three: Faith and Fate

After Hachiman left, Haruno originally wanted to call Yukino immediately and brag like a child about avenging her arrow wound. However, she thought that given Yukino's personality, she wouldn't boast about anything and might even complain about Haruno.

After all, Yukino had asked Haruno to take care of Hachiman to some extent, so that he could have a better life in the future.

Yang immediately imagined in his mind a servant secretly disciplining someone behind his master's back, and then returning with an air of self-righteousness, as if he had solved the problem for them.

Little did they know that this would not only fail to please their master, but would also bring them some complaints.

Of course, Haruno felt that there was nothing wrong with her serving as Yukino's assistant. Not only was she willing, but she was even in a state of discomfort if she wasn't allowed to come.

In short, Haruno, who genuinely loves Yukino, immediately transforms from a proud and aloof queen into a shrewd and obsequious woman in front of her sister, as if she had been a maid working for the Yukino family for decades.

Moreover, Haruno also thought that if she made a phone call now, it might disturb Yukino's sleep.

She had finally managed to adjust her younger sister's schedule to be just right, so that Yukino could live a full and energetic life every day. If she were to wake her up now, Yukino would probably end up looking like Xizi again, sickly and unable to muster any energy.

Whenever Yang Nai thinks of this, she feels sorry for her younger sister.

In the prime of her early twenties, most girls would probably still be experiencing the first stirrings of love, hoping to find the rare romance that might blossom in college.

But for Yukino, it seems that from then on, love between people had nothing to do with her anymore.

The girl was a sentimental person, without a doubt, especially since the ice had melted and the river was flowing eastward again.

Its hardness is comparable to that of the super-hard ice formed over many years at a depth of 3,000 meters in Antarctica.

As Yukino's only remaining, and possibly only, relative, and a sister-complex who deeply cares for her younger sister, Haruno felt that venting her anger and seeing Hachiman's distraught state was enough; there was no need to tell Yukino the truth.