Let's do it again, Yukino.

Just because something is not in our memory does not mean it never happened. It is unreasonable to deny its existence simply because we don't remember it.

However, Kasuga neither confirmed nor denied it.

"An idiot like me, if I really liked someone, shouldn't I act like in a manga and bully the girl I like? Why don't you think I might like Yumiko more?"

Haruhi steered the conversation toward Yumiko, while Hayama could only chuckle wryly.

"After all, it's a manga, and you, Haruki, would never like Yumiko, would you?"

"What do you mean by 'absolutely not'? If you keep saying such ambiguous things, I'm really going to beat you up, Hayato. Don't think that just because Yumiko likes you, I won't dare to hit you."

"I think you've misunderstood something, Haruko. Yumiko never liked me from the very beginning."

In the bathroom, turning his head away, Hayama offered a casual explanation.

"If he didn't like you, why would he confess to you? Hayato, who are you kidding?"

"Actually, I really admire Yumiko's personality of daring to love and hate."

Without arguing,

Hayama suddenly laughed in the bathroom.

……

…………

A quiet darkness, a silvery moon in the void.

I don't know what time it is.

Walking through the dark woods on a spring day, the rustling of leaves echoed constantly beside me.

Springtime, having confirmed that the men in the room had already drifted off to sleep, was now flamboyantly moving among the large trees.

"Hey, are you there?"

He turned his head and tentatively called out softly.

then,

The sound from his mouth became an echo that reverberated through the jungle.

Even springtime wasn't sure if Xiaoxue would already be asleep when she received her email.

Even if they receive it, they might not be able to leave because there are too many people in the rest room.

Because springtime was just a fleeting whim.

It was just because the boy who originally planned to take a night walk

The moonlight over this mountain village in the woods was too soft.

He even unintentionally discovered while patrolling the jungle

A lake with shimmering waves was discovered.

It would be such a shame not to invite Xiaoxue out to enjoy this enchanting and romantic night view.

The sound of soft footsteps crunching through branches came from behind me.

"Little Snow!!"

Springtime felt a surge of excitement, and he immediately turned around from where he was sitting by the lake.

Sure enough, this little girl said she wouldn't come out, but her actions betrayed her true feelings.

However----

"Eek—! It's you?"

The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't Xiaoxue's cool and aloof voice.

On a spring day, a woman with long, curly hair stood in the dark woods.

The silver light followed her long golden hair, shining brightly on Miura Yumiko's pretty face, which was streaked with tears.

In a hazy, indistinct moment, Haruhi almost mistook the woman before him for a blonde elf queen from another world in a light novel.

"I wondered who it was, but it's you, Yumiko. What are you doing out so late at night instead of resting... Um, why are you crying? Did you confess to someone again and get harshly rejected?"

Haruhi sighed with regret, but seeing Yumiko's tearful face, her heart softened, and she asked comfortingly.

"I didn't cry! How could I possibly be made to cry so easily by that Yukinoshita?!"

The girl wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, sniffed, and tried her best to explain.

Springtime was filled with surprise.

Did Xiaoxue make her cry? Didn't I remember telling her not to bully Youmiko anymore?

What's the situation?

After thinking for a moment, Haruhi asked somewhat uncertainly, "Yumiko, I'm wondering if you secretly ran away because you were upset by Yukinoshita and then felt too embarrassed to stay in the dorm?"

"Huh? How could that be?! I'm not crying!!"

Yumiko's eyes flickered with obvious guilt for a moment.

That snow-covered area was absolutely infuriating...

Chapter Nineteen: Hero Saves the Beauty

"Yumiko?"

Under the moonlight

The blonde girl who suddenly appeared in the jungle on a spring day.

A few teardrops still lingered in the corners of her eyes. Who else could it be but Miss Yumiko?

Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?

Although it was a question, Haruhi already knew the answer.

The boys were all in another dormitory, and among the remaining girls, the only one who could keep Yumiko in check was probably Yuki.

"I wasn't bullied at all..."

Clearly not expecting Haruhi to be there, Yumiko hurriedly hid in the shadows, wiping the tears from her eyes with her small, fair hands, her long golden hair fluttering in the night breeze.

"What are you doing here so late at night?"

After cleaning up, Yumiko, finally free of her emotions, emerged from the shadows.

"...Crying, crying, I didn't run away because I was angry with Hayato, um, no!!"

Spring Day mimicked Yumiko's expression from just now, wiped the corner of her eye, and said somewhat sadly.

"Don't you dare copy me!! You've been annoying ever since we first met, don't you know that?"

"Besides, the only one here who can keep you in check is Hiratsuka-sensei. Hayato isn't the kind of person who easily gets into arguments."

"You never know."

Springtime returned to the pond, and bathed in moonlight, he smiled and answered.

……

Yumiko must have been genuinely angered by Yuki's words. After calming down, she felt a little embarrassed to go back to see her roommates Yui and Ebina immediately. Looking at the boy sitting around the lake with his back to her, and noticing that the mosquitoes in the surrounding jungle were gradually increasing, she thought for a moment and then walked towards Haruhi.

However, the girl did not sit down in front of Haruhi. Yumiko kept a distance of about two or three meters from the irritable boy, which was enough to ensure that she could leave the place as soon as possible.

However, Chunri didn't seem to care...

"You're really shameless. Did you see everything that happened at the karaoke bar that day?"

"I didn't see it, but I heard everything someone said, 'Hey, Kagura-senpai, right? I want to go in and sing now, do you want to come with me?'"

The boy imitated Yumiko's tone and eyes from that day, capturing that haughty yet forced arrogance after the breakup so vividly that Yumiko felt an urge to bury herself in the ground.

"I told you not to mimic my speech again!! Also, you are not allowed to tell anyone else about this, especially Yui and the others."

"..."

Chunri remained silent, after all, Xiaoxue had seen it at the time, and if Xiaoxue were to tell others one day, wouldn't he be the one to take the blame?

"Can you grant me this request?"

"I'll try my best... hehe."

Springtime gave the blonde, single heiress an ambiguous smile.

Just then, he heard the ringtone of an email reply coming from his pocket.

It wasn't appropriate to look at the emails in front of Yumiko, so he stood up, looked at Yumiko who was still sitting there, and hesitated for a moment.

"Um, do you need me to take you back to your dorm first?"

"No way!! In my heart, you're the second most hated person after Yukinoshita."

The moonlight cast a silvery glow across the lake. Yumiko, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her white chin resting on them beneath her short skirt, stared blankly at the enchanting, hazy night scene. Without turning her head, she spoke to Haruhi.

"Does he really hate me that much?"

"Of course, I don't want to be friends with someone who always looks at me with pity, let alone an annoying guy like Haruhi Kasuga."

"..."

Spring frowned and shrugged slightly.

They started walking.

The crisp sound of stepping on leaves.

……

After a while,

There was no further movement behind Yumiko, including the crisp sound and the energetic voice that Haruhi had once possessed.

The only faint sounds were the chirping of cicadas and the ripples of water.

And fireflies fluttering about.