If we were to talk about who reacted the most when Haruno Yukinoshita came looking for Shin, it surprisingly wasn't Yumiko Miura.
After all, there were quite a few girls who had good relationships with Shin. Though it was a bit embarrassing to admit, Yumiko Miura felt she was almost getting used to such things.
So, when Haruno Yukinoshita came to see Shin, while Yumiko Miura felt a little uncomfortable inside, her reaction wasn't too intense.
The one who reacted the most was actually Hayato Hayama, who was standing nearby. The moment he saw Haruno Yukinoshita, his entire body froze.
"Huh? Hayama, do you know that person?"
Another boy from the popular kids' group, Kakeru Tobe, noticed Hayato Hayama's reaction and couldn't help but ask curiously.
Hayato Hayama usually always acted friendly and easygoing, so this was the first time Kakeru Tobe had seen him react so strongly to someone.
However, Hayato Hayama didn't answer Kakeru Tobe's question. Instead, he looked at Haruno Yukinoshita with a complicated expression, then at Shin.
He was probably wondering why Haruno Yukinoshita would specifically come to school to look for Shin.
Shin also heard his classmates calling out to him and noticed Haruno Yukinoshita staring at him from the classroom's back door.
This surprised Shin—he hadn't expected Haruno Yukinoshita to come looking for him. He had no idea what her purpose was.
"Another pretty woman, huh?"
Sure enough, as Shin stood up and prepared to go hear why Haruno Yukinoshita had come to see him, Megumi Kato, sitting in the front row, shot him a somewhat resentful look.
However, she had long since come to terms with this kind of thing, so aside from a bit of resentment, she didn't say anything else.
Shin smiled and ruffled Megumi Kato's hair before walking out through the back door and leaving with Haruno Yukinoshita.
"Hello there, Shin."
Haruno Yukinoshita wore a faint smile on her face. At first glance, she seemed like an approachable older sister—likely what most of the classmates thought as well.
However, she also noticed that standing at the classroom door would draw attention, whether from the students inside or those passing by in the hallway.
So, she tilted her head slightly at Shin—perhaps deliberately acting cute—and said:
"How about we talk somewhere else? Would you like to go to a nearby café with me?"
"...It's class time right now."
Shin was a bit speechless. Though attending class wasn't particularly useful to him anymore, he was still technically a student on the surface.
Was it really okay for Haruno Yukinoshita to suggest skipping class with a high school student?
"It's fine. I'll have Shizuka help cover for you. Just treat it as taking leave—it won't be a problem."
Haruno Yukinoshita smiled at Shin and blinked.
"Besides, you probably don't care about something this trivial, right?"
Others might not know, but how could Haruno Yukinoshita not? Shin had deep connections with the Shinomiya family and was even rumored to be a "psychic." Would someone like that still need to follow school rules?
Seeing Haruno Yukinoshita's behavior, Shin could roughly guess why she had come to see him.
At first, he had considered two possibilities.
First, Haruno Yukinoshita might have found out about his interactions with Yukino Yukinoshita and had come to check him out.
Second, she might have heard some rumors about him and the Shinomiya family through the Yukinoshita family and was approaching him under her family's orders.
Now, it seemed the second reason was more likely.
Shin knew that while Haruno Yukinoshita appeared somewhat cold toward Yukino Yukinoshita, she was actually an absolute sis-con at heart.
If she had really learned about Shin's interactions with Yukino Yukinoshita, her reaction would have been much stronger than this.
With that in mind, Shin nodded.
"Alright, lead the way."
As he spoke, he also took out his phone and sent Megumi Kato a message, telling her he probably wouldn't be back for the next class.
During break time, Yukino Yukinoshita sat at her desk as usual, reading a book.
Yukino Yukinoshita wasn't good at socializing. Though many students probably wanted to befriend her, they ultimately didn't dare approach her casually.
After reading for a while, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced out the window to rest her eyes and prepare for the next class.
However, as she turned her gaze outside, she caught sight of two familiar figures at the school gate.
"Huh?"
At first, Yukino Yukinoshita thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. After all, in her mind, these two people should have had no connection whatsoever.
But after looking more carefully, Yukino Yukinoshita confirmed she wasn't mistaken—the two people at the school gate were indeed Shin and Haruno Yukinoshita!
The two seemed to be heading off-campus. Even though class was about to start, Shin didn't seem to care.
If this had happened before, Yukino Yukinoshita would have instinctively assumed Shin was skipping class—typical delinquent behavior.
But yesterday at lunch, she had spoken with Miyamoto and heard some "rumors" from her.
For example, things about psychic powers…
Though Yukino Yukinoshita had wondered if Miyamoto Rei might have been deceived, the latter spoke so confidently that Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel somewhat convinced.
And now, Haruno Yukinoshita had actively come to school to look for Shin… Yukino Yukinoshita immediately thought of those rumors.
Did this further confirm the rumors that Shin was a "psychic"?
Yukino Yukinoshita watched as the two figures left the school, her mind momentarily thrown into chaos.
Though her relationship with her sister wasn't great, she didn't doubt Haruno Yukinoshita's capabilities.
Haruno Yukinoshita was already handling many of the family's affairs. In the eyes of many, she was the perfect successor to take over the family business.
For someone like her to specifically come to school to see Shin, she must have heard those rumors—or even confirmed their truth.
"Sigh…"
Yukino Yukinoshita let out a soft sigh, recalling her previous interactions with Shin.
Thinking back, some of the traits Shin had displayed back then were indeed unusual. The strength he showed in the kendo club far surpassed that of his peers.
But at the time, Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't considered the possibility of psychic powers. She had simply felt that Shin exuded a captivating aura.
Later, when Shin stopped practicing kendo, she never got to see that aura again, and sometimes she even felt a little regretful about it.
She had originally planned to talk to Shin during lunch today, but she hadn't expected Haruno Yukinoshita to intercept him first.
This only deepened her resentment toward her sister.
To be continued…