In a luxurious apartment.
"Remember, leave before eleven… I don't want to have to escort you home before bed."
Wearing cute blue pajamas adorned with panda patterns, Yukino glanced at the woman pouring herself a drink on the sofa, her face showing helplessness.
"Eh~ What's the big deal? Let me stay over~"
Swirling the golden liquid in her wine glass, Haruno slightly raised her eyes to look at her, her brows and smiling eyes feigning a sad pout.
"Is Yukinon not worried her big sister might run into bad people on the streets at night?"
"Yeah, not worried."
The girl brushed back the long hair on her shoulder, her expression unwavering, answering flatly, "There's a convenient thing in this world called a taxi. Someone like you, who's stayed out late more times than me, should know how to take a taxi home, right?"
"Tch, so heartless…"
With a displeased pout, Haruno sipped the bittersweet wine, then leaned back casually on the sofa. "I'll leave after this glass. Time to return to my room with not a shred of warmth~"
"Complain less and find a boyfriend already," Yukino said mockingly as she walked to the bathroom. "Didn't you tell Mom during summer break that you had someone you liked, which is why you refused the arranged marriage with the Yuuki family? Don't use that as an excuse. Seriously look for a guy to warm you up—wouldn't that be better?"
Haruno didn't care, even puffing out her chest. "Exactly because that excuse still works, I'm perfectly happy hanging out in my single little sister's apartment~"
"You can even say that with such confidence," Yukino massaged her forehead, speechless.
Haruno chuckled. "If I can't even state facts confidently, I don't want to live that miserably."
"…"
As if too lazy to entertain her, Yukino didn't continue the conversation, heading straight to the bathroom to start her pre-bed routine.
Watching her leave, Haruno shrugged, then raised her glass.
The wine slid down her throat again, but the bitterness suddenly overpowered the sweetness, making her wince.
"…Ugh, it doesn't taste good anymore."
Her expression turned bored instantly. She tossed an ice cube into the glass, shook it a few times, and downed the contents, her face flushing red.
Elegant yet captivating, her mature and alluring figure was reflected only in the glass window.
*CLINK!*
Setting the glass on the table, Haruno smacked her red lips.
"Almost a month has passed, and the mystery's still unsolved…" Muttering to herself, she stretched vigorously, revealing her beautiful, curvaceous figure.
Her slender fingers gently brushed the hair behind her ear. The young woman picked up the bag on the sofa, her fingers instinctively touching the wooden comb inside, checking if it was still there.
Whether due to the alcohol or not, as her fingers grazed the spring flower carving on the comb, an indescribable warmth flowed from her heart, like someone warming her hands in winter, making her smile faintly without realizing it.
The next second, she sighed as if resigned.
"Whether something's added or missing… the most important thing is always out of reach."
Muttering a complaint only she understood, Haruno tidied her things and prepared to leave her sister's apartment.
Suddenly, a phone ringtone sounded from the study.
She shouted as she walked, "Yukinon, your phone's ringing~"
The girl in the bathroom replied immediately, "I'll be right out. Don't just pick it up."
"Ugh, so mean. Am I that kind of bad sister~"
"Don't you know better than me?"
Drying her face, Yukino turned off the faucet and quickly walked to the study.
Haruno stood by the desk, arms crossed, smiling meaningfully at her.
"Rushing to answer the phone like that—is it because you don't trust me, or because you care about this student named Tenkuji Yuu?"
Clearly, though Haruno didn't pick up, she'd seen the caller's name and had no intention of hiding it.
As wicked as ever.
Frowning and glancing at her, Yukino grabbed the phone from the desk, saying coldly, "Obviously the former. I've told you before, he's like you… no, he's even more annoying than you. I don't want you to meet him."
"Oh? Is Yukinon jealous?"
Ignoring her prickly attitude, Haruno asked with sparkling eyes, like a high school girl gossiping about love.
"No, I just don't want the number of annoying things and people to increase."
Picking up the phone, Yukino pointed to the door, saying bluntly, "I'm about to discuss business. You can leave."
"Alright—" With a drawn-out, reluctant tone, Haruno walked out, closing the door behind her. "Who says I'm not a good sister who respects her little sibling~ I won't eavesdrop on you flirting with a guy."
"Who'd flirt with an insect like that… No, I'm not talking to you, Tenkuji-kun. Though the insect I'm referring to is you…"
The moment the door closed, silence enveloped the brightly lit living room.
The soundproofing was regrettably excellent. Haruno pressed her ear to the door for a while but could only hear faint murmurs.
"Calling Yukino this late and not getting rejected… This Tenkuji isn't an ordinary student!"
Reluctantly leaving the study door, her eyes darted playfully, and she made that conclusion with keen interest.
First was her understanding of her sister; second was the tone of her sister's voice earlier.
Such a confrontational attitude, with a provocative opening line—Yukino only showed that side to her.
Though her words were always merciless, her sister still had some etiquette. With strangers, she'd at most ignore or mock, not viciously call someone an insect.
As for business or whatever, that explained nothing—couldn't it wait until morning? Calling this late was clearly intentional!
So, whether their relationship was good or bad, whether it was genuine hatred or pretend hatred…
Comparing herself to that guy meant Tenkuji Yuu's place in Yukino's heart was already on par with hers!
Facing the air, Haruno nodded seriously, explaining to herself, "Yes, that's what love is like!"
"Disdain is better than neglect, hatred is better than indifference. As long as there's a spark, dislike can turn into like, and even an insect can go from a dung beetle to a Hercules beetle—"
"Hehe, looks like Yukinon's not far from love~"
Entertaining herself, she laughed gleefully.
Inevitably, in a boring life, one must find amusement to break the monotony.
And everything related to her sister was, for Haruno, the best entertainment.
"Too bad Yukinon's guard is up so high right now. She won't give me a chance to get to know him better…"
While putting on her shoes by the entrance, Haruno showed a rare serious expression, pondering how to openly insert herself into her sister's school life.
But soon, the young woman narrowed her eyes, flashing a sly, proud smile.
"For information, asking her is the fastest way!"
Opening the apartment door, she made a call.
"Hello? Shizuka-sensei? Long time no see~ Don't use that tone; I miss you so much."
"Has my sister caused any trouble? Oh, right, the club festival? Yeah, that event… I'm interested, but first, I want to ask about someone. Seems like he's a Sobu High student too…"
When the call ended, she'd gathered plenty of information.
Haruno raised her brows proudly, smiling as she tucked her phone back into her bag.
"Thanks for Shizuka's unconditional support, and thanks to my info-digging skills~"
"Wow, this is way more fun than I expected."
Leaving the luxurious apartment, stepping onto the sidewalk bathed in the night's softness, the evening breeze lifted her shoulder-length hair.
Haruno looked up, pausing for a moment.
No stars shone in the sky; thick darkness blanketed it, as if wanting to make this night eternal.
But the sun rises after it sets, and tomorrow morning, after waking, a bright sky painted by the morning sun would still appear.
Anytime, anywhere.
An eternal night wouldn't last; dawn would always come.
Gazing far into the sky, she smiled softly, as if eagerly awaiting that moment.
"The weekend—rarely do I go back to school!"
Happily shifting her gaze, Haruno strode forward.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In a private villa.
All light sources in the room were off, only the cold glow of a white screen dispelling the thick darkness.
"Damn it, how could this… how could it be such a coincidence!"
The teenager sitting at the computer slammed the desk hard, his handsome face looking menacing under the screen's light, filled with cruelty.
"All the cameras that could've recorded were blocked by random objects during those five minutes—how could there be such a coincidence!"
As if gripped by fear, his shrunken pupils, like pinpricks, trembled constantly, and his clenched fists shook slightly.
"Unconsciously doing what he told me could be explained by hypnosis… Were the surveillance recordings technologically synthesized? That's impossible too…"
"Most importantly, even though he beat me so badly, it felt like some bones broke—why, after it was over, was there not a single injury on my body!"
With both hands, he ruffled his once-neat hair. Sugou muttered to himself, then suddenly swept everything off the desk onto the floor, his eyes bloodshot, panting as he stared at the tilted screen.
It was a surveillance recording he'd paid someone to copy.
Unable to ask the Yuuki family for help, he used his own connections and money to copy all the footage of their meeting that day, hoping to find evidence of the guy torturing him.
The result: nothing.
The surveillance lenses were blocked by a pigeon's rear or a newspaper, and everything returned to normal after he left—no signs of tampering, editing, or synthesis from start to finish, as if even the gods helped him punish him, erasing all traces of those five minutes of torment from the world.
Sugou couldn't comprehend how a high school student could do all this.
"Is he a monster or some superhuman? Will he just kill me one day without fear of anyone finding evidence?"
All this left Sugou confused and terrified. Every midnight dream brought images of being beaten, stared at like an animal, and having his head crushed.
For days, he avoided the office, not wanting others to see him in a drained, near-insane state from the torment.
"Damn guy… Damn guy… Damn kid, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"
His once-elite face twisted into something demonic. Sugou kicked the heavy desk in front of him, ignoring the pain in his shin.
"Hah, even if you have superpowers…"
Suddenly, he gritted his teeth, pulling a terrifying grin.
Even a cornered dog will bite, let alone someone of his elite status. After being threatened and intimidated, the first thing he'd naturally do was seek revenge.
"There are plenty of ways to get rid of you safely!"
With a grim face, Sugou pulled out an old mobile phone and dialed a number.
"I thought you wouldn't call me, Sugou." A low male voice came from the receiver.
"If I could avoid it, I wouldn't." Sugou said coldly, "I've given you a place to stay, protected you, a dangerous criminal. Can that data be deleted now?"
"And then you'll turn me in?" The man chuckled. "Sugou, I'm not that stupid. A sheep's wool must be fully sheared before it's let go."
"At least give me a deadline, right? Otherwise, we'll destroy each other. I lose my future, and you go back to prison."
"Alright, don't get so mad. Once I find a place to go, I'll return all your dirty data, and we'll part ways, owing nothing."
"I never owed you anything. Kiba, if you hadn't back then…"
"Enough, no need to bring up the past." The fugitive's voice—Kiba—grew impatient. "The longer we talk, the more weaknesses exposed. If you've got nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Wait!" After a long preamble, Sugou finally got to the point. "Agree to one thing for me, and I'll find a way to send you abroad with a sum of money!"
"Oh? Giving me a job." The other side laughed with interest. "Let me guess… Sugou, you're finally going after that director's daughter you've been eyeing? I remember her figure's nice. If you get bored…"
"Shut up!" Sugou panted, an inexplicable fear gripping his heart, quickly turning into raging anger. "You, don't touch them! No, I'm not targeting the Yuuki family either… Tch, the person I want dealt with isn't them—it's a high school student…"
"A high school student? Needing help to deal with a high schooler? Sugou, you're really regressing."
Kiba sneered a few times, not waiting for a response, then said indifferently.
"Well, whatever… I recently got something interesting—a high-pressure syringe with the latest tech. I was wondering who to test the drug on. Accidentally killing him won't be an issue, right?"
"Of course!" Sugou's eyes lit up, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "I'll send you all the info. As long as you take him out, I'll pay any price!"
"Oh? So generous. Sounds like a deep grudge."
"None of your business! I'll message you from another phone later. Make a new email account…"
After quickly settling the matter, Sugou gripped the old phone, staring at the cold glow of the only lit screen in the darkness.
His eyes blazed red, his tongue licking his lips disgustingly, panting with suppressed excitement.
"Heh, heh heh heh heh… Tenkuji, no matter how strong or weird you are, as long as I hide in the dark and send others to fight you, what can you do to me?"
"Keep disabling cameras? Keep beating me? Keep ordering me not to approach the Yuuki family?"
"If this doesn't work, I'll find someone else. As long as there's money, as long as there's a way… I'll make you know the consequences of humiliating Sugou Nobuyuki! Damn cursed kid!"
As if finding a weapon to trample his fear, as if imagining a future where his revenge was fulfilled.
In the dark room, the man's cold, manic laughter echoed, devoid of the calm and maturity—however fake—that once made him seem human.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Friday night, a myriad of thoughts.
Time slipped through the fingers, and in the blink of an eye, Sunday arrived.
September 21, morning.
The Sobu High Autumn Club Festival entered its preparation phase.