"Consult about life?"
Masuzu muttered softly, then shook her head disinterestedly. "Sorry, I'm feeling a bit unwell. Could you leave me alone for a bit?"
"Oh, don't be so quick to refuse~"
Sitting casually beside her, Haruno crossed her long, fair, and shapely legs beneath her dress, swaying them comfortably. "Your father… Natsukawa Ryouji brought you here, probably wanting you to mingle more with high-society peers and show you off as his added value."
Masuzu's apple-eating paused. She stared at her, blinking. "How did you know…"
Haruno waved her hand nonchalantly. "Oh, middle-aged folks always play the same old tricks. Especially beautiful girls from prominent families—about ninety percent will have similar experiences."
After saying that, Haruno abruptly changed the topic. "By the way, didn't you lose your sense of taste? Seeing you eat an apple here, has it recovered?"
"Not yet. The doctor said it's stress-related taste disorder, possibly caused by psychological pressure, and it's not easy to cure."
Looking at the half-eaten apple bunny on her plate, Masuzu answered with a calm expression. "Right now, I'm just eating to keep myself busy. Though I don't know if it's sweet or not, the texture is crisp and juicy, so at least I can feel a bit of a normal eating sensation."
"Oh~ I see. I'll have one."
Ignoring Masuzu's confused expression, Haruno unhesitatingly took a piece of apple from her plate, chewed, and swallowed it, then nodded enthusiastically.
"Sweet! Such a pity you can't taste it."
"I don't care…"
"Then, is the reason your sense of taste suddenly vanished also unimportant?"
"Of course not. I've already been—"
Instinctively answering along with her words, Masuzu suddenly realized her mistake as the words left her mouth. She sat up straight, as if facing an enemy, and stared at her coldly.
"You're fishing for information from me?"
"I don't know whether to call you sensitive or smart for catching on so quickly."
Haruno sighed regretfully. She spread her hands, like a bandit discarding her weapon, and said with an innocent face, "Fishing for information, you say. You're my little sister's classmate. I wouldn't do that! This is just casual chat, you know. Chat."
Without waiting for Masuzu's response, Haruno suddenly leaned forward, closing in with a smile.
As if compressing her opponent's thinking space until they couldn't breathe, from an extremely close distance, Haruno whispered to Masuzu, "Later, I can help you deal with your father. I'll ask him not to drag you around introducing you to those 'promising young men'… You know, those people love matchmaking their kids too."
"…"
It was like a devil's whisper echoing in her ears. It also felt like being watched by the cold eyes of a snake.
Masuzu sat stiffly in place, like a statue. She remained silent, not answering.
Haruno gazed deeply into her eyes, as if searching for the beauty that once existed in those dull sapphires. She didn't miss even the slightest change in expression, firmly dominating the atmosphere and rhythm of the conversation.
The prey had been hooked—next was the time to break down her psychological defenses.
The corner of her lips curled slightly into a mature, languid smile. Haruno put an arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner, her tone soft and cheerful. "Don't be too wary. I really just want to chat with you… Oh, how about this!"
"An information exchange. We'll talk about things we're both interested in. I'll go first, how about that?"
Unaccustomed to such an intimate gesture, Masuzu quickly pulled away after calming down, her eyes flaring with vigilance.
"I don't have anything interesting…"
"Mhm. He's not a thing." Haruno nodded in agreement, a pleased smile unconsciously appearing on her face. "You must want to know about Tenkuji Yuu."
"!" As if her deepest secret had been pierced, Masuzu's eyes widened in shock. Her fingers trembled slightly. She stared at the mature woman before her, speechless.
Her deeply shaken appearance finally made her seem a bit like a normal human, no longer a soulless doll.
"Got it right~"
Though it was just a trivial guess, coming from Haruno's mouth, it felt like an established fact. She wove a web, waiting for her prey to fall.
Lying wasn't just about words but also demeanor, confidence, even movements and expressions—fortunately, she was always lucky. Her lies were rarely caught.
"Masuzu-chan, I'll tell you about Tenkuji Yuu. At the same time, I'll help you get rid of those annoying parents… In exchange, you need to answer my questions." In a familiar, casual tone like a friendly older sister next door, Haruno winked cutely and laughed heartily. "It's a decent deal. Two for one—I'm actually the one losing out."
"…"
After a moment of silence, Masuzu sighed as if giving up, whispering while looking at the glossy marble floor. "What do you want to know? I've said before, I don't know anything about how your sister is at school. I've never even paid attention to her."
Haruno shrugged. "That one? I have spies at school watching her. I don't need to ask you specifically."
"…Alright."
Masuzu thought, The Yukinoshita family really has personality issues—planting spies in high school to monitor her sister, that's beyond overprotective… No, that's straight-up stalking.
"Then I'll start. Exclusive! Info on Tenkuji Yuu!"
Clenching her hand in front of her mouth like a microphone, Haruno announced seriously.
Masuzu nodded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. She unconsciously sat up straighter.
Her hand reached into her clothes, searching for a notebook but finding none. She placed it back in her lap as if nothing happened.
Haruno pondered. "First, hmm… Let's skip his all-around excellence and brilliance. Straight to the sensational stuff!"
"Sensational?"
His size? Or duration?
Unfortunately, what she was about to say was completely different from what crossed Masuzu's mind.
"Right! Though the credibility isn't high, the person said it with convincing evidence, so I had to believe this information…"
Haruno lowered her tone, speaking as if telling a horror story, whispering coldly. "She was Tenkuji Yuu's girlfriend a few months ago. Rumor has it, the day after she broke up with him, she suddenly lost her memory. She forgot everything about their relationship."
"Lost her memory?"
Masuzu couldn't hold her breath. She stared at Haruno with a serious expression, as if trying to recall some vague fragments in her memory.
"Right. Like an urban legend. The thing is, when she regained her memories for some reason, she realized no one remembered the days she dated him… The whole world became unreal!"
Lowering her voice, Haruno narrated, her icy eyes not missing even the tiniest change in Masuzu's expression.
The induction was complete. After being hooked and caught, it was time to dissect.
This was the only information she'd give—what she'd gain afterward would surely deepen her understanding of the secret.
Whether this was a profitable deal depended on what answers Masuzu could provide.
If her observations and instincts weren't wrong…
A dangerous glint flashed in her eyes. The corner of her lips curled into a crescent-like arc.
(My dear Yuu-chan, even if you have your difficulties, that's no excuse for you to be a playboy…)