"Student Miura, tell us about the problem you've run into, in detail. As long as it's within our Service Club's abilities, we can offer help."
But this one sentence made Miura Yumiko realize she'd already been exposed.
This woman—why did she have to be so perceptive?
This woman, Yukino Yukinoshita, was getting more and more detestable.
"A friend of mine has been harassed by a male close to her. She wants to resolve it, but doesn't know how."
Miura Yumiko still spoke vaguely, not wanting to be too blunt. Even if Yukinoshita guessed, she didn't want the remaining one, Yui Yuigahama, to guess too.
Better to take things one step at a time—slowly was better.
Besides, given Yui's personality, her first reaction would surely be to disbelieve that Lin Ye would do such a thing to her, and even if she did believe it, she'd surely want to play the good person.
Caught in the middle, Yui Yuigahama would have a hard time. So Miura Yumiko still felt it was better to let Yukinoshita handle it.
Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama was thinking about the female friend around Yumiko.
She surely hadn't been harassed, so could it be...
She slowly opened her eyes.
It really was possible—cute girls were always endearing.
Yui Yuigahama decided to ask Hina Ebina about it later. She never imagined even Hina could suffer harassment from a male.
This was going too far.
She had to sternly put a stop to it—she couldn't let Hina get hurt.
"How far has the harassment gone?"
Yukinoshita asked again.
Those words made the corner of Miura Yumiko's mouth twitch.
It was endless—this woman Yukinoshita was truly hopeless.
Just watching for a chance to get revenge on her, huh!
Miura Yumiko was thoroughly depressed.
"Probably... if I remember correctly, it should be to the point of hand-holding."
She didn't have the face to say she'd been hugged, kneaded, and groped.
If that got out, it would be far too humiliating.
Even now she already felt she'd been humiliated enough.
"Hand-holding? I thought it had gone even further than that."
As Yukinoshita spoke, her cold gaze continued to roam unrestrained across Miura Yumiko's face, as if she could see straight through Miura Yumiko's heart.
Miura Yumiko forced down the discomfort inside her.
This woman—despicable.
"It didn't, but to her, even hand-holding is already a serious violation. So is there any way to get rid of him?"
Yui Yuigahama immediately said, "How about a direct warning? We'll all go together and scold him harshly."
The pink bun deliberately put on a very, very fierce look, as if she really would charge to the front line and scare off the harasser.
But it would be very, very hard.
Never mind that the harasser was Lin Ye—even if it weren't Lin Ye, even if it were someone else, Yui Yuigahama's gentle personality would be of no use.
Rather, it was this woman Yukinoshita who'd be useful.
Miura Yumiko knew that if Yukino Yukinoshita was willing to step in, Lin Ye would surely back down.
After all, the one that man Lin Ye liked was Yukinoshita.
This kind of cold, icy woman always drew many men into obsession.
"I have no problem with it—it just depends on whether Student Miura dares."
A provocation—a blatant provocation.
Miura Yumiko felt it very clearly.
"What is there for me not to dare?"
She immediately shot back first, "It's just that my friend has many concerns. She doesn't want to fall out too badly, and even less wants more people to find out."
"Your friend's been harassed and still isn't willing to fall out—doesn't that just make her deserve to be bullied?"
Hearing this, Yui Yuigahama's heart immediately raced. The atmosphere seemed a little off—Yukino seemed to be after revenge!
In Yui Yuigahama's eyes, Yukino and Miura Yumiko didn't get along.
If she added fuel to the fire now, they might just start quarreling.
And then, the one to lose out would surely be Yumiko—yes, yes, it would definitely be Yumiko who lost out, so she absolutely couldn't let this happen.
"Yukinon, Yukinon, this is surely because Yumiko's friend is too meek. The one doing wrong isn't Yumiko's friend, but that harassing bastard,"
Yui Yuigahama immediately stated her position and explained her thinking to ease the frozen atmosphere.
Yui Yuigahama knew she was the lubricant. If she didn't speak up to soften the mood, Miura Yumiko and Yukino would surely clash, and in the end, no matter who got hurt, as their friend she'd surely be saddened. So she definitely had to stop it.
"The harasser is a bastard, but if the harassed swallows her anger, isn't that also feeding the harasser's arrogance? If you don't want to face harassment, then all the more should you stand up, face it head-on, and make the harasser pay the price."
When had Miura Yumiko not wanted that? If she truly faced a man's threats and harassment, wouldn't she beat his dog head in? But Lin Ye truly wouldn't do—truly wouldn't.
That man was her nominal boyfriend, something nearly every teacher and student at Sobu High School knew.
Even if she said it wasn't so, few teachers or students would likely believe her. Apart from Yukinoshita, Isshiki Iroha, and Yui Yuigahama, who knew from the start, no one knew.
It was the same with Hayama.
If she exposed Lin Ye, it would only be seen as a couple's squabbling.
It simply wouldn't work at all.
"Yumiko, I'll help you, and Yukinon will help you too. Oh right, and Lin-kun—Lin-kun will help you too. Lin-kun is your nominal boyfriend right now, after all, hahahaha..."
As she spoke, Yui Yuigahama laughed, while Miura Yumiko returned an awkward smile.
But inside she kept grumbling.
Anyone could help her—only Lin Ye was impossible.
The instigator was that very bastard. If not for that bastard, how would she have sunk to the point of coming to the Service Club for help, of making a request to Yukinoshita?
"This nominal boyfriend of mine—I might as well not have him. Yui, if you want him, he's yours."
As her words fell, even Yui Yuigahama was startled.
"Ah, don't say such nonsense! I only have a simple friendship with Student Lin. Yumiko, don't get the wrong idea."
"Yui, why are you so flustered? Could it be..."
Miura Yumiko's one remark made Yui Yuigahama even more nervous—she felt she was about to be misunderstood.
"There's nothing, nothing at all. The one Lin-kun likes is Yukinon. Yumiko, don't get the wrong idea,"
Yui Yuigahama denied it over and over.
No matter what, she definitely had to explain, and as for the outcome, she no longer cared. Of course, she hoped not to be misunderstood—if she were, how would she go on staying in the Service Club in the future?
"Lin Ye liking Yukinoshita—what does that have to do with you liking Lin Ye?"
"I don't like him, I really don't."
And Miura Yumiko, as if she hadn't heard, continued, "Yukinoshita doesn't like Lin Ye, and she's rejected Lin Ye's confessions many times over. If you like Lin Ye, you should take the initiative. As his nominal girlfriend, I permit it."
In any case, at least outwardly for now, Yukinoshita had no feelings toward Lin Ye. As for how it really was, she didn't know—it depended on Yukinoshita's reaction.
Yui Yuigahama's eyes involuntarily glanced toward Yukino Yukinoshita, then quickly darted away.
To Yukino Yukinoshita, it looked like Yui Yuigahama was checking her true reaction—whether she cared.
"If Student Yuigahama has feelings and interest, she can go make contact and confess."
A cool, clear voice rang out.
Yukino Yukinoshita wore an indifferent expression.
Whether or not Yui Yuigahama liked him, she didn't care, because she could be certain that Lin Ye had not the slightest interest in Yui Yuigahama.
Even if Yui Yuigahama threw herself at him it would be useless—take Isshiki Iroha, for example: very pretty, a decent figure, liked by many men, yet Lin Ye looked down on her, had no interest. So no matter how hard Isshiki Iroha threw herself at him, she never succeeded.
Lin Ye had already locked his heart onto her.
"This... this definitely wouldn't be appropriate! Hahahaha, I really do treat Student Lin as a friend—I have no thoughts in that direction."
Since Yui Yuigahama had put it that way, Miura Yumiko didn't press further.
The way she'd said it actually carried a tiny, tiny bit of selfishness—if Yui really did have feelings for Lin Ye and wanted to make contact, then... couldn't she go with the flow and shift Lin Ye's attention onto Yui Yuigahama?
As for Lin Ye, an adolescent high schooler right now, she had a certain understanding of a male's thoughts in that regard, and knew that men had needs.
His moves on her were probably him getting carried away, acting on impulse.
If Lin Ye had a girlfriend—a girlfriend in the true sense—then he wouldn't act like he had at noon, right!
Of course, Miura Yumiko was actually quite hesitant, because wasn't this pushing her own friend into a pit of fire?
Instinctively, she was still unwilling.
If possible, she still felt Yukino Yukinoshita was the best candidate.
Making Yukino Yukinoshita satisfy Lin Ye's various inhuman requests, bringing together the girl she detested and that bastard man—this was the future she deserved.
Miura Yumiko gradually came to this thought.
But could Yukinoshita, really?
Just thinking about it, Miura Yumiko shook her head.
Impossible—making this ice queen fall for someone was an utterly impossible thing.
Miura Yumiko could hardly imagine what kind of man could make Yukino Yukinoshita fall in love and date him.
She simply couldn't picture it.
Such a man might not even exist in this world.
The topic returned to the harasser.
Miura Yumiko still refused to confront him head-on, only hoping for some suitable method to make the harasser back off on his own.
The yakuza she'd mentioned to the president before were this time dragged out by Yui Yuigahama as a method.
Miura Yumiko was stunned to hear it.
That Yui Yuigahama would actually propose such a method.
"As for money, I can offer up my allowance."
This was one of the few things she could do.
Facing Yui Yuigahama's declaration, Miura Yumiko's heart stirred, and she felt that this girl Yui Yuigahama truly was a good person.
Her earlier thought of leading Yui into the pit of fire had truly wronged Yui.
She deserved to die ten thousand deaths!
Miura Yumiko kept thinking to herself, resolving that for the rest of her life she could never do anything to wrong Yui Yuigahama.
It was just that in the end, Yukino Yukinoshita spoke again, "Leave the matter to me for now. I'll resolve it properly."
Facing Miura Yumiko's request, Yukinoshita once again accepted—accepting even though, in Yui Yuigahama's view, the situation was far from clear.
"Okay."
Unlike her back-and-forth wavering with the president, Miura Yumiko instead chose to trust directly.
Never mind Yui Yuigahama—even Yukino Yukinoshita revealed a stunned expression.
This was normal enough—after all, Miura Yumiko and Yukinoshita had their conflicts, their relationship seemingly irreconcilable.
But this time, Miura Yumiko had accepted directly.
How could this not astonish Yui Yuigahama?
Miura Yumiko left.
She hadn't come early, nor did she leave late.
The Service Club fell into a brief silence once more.
Yui Yuigahama, as always, broke that silence.
"Yukinon, is this method of yours the same as the president's method?"
Yui Yuigahama was curious.
"More or less."
"I want to know too."
"It's not appropriate."
"That's too sly! I'm a member of the Service Club too. I want to contribute to the request as well, not just sit here unable to do anything—not even allowed to know, unable to do a single thing. I'm so sad."
Yui Yuigahama's eyes reddened, tears welling up in them.
As if the very next second they'd spill out.
"I'll give you the next request."
Yukino Yukinoshita had no other choice, so she came up with a stalling tactic: next time she'd let Yui Yuigahama resolve the Service Club's request.
But when the next request would appear—
Even she herself didn't know.
Maybe there'd be one tomorrow, maybe next week, or maybe not even after a month.
After all, the mere fact that the Service Club could accept requests wasn't known to many at Sobu High School.
The petitioners who'd appeared so far were mostly people connected to Service Club members.
As for the next request, Yukinoshita truly had no idea when it would come.
"The next one? That... that's just too far away. Aiya, aiya... I never thought Yukinon was this kind of girl too."
Yui Yuigahama sighed again and again.
Yukino Yukinoshita handled it calmly, giving no opening to exploit.
In the end,
Yui Yuigahama could only accept it. "It's a promise—the next request goes to me."
She didn't want the next time to come only for the request to end up not being hers again.
Yui Yuigahama, the pink-bun girl, also had a heart firmly set on pressing forward to win.
"Mm." Yukino Yukinoshita gave a hum.
When the time came, if Yui Yuigahama couldn't solve it alone, she'd still have to step in anyway.
She would take control of the big picture.
"Mm-mm-mm, I've remembered it—Yukinon can't break the promise."
"I won't. I won't break the promise."
She, Yukino Yukinoshita, always kept her word and never went back on it—this was her life principle.
Time passed minute by minute, and no one else came to the Service Club.
The glow of dusk shone in, a faint golden-red light suffusing the room.
The two girls of the Service Club rose one after another and headed to the front gate of Sobu High.
At that moment, a familiar black sedan pulled to a stop.
Yui Yuigahama recognized it—it was the Yukinoshita home's private car.
"Yukinon, I'll head off first. Hahaha, goodbye, see you tomorrow."
After waving, Yui Yuigahama hurried off.
Yukino Yukinoshita had the urge to raise her hand and wave, but in the end she held it back.
To her, this was highly abnormal behavior.
But now, she also knew she had changed—otherwise, she certainly wouldn't have even had such a thought.
...
...
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