Meanwhile, Iroha lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her legs rested against the wall, forming a perfect ninety-degree angle.
A fitness influencer online claimed that this posture could help slim the legs.
There wasn't any solid scientific evidence to support it, but with thousands of likes under the video, Iroha figured it wouldn't hurt to try.
Who knew? It might actually work.
To be honest, Iroha hadn't been in the best mood lately.
Before the last semester ended, she had already planned everything out in advance.
As soon as summer vacation started, she wanted to take advantage of the time when both she and Chisato were free. This would be the perfect opportunity to get closer to him.
She had even drafted a detailed schedule.
August 3rd: invite him to the night market.
August 10th: a trip to the beach.
Mid-August: enjoy the summer festival together.
Late August: visit an amusement park…
Her schedule was packed with plans, but when summer vacation actually began, not a single one had been put into action.
It wasn't that Chisato had outright rejected her.
The problem was that after witnessing certain things, she had been left utterly shocked and enraged, throwing her entire plan into chaos.
Yes, it was all because of that one person—Yukinoshita Yukino.
That composed, elegant, top-tier student whom she had once deeply respected.
Iroha remembered it all very clearly.
Whenever she brought up the topic of Chisato in the past, Yukino would always react with exasperation, disdain, or sighs—never anything positive.
And whenever Iroha subtly asked her and Yui for advice on how to get closer to Chisato, Yukino never gave her a direct answer right away.
Instead, she always tried to dissuade her, encouraging her to reconsider.
Back then, Iroha had actually felt touched, thinking that Yukino was looking out for her. Though she never really took her advice, she still appreciated the concern.
But that day, when she happened to pass through Shimokitazawa and saw Yukino and Chisato sitting together at a café, smiling warmly as they talked, she rubbed her eyes multiple times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
That scene left her in complete shock.
She had told her so-called "good friend" about the guy she was interested in, seeking advice on how to pursue him.
Yet, this "good friend" kept badmouthing him and persuading her to give up.
And while she was hesitating, that very same "good friend" had already made her move in secret.
While this might not have been the most precise way to describe the situation, when Iroha first witnessed them together, that was exactly what went through her mind.
What Yui didn't know was that for the next few days, Iroha had been secretly observing Yukino from the shadows.
After school, she followed Yukino a few times, and sure enough, she witnessed several more private meetings between her and Chisato.
If it had only happened once, maybe she could have dismissed it as a coincidence.
But after seeing it happen repeatedly over several days, there was no way she could just brush it off.
A date… No, it would be more accurate to call it a clandestine meeting.
Hidden in the shadows, biting her lip, Iroha didn't see any explicit physical intimacy between them.
But she saw it clearly—
The Yukino who always maintained a cold and distant façade at school, the one that certain delusional boys had dubbed the "Ice Queen," was now sitting across from Chisato in the library, her expression relaxed, her lips curved into soft smiles, over and over again.
And Chisato was smiling in return.
By this point, everything was painfully obvious, wasn't it?
Iroha's mood plummeted to rock bottom.
She had considered storming up to Yukino and confronting her, pointing a finger at her face and yelling something nasty just to vent her anger.
But then, she remembered that Yui had once mentioned that Yukino had trained in aikido.
So she deflated immediately, wisely discarding the idea.
As for confronting Chisato…
Iroha realized that she didn't really have the right to do that, either.
After all, they had never been in any kind of romantic relationship.
At best, they were just upperclassmen and underclassmen.
They had been through some strange and unforgettable experiences together, so maybe they could be considered friends.
But that was about it.
And as friends, could she really have a say in his love life?
What reason did he have to explain his actions to her?
Throughout the start of summer vacation, Iroha had stayed at home, overthinking everything.
There were many nights when she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
So many times, she opened her LINE chat with Chisato, staring blankly at their old conversations, wanting to message him… but always forcing herself to hold back.
Deep down, Iroha had realized the truth a long time ago.
She just didn't want to admit it.
To Chisato, she was nothing more than an optional presence in his life.
The most obvious proof was in their chat history—
Not all, but most of their conversations had been initiated by her.
There was no denying it.
She was always the one making the first move, but the one who takes the initiative is often the one with the least power.
When it came to love, the person who was cherished had all the control.
Iroha realized that she had been the one constantly chasing after Chisato, while he had given her very little in return.
Looking back at everything she had done over the past months, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
When did she become like this?
Maybe it was time for a change.
Now that she really thought about it, Chisato wasn't even that special.
Sure, he was taller, more handsome, smarter, and more talented than most guys…
But aside from that, was there really anything extraordinary about him?
If anything, his biggest flaw was way too obvious—he was a shameless flirt.
Maybe this was the perfect opportunity for her to move on, to look forward instead of lingering on the past.
As she mulled over these thoughts, her expression gradually hardened with resolve.
At that very moment, her phone, lying beside her, suddenly chimed with a notification.
Casually, she picked it up and glanced at the screen.
And in the next instant, the dull, lifeless look in her eyes was replaced by a flicker of light.
All those thoughts she had just been having?
Gone.
As if they had never existed in the first place.
Chisato had messaged her first.
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Her resolve isn't that much lmao
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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