Haruno cast a resentful glance at his own younger sister, only to receive a "serves you right" look in return.
Haruno couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
"Yukino, where's your disinfectant?"
"In the far-right cabinet in the kitchen."
Yazuki who had poked her nose, went to the kitchen to wash and disinfect his hands, causing Haruno's expression to freeze, a vein throbbing on her temple.
She hadn't even complained about his brutal behavior yet, and this guy was already acting like she was unsanitary—as if she were some bacteria-infested carrier.
Calm down, Haruno, you're the best.
"Fine, I was a bit abrupt. Yazuki-kun, I apologize."
Haruno stuck out her pink tongue and apologized to Yazuki in front of her. Normally, such a gesture from her would evoke a protective instinct in others and a pang of guilt.
"Oh."
Once again, she got a flat response.
He casually picked up his phone with one hand and chopsticks with the other, ready to eat, prompting Haruno to quickly grab the hand holding the phone.
"Pretty please? Just tell me where to find this kind of cat, that's all."
Using a cutesy, girlish plea—Haruno, a well-known beauty in Chiba City, rarely had anyone who could resist this kind of act.
"Alright, I'll tell you. But what will you give me in exchange?"
That was a better response, but not the kind she had hoped for. It wasn't moved by her charm, just annoyed enough to give in and get her to stop nagging.
"An exchange, huh? Let me think…"
Biting her nail thoughtfully, Haruno gave a mysterious smile.
She took out her phone and leaned in again, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. After a moment of feigned hesitation, she hooked his other shoulder too—acting like a close girlfriend.
She gestured that she wanted to whisper a secret—something Yukino shouldn't hear. Only then did he allow her to lean in without resistance.
Hehe, now that's a reaction… This Yazuki-kun is still a bit shy and uncomfortable with intimate gestures like this, huh?
It made her want to tease him even more, but she restrained herself—pushing too far might have the opposite effect.
Then, she unlocked her phone, opened a folder in her gallery, and showed it to him.
"These are my private photos. I'll let you pick five."
Inside the folder were pictures of Haruno dressed up in various elegant outfits—some in evening dresses, some in kimono—all far more glamorous than her usual attire.
Yazuki only looked at two or three of them.
"Oh? Are these photoshopped? Probably caked in makeup too, huh?"
His skeptical comment made Haruno's eye twitch slightly.
"Look at this pretty face of mine. Do I look like someone who needs tons of makeup? If you don't believe me, how about I set a time to dress up like this in front of you? Sound good?"
After she said that, Yazuki didn't say anything. He just started scrolling through the pictures one by one, seemingly picking the ones he liked.
But before he could make his choices, Haruno snatched the phone away.
"Say it first."
She clearly didn't trust him not to ogle her entire private gallery and then back out of the deal.
"There's only one."
"Huh?"
"There's only one cat like that. If you really want another, just bring in a male and breed it."
The moment Yazuki finished speaking, Yukino gave him a deathly cold stare—like she was ready to freeze him into shards.
At the same time—
"Meow~!"
Almost as if it understood what he said, the cat bristled its fur, baring its teeth like it wanted to claw at him.
The whole situation made Haruno pause before bursting into laughter—so bright and beautiful.
"Sigh… Go on then, pick your photos. You can even set them as your phone's wallpaper. I don't mind if you show them off and say I'm your girlfriend."
She whispered again in a teasing tone, the last line practically tickling his ear.
"Phone wallpaper? Girlfriend? Pass."
"Huh?"
Was he not satisfied with the pictures? Fine, she had no choice but to play her trump card.
"Alright, looks like I'll have to show that one. Don't fall for me too hard, okay?"
She said that with a slightly seductive tone, and Haruno noticed he seemed a little affected—maybe imagining she was about to show him something naughty.
Pervert.
Without giving him a chance to react, she quickly tapped into another folder. The image loaded in a flash. From when she spoke to when the image appeared—it was barely a second—but it was enough for it to burn into his retina.
The photo was of a woman in a white wedding dress.
The fitted gown sculpted her curves perfectly, decorated with handcrafted white roses on the chest and in her hair. Pearls and sequins made her glow. Her already-shapely, beautiful legs were made even more captivating by the lace-trimmed over-knee stockings.
At that moment, Haruno saw Yazuki stunned.
That photo was taken today during a fitting session at a bridal boutique. She had never looked more beautiful in her life.
Interestingly, the store owner was a classmate of her high school teacher, and was curious to see what Haruno would look like in a wedding dress.
"…Still no."
"Eh?"
What did that mean? His face looked like he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"Hehe… I get it. You're just embarrassed, right? I mean, seeing me look this gorgeous in a wedding dress, if—"
If what?
Before Haruno could finish her sentence, Yazuki revealed his own phone's lock screen. It showed a girl in a wedding dress that evoked the image of a fallen angel—fragile and heartachingly beautiful.
And the dress she wore… was the exact same design as Haruno's.
Ah… It was from the same shop.
Only then did Haruno remember the store manager mentioning a stunningly beautiful angelic girl who tried on a dress today.
Ugh—!
She hated to admit it, but the pink-haired girl in the photo looked even more dazzling than she did. Even she couldn't help being a little mesmerized.
"Are you cuter than my Ikaros?"
That was Yazuki's voice—dripping with condescension. It stabbed straight into her heart. Haruno's smile grew strained. His smug expression was seriously asking for a punch.
"Hm? Master, is something wrong?"
Wait… Did he say 'my Ikaros'?
At the same time, a soft, puzzled voice chimed in. That made Haruno finally notice the girl he had introduced as his cousin.
Because earlier, the unusual sight of a male in Yukino's home had distracted her attention from the supposed cousin. But now that she looked—
Unbelievable. She didn't know anything about the girl's education or manners, but just based on looks alone, she was on par with Haruno—maybe even slightly better.
Huh? She calls him Master?
That's not normal.
This Ikaros girl seemed completely obedient to Yazuki. No wonder he wasn't interested in someone like Haruno as a girlfriend.
He even gave her a mocking look, like "how could you even compare?"
Haruno's fake smile was melting fast.
For the first time in her life, Yukinoshita Haruno felt truly and utterly humiliated.
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe…