Chapter 58

That night, in Yui's room.

Lying face down on the bed, propped up on her elbows, Yui scrolled through a few photos saved on her phone, grinning to herself.

The photos were secret two-shot pictures of her and Yuki, sent by Mizuki.

In one, Yui is leaning against Yuki, her head resting on Yuki's shoulder. (In reality, they are just barely not touching.)

In another, Yui is combing Yuki's sleepy, bed-head hair with a brush.

Although she had initially told Mizuki to stop sending such photos via LINE, saying, "Don't send stuff like this," the photos were actually quite good, and she couldn't help but think, "Good job, Mizuki."

(We might as well say we're officially dating...)

But then, what about this situation?

(An unexpected rival...)

Those two, Yuki and Rion, seem off. Rion, who is now a good friend, was quite difficult to get along with when they first sat next to each other last year.

For some reason, he was always tense, barely reacted when spoken to, and if he didn't do his homework or was a little late, he would start muttering complaints.

Even Yui, who is usually quite cheerful, was taken aback at first, but she couldn't afford to be disliked by her seatmate. It was impossible to spend every day in such an awkward atmosphere.

She gradually opened up to him by using her natural brightness and friendliness, persistently talking to him.

Despite the initial difficulties in getting close to Rion, the breakthrough came from a small incident.

When she happened to massage his shoulder, Rion suddenly blushed and panicked.

Once it was clear that physical touch was his weakness, she took full advantage of it.

After all that effort to finally become friends, how did Yuki manage to get so close in just a week or so?

(Is that guy actually a social genius?)

Despite this, he still doesn't seem to interact much with other girls.

Of course, there's a possibility he's doing something behind the scenes, but Rion is special.

It all started when she called Rion over, but she never imagined it would turn out like this.

(Clean-cut long black hair, beautiful... Could that be his type...?)

Rion is arguably the most beautiful girl among Yui's friends.

Since they are so different in type, it's hard to compare them directly.

(And those two seem to be getting along surprisingly well...)

From what she saw at the arcade today, Yuki seems to be particularly attentive to Rion.

He casually calls Rion by his first name, and they often seem to be whispering to each other, which is very suspicious.

To Yui, Rion is a high-spec, flawless beauty, so such attention seems unnecessary.

(Rather, Yui, pay more attention to me~!)

While it's hard to imagine Rion making the first move, it's likely that Yuki is the one initiating things.

Yui is starting to suspect that Yuki is easily distracted by cute girls.

"Damn, damn, damn!"

She poked Yuki's face on the phone screen repeatedly.

As Yui zoomed in and out on the photos aimlessly,

"Mmm~..."

"What's wrong, Yui? Are you constipated?"

"Ah!!"

Suddenly, a voice whispered in her ear, and she jumped up from the bed.

Maki, in her pajamas, was standing beside her, smiling.

"An assassin has appeared..."

"Hmph, you are already dead."

"That's not it at all."

Ignoring Yui's caution, Maki sat on the bed and gave her an angelic smile.

"Got any problems? Talk to your big sister."

"Um... I was thinking about growing my hair out..."

"Absolutely not, it won't suit you."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I don't like long hair."

"I didn't ask for your opinion."

Their gazes clashed, and sparks flew.

Then, Maki narrowed her eyes and stroked Yui's hair.

"Actually, Yui would look better with shorter hair. Like a cute boy."

"Creepy fetish."

"Yui, you've been a bit mean lately~"

Maki's hand shot out and pinched Yui's cheek.

It hurt. A lot.

"S-Sorry..."

"But why would you suddenly say that? Did something happen?"

"N-No..."

"Something did, didn't it?"

Yui turned away, but Maki circled around and peered at her face.

Her sharp eyes held Yui's gaze, as if to say, "I see through all your thoughts."

Yui, finally giving in, closed her eyes and lunged into Maki's chest.

"Big sister!!!"

"Okay, okay, what's wrong?"

Pushing away the hand that grabbed her butt,

"An unexpected rival... I'm going to lose if this keeps up..."

"What are you fighting this time?"

"Maybe not a devilish type."

"Huh?"

"Meaning a cool, smart, capable woman."

"Hmm...?"

Even though Yui's explanation was fragmented, Maki seemed to understand.

"A rival has appeared, and you're feeling the pressure."

"To compete, I need to change my image..."

"Into an intellectual character? That's impossible."

"Why?"

"Because it is."

"I see."

Impossible is impossible. She understood and accepted it.

But perhaps thinking it was too dull, Maki pointed to Yui's eyes.

"How about trying glasses? Just for the look."

"Good idea! Let's start with the look!"

"I have some fake glasses. They're cute."

Maki left the room and returned a few minutes later with the glasses.

They had a red frame and slightly rounded rectangular lenses, stylish rather than serious.

Yui eagerly took the glasses and put them on.

"Whoa!"

"What's with that exclamation?"

"You don't know?"

"I don't know what. That's weird. That's what's wrong with you, Yui."

Despite the sudden criticism, Yui thought Maki didn't understand at all.

Muttering, "Big sister is always like this," she put on the glasses.

"A bit loose, isn't it?"

"It's your big face."

"How do I look? Am I cool?"

"Hmm~..."

Maki crossed her arms and frowned, not giving a clear reaction.

Ignoring Maki, Yui took a hand mirror from the table and looked at herself.

"Wow, I look smart! I look smart! I look Yui smart!"

"Yui smart is worrying. It's your brain, Yui, right?"

"Intellectual Yui, here I come! Look, look! *Push, push, glasses push*!"

Yui repeatedly pushed up the center of the glasses with her finger.

Maki watched silently for a while, then smiled gently.

"I'm glad you're having fun, Yui."

"Thanks, big sister! I'll show them what I'm made of!"

"Good, good. By the way, Yui, isn't the test coming up soon? Shouldn't you be studying? Is this the time for such things?"

"It's fine, it's fine. It's not time to panic yet."

She has Rion, a strong ally, who will help her with notes on likely test topics.

Plus, the glasses make her feel smarter. So, she's confident.

"Sparkle. How's the shine?"

"It's shining, it's shining."

She will win.

She can't wait for the next school day.