Hiss~~
"It hurts…"
The morning sun shone through the window onto the girl's delicate, fair skin, bringing a bit of warmth but failing to dispel her bad mood.
Wearing cute pajamas covered in cat patterns, Yukino sat up painfully, her beautiful, ink-black hair cascading down her back and onto the headboard.
"Strange... I feel like I had a terrible nightmare."
Murmuring through the pain, Yukino covered her forehead... "Was it because of what happened yesterday...?"
As the pain slightly subsided, Yukino thought with some confusion. But that wasn't right... Although the two strangers she suddenly encountered—one a yandere male criminal and the other a vicious woman—were memorable and provided a crime scene, she had seen far more terrifying things in the Instance.
Not to mention scenes of skinning, the horrors of cannibalism were also common.
Compared to those, the scene of that man stabbing and dismembering the woman yesterday shouldn't have been enough to give her nightmares.
Deeply perplexed, Yukino took a while to get out of bed and change into the Sobu High School uniform... "..."
Lowering her gaze, Yukino looked at the uniform: a black Japanese blazer over a white shirt, tied with a red bow tie at the chest.
Although the colors were simple, it was unexpectedly beautiful... Provided the person wearing it was attractive, the more beautiful the person looked without makeup, the better the uniform looked on them.
Therefore, this uniform perfectly complemented Yukino's cool and reserved demeanor.
But today... wearing this uniform, Yukino strangely felt a hint of disdain...
'The decorations aren't luxurious enough. It would be better if I had a gem necklace and crystal earrings...'
Her reserved eyebrows furrowed slightly, and Yukino threw this strange thought out of her mind.
'Those accessories are purely tools used by capital to appeal to people's vanity. They have no inherent meaning, and speaking of beauty, so-called diamonds and crystals were considered less valuable than glass in ancient times.'
In the end, Yukino only chose a skirt that was above the knee and a pair of black over-the-knee socks to wear.
"...Isn't it too short!"
The skirt today was shorter than usual, almost reaching mini-skirt length... It was the shortest skirt she owned.
Ultimately, Yukino still didn't change out of the 'short skirt'... Sobu High School, school gate.
It was the time for students to arrive, and they were gathered in twos and threes, chatting lively about the latest gossip.
Suddenly, everyone's voices quieted down a bit.
Some students noticed this and looked over curiously.
Their gazes naturally fell upon Yukino.
"It's Yukinoshita-san!!"
"Yukinoshita-san is as beautiful as ever!"
"Don't you feel like Yukinoshita-san is especially charming today? I would dedicate my heart to her!"
The male students whispered; the male parents driving their children forgot to start their cars; the girls' jealous stares were enough to pierce Yukino...
"Boring~"
Yukino didn't pay attention to their stares. After all, she had always been very lovely. It was just that today everyone's gazes were exceptionally direct—aggressive? Animalistic?
However, what made Yukino frown slightly was the realization that a hint of joy had risen in 'her' heart.
A joy at being watched by everyone?
She felt a little uncomfortable, but...
'Isn't it normal for girls to like being watched?'
'Is it normal?'
Yukino seemed to be convinced by her 'subconscious.' She figured it might be the influence of hormones, the tendency in female genes to attract males through charm?
Perhaps this was genetic instinct?
Her 'subconscious' and Yukino herself convinced her.
Suddenly, a shout came from behind her.
"Yukino!"
Hearing the familiar voice, an almost imperceptible, shallow arc unconsciously curved Yukino's lips.
She wondered if she was remembering the pleasant experience of building a house for the cat together yesterday.
Oh right! And the cat tail!
'You like him?'
Whether it was an illusion or not, Yukino felt a hint of teasing had been added to her 'subconscious.'
'No way!'
Yukino subconsciously retorted.
Putting aside the argument in Yukino's mind for now.
"Hayashi~, I'm surprised to run into you at school!"
Her beautiful eyes trembled. Perhaps recalling the embarrassing incident yesterday when her cat tail was... touched by Hayashi, Yukino's cool eyes now held a trace of warmth.
—She looked at Hayashi with a slight avoidance.
"I'm a student at Sobu High School too, so it's normal for me to come to class, right!"
Hayashi scrutinized Yukino with curious eyes, speaking calmly.
"Your eyes!"
Yukino glared at Hayashi like a hissing kitten, feeling her skin heat up where his gaze had swept.
"What's wrong? I'm appreciating you! Is there a problem with that?"
Hayashi stated righteously.
Yukino couldn't really scold him for that, so she just said with slight annoyance.
"You know perfectly well what the problem is! Hentai!"
"Hehe~"
Hayashi merely chuckled, happily accepting the girl's slight anger. After all, his gaze had been a bit direct... and Yukino's attitude... couldn't be described as truly angry.
Besides, he couldn't be blamed; today's Yukino was truly different from usual.
If the usual Yukino was like a snow lotus, only to be admired from afar, then today's Yukino had a trace of peony brilliance added to the snow lotus... cold yet seductive... This contrast!
It made Hayashi recall his actions yesterday. Could causing a girl embarrassment lead to such a big change in her?
'I truly am a deeply sinful person!'
Hayashi thought cheerfully.
"Forget it! You haven't been to school in several days, so let's go see Hiratsuka-sensei first!"
Her beautiful eyes spoke volumes as Yukino shot Hayashi a fierce glare, then led the way, looking prepared to help Hayashi deal with Hiratsuka Shizuka.
After all, she knew very well that even with arrangements from the agency and notification from the principal, Hiratsuka Shizuka, being a responsible teacher, would still ask endless questions.
That was her strength; she was a responsible teacher.
But for her and Hayashi, it was a bit annoying.
"Is Yukino mad at me? Because of yesterday's..."
"Don't mention it!!"
Yukino's cool, pretty face flushed slightly with embarrassment and anger as she glared fiercely at Hayashi.
Hayashi quickly made a gesture to shut up, but the smile on his face betrayed him—this guy was intentionally teasing her just to see her angry.
And the clever Yukino naturally figured that out!
She turned her head, indicating she wouldn't talk to him for the time being.
The two walked through the school hallway.
They were met with the students' ceaseless discussions.
There was gossip about their relationship, jealous remarks from girls about Yukino, and envious chatter from boys about Hayashi.
Until the two reached the door of Hiratsuka Shizuka's office.
"Yukino, your popularity at school is way too high! Those boys' eyes looked like they wanted to kill me."
Hayashi patted his chest along the way, joking with a scared look, while also feeling a little strange.
In the original work, while Yukino was popular at school—a 'Ice Queen' and 'Orchid in the Empty Valley'—it wasn't like this.
The looks from those classmates... were practically animalistic!
"Monkeys in heat seem normal enough!"
Yukino said, frowning. She felt repulsion, yet also a strange pleasure; this contradictory feeling made her uneasy.
However, she didn't dwell on it and knocked directly on Hiratsuka Shizuka's office door.
"Come in!"
"Oh, Yukino and Hayashi, are you two dating? That's quite bold. Does your older sister know?"